So the third part of this story is dedicated to the time that I had to spend in the office of the Foreign Police in order to get my temporary residence permit.
Some of my language may be viewed as caustic. I will leave out any profanity and try to emphasize my point using capital letters, bold type font, and exclamation points.
First off, getting the necessary paperwork in order to even go the the police station was a hassle. It included numerous calls between my boss, the AIESEC office, and myself coordinating information, arranging dates to meet, and clarifying what a "proof of salary" really constitutes.
The police station opens at 7:30am. The line to get numbers probably starts to form some time around 6:00am. The office is in Petrzalka, which is on the opposite side of the river from me, so it takes about 35 minutes or so to get there, not including walking time from the bus stop. On Wednesday, I woke up at 5:45 in order to catch the bus at 6:22 to meet Mirka at 6:35 to then catch another bus at 6:38 at a completely different bus stop, to then walk all the way to the police station, a destination that we were unsure of the exact location. A fellow @er had drawn Mirka a map, but we still had to ask 2 people for directions.
When we got there...at around 7:00am or so, the line was already 30 people deep. To the inexperienced foreigner, this may seem like a surmountable number. You have not experienced the civil service expertise of the former Eastern Bloc. We ended up getting number 44, and saw how some other people like to cheat the system. I hate to be one to generalize, but the people who were doing so were all Asian. They would send one representative of 10+ people, who would then collect the tickets, and clog the line. It wouldn't be so bad if the process of getting everyone through the process was more efficient. What I found out later is that the police stations used to be in several locations around Bratislava, so you could choose the one which was closest to you. They have now all consolidated into 2 locations, which for a time increased communication and stream-lined operations, but apparently this week was the worst week since they had consolidated. LUCKY ME!
I was not actually present to witness the collection of the numbered tickets because I had to return to the other side of the Danube in order to collect my college transcript, which I thought the @ers had gotten translated. Getting myself back to Pristavny Most was not the easiest task, as I had no idea where I was and no clue which buses went where. I finally figured it out, and met my roommate Andi, who was amazing enough to find my transcript when I could not earlier that morning (hard to search for paperwork in the dark because your roommates are still sleeping...) The whole process took me a little over an hour, and when I returned to Mirka at around 9:00, they were only on #12. We believe that the line takes so long because there are communication issues between the "Klients" and the police workers. I think the line takes so long because all of the police agents are women who are constantly flirting with their male supervisor. I witnessed it. I was not happy.
As lunch time rolled around I became slightly irritable from a lack of food, sleep, and activity. There are few places to sit in the waiting room, and I had brought only a meager amount of food because I was in such a hurry in the morning. As 11:00am rolled around at an agonizingly slow pace, I almost thought that I would not make it into the office before the "lunch break" at 12:00, which would mean I would have to wait ANOTHER hour until I could wait again for my number to be called. Fortunately, I did make it into the office however, because they figured out that maybe it would be a good idea if they put more than one officer behind the window so that the REALLY LONG LINE would go faster. Good work, Watson! Bravo!
...so the rest of this post was really funny, but I lost it because my computer turned off in the middle of typing it, and because my internet connection is shotty at best, it did not automatically save my entries. I am too tired, and too annoyed to try to retype it. I apologize for those of you who were having a good time with this one....
long story short. i got through, but I had to go back today because they didn't find my "proof of salary" document sufficient. Life hates me sometimes.
Right now, I have nothing left.
3 hours ago
3 comments:
Wow, I hope you are legitimate now. Waiting in line is among my least favorite things to do and the reason we have not gone to Disney World. The world will never hate you my love, but patience is a virtue and it is constantly being tried. Paper work is another tedium that I avoid, but even so. we have killed many trees to provide the finest worksheets and assessments for my Firstgraders. How wonderful the a@ers provide entertainment and companionship. I hope they become friends for life.
Oh, I also remember my line when I was waiting to get my driving license...
Anyway, try to find people with connections. That's how it works. 80% of the people 20% gets there in a few minutes, just by knowing the right people. A favor here for a favor there is more then usual in Slovakia. ;)
It would be interesting for you to compare experiences with immigrants to the United States, and hear their stories of long lines, continued frustrations and broken dreams, all at the hands of our system of handling visas and permits (the title of your blog, by the way). I have some immigration lawyer friends who might say your experience was mild by comparison. We are blessed to have been born in the US and not to have to endure such processes unless we wish to. Others less fortunate are forced to go through it.
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