Encroaching Exams and Visa Maneuvers!

It's finals week and I have been a busy bee studying for my exams and prepping for final presentations! However, I have great news for this week, and that is my husband and I have a path forward to bring him overseas and provide him both residence and work permits. It will take some time and several thousand euros - neither of these things are a surprise - but once we're through, he'll have legal residency and full access to the Dutch labor market.

Through the DAFT visa - Dutch American Friendship Treaty - a visa holder can work as a self-employed person in the Netherlands with streamlined processes to get established. However, as a dependent (which includes spouse) of a DAFT visa holder, one has unrestricted access to the Dutch labor market. So, instead of working to bring my husband over as a DAFT primary, I will move my current student residence visa to the DAFT, and he will apply as my spouse.

This works out all around: as a non-EU international student, I am only able to be employed for 16 hours a week max, and must find an employer willing to sponsor a work visa in order to get a job. As a self-employed person, however, I would be free to work as much as I liked. My plan was already to take that route anyhow; now I'll simply be doing so via the DAFT rather than what the Dutch call a ZZP-er (Zelfstandige Zonder Personeel: self employed person without staff).

We're working with an immigration lawyer, as is recommended any time one is dealing with switching visas or pursuing one without a direct sponsor. The process will take at least a few months once begun, and to begin, I have a quote a lot of paperwork to sort and upload. I have a free week after exams and before the beginning of next block, and plan to do the heavy lifting during that time.

And meanwhile, I've been bingeing horror movies for spooky season and working on embroidery projects, which I will put up for sale once my little business opens. Fortunately, I have the skeleton of a business website from earlier this year, when I was putting things together on the offchance I wasn't accepted into uni and the DAFT was my only route overseas. When the store front goes live, I'll be sure to share it here!

Tiny little embroidered shapes on one hoop, each about half an inch wide. There are Christmas trees, menorahs, a jack-o-lantern, and a regular lantern. The fabric is a slightly off white linen.

Other than exams and visas, this week has been much of the same: a beautiful city turning to autumn colors, and me out enjoying it on my (hard-won) bicycle. I don't bike in to class every day, because I overdid it the first few days and had to let my legs rest - so I'm working up to the muscle I need - but the days I do I very much enjoy one particular stretch along a canal between home and class. Cycling downtown isn't as nice, both due to narrow and bumpy lanes and because of the throngs of people, but it does have its own charm. I spotted the first tandem bike I've seen here, too, but I have yet to see anyone ride it. It lives in my apartment building's bike garage, and I'm hoping to catch its owners out and about one of these days.

A mostly overhead photo of a charming little tandem bike, parked in a line of bikes indoors

Tuesday is my last day of the first part of Sign Language class, and I'm sad to see it go! I will see many of my classmates in the next block, thankfully, but the group we've had this eight weeks has been wonderful, and we may find ourselves in different groups - and therefore different class times - in the future. Additionally, our language professor will be retiring soon, and I won't have her for the full length of my degree. I'm super bummed about that! I'm sure whomever takes her place will be lovely, but she is an exceptionally good teacher, and I'll be sad to see her go.

Next Thursday will be my final of finals, and the one I dread the most. I only need to pass the test to be secure in the class, but it's the same format and style of the midterm, on which I did poorer than I would have liked. Our final is worth a whopping 50% of our grade. There is, fortunately, an opportunity to resit for those who fail. But still: there's a lot of pressure to do well on 60-70 questions over a 90 minute exam. My post here next week will come out the morning of my test, so please be wishing me luck when you read it!

This week's update is a little shorter, mostly because I've been so preoccupied with reviewing and prepping for both exams and visa maneuvers. I'm really hoping to get to a museum or two, or maybe the local zoo during my free week: I have yet to do anything touristy in Amsterdam! One of my friends and classmates went to the zoo this afternoon while others of us stayed back and reread textbook chapters. I certainly know which party I'd have rather been in...the flamingo enclosure is visable from the sidewalk, and I peer in at them every time I pass. One of these days I'd like to visit them properly. When I do, I'll be sure to snap pictures to share!

A photo of about two dozen flaminoes lounging in water in an enclosure

With that, I scurry off to do some studying and hope I retain enough in the next week to do well on my last two tests. Thank you all, as always, for reading. I look forward to seeing you next time!

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