How Hard it Can Be to Get a Visa

Posted by Ksenia

Happy Valentines Day everyone!  Hope you all had a great time!!

This week was marked by our short trip to London.  Actually me, three Chinese boys, and three girls – from Ukraine, Moldova and Russia are going to Italy this half-term as a part of United Nations Association of Bellerbys.  Our final destination is Rodi Garganico but we are flying through Milan and Bari.

Rodi (I believe you have never heard of it) is a small city on the cost in the south east of Italy. We are going with Mrs Arulraj and will be having a great time with Italian students from the local fashion college.  I will tell you everything about this trip in my next post (something to look forward to during the half term…. Ok, I understand you have some more exciting plans).

So we went to London to get our Italian visa.  And of course it was just impossible for me to go without doing something stupid.  Firstly the night before I did not bother to check my documents thoughtfully. As the result when I was already in lift ready to ran to the station (as usual I was “a bit” late) and I decided to check everything just to be sure… I realised that I forgot my passport (what may be cleverer? To go to embassy for a visa without a passport!)  So I ran back home, took my passport…and then I was not “a bit” late anymore, I was very seriously late!!!  (It was me who said to others not to be late in the first place).

That morning I made my personal record – I reached the Brighton station in less then 15 minutes. Usually it takes me about 25.  Finally I was just a “bit” late again.  Luckily we had already bought our tickets so we caught our train and everything seemed to be fine.  We all were a bit sleepy because we had to get up really early (our meeting at the station was arranged at 7 o’clock). We were happily chatting all the time and the train arrived on time. But it was just a beginning of the story…

In London we decided to walk to the Embassy.  On the Internet I found the address and realised that it was next to the Bond street.  Girls knew that part of the city quite well and they were sure that we will arrive on time.  Chinese guys were not so happy about that but finally they agreed. 

At first we were just walking really fast. Then we realised that we would not be in Embassy on time (we had an appointment at 9 o’clock and started to walk even quicker.  Sometimes I was nearly running.  When we finally got there we were very proud of ourselves.  Until a man at the Embassy told us that we came to the wrong place.  I did not need to go to Italian Embassy.  We had to go to the Visa Office I have never heard about.  And this office is situated right next to Victoria Station.  I ought to go back. “Hope this time we will go by the underground?” – said one of the Chinese boys.  When we stopped laughing we answered “Surely”.

At the end we found the Visa Office.  We were more than an hour late, but as I soon understood it was not terribly important – there was still a queue there.  But then our “adventures” did not finish.  A man from the Embassy checked our documents and told us that we have some special letter only for 4 people (as you remember we were seven, but there were only six of us in the Embassy because one of the Chinese did not need a visa).  We called the college.  Apparently they just forgot to put it into our documents… We were separated into two groups – the first one went to present their documents to the Embassy while the second one was waiting for the fax from the college.  There was Tatiana in one group and Tatiana in the other (different ones of course).  So the college mixed them up and a letter came for the wrong Tatiana.  Girls had to explain everything to the Embassy staff.  Finally we were all done.  And very happy as well.

The weather was great, and it was so nice in London, so we decided to stay a bit longer.  We walked by the Buckingham Palace (very slowly this time) and had a cup of coffee in the St James's Park.  As everybody was really tired after such a morning we sat down on the bench and had a great discussion (maybe a bit too emotional) about education, history and politics (strange subjects for a girl’s chat, aren't they?).

On our way back to station we visited a Russian shop and bought plenty of great and tasty products… Once more we decided that English people understand so little about good and real food. It was not very late when we finally came back to Brighton and I even went to two of my last lessons (my teacher of Chemistry was really surprised to see me).

On Valentines day we went out with my friends to our usual place - the Italian restaurant, Donatello. Some of my friends can order without looking in the menu…

The weekend was quite calm and relaxing.  I went to my bank and WHSmiths (stationery shop).  The number of VIPs (very important…but not person – papers) is constantly increasing, so I needed some new folders for them or I was in risk of being flooded.  Then I went to my friend and we watched a new film Atonement.  The film was great, but very sad especially at the end – I even started crying (I always cry when I watch this kind of films.  It may sound stupid, but it is the sort of person I am).

Ok, that is all from me now!  Have a great half-term and enjoy your time!!

Comments

[Shiny]

Oh yes... We did believe that you gals knew everything about the visa...so we didn't ask anything and what we did was just to follow suit...until we realised that we went to the wrong way before we got to the wrong place-the embassy. So we were neither on the way to embassy nor on the way to the Visa office... Remember we walked, ran and... I was utterly depressed to death when we were aware that we were still on the way to embassy after 9a.m.. u remember that, don't u? .. But I totally relaxed after we knew we were in the wrong place as I knew we were unable to make it on time any more. But sorry for the fact that I didn't exchange our ideas and info with you. I do think that we need more communication in future. Otherwise we wouldn't know what's going on...That's due to the asymmetry of info. But anyway大家好才是真的好！
Sometimes we do think that boys should lead the way...as what the teacher said