Life on the other side

I submitted an application for an Estonian residency permit today, which was an interesting experience. Having worked for Immigration in Australia it was interesting to compare the systems of the two countries, as well as to experience being on the other side of the desk. The most obvious thing is that the staff at the Estonian Migration Board could do with some customer service training, though that is true of pretty much every service oriented organisation in Estonia. Though I must admit I'm sure they'd smile more if they were paid as much as I was in Melbourne!! While the smiles are lacking, the IT systems seem much better here in Estonia. Though it must be said I only got a five second peek at the lady's screen when she went to photocopy my passport! The forms I had to fill out were equally as pointless and over complicated as the ones I handed out in Australia, though the customer service rep had all the details entered into the computer pretty quickly as I sat there. It was interesting to hear my mother's middle name is "Yoanne." If only they knew that her favorite town in Estonia is "Keela Jowa"!!

Now i just sit back and wait for them to make a decision, which could take until February. Obviously public servants here work about as hard as me and my colleagues back in Australia!!!!