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On Tuesday the girls took the day off school and we went to register as aliens at the National Immigration Bureau. We got there around 11. It was packed. They told us that we didn’t have a chance of getting anything done today. The numbers had gone out to all of the people who would get to talk to someone today.

We also learned that next time we don’t need to bring the girls but we do need to bring our marriage certificate. So, I’ll be grabbing that when I go home in a week and we’ll be trying again next month.

I thought though I would take this opportunity to mention that Dublin has become very international since I was here last. Thanks to my friends at Wikipedia I can easily give you some details:
The population of Ireland is: 4,234,925
Non-Irish Nationals make up 10 percent of the population
103,495 people are Poles, Lithuanians, Slovaks, Latvians and Estonians
16,533 are Chinese
16,300 are Nigerians

In September there were a lot of stories in the news about kids not getting into schools because they were too full. Many of the schools, OK, most, are run by the church so they were letting the Catholics in first – which left many recent immigrants out in the cold. The started up a few non-Church schools but to me it seems like ghettoizing education a bit. Now I don’t know maybe places in these new schools are highly sought after now, but I don’t think so.

 (Patrick’s mom is kind of a rock star and that’s how we (she) got the kids not only into school but into a Montessori!)

I have to ask about Halloween in Ireland. Is there trick or treating?

Comment by Denise October 27, 2007 @ 1:20 am

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[…] Get Updates  Subscribe in a reader OR Subscribe to 10 Questions About… by Email I’m legal so we look at art January 18, 2008, 11:38 am Filed under: Dublin On Thursday we left Patrick’s mom to bring the kids to school and we went into the Immigration Office. I would play menacing music here if I could. Our last trip was not very successful. […]

Pingback by I’m legal so we look at art « 10 Questions About… January 18, 2008 @ 11:38 am

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