Thursday, November 20, 2014

crumbly sandcastle

A few things have happened that have really called into question exactly what I'm doing and where and why and how I'm doing it.

I recently got a letter from the tax office here that said I have to A) fill out a tax form for 2012 and 2013 and B) I'm not allowed to do any sort of freelance work.

I'm fine with point A, even though I had to pay 100 Euros to get a record of all of my invoices from my bank but that's fine, that's something I can do.

Point B is something that also makes no sense because I was always allowed to work in Heidelberg as a freelancer but apparently they take issue with that in Berlin, even though according to the law (§6 Absatz 3) I am technically allowed to freelance.

I went to talk to an advisor offered by the University here and they brought it to my attention that apparently the Ausländerbehörde and the tax office communicate with one another, so this could result in a problem for my visa extension. Which would be really upsetting because, even though I have a residence permit until April, I was planning to write my thesis, work as an assistant to the coordinator until August, and possibly apply for a doctorate thereafter.

I have an appointment at the Ausländerbehörde on the 24th, which was already making me nervous because they want all this financial information that will very easily show that I haven't been getting support from my parents, even though I provided a letter saying that I would. And now this issue comes up and it kind of makes me wonder: why should I fight to stay in a country that doesn't really want me here?

I've always had it in the back of my mind: if it's not going to be possible (read: relatively easy) then I can just rationalize it into being unimportant. Sour grapes, I guess.

It seems that every few weeks there's another thing. I got back to Germany and it was temporary job, temporary visa, temporary living situation, and now it's....slightly longer (yet still temporary) versions of all of those things. It's worked out up until now, but how much longer will it last?

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Birthday pastries, pants, and taxes

I turned a quarter of a century old this last tuesday. The day itself was alright, I had to do some tuesday things, including an interview in the middle of nowhere, but I managed to get dinner with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, so that was good.

My real birthday party was on Saturday, and I commemorated the event by purchasing a kilo of delectable pastries from the Arabic bakery down the street from my house


I (kinda) managed to not eat all of them in one sitting...small victories!

I also went shopping for new pants because this happened:


I've been workin with two pairs of old, faithful trousers for the past couple of years. As I bent over to get something out from under my bed, the nether region of these H&Ms decided to give up the ghost. So, I decided to go shopping. It was about time...

I also (quite unhappily) received a very strongly worded letter from the Finanzamt in Berlin, saying that I have to provide them with tax information from 2012 to 2013, and that I'm not allowed to freelance, and that I've been told multiple times. 

letter of death

While the first point is necessary (I guess) The second and third are completely not true. Since receiving the letter last week, I've paused and reflected on this predicament. Granted, I freaked out a little bit at the beginning but, I'm not the scared and unsure Anfänger that I once was. This isn't my first time dealing with German bureaucracy, and I'm certain I can figure out a way to deal with this. It's still kind of irritating that every time I have an issue (housing, work, university, thesis, whatever) the thing gets resolved for a few weeks only to be trumped by yet another problem. Oh well, like I said, this isn't my first time at the goat rodeo, and it probably won't be my last.