The pain of visas

Getting a visa for Russia is a test of endurance. I got mine from the Russian embassy in Vienna. I am not from Austria, but it was the closest place to fly to and I have friends there and in Slovakia. I had to wait in line outside the embassy to go in.

The system of waiting was, and is, very annoying. There was only one line of people waiting at the electric gate to enter the visa section. There was one group of people standing at the side of the gate to get in, sometimes a person would push past everyone else in line to go the gate to press the intercom and then go in while everyone else waited in their own private hell of bureaucracy. There was only one line for giving your passport and one line for collecting a visa. They only let in one or maybe two people at a time, so it took a long time to enter, sometimes many people would just go to the gate and go in. I have also noticed that Russians don't follow the "unwritten rules" for waiting in line and will often invite others in front of you to join them in the line, leave the line and then go back again. All you can do is stand there with the feeling of anger getting higher and higher as if you want to explode, while you wait to be served, get a visa or to buy your shopping. Maybe this is why there is only one gate to get into a Russian embassy for a visa rather than a smooth system of collecting a visa or giving a passport. Maybe its done on purpose to annoy people? who knows.

I know its very hard for Russians to get visas for some countries and I believe even harder of Americans to enter and stay in Russia. Visas are an annoying part of life that we can't avoid when living in another country. Maybe this will change later, like Russia will join the EU, stop corruption and I will turn water into gold and become rich- Unlikely. Thank you Russia for allowing me back in.