A new day, a new opportunity for amusement

I've been meaning to write about some of the more surprising, frustrating, and/or funny burocratic twists and turns to life here, but haven't gotten around to it. Today Mr. Z. provided me the perfect opportunity, bless him. We ran into each other in the kitchenette when we each went to get some tea; he had a tentative, anxious manner, and a rather frantic smile on his face.

"Miss Pidgeon, I have good news! I got your work permit in one week! The usual time is six weeks!"

Fantastic, Mr. Z, wow.

"And I also have some bad news for you. You will have to go back to Washington D.C."

?

"The government just passed a new regulation. For the type of visa you have, you must apply
for a work visa from your home country."

As in, now? But what about kindergarten? What about Mama & Papa Pidgeon's visit? How long will I be there? In December?

"No, no, within three months. You just have to give it to the Pakistan consulate, they will stamp your passport, and you can come back."

Serious? Mr. Z. assured me he was not kidding.

And then I laughed. Guffawed, really, melting into those helpless giggles that sort of squeak and hiccup their way out of you. Teacher Begum came in to make some coffee and I insisted Mr. Z. tell her the news, but I was so overcome with hilarity that I did most of the talking. Her reaction also went through several phases, beginning with blanching, and ending with praise for spring in D.C.

Roomie has the same visa I do, mind you, so this applies to her as well. ("No way. Are you serious?" she said, before surrendering to the unparalleled absurdity of it all.) Our potential saving grace may be the otherwise maddening crony network that comprises Pakistani government beurocracy. So at this point we're hoping that one of the administrative higher-ups at Our School knows somebody's mother's sister's cousin's nephew's brother-in-law's dog who can work things out without our having to leave the country. Otherwise I'm planning to check out the Smithsonian this spring.