Israeli Administrative Office Day of Fun!!!! (Part 2 of 2)

Tel Aviv 4/18/2012

From the restaurant to the Interior office I get lost. Not even my google maps can help me. Phones can be no use at times when you need them the most. I resort to asking for directions. It turns out that I need to turn around completely. "No problem" I think to myself, "I need to work off this big lunch I just ate". It begins to get cold. I take out my just in case sweater from my supplies bag on my back. To clarify, this is just a regular backpack but I’m getting very carried away with this oratory. 

It’s now super duper windy outside like you never believe it. I overhear a mother on her cell phone telling her children to close the windows in their house and stay inside. It’s dangerous! I get a particle in my eye as I’m walking and can now only see out of one eye! Despite my compromised vision and the cloudy skies, I strategically decide to put my sunglasses on to protect my seeing eye from catching any particles. This strategy proves successful and  no other dust particles infiltrate my seeing eye. Eventually the compromised eye flushes out the particle and I’m now at 100% vision for the rest of my trek. [This would be perfect placement for a Visine ad:)].

I approach the building that houses the Ministry of the Interior. I get checked by security checkpoint number one for the second time today. Again, no joking with these serious security guards even though it’s my second visit to the building. I pass the building directly. “Pfff” I think to myself. I continue onwards directly to the Ministry of the Interior.

I wait in line to get past security checkpoint number two. Happily I note to myself that the corridor is flushed with people, and that the once shuttered windows are now open. The Ministry is now working hard during their TWO FULL HOURS of operations. Mind you also that this office serves the city of Tel Aviv, for all intents and purposes Israel’s capital city (although technically Jerusalem holds that title). 

The line is looking long so I pull out my book again. I’m the only one waiting in line who has such an interesting book. “I came prepared” I remark to myself. People look me up and down. I think they are jealous that I’m so entertained while waiting in this extremely annoying line. There is a lot of shouting. Laughter too. Close to half an hour passes. My turn is approaching. I quickly put my book away into my supplies bag and pull out my Israeli ID card and leasing contract since my turn with the clerk is approaching. I tell her my business. She asks for my ID, which I give to her along with my lease agreement. I tell her to make sure she includes my apartment number, number 13, on the ID. She tells me my rental agreement states that I’m in apartment 14. I wonder to myself how this can be considering I’ve been living in the apartment for close to one month and Adar and I have always understood it to be apartment 13. She wants a decision. 

I decide to call the landlord. He can quickly straighten this out. He doesn’t answer. I decide to phone Adar. In five seconds or less, I exasperatingly explain to him my dilemma. I tell him he must tell me which apartment we live in right away. “Is it 14 or 13?” I sense the crowd behind me growing more annoyed as I hold up the line with my phone call. He said he thinks it’s apartment 13. I hang up and tell the clerk to put apartment 13 on my ID. She asks if I’m sure, and I tell her it’s my final answer. She prints out my updated insert for my ID and I leave the line.

As I’m heading out of the building Adar phones me again to tell me that he  just got off the phone with the landlord and that we actually live in apartment 14.

It’s now around 4:00. According to the hours I checked this morning the Ministry of Absorption should be open to 6. I highly doubt this considering my day, but I decide to continue with my funday because I’m eager to complete the mission. I decide to walk instead of taking the bus to continue working off my lunch. I can’t find the Ministry of Absorption. My phone, once again is of no use. The Ministry of Absorption is located on Dizengoff Street, quite possibly one of the most confusing streets in the world. More to come on this street in future blogs. Eager to complete task two I ask a store owner for directions and I’m given very good directions.

I arrive at destination number 2. The Ministry of Absorption is open. While passing through security for the fifth time of the day I ask the guard if there is a long line in the office. He says he can’t tell. I climb a set of stairs to the Absorption offices, and low and behold there is no one in line at all! Yesssssssssss. I’m seen right away and issued my ulpan voucher within a few minutes. Task two is now completed.

It’s now approaching past 5:00 and I wonder to myself if I should go to the Ulpan right away to complete the registration or should I just wait for another day? Since it’s pretty much on my way home I decided to stop by to see what would happen. I’m in luck again since the office staff at Ulpan Gordon is still working, and can you believe it, it’s past 5:00 p.m.! I tell them that I finally obtained the voucher that they needed to register me for class. I hand them the voucher and they complete my registration. After a few more pleasant exchanges I get up to leave.

I time my walk home so that I know how much time to leave myself in the mornings for next week. It takes me 12 minutes or so to get home. I walk in the door and Adar is already home. I drop my backpack on the floor and give him a kiss on the cheek and ask how his day was. As for my day? Mission accomplished, at last:).