Living overseas presents a number of challenges, many of which have been overcome or have even disappeared in the last 6 years. It's amazing how those things once perceived as challenges eventually morph into new ways of living. We haven't been back to the US for two years and so we've had to make some adjustments. Rather than our annual stocking up on clothes, shoes and supplies we've found ways to do that here. While it seemed a bit expensive at first, we've adjusted to that too (after calculating the cost of air fare and the environmental footprint, it all equals out I suppose.)
One thing I haven't exactly figured out, however, is the burden of paperwork. I have managed to escape much of this part of life- rent and utilities included certainly cuts down on the bill paying. I have a great accountant on-line, banking on-line and that leaves only my student loan payments to go out by mail.
By mail. The school had been offering the grand luxury of mail service once per month. We are able to send out envelopes only and receive small (really small) packages. It was enough to take care of the other odds and ends that can't be taken care of online and to allow for a small treat now and then (a pair of US soccer cleats, for example. Or a bag of chocolate chips.)
Sometime back in October my ATM card stopped working. After some investigation I found out that my card had been reported stolen. As I stared at the card in my hand, I queried further. Stolen? There wasn't a lot of information forthcoming but it turned out my bank had reported it stolen. Maybe something to do with the numbers on their side being hacked into. In any case, I ordered a new card and put my Amazon shopping on hold for a month.
Except after a month, the card never showed. I called again and the customer service agent politely informed me they would send a new one and if I didn't see anything in 5-7 days I should call back. Except our mail route could take 1-2 months depending on timing and so I was left to take even deeper breaths and more Amazon hold time.
This saga has continued on, past our vacation (try traveling to another foreign country without the safety net of having your bank funds available....ho hum.) In February, the month I was certain the card would arrive, it seemed the glitch occurred over here on our side. The package was sent to the "wrong side" of customs and is now being held for.....ransom? It's not looking so good for March's mail either, since that remains MIA as well.
Which leaves me faced with the fact that I may be finding myself in a World With No Mail. It might not seem so important, especially as the debate about the viability and need for a postal service continues. Wadhwa writes, "But as despised and problematic as it is, the Postal Service is one of the most important institutions in this country – it is essential to a functioning economy, and it is, thankfully, not going anywhere, any time soon." As someone living in a country without reliable mail service, I can only agree- and hope he is right.
Things are about to get sticky. As I am about to mark another year off my personal calendar, my driver's licence is up for renewal. I can renew on-line (provided my address is the same as the one on my old licence, oh yeah- maintaining an address and all the other requirements in order to qualify for bank accounts, driver licences and even paypal accounts becomes nearly impossible the more time spent overseas...) but there is no way (yet) to receive the actual document on-line. Nope. I need the poste to make that happen.
In the case of my lost and lonely ATM card, most likely stuck in a dark back corner of some cold customs office, I have devised a plan B. Hopefully I will be able to get (yet another) one sent to a friend who is visiting the US during this spring break. And hopefully it will arrive in the precious window of time she is available at that particular address so that she may then bring it back to me in her luggage. Or her pocket. It is, after all, not very big. And doesn't weigh much. Vive le pony express.
This method won't provide much help for my driver's licence. Luckily, if it does expire, I have two years to renew it before I am required to start all over again- by taking the written exam and the road test. Which would definitely require a personal presence in the US. And there's just no guarantee when that event will happen again. Especially since the odds are great we are going local.
I am slightly seduced by the idea of just melting more and more into my surroundings. How important is it to maintain my US documents? Can't I just get a driver's licence from whatever country I happen to be living in? The temptation is grand as it becomes harder and harder to stay in touch. But I know the reality is once it's gone, it could be impossible to get back (re: the address problem, and supplying all those supporting documents like utility bills and other non existent papers I can't produce to prove I exist.)
And so, while paper work has always seemed more of a burden to me than it's ever been worth, I will throw forth one final effort at retrieving the documents that allow me to maintain some small connection to a country that gets ever further away even as I take small steps to realizing that Amazon and I may also no longer be mates.
