preliminary result: consulate 1, ondrej 0they've won this battle, but they won't win the war!
i turned up to the consulate-general this morning fully armed: i had my application completed in my bestest grade 5 handwriting, my passport, several extra passport photos taken yesterday and signed by a JP, my plane flight itinerary, a copy of my degree and certificate of registration (why not) and even wore my most conservative clothes, haircut and facial expression.
what i wanted was a 12 month multiple entry visa with no restrictions on length of stay. i begged and pleaded, dropped the D-bomb (i'm a doctor, and i want to learn chinese so i can better look after all my chinese patients!) and even started answering questions with questions. in the end i stared off into space wistfully hoping that the silence would be broken with a concession, but to no avail. the guy i talked to was one of these 'firm but fair' types that i couldn't help liking, and it was obvious that he'd seen it all before, so i ended up with a 12 month multiple entry visa with a 30 day limit on entry (you can come and go as many times as you like). we'll see what happens. i'm working on it :)
the falun gong were doing tai-chi out the front of the consulate behind their posters and placards of protest, and i made sure i didn't even think about making eye contact with them (though the thought did cross my mind that if i dragged one of their members into the consulate and savagely bashed them in front of the visa people, they might reconsider my application for extended length of stay in a more favourable light. after some deliberation, i decided that i wouldn't be able to pull it off, mainly on account of my recently dislocated shoulder).
carry on!
today is also the first day of victorian medical internship, so good luck to all you sexy young things!
3 comments:
Sorry to hear, pardon read, that you lost the battle. It was an effort worthy of a battlehardened hardnosed jurno.
What about picking up Tai Chi to cool down!
I think the D-bomb cost you big time Bondy. Public servants, especially in consulates, relish power. Anything which makes them think that you think you might be smarter than them, and it's curtains dude. You lose.
it's all in the detonation. if the d-bomb is dropped so that people don't even know it's gone off, it can work bigtime. great to hear from you :) i would love to see your pics on your blog!
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