You don't have to go home but you can't stay here. Verse 2: There's a master Time Keeper Who died on the cross; and it breaks His heart knowing Hell's gain is his loss. But if your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, You'll know where you're going if He calls you tonight.
You don't have to go home but you can't stay here. Verse 2: There's a master Time Keeper Who died on the cross; and it breaks His heart knowing Hell's gain is his loss. But if your name is written in the Lamb's book of life, You'll know where you're going if He calls you tonight. Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer Well, they're flickin' on the bar lights Band's playin' one last song And if you want another round, better order it now It's last call Crowds still rockin' and it's 2:01 The bartender's screamin' at the top of his lungs Chorus You don't have to go home But you can't stay here You can walk, you can crawl Get carried off by the.
Sorry I've been gone so long, but an expat's life is often exciting and filled with adventure.
OK. That's utter crap. What I've really been doing is unpacking, trying to keep up with the news, and working my way through the bureaucratic minefield of visa regulations following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Provided you have a legal right to stay in your country of choice, getting a visa is usually a minor inconvenience. It's usually just a matter of getting the right paperwork together and standing in line.
Before arriving in Malaysia, my plan was easy. Enter on a visit visa and then apply for a spousal visa. My wife is a citizen and has a job, so easy-peasy, right?
Wrong, the first problem is that I tried to do the right thing when I got here in March. Following a 7-hour, international flight from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, my wife and I thought it would be a good idea if I self-quarantined for two weeks. Remember those early days of the pandemic, when self-quarantine was optional? Thinking it was the responsible thing to do, I climbed up onto the sofa and slowly drifted into a Netflix-induced coma.
I emerged from hibernation just in time to watch the Movement Control Order come crashing down on March 18. This is where the fun started.
MCO: Everyone stay home. No traveling farther than 10 km from home.
Me (on June 1, the day my visit visa expired): What do I do?
Malaysian government: Nothing. Stay at home. During the MCO, your visa is still good.
Me (on June 9, the day the MCO partially lifted): Now what do I do?
Malaysian media:OK, schedule an appointment with Immigration to extend your visa.
Me (on July 13, the first day I could get a visa appointment): I'd like to apply for a spousal visa.
Random Malaysian official:Umm… ('Umm' is never, ever a good sign). You don't have enough pages in your passport.
This was true. I didn't. Fumble-brag alert: I didn't have a single empty page. After years of having my passport digitally scanned by almost all the countries I visited, I didn't even look to see which countries had been stamping my passport and which hadn't. OK, no problem. I'll just schedule an appointment with the US embassy to have extra pages added.
US Embassy: We don't do that anymore.
Me: OK, then I need a new passport.
US Embassy:That's temporarily suspended because of Covid-19.
Me, back at Malaysian immigration: OK, can I get my visit visa extended?
Malaysian official: We're not really doing that at the moment, but you have until Sept. 15 to leave the country.
Me: I'd have to leave?
Malaysian official: Umm. No, you can stay here, possibly get fined, and have a black mark on your record for five years.
Me, now on Expedia.com: Where can I fly to?
Expedia: South Korea, but there is a mandatory two-week quarantine.
Me: OK, can I get back into Malaysia after?
Malaysian official: Umm, maaaaaybe?
Me, back on Expedia: Where else can I fly?
Expedia: The US?
Me: Get serious. Have you seen the shitshow going down over there?
Expedia: Yes, but they will let you in.
Me: OK, but will Malaysia let me back in from the US?
Malaysian official, trying to choke down a laugh: Umm, no.Unless you (proceeds to list a whole bunch of hoops I have to jump through).
This is becoming a big problem. No one will take Americans at the moment. You might as well call them the Plague States of America. We're the Florida of the world.
Expedia: How about Croatia? But you have to fly through Qatar, which has one of the highest infections rates in the world.
Me, calling the US embassy: HEEEEELP
US Embassy: What's the problem?
Me: I can't fly out, because no one but the US will have me. If I go home, I'm contaminated goods. And, oh yeah, there is a raging, global pandemic going on, so I'd like to avoid flying around in a tin can where I'm forced to breathe other people's air for seven-plus hours.
US Embassy: Umm, we can write a letter.
In all fairness, the embassy was helpful and admitted the situation was difficult and constantly changing. They were watching and trying to advise people the best they could. If I could just get a new passport, the problem would be solved, I whined to a sympathetic officer in KL.
Sympathetic officer: Oh, we can do that. We just started processing new passports again.
So it's a week later and I'm waiting the two to three weeks it takes for them to get the passport processed and shipped to me here in KL. Then I get to take my papers and go stand in line.
As bad and/or comical as this might sound, it's nothing compared to what I'm hearing elsewhere from other expats trying to get home. One friend, after being made redundant in Dubai, had to take a repatriation flight from Dubai to Germany because there were no direct flights to the island in the Mediterranean he calls home. Luckily, his embassy arranged the second leg of the trip for him.
Another friend from Dubai has a choice between flying to stay with family in Beirut, which is currently undergoing a world-class financial meltdown, or flying home to Florida, the global center of the Covid-19 pandemic. It's a real world frying pan vs fire scenario. She lost her job in Dubai at the same time I did, but she didn't leave immediately, which made me realize how close I came to getting trapped there.
One of my reporters, who lost her job (see the pattern here), is moving home to Egypt. Once there, she'll have to see if she can get a visa to attend school in Scotland, where she was accepted into a Master's program last year before the pandemic started. If she can't get there by September, she's hoping distance learning is an option.
Another former colleague of mine, David Tusing, (yep, he lost his job too) who also got caught in Dubai, has actually been using his down time to help the thousands of Indians stranded in the UAE raise the money they need to get home. You can check out what he's been doing on Twitter at @davidtusing. It's excellent stuff.
And this isn't over. The pandemic is not ending anytime soon. Many governments are already whispering of a second lockdown.
I know we're all struggling right now, but remember the expats in your life. Being a stranger in a strange land is all fun and games right up to the point where the whole system falls apart and they tell you, officially, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.
Sorry I've been gone so long, but an expat's life is often exciting and filled with adventure.
OK. That's utter crap. What I've really been doing is unpacking, trying to keep up with the news, and working my way through the bureaucratic minefield of visa regulations following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Provided you have a legal right to stay in your country of choice, getting a visa is usually a minor inconvenience. It's usually just a matter of getting the right paperwork together and standing in line.
Before arriving in Malaysia, my plan was easy. Enter on a visit visa and then apply for a spousal visa. My wife is a citizen and has a job, so easy-peasy, right?
Wrong, the first problem is that I tried to do the right thing when I got here in March. Following a 7-hour, international flight from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, my wife and I thought it would be a good idea if I self-quarantined for two weeks. Remember those early days of the pandemic, when self-quarantine was optional? Thinking it was the responsible thing to do, I climbed up onto the sofa and slowly drifted into a Netflix-induced coma.
I emerged from hibernation just in time to watch the Movement Control Order come crashing down on March 18. This is where the fun started.
MCO: Everyone stay home. No traveling farther than 10 km from home.
Me (on June 1, the day my visit visa expired): What do I do?
Malaysian government: Nothing. Stay at home. During the MCO, your visa is still good.
Me (on June 9, the day the MCO partially lifted): Now what do I do?
Malaysian media:OK, schedule an appointment with Immigration to extend your visa.
Me (on July 13, the first day I could get a visa appointment): I'd like to apply for a spousal visa.
Random Malaysian official:Umm… ('Umm' is never, ever a good sign). You don't have enough pages in your passport.
This was true. I didn't. Fumble-brag alert: I didn't have a single empty page. After years of having my passport digitally scanned by almost all the countries I visited, I didn't even look to see which countries had been stamping my passport and which hadn't. OK, no problem. I'll just schedule an appointment with the US embassy to have extra pages added.
US Embassy: We don't do that anymore.
Me: OK, then I need a new passport.
US Embassy:That's temporarily suspended because of Covid-19.
Malaysian official: Umm, maaaaaybe?
Me, back on Expedia: Where else can I fly?
Expedia: The US?
Me: Get serious. Have you seen the shitshow going down over there?
Expedia: Yes, but they will let you in.
Me: OK, but will Malaysia let me back in from the US?
Malaysian official, trying to choke down a laugh: Umm, no.Unless you (proceeds to list a whole bunch of hoops I have to jump through).
This is becoming a big problem. No one will take Americans at the moment. You might as well call them the Plague States of America. We're the Florida of the world.
Expedia: How about Croatia? But you have to fly through Qatar, which has one of the highest infections rates in the world.
Me, calling the US embassy: HEEEEELP
US Embassy: What's the problem?
Me: I can't fly out, because no one but the US will have me. If I go home, I'm contaminated goods. And, oh yeah, there is a raging, global pandemic going on, so I'd like to avoid flying around in a tin can where I'm forced to breathe other people's air for seven-plus hours.
US Embassy: Umm, we can write a letter.
In all fairness, the embassy was helpful and admitted the situation was difficult and constantly changing. They were watching and trying to advise people the best they could. If I could just get a new passport, the problem would be solved, I whined to a sympathetic officer in KL.
Sympathetic officer: Oh, we can do that. We just started processing new passports again.
So it's a week later and I'm waiting the two to three weeks it takes for them to get the passport processed and shipped to me here in KL. Then I get to take my papers and go stand in line.
As bad and/or comical as this might sound, it's nothing compared to what I'm hearing elsewhere from other expats trying to get home. One friend, after being made redundant in Dubai, had to take a repatriation flight from Dubai to Germany because there were no direct flights to the island in the Mediterranean he calls home. Luckily, his embassy arranged the second leg of the trip for him.
Another friend from Dubai has a choice between flying to stay with family in Beirut, which is currently undergoing a world-class financial meltdown, or flying home to Florida, the global center of the Covid-19 pandemic. It's a real world frying pan vs fire scenario. She lost her job in Dubai at the same time I did, but she didn't leave immediately, which made me realize how close I came to getting trapped there.
One of my reporters, who lost her job (see the pattern here), is moving home to Egypt. Once there, she'll have to see if she can get a visa to attend school in Scotland, where she was accepted into a Master's program last year before the pandemic started. If she can't get there by September, she's hoping distance learning is an option.
Another former colleague of mine, David Tusing, (yep, he lost his job too) who also got caught in Dubai, has actually been using his down time to help the thousands of Indians stranded in the UAE raise the money they need to get home. You can check out what he's been doing on Twitter at @davidtusing. It's excellent stuff.
And this isn't over. The pandemic is not ending anytime soon. Many governments are already whispering of a second lockdown.
I know we're all struggling right now, but remember the expats in your life. Being a stranger in a strange land is all fun and games right up to the point where the whole system falls apart and they tell you, officially, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.
Sorry I've been gone so long, but an expat's life is often exciting and filled with adventure.
OK. That's utter crap. What I've really been doing is unpacking, trying to keep up with the news, and working my way through the bureaucratic minefield of visa regulations following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Provided you have a legal right to stay in your country of choice, getting a visa is usually a minor inconvenience. It's usually just a matter of getting the right paperwork together and standing in line.
Before arriving in Malaysia, my plan was easy. Enter on a visit visa and then apply for a spousal visa. My wife is a citizen and has a job, so easy-peasy, right?
Wrong, the first problem is that I tried to do the right thing when I got here in March. Following a 7-hour, international flight from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, my wife and I thought it would be a good idea if I self-quarantined for two weeks. Remember those early days of the pandemic, when self-quarantine was optional? Thinking it was the responsible thing to do, I climbed up onto the sofa and slowly drifted into a Netflix-induced coma.
I emerged from hibernation just in time to watch the Movement Control Order come crashing down on March 18. This is where the fun started.
MCO: Everyone stay home. No traveling farther than 10 km from home.
Me (on June 1, the day my visit visa expired): What do I do?
Malaysian government: Nothing. Stay at home. During the MCO, your visa is still good.
Me (on June 9, the day the MCO partially lifted): Now what do I do?
Malaysian media:OK, schedule an appointment with Immigration to extend your visa.
Me (on July 13, the first day I could get a visa appointment): I'd like to apply for a spousal visa.
Random Malaysian official:Umm… ('Umm' is never, ever a good sign). You don't have enough pages in your passport.
This was true. I didn't. Fumble-brag alert: I didn't have a single empty page. After years of having my passport digitally scanned by almost all the countries I visited, I didn't even look to see which countries had been stamping my passport and which hadn't. OK, no problem. I'll just schedule an appointment with the US embassy to have extra pages added.
US Embassy: We don't do that anymore.
Me: OK, then I need a new passport.
US Embassy:That's temporarily suspended because of Covid-19.
Me, back at Malaysian immigration: OK, can I get my visit visa extended?
Malaysian official: We're not really doing that at the moment, but you have until Sept. 15 to leave the country.
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Me: I'd have to leave?
Malaysian official: Umm. No, you can stay here, possibly get fined, and have a black mark on your record for five years.
Me, now on Expedia.com: Where can I fly to?
Expedia: South Korea, but there is a mandatory two-week quarantine.
Me: OK, can I get back into Malaysia after?
Malaysian official: Umm, maaaaaybe?
Me, back on Expedia: Where else can I fly?
Expedia: The US?
Me: Get serious. Have you seen the shitshow going down over there?
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Expedia: Yes, but they will let you in.
Me: OK, but will Malaysia let me back in from the US?
Malaysian official, trying to choke down a laugh: Umm, no.Unless you (proceeds to list a whole bunch of hoops I have to jump through).
This is becoming a big problem. No one will take Americans at the moment. You might as well call them the Plague States of America. We're the Florida of the world.
Expedia: How about Croatia? But you have to fly through Qatar, which has one of the highest infections rates in the world.
Me, calling the US embassy: HEEEEELP
US Embassy: What's the problem?
Fortnite You Don't Have To Go Home
Me: I can't fly out, because no one but the US will have me. If I go home, I'm contaminated goods. And, oh yeah, there is a raging, global pandemic going on, so I'd like to avoid flying around in a tin can where I'm forced to breathe other people's air for seven-plus hours.
US Embassy: Umm, we can write a letter.
In all fairness, the embassy was helpful and admitted the situation was difficult and constantly changing. They were watching and trying to advise people the best they could. If I could just get a new passport, the problem would be solved, I whined to a sympathetic officer in KL.
Sympathetic officer: Oh, we can do that. We just started processing new passports again.
So it's a week later and I'm waiting the two to three weeks it takes for them to get the passport processed and shipped to me here in KL. Then I get to take my papers and go stand in line.
As bad and/or comical as this might sound, it's nothing compared to what I'm hearing elsewhere from other expats trying to get home. One friend, after being made redundant in Dubai, had to take a repatriation flight from Dubai to Germany because there were no direct flights to the island in the Mediterranean he calls home. Luckily, his embassy arranged the second leg of the trip for him.
Another friend from Dubai has a choice between flying to stay with family in Beirut, which is currently undergoing a world-class financial meltdown, or flying home to Florida, the global center of the Covid-19 pandemic. It's a real world frying pan vs fire scenario. She lost her job in Dubai at the same time I did, but she didn't leave immediately, which made me realize how close I came to getting trapped there.
One of my reporters, who lost her job (see the pattern here), is moving home to Egypt. Once there, she'll have to see if she can get a visa to attend school in Scotland, where she was accepted into a Master's program last year before the pandemic started. If she can't get there by September, she's hoping distance learning is an option.
Another former colleague of mine, David Tusing, (yep, he lost his job too) who also got caught in Dubai, has actually been using his down time to help the thousands of Indians stranded in the UAE raise the money they need to get home. You can check out what he's been doing on Twitter at @davidtusing. It's excellent stuff.
And this isn't over. The pandemic is not ending anytime soon. Many governments are already whispering of a second lockdown.
I know we're all struggling right now, but remember the expats in your life. Being a stranger in a strange land is all fun and games right up to the point where the whole system falls apart and they tell you, officially, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.
