Bureaucracy take three!!! or four???

In June, while I was in Copenhagen working with HIA, I blogged rather extensively about my experiences trying to get a visa here in Denmark. It was quite a wild ride. On Tuesday I went to the Borger Service (citizen service center) to attempt to get my CPR (like social security) number and health care card. Without the CPR umber I can't buy a smart phone, have a bank account, be legally in the country, work.... it's something I'm pretty interested in, in other words. Two of my new friends from my GRS program, Hege from Norway and Lotta from Finland, also came along with me. Well. For one reason or another all three of us failed. Lotta needed to register at a different center because she lives in a suburb and Hege needed her renter's agreement. The little American (me) still did not have her residence permit. WHAT? What about that thing in my passport?

So off we went to the Immigration services center - a MUCH less lovely building, I must add. Borger Service is open, has some of that friendly Danish architecture going on, people can come and go as they please, there are helpful informational fliers about, a whole queue dedicated to helping people make sure they have all their paperwork so they aren't waiting in vain... and even a fish tank I believe. When I arrived at the Immigration Services place there was a wait time of over 200 minutes. HA! I've seen that before... 200 easily means 375. But luckily I was able to talk to someone and show that I had already done everything they had asked of me and - whoops - they had forgotten to send my my residence papers. Or sent it to the wrong place? Unclear. Anyhow... I was out of there pretty quickly. Now I'm headed off to Borger Service again. Fingers crossed!!!

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In totally separate news... My friend Ida came over to visit last night for dinner. I am having people over to dinner left and right. It honestly makes me feel so much more secure and homey to be able to take care of people in that small way. After dinner I read my Danish children's book to her and she helped me along with my pronunciation. Adorable photos coming...