Flipping Out

Today saw the last step of my integration to officialdom as a teacher for the Touism College, by way of the residency card application. (The penultimate step can be read about here.)

It goes a little like this:

7.30am
Arrive at official government building half an hour before opening to secure a place 28 bodies (any later and this would be more like 500) from the front in the male queue (there of course being a separate queue for women who shouldn't have to face the indignity of standing next to men), obtain ticket similar to those at the cheese counter at Tesco, wait in smallish room with lots of metal chairs whilst watching a bollywood movie on the plasma TV awaiting aforementioned ticket number appearing on a red LED display, go to paperwork/photograph/finerprint scanner office and be told that I have two civil ID numbers instead of one (a problem, I assure you) and that there are only three people in Muscat with the authority to solve this problem; none of whom work in the building, proceed to people-in-charge area where assurance is received that this is 'no problem' and will be solved in 15 minutes.

3 hours later
Problem with civil number solved, paperwork checked, fingerprints scanned, photo taken, 10 Rials paid, residency card issued.

7pm-9.30pm
Today also saw an attempt to install a satellite dish for the purposes of watching telly. If you've read my internet blip about how large telecommunication companies deal with installation, and bear in mind that the satellite guys were a motley crew of Bangladeshis, you'll understand when I say that it didn't go well at all, and Larissa and I made a pact to mention the evening's events ever again.