Gemeinde Update

We had a great weekend in Alsace. More on that this week. For now, I wanted to write a quick update about the Gemeinde and how we (FINALLY!) successfully deregistered on Friday.

Actually, I called before Friday and talked to my favorite Gemeinde employee, Frau B., and asked her what it was that we were supposed to be doing - because if you recall, the last instructions we received were that I was supposed to call all the utilities again and ask exactly what form they wanted this letter in to prove that we were leaving the country....

Well, I did that. And when I asked, "What is the name of this form? As the Gemeinde tells me they have heaps and I should know the name of the form..." they (Cablecom, Assura, the Radio thingy) were all like... "There is no name... it is just a deregistration confirmation." Dandy.

So this is what I told Frau B. when I called on Wednesday, and she was like, "Um yeah just come in and get the general confirmation for 30 CHF per person and be done with it." GREAT! Where were you last Friday. "I had a day off..." Figures.

Then I asked her about the fact that now that we are deregistered and they want to take away our permits how do we get around without being thrown in jail. And she said, "Oh that is easy - we don't take your permit - we just punch holes in your permit, you can carry it around until you leave and keep it as a souvenir and if you get stuck show them the hole-y permit and your deregistration confirmation and you should be fine."

Uh... what about the "We have to take it from you NOW! You will never see it again!" that I got last week? "Um, no that is not what happens," said Frau B. GO FIGURE. Never leave me again, Frau B. NEVER!

The moral of the story is - talk to someone who knows what they are doing... because, as if by magic, when we went in on Friday, I got the same girl as last week and THIS TIME she was suddenly of the same opinion as Frau B. - giving us three original copies each of our deregistration confirmation, punching holes into our permits and handing them back and wishing us a wonderful day. Ahrrrrrrrwww... I wonder if this all would have gone easier if I had done it in English. I really do.

If only that had happened the first time, I would still picture Gemeinde Urdorf Einwohnerkontrolle as the utopia of Swiss registration... Either way, we are deregistered now. No going back. And the letters are in the mail to stop services on all our utilities and accounts.

Just a few more weeks to go...
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