A difficult day

January 30, 2008

I received a letter yesterday from CTOT, the Canadian embassy equivalent in Taipei. I was pretty happy, because the last time I got a letter from the Government, it was the one that said i was approved to sponsor my wife.
this was not the same kind of letter.
This one said that according to the information I had written in the application concerning my previous marriage, I was still considered married to my previous wife, until proven otherwise. I  have 3 months to produce a divorce certificate. Furthermore, the letter claimed that my current marriage was illegal in Taiwan and Canada.  For  10 years,  I’ve believed that  my former marriage, because  it was  a  religious  (Moslem)  ceremony, that it was not honored in Canada or Taiwan, because this kind of marriage allows for polygamy.
My former spouse is Indonesian and is incommunicado. She no longer wishes to have anything to do with me. She has in the past 3 times asked me for a letter (and money) authorizing her for divorce, but 3 times she eventually fessed up to not having done it, citing major inconvenience. So, it’s not like she still wants to be married.
If I follow the letter of the law, it may even be the case I have to divorce Amy, then seek the divorce in Indonesia, then remarry Amy, then  apply for residency again. WTF?? All our plans, money spent, boxes packed. Even my boss expects me to leave, and I’ve started training my replacement.
To make matters worse, I have none of the documents the lawyers require to go on with the proceedings. Furthermore, they are quoting me outrageous prices–lowest one was 4,000 US. Things not looking good right now. But I am staying positive, and staying raw. I could murder a steak right  now. Pao mien would be nice, too. I’ll just eat my cubic foot of salad, as usual…

Tags: rant, immigration, family, Indonesia, personal, “raw food

Posted in family, personal, rant