Bureaucracy.
It's a word that makes most people cringe and get a nut in their stomach. I personally start sweating, get a ball-size hardening in my stomach and lose my appetite upon finding out that I need to go to some government office and submit some papers in the hope of them giving me some other papers in return. There are, of course a few reasons for this. First of all, it is never easy. Even if it seems easy at first, things ALWAYS get more complicated than you thought was possible when you first set out. Even if you bring all the papers that they said on the phone you need to bring, once there, they will then inform you that there is indeed something else their uninformed colleague (Who told you such a thing?) forgot to mention to you. Secondly, the lines are always long. And in those lines, EVERYONE is frustrated, because nobody likes standing in lines. And thirdly, because most of the people working in these kinds of offices are bitter, unfriendly, rude and short with the customers. They treat you like you came there with the purpose of ruining their day.
So when, upon arriving to the last leg of our vacation (Subotica, our hometown) this morning, we found out that we need to go to such an office urgently, neither of us was particularly happy. Especially because we found out that the paper we needed takes a week to arrive, and we need it in 3 days, because we need to get back to Vajta.
So we had a quick family pow-wow. There is just no way to get this in 3 days. And then my mom remembered that she knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone ... you know. A few phone calls later, we had a clean passage to THE GUY. (I must mention here that this particular guy has been in his place for many years and is famously rude and mean to people and that he has been rude to me before, which made me dread going again even more.)
Did we have to bribe him? Oh, no! The friend who knows someone who knows someone did ... And this reminded me of the fact that this is how so many things in the Balkan countries are done. If you know the right people, you can get what you need. Sometimes the bribes are monetary, and I wondered what the scoop was with this one. Upon arriving home, I found out. The person my mom knows is a baker. My parents helped him with something YEARS AGO, and he still feels indebted to them. Since then, he has become successful and has built relationships with important people. One of the ways he does this, is providing free baked goods for breakfast to the employees in key offices. So what do these people do in return for free pastries and burek a few times a week? Speed up the bureaucratic process for OUR paperwork because our friend gave him a call! I find that amazing. Actually, it cracks me up. Only in the Balkans.
Yes, there are people who will only be bribed with money, but for some - a burek or two will do it.
p.s. In case you are new to this blog, and don't know what burek is, click here.
It's a word that makes most people cringe and get a nut in their stomach. I personally start sweating, get a ball-size hardening in my stomach and lose my appetite upon finding out that I need to go to some government office and submit some papers in the hope of them giving me some other papers in return. There are, of course a few reasons for this. First of all, it is never easy. Even if it seems easy at first, things ALWAYS get more complicated than you thought was possible when you first set out. Even if you bring all the papers that they said on the phone you need to bring, once there, they will then inform you that there is indeed something else their uninformed colleague (Who told you such a thing?) forgot to mention to you. Secondly, the lines are always long. And in those lines, EVERYONE is frustrated, because nobody likes standing in lines. And thirdly, because most of the people working in these kinds of offices are bitter, unfriendly, rude and short with the customers. They treat you like you came there with the purpose of ruining their day.
So when, upon arriving to the last leg of our vacation (Subotica, our hometown) this morning, we found out that we need to go to such an office urgently, neither of us was particularly happy. Especially because we found out that the paper we needed takes a week to arrive, and we need it in 3 days, because we need to get back to Vajta.
So we had a quick family pow-wow. There is just no way to get this in 3 days. And then my mom remembered that she knows someone, who knows someone, who knows someone ... you know. A few phone calls later, we had a clean passage to THE GUY. (I must mention here that this particular guy has been in his place for many years and is famously rude and mean to people and that he has been rude to me before, which made me dread going again even more.)
Did we have to bribe him? Oh, no! The friend who knows someone who knows someone did ... And this reminded me of the fact that this is how so many things in the Balkan countries are done. If you know the right people, you can get what you need. Sometimes the bribes are monetary, and I wondered what the scoop was with this one. Upon arriving home, I found out. The person my mom knows is a baker. My parents helped him with something YEARS AGO, and he still feels indebted to them. Since then, he has become successful and has built relationships with important people. One of the ways he does this, is providing free baked goods for breakfast to the employees in key offices. So what do these people do in return for free pastries and burek a few times a week? Speed up the bureaucratic process for OUR paperwork because our friend gave him a call! I find that amazing. Actually, it cracks me up. Only in the Balkans.
Yes, there are people who will only be bribed with money, but for some - a burek or two will do it.
p.s. In case you are new to this blog, and don't know what burek is, click here.
5 comments:
**Even if you bring all the papers that they said on the phone you need to bring, once there, they will then inform you that there is indeed something else their uninformed colleague (Who told you such a thing?) forgot to mention to you.**
Wow, that's a great description. You make it sound like you've done this once or twice...
The only difference in Eger is that in the Bevándorlási Hivatal, there is no line or sorszám - just two windows, and you never know which one is going to open up next; so when one does finally open, its a mad dash to get to the window first. And in order to keep your order in the crowd, you just have to position yourself right and give people that look, which says, "Don't even think about it - I was here first."
They take bribes here too - but no burek, they only accept bottles of red wine.
Nick... try Toffifee...
Arpi and Andi... Burek solves BUREKratic problems...
it is that easy
No wonder there are such a big problems in the hungarian birocratic system. They don't have BUREK. The heavenly manna...
Lazo von BUREK lover
Thanks for the input guys! Yeah, and it's not just the "bevándorlási". Stuff like that has happened at the önkormányzat, or at the place where they issue driving licenses, and the list goes on. I think it's an Eastern European phenomenon.
Maybe they receive special training?
its in the genes
burekratija-vladanje bureka
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