A little more Hamburger chat, this time about bureaucracy

I realise now that my last post was even more rushed sounding than it was intended to be.
The long and short of the first few days is that I met a lot of rather grand folk, ate some rather crap food, and drank a lot of beer.

On arrival at my halls, Dieter decided it would be best for me to attempt to set up a bank accound straight away, and then to "Anmelden".
Setting up a bank account simply did not happen. To set up a bank account in Germany, one really needs multiple documents. Passports are hardly important. I was informed that without my rental agreement, "bescheinigung" (yet to find a decent translation of this pointless piece of paper), or, indeed, my Anmeldungs-nonsense, I could not create a bank account.

We then decided to attempt said "Anmeldung", which is basically registering as a resident in the area. Again bureaucracy dictated that this would not be possible. In order to anmelden, I had to sign multiple bits of nonsense (none of which Dieter was aware of) , have a rental agreement (impossible when you haven't met the house keeper), and even having a bank account may have helped.

Eventually, I managed to work around random missing documents, created a bank account without having regsistered, and hunted down the 'Hausmeister' for my rental agreement. This meant I could 'Anmeld' for the sum of 6 whole Euros, giving me a piece of stamped paper, which means I can officially get paid. But, of course, to get paid it is not as simple as just giving someone your bank details!
My mentor had to go online and fill in a semi-in-depth form as to my start date, end date, life story etc. Thankfully she (Ingrid) did that for me - unlike many mentors I have heard of! It didn't mean, however, that I would gain access to my first 470 euros of pay, because, true to form, my bank card never turned up. I am still waiting on my it, despite filling in forms explaining that the first one never turned up, and that it'd be dead handy to have a debit card that doesn't charge you £1.50 every time you use it!!

The next amazing bit of bureaucracy came when I went to hospital after a ridiculous attempt at breaking my elbow. Chris (fellow Language assistant) and I found a hospital near the centre of town, and headed into the A+E there. After spotting the sign saying 'Anmelden', we guessed there might be a few bits of paper to deal with. The biggest laugh moment was when the nurse asked me for my EHIC, and then my signature. As someone who is right handed and had injured heir right arm, I could only laugh. She got the point.

Having found nothing in my xrays, having had no bright ideas while bending my arm in funny directions, the doctor told me I was fine and that nothing was wrong with me.
I may be wrong, but when it hurts, there's something wrong?

Furthermore, after having exited the hospital "painlessly", and without any "problems" (other than my arm hurting like a bitch), I then received a letter (one week later), saying that I owe the hospital 10,55 euros!! Now, really, this is not much. The thing that upset me? In the letter, it said I had to pay those extra 55c because I hadn't paid the 10 euro bill at the time of being in hospital.
I have a good reason for that though - NOBODY TOLD ME I HAD TO!!!!!


And so, I feel that bureaucracy is (for now) done. Morgen, trinken/essen.
xxxxxxx