It's all the same
When I was an exchange student to Belgium way back in high school, one of the conclusions I reached was that everyone's family has a little bit of crazy. Some have more crazy than others, but everyone has at least a little.
Over the course of one year, I lived with three different families (as proscribed by the program I was with, Rotary International). In the first family, my host brother stole $500 from me to spend on gambling. His parents refused to admit that he had taken the money, I moved on, and a year later, he entered a program for help with his addiction.
My host-parents in Family #2 were a doctor (the mom) and a lawyer (the dad) who had their own dysfunctions. We once spent an entire Friday night delousing the entire family after one daughter brought lice home from school. Another time, I looked in the five-year-old's mouth and saw that nearly all his teeth were completely rotted out. They had been depending on him (or his older sisters?) to brush his own teeth. This familiy's advantage, however, was their warmth and ability to make everything fun. I always felt welcome and part of things.
Family #3 was a case unto itself. The family had recently reunited after the father spent three years living down the block with his mistress. The son, a tough and mouthy ten-year-old, regularly told his dad the French equivalent of "f- you". Can't say I blamed him.
But, this post isn't about families. It's about bureaucracy and how it's dealt with all over the world. After living in Canada for nearly eight months and reading Mia's trials and tribulation with first Hungarian, and now Swedish bureaucracy, I've come to some conclusions:
1) Bureaucracy is the universal language. Everyone wants to pass the buck and no civil servants anywhere are authorized to take responsibility for anything (like they want to anyway...)
2)No matter which form you fill out, it's always the wrong one...
3) Canadians are extraordinarily kind and patient. Everyone I've talked to, from the people at the national immigration center to the people at the provincial Ministry of Health have been sweet and lovely. They listen. They offer advice and understanding beyond the script provided to them. They can't always help, but they sure make you think that they wish they could.
In conclusion, Canada's bureaucracy, like families around the world, has it's own meshugass (craziness). But, Canadians really are kinder and gentler (for the most part - exceptions always exist) and that, I believe, makes all the difference.
Coming soon... Wells-Fargo bites my bum and other rants about one giant mortgage company's inability to give ANYONE a straight answer.
Over the course of one year, I lived with three different families (as proscribed by the program I was with, Rotary International). In the first family, my host brother stole $500 from me to spend on gambling. His parents refused to admit that he had taken the money, I moved on, and a year later, he entered a program for help with his addiction.
My host-parents in Family #2 were a doctor (the mom) and a lawyer (the dad) who had their own dysfunctions. We once spent an entire Friday night delousing the entire family after one daughter brought lice home from school. Another time, I looked in the five-year-old's mouth and saw that nearly all his teeth were completely rotted out. They had been depending on him (or his older sisters?) to brush his own teeth. This familiy's advantage, however, was their warmth and ability to make everything fun. I always felt welcome and part of things.
Family #3 was a case unto itself. The family had recently reunited after the father spent three years living down the block with his mistress. The son, a tough and mouthy ten-year-old, regularly told his dad the French equivalent of "f- you". Can't say I blamed him.
But, this post isn't about families. It's about bureaucracy and how it's dealt with all over the world. After living in Canada for nearly eight months and reading Mia's trials and tribulation with first Hungarian, and now Swedish bureaucracy, I've come to some conclusions:
1) Bureaucracy is the universal language. Everyone wants to pass the buck and no civil servants anywhere are authorized to take responsibility for anything (like they want to anyway...)
2)No matter which form you fill out, it's always the wrong one...
3) Canadians are extraordinarily kind and patient. Everyone I've talked to, from the people at the national immigration center to the people at the provincial Ministry of Health have been sweet and lovely. They listen. They offer advice and understanding beyond the script provided to them. They can't always help, but they sure make you think that they wish they could.
In conclusion, Canada's bureaucracy, like families around the world, has it's own meshugass (craziness). But, Canadians really are kinder and gentler (for the most part - exceptions always exist) and that, I believe, makes all the difference.
Coming soon... Wells-Fargo bites my bum and other rants about one giant mortgage company's inability to give ANYONE a straight answer.
posted by Sarah at 16:04
2 Comments:
When we went to France last year, we found every French person we met to be friendly and helpful. People keep asking, 'how were the people?" and seem disappointed when we say they were great! Even the Customs Agent who confiscated the gift we bought for our son, was very polite and apologetic.
Coolest thing - that you were an exchange student in Belgium. Second coolest - that you now live in Canada. Before Israel and Maine and Boulder and Berkeley, I used to dream of living in Toronto or Montreal (I think I was 8 at the time and had never even heard of Vancouver....). It took living with and visiting other families for me to realize just how sane my own was in comparison....
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