FAQ: How much longer is it going to take you?

The long and short of it is I don't know. We can guess, but they're always asking us for more paperwork. As of now, supposedly we're almost done, we just need the following documents:

• A letter from my husband giving me permission to change my name from my maiden name to my married name.
• A letter from my husband giving me permission to register our marriage in Peru.
• For my name to be changed in Romania.
• For our marriage to be registered in Romania.
• For my CNP to be issued.
• For my passport to be issued (supposedly I can apply here at the Korean embassy).

The two letters will take at least a month to get done since they need to be legalised and apostillised and therefore will have to be sent to Peru.
The name change and registration of our marriage should take about 4 months.
The CNP is probably another 4 months.
The passport is up to 6 months.

Now this is IF everything goes according to plan. Keep in mind that while I was in Romania for nearly a month, no office accepted any of my documents. Best case senario I can apply for my passport in June of next year and have my Romanian passport in my hot little hands by Christmas. My lawyer is optimistic, though having finally seen first hand what things are like in Romania, I'm really not sure what to think anymore.

By who really knows? They might say I'm missing some paperwork, or offices might not take my documents, or they might keep odd hours.

Fingers crossed I'll have my passport ASAP, but no matter what I'm going to keep trying until they say no.

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

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Legalising signatures at the Peruvian embassy in Korea

Getting a signature legalised in Peru costs about $1. Overseas at Peruvian embassies it costs about $25. Not fair if you ask me. And we can't send the documents to Peru because you have to sign them in front of the notary. So to get the 4 documents legalised in order for me to change my name and register our marriage, I'm going to have to pay $100 for my husband's signature to get notarised. Then I still have to pay to get them apostillised. At least that only costs $8 for each document.

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

Disclaimer:

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Getting permission to change my name and register my marriage

The latest is that I need my husband to sign two papers: one giving me permission to change my name and one giving me permission to register our marriage. I don't get it. Seeing as I already changed my name in Peru and the US without his permission. I even became a Peruvian citizen without his permission.

But, the Romanian authorities want it, so there's not much we can do. He has to sign them in English and Romanian. So that's four pieces of paper to legalise at the embassy here in Seoul. Then they have to be sent off to Peru to get the apostillisation. Apostillisations in Peru cost about $10, yet in the US, they're only $8. You'd think they'd be cheaper in Peru. That's Peru for you.

We also have to use a new marriage cert. Peru, finally, joined the Hague Agreement earlier this year. We tried to use our Peruvian marriage cert that had been apostillised in the US, but they didn't understand that. They kept saying that we had been married in the US, despite the fact that the translation plainly said we had been marred in Peru. So now we have a new certificate apostillised in Peru.

We're doubling checking everything before we start the process. Each legalisation should cost about $30 plus another $10 for the apostillisation, meaning it'll be about $160 plus postage to Peru, back to Korea, and then to Romania. So about $200. Fingers crossed this will work!

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course

Couchsurfing in Romania

I had originally wanted to couchsurf in Timisoara and Iasi. Let me tell you that finding someone in Romania is much more difficult than finding someone in Italy, for example.

I had high standards. First, I wanted to surf with a woman or family. Call me old fashioned, but there's something odd about staying over a guy's house if you don't know him and even more so if you're pregnant.

Second, I wanted them to have good reviews.

I found one person in Timisoara and a family in Iasi. I emailed them both around May since I'm way too organised for my own good and like to plan ahead. I had tentative dates, but had to check the train schedule and book the tickets once I got there.

The woman in Timisoara cancelled on me since she was going out of town. I was kind of glad since I was having second thoughts about couchsurfing. I cancelled on the Godun family in Iasi, but they talked me into it. I had a great time. It was my first time couchsurfing and I'd do it again. You can read about my experience on Day 18, Day 19, and Day 20.

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course

Freeborn Hostel in Timisoara

Finding hostels outside of Bucharest was challenging. Thanks to the Thorn Tree forum at Lonely Planet, someone told me about Freeborn Hostel. The website was iffy, but there wasn't a lot to choose from, so I booked a room.

It was semi easy to find. There was no sign out front, but luckily I had their address. I arrived super early in the morning, around 6:30am, but there was someone there to greet me.

The hostel is relatively new, but absolutely fantastic. There are 3 rooms. One has 3 bunks, one has 4 bunks, and the other has a queen sized bed. It was very colourful: green and yellow, bright, and sunny. Best part was there were huge closets, so you could put all your stuff inside and lock it.

Outside they had a bench and small yard where you could dry your clothes. The whole hostel is rather small, but cozy. It's an apartment, so in addition to the 3 bedrooms, there's a small living room with a computer and free internet and a TV with Wii. There's also a small dining room.

The owners are very nice. They are two brothers. One of them was in Spain, but I met the other, Raul. They're young and decided to open a hostel after travelling in Europe and realising that there aren't any hostels in Timisoara. It's risky, but I'm sure they're going to make it work. Another woman, named Claudia was also helping out and giving tours of the city. They all spoke English very well.

Their prices are very good, especially for the treatment and service you get. I was offered to try tuica, a famous Romanian liquor, but declined due to being pregnant. Raul's mother also came a couple times and was always offering food. They also know a lot about Timisoara and have a good map with recommended places to see and eat at.

My only complaint was that since it is an apartment, there's only one bathroom. The toilet, sink, washing machine, and shower are all there. It wasn't that bad since there were only a couple people staying at the hostel, but it might be an issue if it's full. The good news is that they're planning on expanding to the second floor, so should have more bathrooms.

Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.

Disclaimer:

• Please join my Patreon page
• University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course