Last Friday, when we visited prospective schools for the kids, we found out that we needed to have a special kind of registration form from the District Magistrate's Office in order to enroll our kids in school. This is, of course, in addition to the Legitamacy Card that took forever to get through Eric's workplace that we thought we needed to enroll our kids in school. It's a learn-as-you-go-process, I suppose. So, the very nice director at the school explained to us where we needed to go to get the special registration form. She stressed that we would need to have the form no later than Monday morning in order to have our kids attend school there.
Friday afernoon, I was prepared to go to the Magistrate's Office, but after a quick online search for the best route, I noticed the opening hours for the office were already over for the day... at one o'clock in the afternoon. Of course. And it obviously was not open at all during the weekend.
Later that evening, Eric and I did some more online searching about these special registration forms, and found out that we would have to have a signature from our landlord before we go to the Magistrate's office. Luckily we have a very nice "landlord" while we are here in this temprorary aparment for four weeks. I called him up, and he said he would be happy to sign the form - that is, when he arrives back into town on Monday morning. He and his family were vacationing in Syria. Of course.
There was no way we would have the proper registration forms by Monday morning, but we took the kids to school anyway. They had a good Fist Day of School. The director was kind, and said it would be okay to get the forms to her Tuesday Morning, but that it was very important to have the forms by then. No problem, we can do this.
My dear landlord did come through with his signature on the documents that we needed to take to the Magistrate's office, but not until much later on Monday afternoon... and once again the office closed at 1:00pm. So - now, once again we had no way of getting the registration forms even by Tuesday morning! This was not looking so good...
So, this morning, I sent the kids to school with Eric, anyway. (We decided it makes more sense to send the kids with him, on his way to work, rather than drage the little boys through the rain there and back) Along with them, I sent along every other document I could think of that could possibly take the place of the special registration forms that the Director needed. Passports, birth certificates, and the prized Legitamacy cards that we just got from Eric's work on Monday after waiting for two weeks. Surely that should be sufficient.
No, it wasn't sufficient. The dear Director let the kids go ahead and attend class today, but told Eric that she would have to have the proper registration forms by the time I came to pick up the kids from school. Eric called me to let me know I really needed to get them. No problem, I say - I have the signed documents that I need, the big kids are in school, I can take my two little ones to the Magistrate's office and get these forms.
So we trekked out into the rain. We found our way to the Magistrate's Office, took a number, had a seat (picture the DPS or DMV office) and waited for our number to be called. The little boys and I played I-spy while we waited, and practiced saying our colors in German. And everyone else in the room just watched us. I never knew I-spy could be so entertaining! I'm getting used to being in the spotlight.
When our number was called, the lady at the desk looked at me like a crazy person when she saw that I had forms for four children - but I'm getting used to that reaction here. Then she asked for their passports. Doh. Eric has the passports for Cooper and Addie - he took them with them to school today! Even though I don't understand much German, I understood that without those passports, we were fresh out of luck.
By the time the little boys and I finished at the Magistrate's Office, it was almost time to collect the kids from school. School eneded at 11:00 am today (it ends at a different time each day this week) So there was really no way I could make it all the way to Eric's work, get the passports, come back to the Magistrate's office, and get back to the school in time to get the kids. So there was really no way I would have the proper registration forms for Cooper and Addie for the Director when I picked up the kids. This was really not looking good.
I called Eric and we arranged to meet at a transfer point on the Ubahn for him to give me the passports that I need, on my way to getting the kids from school. The little boys and I trekked back to the school, still raining, just in time to get Cooper and Addie. The Director saw me and came to get the forms. I explained my dilimma, and luckily she was gracious enough to say that I could bring the forms this evening to the parent-teacher meeting. Great, I say. Thank you for extending the time for the bazillionth time!
So, I have all my kids, and we have a mission. Get all the way back to the Magistrate's office and get those stinkin' forms before it closes at 1pm. There's not a lot of time, so I know we don't really even have time to go home first before we head back there. So I assessed the situation, and faced my current dillimma, which was, I had to somehow manage taking all four of my children with me, in the rain, (including 2 little ones who had already spent the whole morning walking in the rain) walking a total of at least 6 more blocks, 4 more flights of stairs, and transferring to at least two differnt types of public transportation to get to the Magistrate's office, only to wait at least 20-30 minutes in a dull waiting room, and then another 10-15 minutes in the actual office - and it's right smack dab of the middle of the prime "I'm hungry and tired" time of day. My hands were tied - I was headed into a disaster zone. My only defense mechanism for these dire circumstances? Food.
We stopped at a bakery and I grabbed some sandwiches and muffins, and let each kid hold one bag, with the stipulation that they weren't open it until we got to where we were going (otherwise, que muffin falling on the tram car floor). The kids travelled along satisfied (for now) to hold their prized goodies. And then the inevitable question came, "Mom, where are we going?" I answered truthfully, "Kids, we're going to have a picnic at the Magistrate's office." They let out excited ooh's and ahhs - since it sounded fancy and important - kinda like Tea Time at the Palace... but it really wasn't.
We walked into the waiting room of the office, dripping wet, and I saw a much larger crowd of people than I had seen earlier this morning. I went and took my number and realized that all of them had their eyese on my loud, hungry children. Undaunted, I went into Mommy mode and realized I had to let my kids eat or I would never get through this experience alive. I put on blinders to the many people staring, I found a table covered in registration forms, information cards, and pens, so I scooped them all up and moved them all out of the way. We pulled up some extra chairs and proceeded set up lunch. Right there in the middle of the crowd. Everybody got a sandwich and a muffin, and we ate happily for the next 15 minutes.
The stares in our direction were hillarious. After a while I couldn't keep a straight face any longer, and I started looking back at our audience and smiling. I totally played the dumb, American card - like, "What, doesn't everyone bring their four kids to the District Magistrate's Registration Office and have a picnic?" There were audible laughs in our direction. I'm just glad that we could provide their entertainment for the day. It was quite amusing, if I do say so myself. (I couldn't get a good photo - but this gives you an idea of the crowd, that subtly turned away when I went to take a picture)
Just before our number was called, I cleaned up our area, wiped down the table with a baby wipe (remember, Mommy-mode) and took my four kids into the office to get our forms. I got a different lady at the desk, and she literally gasped out loud when she saw my four children. I giggled. The kids were ancy during the registration process, which took another 15 minutes or so, but we got through it (only because their tummies were full - believe me!). We conquered our mission and got the stinkin' forms!!
When we left the office, I'm pretty sure I heard couple people giggle and applaud... I personally think that we turly earned a round of applause for making it through that. Call us awkward Americans. Call us tacky foreigners. I say, a mom's gotta do, what a mom's gotta do. I actually think we're nifty trend-setters. You watch - by this time next year, everyone is gonna be picnicing at the Magistrate's Office.