Email to my brother Jeff, 22 August 2004 Nijmegen

Jeff,

Things are finally happening for me in official Holland. We got a letter on the 10th, announcing Center for Work and Income's intentions to deny Arend a work permit for me. We sent them a letter on the 11th. Basically said the job's difficult--it's not as easy as you think, very specialized organic sourdough bread.... We laid it on a bit thick, naturally.

Arend got a letter dated the 19th--I read it on Friday, the 20th. She said a couple of main things. (We have a particular lady working with our case [at Centrum voor Werk en Inkomen.]

I forgot to save a piece of the sourdough. I was arguing with Kim....

Number one is that Arend hasn't tried hard enough to find a European candidate. Then, she says she's prepared to allow a 6-month work permit to Arend for me to work at the bakery. During that time, he must make a concerted effort to find the proper European-citizen candidate.

It's absurd, of course. And just the chance we need. We can play this one smart, we think, and come out with a real work permit. That's the goal, anyway.

I'm going to be working more at the bakery, though, clearly. Arend's wife may be working away from home anytime soon; I'd have to do the morning bake in that case.

I'll leave it at that.

More soon,
Steve