The Blogs That Don't Get Posted ...

I assume that all blog writters have blogs that never get posted. Either they are never written and remain in one's head, or they do get written and the "post" button never gets pushed. As I have been enjoying the ups and downs of opening a new office here in Recife there are many many blogs that have either been written and not posted or have remained as potential blogs in my head. Mainly these blogs have had to do with some of the incredible processes that I have encountered while trying to accomplish what I assume to be the simplest of tasks. I suspect that it would be a downer to read daily accounts of these struggles -- but this week's story deserves sharing!

For the past three, yes three, months we have been trying to procure a couple of office cell phones. A seemingly simple task, enormously complicated by the fact that all the cell phone companies requested a mere fifteen documents from us in order to prepare the contract. These documents included our incoporation act; a copy of our by-laws; a copy of the most recent modification to the by-laws; if the most recent modification is more than two years old, they needed some other document; photocopies of everyone in the office's ID; three business references; two banking references; etc., etc. Now, as an entity of a foreign government, we don't actually have many of these documents. As far as I know embassies do not have incorporation acts or by-laws. No doubt we have other official type documents, but definitely not the same ones that a private company would have.

We finally managed to put together the necessary package of paperwork only to be told by the company that we also needed an official letter stating that I was authorized to sign the contract. Well my kind colleagues at the embassy whipped up a letter nicely signed and emblazened with the embassy stamp and letterhead. The letter was even sent off to the Brazilian department of Foreign Affairs for their official certification and blessing. The authorization letter arrived at the end of last week and I though that at last, we were good to go. But no! It was not to be. The company then asked us for documentation proving that the signator of the letter was authorized to authorize me! I can just see this working its way all the up to her majesty, on whose behalf we work in the first place. Picture it ... Did you, Queen Elizabeth, authorize the Governor General, to authorize the Prime Minister, to authorize the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to authorize .... You can see where this one is going ....

Surprisingly enough, after all this, the company rep actually showed up today with a copy of the contract! Yes, all ready for me to sign! He laughed when I asked whether or not he would be leaving the phones with us upon my signature. Once signed, the company will analyse our credit rating and if everything pans out, we will be the proud owners of new cell phones in approximately three (!) more weeks. Oh dear ... I hope that they do not stumble upon the CAN$500 billion that constitutes Canada's external debt ....