Last year I went to London and wrote about how I almost got deported here. Well let me tell you something, that may have been scary at the time, but it looks like nothing compared to the story I am about to tell you. Buckle up, it's a wild one.
First, let me start off from the very, very beginning; September 6th, the day I got to Germany. I came here as a tourist to live with a German family, learn the language and make sure it would be a good fit for me. It is very common for American au pairs to do this, and it is the easiest way to get your visa, or so I was told. Americans can stay as a tourist for up to 90 days, I just had to start the visa process before then. To get a one year work visa for Germany, you have to pass an A1 language test (we had taken several practice tests in school and I was averaging 85-95) as well as file the appropriate paperwork with the ausländerbehörde (immigration office).
So I researched where the nearest ausländerbehörde is and found one in Frankfurt, the nearest big city. So I went there one (very cold, rainy) day in November and waited in a long line for them to tell me I must first register at a different government building. When I explained that I had already registered with the government in Groß-Gerau, the city where I live, I was told I must go there to file my paperwork for my visa. So back to Groß-Gerau I went and the next week I went to the ausländerbehörde in Groß-Gerau to pick up and turn in the visa forms.
Then I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, about 3 weeks before my flight home, I got a letter from the German government saying more or less:
Dear Rachel,
Please come see us and bring international identification.
Thanks a bunch,
Deutschland
P.S. You're super cool.
I said more or less, which means I might have condensed it and then added a little something, but it's my blog and I can do that if I want to. My passport and I headed back to the ausländerbehörde and I waited my turn to get called into what will from here on be referred to as the dragon's lair. The dragon lady (I'm just doing my part to help her remain anonymous in this ever increasing world of the decrease of personal space) wasn't a dragon, technically speaking, but I definitely wanted to burn her acrylic pink sweater that was straight out of 1992. I'm getting sidetracked--the point of this story is getting lost. So the dragon lady asked for my passport, which I gave her, and after looking me up in her computer, she informed me that I was in big trouble.
Turns out my visa paperwork was never filed; which meant I was living in Germany past my 90 day window, which meant I had been working as an au pair illegally, which meant that my host family could get in serious trouble for and I would too. The dragon no-so-polietly informed me that I would be receiving a letter from the government telling me the date by which I must vacate the country. At least the Germans were being cordial about deporting me, it could be worse, right?
So I head home and promptly enter freak out mode. Up until this point I was growing more and more homesick by the day. I had been so looking forward to my trip back to Texas that my mind didn't really have time to think about much else. But now? Now that I was leaving and not coming back? I was so sad. I wasn't ready for my time in Germany to be over yet. I had a lot I wanted to do and I knew if I left and didn't come back I might never have the chance to live in Europe again. Unfortunately it was a Friday and nothing could be done until Monday.
So I spent my weekend talking to B about the situation, then we spoke with my au pair agent, and I talked to my parents about it, and then we waited. I was so stressed by all of this, but I knew that all weekend, and even on Monday there was nothing I could really do. It was out of my hands and I had to accept that and be ready to accept whatever would happen. Lucky for me, on Monday morning I realized I brought the big guns with me when I brought B. Man, it was awesome. She totally had my back, she stuck up for me to dragon lady (something I totally could have done in English, but in German, not so much), and she was an all around badass.
B got the problem solved relatively quickly, it took just over 2 hours which might seem like a long time, but I've waited in DPS lines for longer, so I call it a win. The dragon lady ended up sending us down the hall to her colleague, a dead ringer for Mr. Clean, and he was very polite, kind, and helpful. Polar opposites, to say the least. I got a tourist visa extension that is good until April and we re-filed my work visa. I had to get passport photos taken (you can't grin in German passport photos, showing your teeth is a big no-no, so my picture is less than flattering, to say the least) and then they scanned my finger prints. So there go my hopes and dreams of being an international criminal. Damn.
Morals of this somewhat comical, entirely true story:
1. Follow proper procedure for obtaining visas.
2. If you find yourself in a less than desirable situation in which you are about to be deported, bring the big guns.
3. Keep calm, because you never know what kind of crazy, stressful events will end up being the best "That time(s) I almost got deported..."
Dear Rachel,
Please come see us and bring international identification.
Thanks a bunch,
Deutschland
P.S. You're super cool.
I said more or less, which means I might have condensed it and then added a little something, but it's my blog and I can do that if I want to. My passport and I headed back to the ausländerbehörde and I waited my turn to get called into what will from here on be referred to as the dragon's lair. The dragon lady (I'm just doing my part to help her remain anonymous in this ever increasing world of the decrease of personal space) wasn't a dragon, technically speaking, but I definitely wanted to burn her acrylic pink sweater that was straight out of 1992. I'm getting sidetracked--the point of this story is getting lost. So the dragon lady asked for my passport, which I gave her, and after looking me up in her computer, she informed me that I was in big trouble.
Turns out my visa paperwork was never filed; which meant I was living in Germany past my 90 day window, which meant I had been working as an au pair illegally, which meant that my host family could get in serious trouble for and I would too. The dragon no-so-polietly informed me that I would be receiving a letter from the government telling me the date by which I must vacate the country. At least the Germans were being cordial about deporting me, it could be worse, right?
So I head home and promptly enter freak out mode. Up until this point I was growing more and more homesick by the day. I had been so looking forward to my trip back to Texas that my mind didn't really have time to think about much else. But now? Now that I was leaving and not coming back? I was so sad. I wasn't ready for my time in Germany to be over yet. I had a lot I wanted to do and I knew if I left and didn't come back I might never have the chance to live in Europe again. Unfortunately it was a Friday and nothing could be done until Monday.
So I spent my weekend talking to B about the situation, then we spoke with my au pair agent, and I talked to my parents about it, and then we waited. I was so stressed by all of this, but I knew that all weekend, and even on Monday there was nothing I could really do. It was out of my hands and I had to accept that and be ready to accept whatever would happen. Lucky for me, on Monday morning I realized I brought the big guns with me when I brought B. Man, it was awesome. She totally had my back, she stuck up for me to dragon lady (something I totally could have done in English, but in German, not so much), and she was an all around badass.
B got the problem solved relatively quickly, it took just over 2 hours which might seem like a long time, but I've waited in DPS lines for longer, so I call it a win. The dragon lady ended up sending us down the hall to her colleague, a dead ringer for Mr. Clean, and he was very polite, kind, and helpful. Polar opposites, to say the least. I got a tourist visa extension that is good until April and we re-filed my work visa. I had to get passport photos taken (you can't grin in German passport photos, showing your teeth is a big no-no, so my picture is less than flattering, to say the least) and then they scanned my finger prints. So there go my hopes and dreams of being an international criminal. Damn.
Morals of this somewhat comical, entirely true story:
1. Follow proper procedure for obtaining visas.
2. If you find yourself in a less than desirable situation in which you are about to be deported, bring the big guns.
3. Keep calm, because you never know what kind of crazy, stressful events will end up being the best "That time(s) I almost got deported..."
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