Visa Renewal: a Horror Story

Warning: this story is not for the weak of heart.

I have been trying to renew my visa since last week. It expires in about 5 days, but I wanted to do it early so I would get my passport back and actually be allowed to leave the city. For those of you at Stetson, Hannah Chapman is going to be touring the Baltics April 16th-24th, and invited me to go with her. I hoped to have my visa back by then because, I mean... week of classes versus touring the Baltics for no particular reason? No-brainer.

To begin:

Friday- Start out optimistic. Go to the office of the dean of my faculty at 12, and watch for as he compiles paperwork and makes copies for me. He carefully explains what to do from here. Go across the street, and pay the fee of 1000p at the bank. Take the receipt. Next, I need to go to the 8th floor. I get on the elevator, and press the button for the 8th floor. It lights up for a second, then darkens. Other people on the elevator look at me like I'm an idiot, and press 11 for me. I get off on the 11th floor, get on another elevator to go down. I press 8. It doesn't light up... I end up on the 1st floor. Giving up, I take another elevator to the 11th floor, and take the steps down. The office I need to go to first was only open from 12 to 2. It is now 210. I am told to return on Monday by the woman who is still very obviously IN HER OFFICE.

Monday-Have class.

Tuesday- Thought the office opened at 12. It opened at 2. I had other stuff to do. (2-4, btws)

Wednesday-Closed

Thursday- Make it to the room, they take one paper. I progress to room #2. There a woman proceeds to yell at me in Russian about all the things wrong with my paperwork. All I understand is go back to my faculty. I go back to the faculty and meet with the dean, who checks my paperwork, and fixes whatever lady #2 circles. I tell him I have class, what are her office hours? He says he doesn;t know, but this is more important, so fix this instead. I hurry back to the main building (once again, take elevator to the 11th floor, stairs down to the 8th). Her office hours were 1030-12. It is now 1207. I make myself a grilled cheese sandwich in resignation.

Friday-Wake up early to be there when Lady#2 arrives. Three other Americans are already there. She is 1/2 hour late. We take turns being yelled at... one of the other students, and myself, are missing the little gray paper they had taken from me in room #1 yesterday (he never received his.) I try to explain that they took it, but am told to go back to the faculty. I try to get it back from room#1, but they just ask why I don't have the paper. When I explain I gave it to them yesterday, the tell me to go to room #2. I go back to the Dean in the faculty (btws... 30 minute walk, each way). He reprints the paper, and writes down directions, in Russian, for them to give me the paper they forgot to give me yesterday. And so I get to start the process over again. I am meeting with Marina at 340, and hopefully she can fix this. Otherwise... well, I dunno. I guess I get deported? But it'd be nice if I made it to class one of these days.

Also, I would like to reiterate the fact that I was yelled at by a woman who was 1/2 hour late to her 1 1/2 hour job. She kept yelling something at me when I walked in, and it took me about 30 seconds to understand that she was saying, "get the fuck out of my office, please. get the fuck out of my office, please. get the fuck out of my office, please. get the fuck out of my office, please. get the fuck out of my office, please. "