Yesterday I finally broke through the bubble that is Stellenbosch and made the long (40 minute!) journey to Cape Town to tackle the visa application. I stopped off to buy travel insurance at STA which was relatively quick and painless. The woman did however try to convince me that a R1000 000 medical insurance policy is not really that much. I found it ironic that staff at the Student Travel Agency would even try to convince a student not earning a steady income that a million Rands worth of anything is not much. Unfortunately for her I don’t scare easily (I did a month-long medical trial in Scotland for goodness sake!) and with 3 older siblings that little STA lady couldn’t teach me the first thing about manipulation or psychological trickery. I casually told her that the cheapest insurance option is all I am interested in - and that for no other reason than because the Germans require it from me.
The German Consulate is on the 19th floor of Safmarine House in Cape Town’s CBD. Safmarine House is also where Maersk Line headquarters is situated. And Maersk Line is the company I want to work for - to do their M.I.S.E. graduate program to be exact. Coincidentally I undertook the application tests for the program just last Thursday. I also saw a Maersk Line truck on the N1 on my way to CT and another one on my way back to Bellville. And I accidentally stumbled upon Maersk Airlines on Monday whilst surfing the net for cheap air tickets to Germany. All coincidences? I think not!But I digress…
The Consulate was everything one would expect. The security guard was grumpy. The application form had several ambiguous questions that needed answering. A good amount of waiting was involved which was made slightly more ammusing by an elderly German lady who had several extremely loud conversations on her cellphone (despite three attempts by the security guard to confiscate it). In between she tried very hard to push to the front of the que by making sure everybody in there knew she was German - that was slightly less amusing. But I don’t think the loud phone conversations did her any favours because the Consular staff would not budge.
Application-wise things went relatively okay. The woman who helped me was not very happy that I had provided both bank statements and an official invitation from German hosts. Why double proof that I will not be financially dependent on the German government is a BAD thing, only they will know. Taking German precision a tad too far I’d say. Nonetheless, a lot of ass-kissing and 35 Euros later I was informed that my visa would be ready for collection in 2 working days.
So, besides prezzies, another compact flash card and a few extra pairs of socks, I’m pretty much set. The itinerary might have to undergo a few minor changes due to academic pressures forcing me to limit the amount of websites I can take on at the mo. Which in turn affects the travel fund in an unfortunate way. Which in turn will limit my movement accross the continent. Luckily, I am a Boer. And we are known for our good problem solving skills.
The German Consulate is on the 19th floor of Safmarine House in Cape Town’s CBD. Safmarine House is also where Maersk Line headquarters is situated. And Maersk Line is the company I want to work for - to do their M.I.S.E. graduate program to be exact. Coincidentally I undertook the application tests for the program just last Thursday. I also saw a Maersk Line truck on the N1 on my way to CT and another one on my way back to Bellville. And I accidentally stumbled upon Maersk Airlines on Monday whilst surfing the net for cheap air tickets to Germany. All coincidences? I think not!But I digress…
The Consulate was everything one would expect. The security guard was grumpy. The application form had several ambiguous questions that needed answering. A good amount of waiting was involved which was made slightly more ammusing by an elderly German lady who had several extremely loud conversations on her cellphone (despite three attempts by the security guard to confiscate it). In between she tried very hard to push to the front of the que by making sure everybody in there knew she was German - that was slightly less amusing. But I don’t think the loud phone conversations did her any favours because the Consular staff would not budge.
Application-wise things went relatively okay. The woman who helped me was not very happy that I had provided both bank statements and an official invitation from German hosts. Why double proof that I will not be financially dependent on the German government is a BAD thing, only they will know. Taking German precision a tad too far I’d say. Nonetheless, a lot of ass-kissing and 35 Euros later I was informed that my visa would be ready for collection in 2 working days.
So, besides prezzies, another compact flash card and a few extra pairs of socks, I’m pretty much set. The itinerary might have to undergo a few minor changes due to academic pressures forcing me to limit the amount of websites I can take on at the mo. Which in turn affects the travel fund in an unfortunate way. Which in turn will limit my movement accross the continent. Luckily, I am a Boer. And we are known for our good problem solving skills.
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