No Joke.

Things I did today until 1:30pm:

1. Went down to the office to check on the status of my work permit. My contract was on its way to the mayor to be signed. Apparently he chose not to sign it last night.
2. Corrected papers, quizzes, and got my gradebook completely up-to-date.
3. Taught complements, reviewed quizzes, went over plot development, continued reading "All-American Slurp" to my grade 8's.
4. Went downstairs and checked on the status of my work permit. Nothing. My contract was still with the mayor.
5. Conducted an interview and showed the prospective teacher around our beautiful campus. This took about an hour and a half.
6. Went downstairs for her to be interviewed by the Director and Thai Principal. Also, checked on my contract/work permit. Still, nothing.

Just so everyone is clear, my visa expires/expired today, August 17th, 2011. All government offices close at 3:30 at the latest. At this point, it is 1:30. Clearly, I begin to get a little more than upset- it's visible in my face, although I am trying to keep a calm, cool and collected composure.

The principal checks on my paperwork that should have been prepared to take to the employment office. It is non-existent. However, paperwork for me to go to Penang for a visa run is all ready. I cannot go on a visa run. I cannot get another non-immigrant B visa. Nor do I care to spend my own money on something I wouldn't have had to do if the school had been more prepared and listened to me when I began asking for this over two months ago.

So, at 1:30pm, with only 2 hours left to process everything, my contract is still sitting on the mayor's desk at city hall. My paperwork for my work permit hasn't even begun to be compiled.

THEN, they tell me they need me to go to the hospital to get medical clearance to work. Again. Because it expired in March. 

So, naturally, my voice elevates a little bit (NOT yelling, just expressing extreme concern) and I begin to really hammer into them that literally, I need to leave the school forever if this doesn't happen in two hours.
All of a sudden, people begin rushing. The Thai administrators rush to the mayor's office. The administrative staff begins rushing around the school, papers flying everywhere, getting my documents together. And I rush to the hospital.

Things I learned today:

1. I don't have syphilis. Why this is important to the Thai Ministry of Education over, say, tuberculosis, I will never understand. But this was the "medical clearance" I had to get. Yay, no syphilis!! 250 baht well-spent.
2. The mayor can make anyone do anything anytime. You just have to get him to say it, and to sign your contract, which, apparently, is the hardest part.
3. Whenever anyone tells you they cannot do something until tomorrow, or that something is going to take an hour, they can really get it done in about five minutes. They just need to be pushed (not physically, but by, say, a time constraint and the government). And sometimes, you need to cry. It makes them feel bad and they don't want to see it, so they want to get you out of their workspace as soon as possible.

Now, I have my work permit. It only took the entire administrative team to stop everything they were doing today and focus only on me. Literally, the whole school was put on hold. It was ridiculous.

Tomorrow, I have to pay for my visa at immigration. Plus the fine for being late by one day.
And you know the clincher? I still am not 100% guaranteed that I am okay. It all lies in the hands of the immigration officer tomorrow. Who, hopefully, will have the heavy hand of the mayor resting squarely on his back.

Sometimes, at the end of a long day, a glass of wine is the best thing in the world. Someone, get this girl a glass of wine.