So this past Friday I received a phone call from my bestie at the visa office. She was calling to inform me that after two months and several visits to clear up mistakes on their end my visa was finally ready. Let me recap my interactions so you understand how big a deal this was.
Trip #1: First attempt to turn in paperwork, Kyle shows up in shorts and isn't allowed in. I'm told that I need a resume and a contract in English and Serbian. I also need to show up for a short meeting the following Monday. I am told that I can bring the paperwork in that morning as well, that gives me two days to get it translated.
Trip #2: I return with translated documents and I am sent upstairs to have my meeting. The meeting is held in an office down a hallway that has probably been featured in many political intrigue movies. I was concerned that I was being detained, I should have been more worried about what floor I lived on and the vital stats of my immediate family...my nine siblings included. I am told to come back in a few weeks and the visa will be ready.
Trip #2.5: A series of phone calls to Kyle trying to figure out my address and why no one is in the office during the national month of vacation. Kyle also has to go and replace some paperwork that was lost.
Trip #3: Delayed due to my trip to Croatia, I actually show up almost a full week after I was scheduled to. I turn in my passport at 11:30 and am told to come back at 3 to get it back with my visa inside. I wander the city for hours and show back up in time to witness an Asian man get in to a fight with two Serbian women over who was first in line. Answer: I was. I also wasn't about to get up in that drama because "No one here is entitled". I finally make it to the counter and am told that due to a technical difficulty I won't be getting a visa after all. I should come back in a week and it will all be sorted out.
Trip #3.5: Less of a trip and more of a series of phone calls questioning my residency and where the office is located.
Trip #4: I receive a call from the visa lady two days before my scheduled return date. She wants to meet with me the next day at 2 o'clock. I show up and end up waiting an hour for her to get to me. I keep a smile on my face and win some points. I also won more points because I finally wised up and brought a bill from my flat listing my address. Turns out the address on my residency card has been filled in wrong since I got here. She calls and yells at the police officer and then explains that I have two options: get a corrected residency card or pay the fine for being unregistered. I will obviously get it corrected, she tells me I have one day and then I need to come back and she will sort it out.
Trip #4.5: Visa lady calls me wondering why I haven't come in with my corrected residency card, its been a full day. I explain to her that my Serbian landlord who has a job and a baby named "Fearless" has been unable to take off work in order to take me to the Station to get the card corrected. (The landlord has to do this process for you) She explains in an irritated tone that I should've done it the day she called and that I could've done it myself. She also tells me that they're on a time limit and that they are currently two weeks over the allotted one month time frame. It is implied that this is my fault. Once again I smile and tell her I'll get it done and see her on Monday.
Trip #5: My landlord takes me to the Station where he knows a guy and they take a look at my residency card. After they decide I'm not crazy and making it up it takes all of five minutes to get a new one. Then I go across the river to the pink station and bump into the visa lady having a smoke outside. This is where all that smiling pays off...She gives up her smoke break and makes me a copy of my card, this is absolutely unheard of. She also tells me that she'll call me when the visa is ready so that I won't have to come down until it is.
Which leads us to Trip #6: I had Kyle and Michaela cat sit under the guise of waiting for my kitchen table to be delivered and went across the river to drop my passport off. There was of course some sort of protest/show of solidarity and all the public transport was crawling at a snail's pace. I was told to come back at 3 to pick it back up. It looks promising because they actually had my paperwork in the stack. I head home to see the newly delivered table and sit around killing time. I make it to the visa office by 2:30 and proceed to people watch for half an hour. Easily one of the most entertaining things to do here. The visa line is also taking forever, everyone in front of me apparently wants to talk about their visa. There are lots of phone calls happening. I finally get my passport, visa inside and exit the building. There should be joyful exclamations here right? Well there would be if my visa wasn't valid for a whole NINE DAYS.
Yes, you read that right. I was apparently granted a visa on August 14th and they just couldn't give it to me because of all the glitches. It expires October 14th. So three months. Still confused? The visa process in Serbia has to be restarted a full month before your expiration date so...September 14th. Today is September 5th. Brilliant right? So next Wednesday I'll start the process again.
Trip #1: First attempt to turn in paperwork, Kyle shows up in shorts and isn't allowed in. I'm told that I need a resume and a contract in English and Serbian. I also need to show up for a short meeting the following Monday. I am told that I can bring the paperwork in that morning as well, that gives me two days to get it translated.
Trip #2: I return with translated documents and I am sent upstairs to have my meeting. The meeting is held in an office down a hallway that has probably been featured in many political intrigue movies. I was concerned that I was being detained, I should have been more worried about what floor I lived on and the vital stats of my immediate family...my nine siblings included. I am told to come back in a few weeks and the visa will be ready.
Trip #2.5: A series of phone calls to Kyle trying to figure out my address and why no one is in the office during the national month of vacation. Kyle also has to go and replace some paperwork that was lost.
Trip #3: Delayed due to my trip to Croatia, I actually show up almost a full week after I was scheduled to. I turn in my passport at 11:30 and am told to come back at 3 to get it back with my visa inside. I wander the city for hours and show back up in time to witness an Asian man get in to a fight with two Serbian women over who was first in line. Answer: I was. I also wasn't about to get up in that drama because "No one here is entitled". I finally make it to the counter and am told that due to a technical difficulty I won't be getting a visa after all. I should come back in a week and it will all be sorted out.
Trip #3.5: Less of a trip and more of a series of phone calls questioning my residency and where the office is located.
Trip #4: I receive a call from the visa lady two days before my scheduled return date. She wants to meet with me the next day at 2 o'clock. I show up and end up waiting an hour for her to get to me. I keep a smile on my face and win some points. I also won more points because I finally wised up and brought a bill from my flat listing my address. Turns out the address on my residency card has been filled in wrong since I got here. She calls and yells at the police officer and then explains that I have two options: get a corrected residency card or pay the fine for being unregistered. I will obviously get it corrected, she tells me I have one day and then I need to come back and she will sort it out.
Trip #4.5: Visa lady calls me wondering why I haven't come in with my corrected residency card, its been a full day. I explain to her that my Serbian landlord who has a job and a baby named "Fearless" has been unable to take off work in order to take me to the Station to get the card corrected. (The landlord has to do this process for you) She explains in an irritated tone that I should've done it the day she called and that I could've done it myself. She also tells me that they're on a time limit and that they are currently two weeks over the allotted one month time frame. It is implied that this is my fault. Once again I smile and tell her I'll get it done and see her on Monday.
Trip #5: My landlord takes me to the Station where he knows a guy and they take a look at my residency card. After they decide I'm not crazy and making it up it takes all of five minutes to get a new one. Then I go across the river to the pink station and bump into the visa lady having a smoke outside. This is where all that smiling pays off...She gives up her smoke break and makes me a copy of my card, this is absolutely unheard of. She also tells me that she'll call me when the visa is ready so that I won't have to come down until it is.
Which leads us to Trip #6: I had Kyle and Michaela cat sit under the guise of waiting for my kitchen table to be delivered and went across the river to drop my passport off. There was of course some sort of protest/show of solidarity and all the public transport was crawling at a snail's pace. I was told to come back at 3 to pick it back up. It looks promising because they actually had my paperwork in the stack. I head home to see the newly delivered table and sit around killing time. I make it to the visa office by 2:30 and proceed to people watch for half an hour. Easily one of the most entertaining things to do here. The visa line is also taking forever, everyone in front of me apparently wants to talk about their visa. There are lots of phone calls happening. I finally get my passport, visa inside and exit the building. There should be joyful exclamations here right? Well there would be if my visa wasn't valid for a whole NINE DAYS.
Yes, you read that right. I was apparently granted a visa on August 14th and they just couldn't give it to me because of all the glitches. It expires October 14th. So three months. Still confused? The visa process in Serbia has to be restarted a full month before your expiration date so...September 14th. Today is September 5th. Brilliant right? So next Wednesday I'll start the process again.
LOVE IT!! Miki will cat sit any time - how was dinner at the table?
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