20 March 2008

Doh!

Thus far the only problem I have encountered with "retiring early" (e.g. moving to a country where I am not allowed to work) is that I sometimes lose track of what date it is.

Which explains why we received such a puzzled look from the Check-in Desk Clerk when we arrived to check-in for our flight to Naples. Apparently we were 25 1/2 hours early.

We checked to see if it would be possible to just fly down early. Would have worked with the hotel, but the extra cost from the airline would have been 1800 chf for each of us. We decided to store our luggage in a locker at the airport and go back for our scheduled flight tomorrow.

So, not having a job explains why I got confused about the date.

What's GLH's excuse?

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

GLH's excuse - Relying on the retiree to check such things as when we leave for holiday.

GL'sD said...

I like the way he thinks, I don't think he'll get away with it. But I like the way he thinks.

Jul said...

*pointing and laughing at GL and GLH*

Pointless Drivel said...

How do you know he didn't know what the date was? One of the first rules of husbanding is to go along with the wife, no matter how wrong she is.

Maybe he was just being prudent.

Greg said...

It's Christmas that's coming up, right?

J said...

Why can't you work? I can't remember if your hubby is Swiss or not, but so you should be able to. If not, then you came as a 'trailing spouse' (as it's sometimes called). Doesn't that entitle you to a work permit?
I'd be bored outta my mind if I couldn't work.

Global Librarian said...

Some people are not very nice. "Wife" does not mean "Personal Assistant." GLH booked the tickets and the hotel and told me it was a Thursday through Sunday trip. This is so not my fault!

And J, being a "trailing spouse" does and does not entitle me to a work permit. Swiss employers are reluctant to hire "trailing spouses" when their work permit is tied to their spouse. Apparently if the spouse leaves, their employee has to leave as well. (As if that doesn't usually happen anyway!) And that is assuming that the employer knows about this law. Most of them won't touch you unless you have your own permit.

And technically I could get a work permit as an individual because of my Master's degree in librarianship (a rare, but sought after, degree in Europe). However, in order to work in most libraries I would need to be fluent in German. The government funded libraries usually require you to have passed the university level exam to prove fluency. It's going to take a while, if ever, for my German language skills to be that good.

Oddly enough, I don't mind not working. Although I was slightly concerned about it before I came. Librarians tend to be "independent learners" and I have been learning about all sorts of things. And we tend to be introverted, so as long as I meet up with friends a few times per week, I can spend hours per day alone with no problem. Plus I do freelance writing on the side, which helps satisfy my need to "feel productive." Not at all bored.

Anonymous said...

Wait a second - if you can spend hours alone why are you never home??????????

Lynda said...

First - that anon commentor is very cheeky - second, welcome to my world - and it gets worse if you have a working week that starts on a sunday and ends on a thursday.

The Big Finn said...

GL - I'm assuming that you have a B-permit, and that definitely entitles you to work in Switzerland. I'm not saying that you would be able to land a job as a librarian, but you could definitely be able to work at some job if you wanted to.
We moved here in 2000 because of Mrs. TBF's job, and we both received B-permits. I've been offered work since moving here, and I've turned the offers down because I have no intention of ever working again. However, I could legally work here.

Unknown said...

Sigh... I'd love to go back to living in Switzerland, job or not... lol