MRS. SMITH OR MRS. JONES ? Living under a false name

Last year in August I had applied for a new passport and after some administration difficulties, (all public institutions have to invent new once, to make it a little more complicated) I finally thought now it was settled and I could get my new passport. But not at all ! There was another complication, I had the wrong name ! I was travelling since 40 years under a false name. I felt like a spion, a modern Mata Hari, how interesting !

From my birth til I married Mr. G my name was Jones. The day of my wedding I became Mrs. Smith. With the marriage certificate I went to the German embassy in Brussels to change officially from single life to a married woman. I got a new passport with the name of Mrs. Smith. For Belgium however I still was Mrs. Jones, as, according to Belgian law women keep their maiden name for all public documents. I always had to pay attention that my flight tickets were on the name of Mrs Smith (like on my passport) and not Mrs. Jones like on my driver licence. With that I lived happily for 40 years until the German embassy realized that I had the wrong name on my passport.

They called me to inform me that 40 years ago an employee had made a mistake, because according to Italian law (and Mr. G is Italian) I should have kept my maiden name Mrs Jones and that's why they couldn't make a new passport. I told them friendly that I didn't give a sh..t about my name, and they can take what they like but I want a passport and not travelling with the temporary one they meanwhile had given. With that one I would never be able to go to the States because my passport picture which showed a not smiling (that's a must, to make a difference between you and smiling terrorists) Mrs. Smith (not Jones) with a brown face, yellow hairs and two dark spots which once had been my eyes. This happened in September and after that I never heard from them again.

Last week finally I called them and asked what happened to my passport and which name they finally had choosen. The passport responsible was very upset, she couldn't find my file and no passport either and wanted to call me back. I thought the world is getting crazy and waited for a phone call. And I got it 2 days ago ! My passport was ready, but filed under my maiden name Jones and as I had applied for a new passport with my married name Mrs. Smith, they also got confused.

End of the story : After exactly 40 years I got my maiden name back and made a cross on Mrs. Smith ! Apparently in Germany too, now the woman keeps her maiden name from birth on unless she does a special apply for her husbands name ! There is no need to send flowers for Mrs. Smith !



Above is the temporary one in green as Mrs. Smith and below the new one as Mrs. Jones !

Previous posts about my passport adventure

Getting a new German passport

Rebirth for a new birth certificate

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Maxine on Saturday

I let Maxine speak !

Please go to The Teach to find more "Maxine on Saturday"

SHOW & TELL

More participants here

Last week I started with showing you my vitrine and today I took out





these little dolls. Mr. G. "found" them when he worked in the Hilton Hotel in Brussels. They were part of a table decoration of some important business meeting. They all wear the traditional costume from Bruges with real laces and the amazing part is as tiny as they are they can open and close their eyes ! And three of them even wear glasses. Lace making is a hard work for the eyes !



The little jugs were part of my doll house which I still have in the attic. Two of them are out of wood.



and least but not least, this little stork which I had choosen as a "reminder". It was sitting on my bedside table and reminded me that I had to take "the pill" ! Even as a young woman I had the tendancy to forget things !

THURSDAY THIRTEEN - Children sayings

more participants here


13 children sayings


1. when you fart your botty yawns

2. Girls can't pee while standing because they don't have anything to hold themselves

3. When babies are very little, they are kept in Mom's belly, so nobody can steel them

4. My mom is rather pretty, you can still see that once she was young

5. I will marry my mom, I don't like women I don't know

6. Worms can't bite because they have a tail on both sides

7. We should all sleep with open windows because it is healthy to breath

8. I couldn't eat the Banana, Mom had closed it too much

9. My mom has a baby in her belly, but I don't know when she swallowed it.

10. Fortunately we have Daddy otherwise Mom had to throw away all left overs

11. When a couple in love first kisses, they immediately fall down and don't get up for at least one hour

12. For girls it's better not to get married. Boys need someone for cleaning.

13. When grandma has toothache, she just takes her teeth off and put them in a glas

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I found these sayings on a German website, and translated it for you. But I think it fits on all children in the world.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

I got this per email from a friend

MY WORLD

is here

FUN MONDAY - My favourite room

Janis at Life according to Jen & Jer our host this week, asks us :

What is the favorite room in your home? Tell us why and show us a photo if you can.

When I was a child I didn't care about rooms, as a teenager I had my own room with my own decorations, but I seldom stayed in there only for sleeping because I found other homes nicer and more cosy than mine with my cleaning obsessed mother and my macho father.

Married I found all rooms nice first in our appartment and then in our house. I loved them all.
When I got older I needed an own room and something only to please me. Since 5 years now, I have exactly what I wanted. Whatever is in there is my taste and for my well being. I don't care what people think about my decoration, I love my room and feel well in there.

the bed and window side. My bed is not always crowded by cats, usually there is only one sleeping on there. The picture with all of them was really unic.



My little blogging place and a chat corner for me and friends when Mr. G. squats the living room and watches TV. All paintings so see on the walls I painted myself over the years.

Here I spend most time of the day except of course in summer when it is warm then I prefer to sit outside.

WEEKLY WINNER - In the car wash tunnel

More participants here at Sarcastic Mom Weekly winners

Sitting in the car wash tunnel in my car, I was thinking about what to use for Weekly Winners and then I had an idea :





















I just took pictures, and here they are !