Do you want to learn to become strong, resilient and patient? And how to walk through life without knowing what the future holds for years? Consider moving countries, decide to stay for good and start the "paper work" :D If someone asked me what was the most difficult thing I did in my life up to now, this is it! It tested my limits a million times! And if my hair was not blonde, it would be grey now :D But it also told me so many valuable lessons that I do not regret the process at all! Even though I might have told you otherwise if you met me during the time of this crazy trial :D
The first years in South Africa were fairly easy. I was on an international assignment and my company took care of my visa. But after about three and a half years I was wondering how it would be like to stay longer, and I contacted a visa agency for more details. Lucky me. The fact that I am a planner and tend to prepare early was coming in very handy when I found out that it would take me one and a half years to turn this dream into reality (maybe!). And this was only the first step.
There are different categories of Permanent Residence Permits in South Africa. I qualified for Critical Skills. As the process to apply directly is very tedious and lengthy, the first step was to obtain a Critical Skills Visa. The visa process itself is actually not difficult at all. In fact, mine was issued just about a week after handing in my documents (If only I had known I would have slept much better). But these documents... they were the stuff that nightmares are made off... :D I had to prove that I studied for real and that my degrees are not fake, I had to convert all of my German qualifications into the South African system and I had to provide evidence that I am a proper Industrial Engineer. And that meant I had to become a member of the Engineering Council of South Africa. It required me to travel back in time and put together an overview about all the lectures I attended and all the skills I acquired EVER. I even contacted one of my professors and luckily he still had a "hard copy"(!!!) of a design project I once completed. I honestly had not a single memory of it :D After handing in what must have been at least one hundred pages about my journey as a student I was invited to an interview in Johannesburg. It was quite an experience, and after another couple of weeks of waiting time I finally got the notice that I had been accepted.
But there was another mystery that had to be solved. Would I be able to apply for my new visa in South Africa? Or would I need to return to Germany first? Well... there were no written rules and different answers depending on who I asked. Eventually, I had to complete my international contract and reintegrate into my former department in Germany, hand in the application in Berlin and then wait for the outcome. And a wait like that can be long and horrible. I had left all my belongings and my four beloved cats in South Africa without knowing if and when I would be able to return. And whether I would return to stay or to pick up my things for good. So many tears when I left my house in East London and said goodbye to friends and colleagues. Tears and anxiety. There was no Plan B. I refused to think about a Plan B. A Plan B was simply no option.
Back in Germany, I couch surfed in Stuttgart (Thank you to my beautiful friends Ju and Alex for opening their homes to me) and started my new old job sometime in the beginning of January 2018. I had obviously warned my company. My new manager knew that I planned to leave Germany once I received my visa. But then no one expected it to happen so fast. I introduced myself to him in the morning. And around lunch time I received a message from my mom with a picture of my passport with the Critical Skills Visa in it. I was beyond happy!! And told my new manager at lunch time on my first day that I was ready to leave again :D
Signing a letter of termination is a big step, especially if you have a safe and well-paying job in a great company. But my dream was waiting. And a dream never comes without sacrifices. And in the very moment when I put my signature onto the document I felt nothing but free... and proud. And I have not regretted it once since then.
