Well, wasn't that the week-and-a-half? As posted earlier, I went to Berlin for a job market presentation at the German Institute for Economic Research. It went really well, and it turns out I know even more people at that institute than I thought! Several friends of mine actually work there, and I even did my kind-of-interview (because the department head was ill) with a guy I had met several times before. After returning from Berlin on Thursday, I had half a day of running around trying to arrange things in Milan, before taking the afternoon flight with Fedor to Bremen. In Bremen, in the middle of some-sort-of-a-blizzard, we rented a car and drove to Groningen to celebrate Jorryt and Lilian's wedding. They secretly (well, not for us) got married in Sydney (more info) and threw a big party to celebrate this. We were happy to participate in the event and enjoyed a great party!
The next day, we did our Northern-Netherlands-round, visiting both my brothers and my parents: it was nice to see everyone, especially the little kids. Isn't it amazing how fast they grow? Anyway, we might have to go back again in June because my niece Leah specifically invited us to come to her birthday and it's impossible to say no to her!
On Sunday, we drove back to Bremen and came back to Milan. In the meanwhile, I had received a message from the department head that he would like to talk to me on the phone and we made an appointment for Tuesday. So we spoke for about an hour and in the end, I was offered a job!
What?
Yes, I was offered a job!!! And it's an amazingly interesting project to work on, with some great colleagues in a brilliant place. So I am currently considering it (and discussing some of the aspects of the job), but it is highly likely that our next station is going to be BERLIN! And in fact, it is also a rather speedy change as well: If I accept the job, I will start April 1.....
(and no, it's not a joke)
So that's the great news of the day! I am totally excited, because the project is really interesting. I will discuss the project a bit more extensively when I accept the offer...
In other news, I paid another visit to the bloody-buggery-bastardy licence office and was surprisingly effective. The lady at the desk was very insecure whether she was doing the right thing, but I managed to leave behind all my documents and I received a 60-day temporary licence. Supposedly, I will be able to pick up my new licence (if all goes well) in six weeks! (just in time, before leaving the country!). Also in other news, we're going on a couples weekend in Piemonte this weekend and I am totally looking forward to it! We'll be with five couples going to relax and enjoy some wine, food and each other's company. I feel extremely burgerlijk, but oh well: shit happens!!!
That was all the good news for now, I will definitely tell more about this job, once I have decided to accept the offer...
Ciao,
OJ
EDIT: In fact, I checked and I didn't post before I was going to go to Berlin for an interview. Oh well, there you have it, anyway...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Monday, February 09, 2009
I may have lost the battle...
.... but may still win the war!
OJ vs Italian bureaucracy, round 15: "driver's licence edition"
Today, I made another valiant attempt at getting an Italian driver's licence and failed. I did manage to get extremely close though, and I hope that next time I may manage! Anyway, the story:
I have a Dutch licence and it's expering in a few weeks. But thanks to European standardisation etc, one must replace a licence at the place of residence (as opposed to place of nationality), as long as one is within the EU. This means I have to get an Italian licence. So, I initiated some internet searching months ago and found many scary stories. However, when I found the website of the local Licence Office, it all seemed fairly straightforward. Seemed, that is.
Stage one was getting a doctor's declaration, so some time ago, i tried to make an appointment. However, an appointment could only be made with a translation of my current licence and a stamp from the Consulate. So I called the Consulate who told me that was impossible. However, apparently, they made a deal with the Licence Office that a Dutch "declaration of validity", together with the "declaration of validity regarding the declaration of validity" (I kid thee not) from the Consulate, would be sufficient. So, I requested the Dutch DoV, which obviously had to be done by mail, and cannot be done via the internet. However, i wasn't willing to give up too easily and continued my internet-search until I found, on the Ministery of Transportation website, an official list of documents that did NOT include the aforementioned documents.
So, I tried the doctor's office again, this time not really particularly mentioning that it was a licence conversion that I was looking for. And yes, success: appointment made! Of course, this means the payment of 36€ for the doctor, 14€ in tax, 9€ for the licence office and 29€ for the licence office (plus the transaction costs for all these separate contributions that can only be done in post offices), but I managed to see him. Of course, he then realised I did not have a translation or DoV, so he at first refused to sign. But thanks to my print of the ministery's website, I was able to convince him to sign anyway. Victory was mine!!!!
Unfortunately, the Licence Office is actually outside Milan, so I tried to double check whether I had all the documents by calling them several times, but to no avail (IF they answer the phone, they randomly hang up as soon as you ask a question: it's very odd). So this morning, I went for the office directly. Good news: it was open. Good news nr 2: I only had to queue for 1 hour, good news nr 3: my documents were COMPLETE...
Wait, what? I have never heard that before at an Italian office when I get there for the first time... I thought I was going to faint from surprise!!! "Sure", the kind lady says, "you can come and pick up your new licence in a month or so", and gets ready to staple my licence to the request... Uh, wait, what? Staple my licence to the request? Are you crazy, I need my licence!!! And no, a temporary replacement licence is not enough: I am renting a car in Germany this weekend...
"Oh well, in that case: come back another time, and we'll see whether your documents are complete then..."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I was SO close! By next week, when I will make the next attempt, I am sure they will have come up with 10 new documents for me to bring etc... And I was SO close now....... *sigh*
Running tally for my Italian licence: 110€
Ciao,
OJ
OJ vs Italian bureaucracy, round 15: "driver's licence edition"
Today, I made another valiant attempt at getting an Italian driver's licence and failed. I did manage to get extremely close though, and I hope that next time I may manage! Anyway, the story:
I have a Dutch licence and it's expering in a few weeks. But thanks to European standardisation etc, one must replace a licence at the place of residence (as opposed to place of nationality), as long as one is within the EU. This means I have to get an Italian licence. So, I initiated some internet searching months ago and found many scary stories. However, when I found the website of the local Licence Office, it all seemed fairly straightforward. Seemed, that is.
Stage one was getting a doctor's declaration, so some time ago, i tried to make an appointment. However, an appointment could only be made with a translation of my current licence and a stamp from the Consulate. So I called the Consulate who told me that was impossible. However, apparently, they made a deal with the Licence Office that a Dutch "declaration of validity", together with the "declaration of validity regarding the declaration of validity" (I kid thee not) from the Consulate, would be sufficient. So, I requested the Dutch DoV, which obviously had to be done by mail, and cannot be done via the internet. However, i wasn't willing to give up too easily and continued my internet-search until I found, on the Ministery of Transportation website, an official list of documents that did NOT include the aforementioned documents.
So, I tried the doctor's office again, this time not really particularly mentioning that it was a licence conversion that I was looking for. And yes, success: appointment made! Of course, this means the payment of 36€ for the doctor, 14€ in tax, 9€ for the licence office and 29€ for the licence office (plus the transaction costs for all these separate contributions that can only be done in post offices), but I managed to see him. Of course, he then realised I did not have a translation or DoV, so he at first refused to sign. But thanks to my print of the ministery's website, I was able to convince him to sign anyway. Victory was mine!!!!
Unfortunately, the Licence Office is actually outside Milan, so I tried to double check whether I had all the documents by calling them several times, but to no avail (IF they answer the phone, they randomly hang up as soon as you ask a question: it's very odd). So this morning, I went for the office directly. Good news: it was open. Good news nr 2: I only had to queue for 1 hour, good news nr 3: my documents were COMPLETE...
Wait, what? I have never heard that before at an Italian office when I get there for the first time... I thought I was going to faint from surprise!!! "Sure", the kind lady says, "you can come and pick up your new licence in a month or so", and gets ready to staple my licence to the request... Uh, wait, what? Staple my licence to the request? Are you crazy, I need my licence!!! And no, a temporary replacement licence is not enough: I am renting a car in Germany this weekend...
"Oh well, in that case: come back another time, and we'll see whether your documents are complete then..."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I was SO close! By next week, when I will make the next attempt, I am sure they will have come up with 10 new documents for me to bring etc... And I was SO close now....... *sigh*
Running tally for my Italian licence: 110€
Ciao,
OJ
Saturday, February 07, 2009
ATMosfera, here we go!
We were lucky to be able to go on the ATMosfera this weekend already, because when Fedor called them to make a reservation, it turned out they had just had a cancellation moments before. So yesterday, we made our way to Castello, from where our trip departed. And I must say, it really is pretty cool! Awfully decadent of course, but pretty cool nonetheless. It's a 2.5 hour journey through Milan, seeing some of the nice places here and in the meantime you get nice food (I had the fish dinner, Fedor the meat) and wine! Absolutely worth doing, although considering the cost, probably not something we'll be doing again!
Just a few pictures (and yes, it was pissing it down with rain: it's been pissing down rain for about 3 weeks now. Don't get me started!)
The rest of the week has been pretty relaxed. With the burden of the dissertation of my shoulders, the burden of finding a job has become a little heavier, but it has also become my main focus. Wednesday, I'll be flying to Berlin, to do my job presentation at the DIW... Let's see where that will lead... In the meantime, while it isn't leading anywhere, I just send more applications everywhere!
Tonite we're going to do pizza with a bunch of friends, which will be nice. It'll include a friend of mine from Minnesota who is here to do his job talk for an Assistant Professor position at Bocconi.
Oh, and contrary to this week, I have actually remembered some of the things I have read this week that I though might be interesting. Here are some cool links:
- Italians propose to ban foreign food, because "foreigners are willing to work hard and that is unfair competition" LINK
- Now that the paper version of my PhD is finished, I guess I have to focus on expressing my dissertation through....... dance! Read more HERE
- Research shows that cows-with-names give more milk than cows that do not get their own identity..... My friend Felix, however, wonders whether the increase in production warrants the amount of effort of having to learn your cows' names... LINK
Well, I am sure there were other things I wanted to mention, but this'll have to be it for now!
Ciao,
OJ
Just a few pictures (and yes, it was pissing it down with rain: it's been pissing down rain for about 3 weeks now. Don't get me started!)
The rest of the week has been pretty relaxed. With the burden of the dissertation of my shoulders, the burden of finding a job has become a little heavier, but it has also become my main focus. Wednesday, I'll be flying to Berlin, to do my job presentation at the DIW... Let's see where that will lead... In the meantime, while it isn't leading anywhere, I just send more applications everywhere!
Tonite we're going to do pizza with a bunch of friends, which will be nice. It'll include a friend of mine from Minnesota who is here to do his job talk for an Assistant Professor position at Bocconi.
Oh, and contrary to this week, I have actually remembered some of the things I have read this week that I though might be interesting. Here are some cool links:
- Italians propose to ban foreign food, because "foreigners are willing to work hard and that is unfair competition" LINK
- Now that the paper version of my PhD is finished, I guess I have to focus on expressing my dissertation through....... dance! Read more HERE
- Research shows that cows-with-names give more milk than cows that do not get their own identity..... My friend Felix, however, wonders whether the increase in production warrants the amount of effort of having to learn your cows' names... LINK
Well, I am sure there were other things I wanted to mention, but this'll have to be it for now!
Ciao,
OJ
Sunday, February 01, 2009
...and it's DONE
Woohoooo, on Friday, I have finally handed in my dissertation: it is DONE. And wow, it is quite a relief, I must say! Of course there are many other things to worry about, but having this dissertation out of the way is really a great boost for me. Now I still have to wait until the defense, which for bureacratic reasons has been postponed until May. I don't really mind, because my getting-paid is contingent on my not-having-defended-my-thesis-yet, so this postponement is not a problem for me at all! Some day soon i will upload the whole thesis on this blog so all you interested people (ie NO-ONE) can read the thing for yourself...
Of course the first thing I did after finishing was to get ill. Part of a long-lasting tradition, Felix brought another killer German virus (the Felix Virus) and I was one of its first victims. However, this did not stop me (or Felix) from celebrating both our birthdays last Friday with a great party in a bar nearby. I got exceedingly wasted (hey, I was also celebrating my dissertation hand-in, so I had a good excuse), similar to last weekend's movie night with Lou and Micky, so I ended up spending the whole saturday nursing my headache and generic misery... HOWEVER, I did get an absolutely awesome present from my mates: Dinner for two in the ATMosfera, which is the driving tram-restaurant operated by the Milan transport authority. Very, very, very cool! I have been wanting to go in te ATMosfera for ages, but never had the opportunity until now! Of course, Fedor is also very happy about it...
For the rest, all is quite well. I am in a bit of a low for my Italy-love, which has to do with the university bureaucracy and lack of communication. Another interesting one was some christian extremist begging letter I received this week. I get them all the time (it's Italy after all), but this was directed personally at me. However, it had the exact typo in my name that our internet provider Fastweb also has. In other words, that means that Fastweb, despite the contract that SPECIFICALLY FORBIDS it, sold our addresses to some christian extremist organsation. That really, really pisses me off!!! And in Italy, it is highly illegal as well, because they have some really strict privacy legislation here...
Which reminds me, thinking of legislation: i am having to renew my drivers' licence. But long live the European Union, licences have been standardized and as a result, you have to get your new licence in your country of residence. So that means, I have to get an Italian licence. But obviously, that is easier said than done! So far, I have not come much closer to the licence, despite several attempts and several trips (to the Consulate, for example). However, this Tuesday, I do have my appointment with the Medico. Of course, you need a medical certificate to have your licence renewed (uhm, what? Wtf is the medico supposed to do? Noone knows! It is just a way to get 50 euros of the people, adding further to the running cost of renewal). Anyway, I am very frustrated about this bureaucratic bullshit in Italy: I'll keep you posted how this is doing...
Ciao,
OJ
PS WHAT DA FUCK?
PPS Hmmm, I found some more interesting links recently, but now I cant remember. Mental note to self: post links immediately when you find them!
Of course the first thing I did after finishing was to get ill. Part of a long-lasting tradition, Felix brought another killer German virus (the Felix Virus) and I was one of its first victims. However, this did not stop me (or Felix) from celebrating both our birthdays last Friday with a great party in a bar nearby. I got exceedingly wasted (hey, I was also celebrating my dissertation hand-in, so I had a good excuse), similar to last weekend's movie night with Lou and Micky, so I ended up spending the whole saturday nursing my headache and generic misery... HOWEVER, I did get an absolutely awesome present from my mates: Dinner for two in the ATMosfera, which is the driving tram-restaurant operated by the Milan transport authority. Very, very, very cool! I have been wanting to go in te ATMosfera for ages, but never had the opportunity until now! Of course, Fedor is also very happy about it...
For the rest, all is quite well. I am in a bit of a low for my Italy-love, which has to do with the university bureaucracy and lack of communication. Another interesting one was some christian extremist begging letter I received this week. I get them all the time (it's Italy after all), but this was directed personally at me. However, it had the exact typo in my name that our internet provider Fastweb also has. In other words, that means that Fastweb, despite the contract that SPECIFICALLY FORBIDS it, sold our addresses to some christian extremist organsation. That really, really pisses me off!!! And in Italy, it is highly illegal as well, because they have some really strict privacy legislation here...
Which reminds me, thinking of legislation: i am having to renew my drivers' licence. But long live the European Union, licences have been standardized and as a result, you have to get your new licence in your country of residence. So that means, I have to get an Italian licence. But obviously, that is easier said than done! So far, I have not come much closer to the licence, despite several attempts and several trips (to the Consulate, for example). However, this Tuesday, I do have my appointment with the Medico. Of course, you need a medical certificate to have your licence renewed (uhm, what? Wtf is the medico supposed to do? Noone knows! It is just a way to get 50 euros of the people, adding further to the running cost of renewal). Anyway, I am very frustrated about this bureaucratic bullshit in Italy: I'll keep you posted how this is doing...
Ciao,
OJ
PS WHAT DA FUCK?
PPS Hmmm, I found some more interesting links recently, but now I cant remember. Mental note to self: post links immediately when you find them!
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