Wednesday 26 November 2008

Thieving illegal immigrant

I wonder if paying your yearly dues should be the only measure of a lawyer in good standing. Apart from being reminded of my illegal immigrant status today, I also realised I am a thief. A petty one perhaps, but a thief none the same.

I've been trying to arrange so that a friend who's coming to visit can get a visa on arrival. Up until last year this was very easy, you just arrive and stand in the right queue with $100 ready and you're through. Since January though, Immigration has tightened the rules and now the person inviting you needs to get approval of the Director of Immigration before they'll let you through. Anyway, a few minutes after calling my contact at immigration for information, he calls me back to remind me that since I am not even a Ghanaian and on top of it don't hold a valid residence permit, I'm the worst person to invite a foreigner into the country! You'd think I could've worked that one out myself. I guess it's time I work on my own permit before visitors start pouring in for Christmas (I returned to Ghana after the wedding on a visa on arrival, then forgot all about my permit).

This evening as I was reading through my favourite interior design porn, I realised writing I had never noticed on the front of the IKEA catalogue.


See for yourselves: "...THIS CATALOGUE...PLEASE RETURN IT TO THE CHECKOUT AS YOU LEAVE"

I must have looked like the cheekiest little thief as I actually picked my catalogue up from the checkout, directly put it in my bag and walked out!

This evening, sushi at Monsoon was cancelled and I never made it to the textile exhibition at Goethe Institute, instead I'm going to continue browsing my way through my pile of interior design porn.


Enjoy your evening!

4 comments:

Yngvild said...

haha. shame on YOU! :)

posekyere said...

Hi Maya,

Hilarious!!!
Run and get yourself sorted out at the immigration offices before the end of 2008.
Getting a permanent residence will bring lots of opportunities to you next year.
Trust me that is one powerful deed that will unleash tonnes of goodwill and favour to you in 2009.

By the way this is not a horoscopic nicety.

Maya Mame said...

Ha ha Yngvild, I know, shame on me!!!

Maya Mame said...

Thanks, Posekyere, I hope your prediction is true and I'll definitely rush to go get my residency as soon as possible!

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