I don't even know where to begin with the whole visa thing. The whole visa process here is ridiculous (although, to be fair, it is also very difficult for a Russian to get an American visa). Over the centuries, Russia has developed a horrendous system of bureaucracy designed to be so complicated and confusing that nobody knows how it works; therefore, those in power dictate how it works, and therefore, control the country through this intentionally ambiguous and obdurate bureaucracy. For example, if you don't want foreigners in your country, what do you do? Make the visa process as confusing and stringent as possible. What do you do if a foreign person/organization has figured out how to complete the visa process without any problems? Change the rules! What if a person/organization still manages to fill out documents and applications correctly? Change the rules retroactively! I'm not kidding. They do this. For real.
Here's an interesting link:
http://baptist.org.ru/news/english/1394/
The school's lawyer has come under quite a bit of scrutiny simply because his business represents foreigners. So much so, that just to avoid the heightened scrutiny, both parties thought it would be good if our relationship was terminated. So, now we are in Riga, Latvia, trying to get new visas. Supposedly, we were supposed to have work permits, but that's completely out of the question now. We'll be lucky if we can get them in the spring. A little later I'll put down some thoughts about Riga and Latvia after being here for a few days. Right now, I'm headed to Old Town to meet up with my friends at the statue of Grimm's Bremen Town Musicians (images of Belle and Sebastian's lyric, "Meet you at the statue in an hour.").
1 comment:
if it makes you feel better, it was very difficult for me to get my visa credit card. and i have excellent credit!
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