So I'm a Kinda...What's the Term? Oh Yeah- "Not Able To Leave the Country"

Not to bore you with visa chat and all, my temporary visa is about to run out, and I've been waiting for my multi-entry visa to arrive at the office. If I want to leave Russia and be able to get back in, I must have this.

Well, it arrived today. And listed me as a citizen of Cambodia.

Cambodia.

You may know it as the country where Angelina Jolie first started her human collection. It is also nowhere near Canada:

See?! You have to click on the map just to see it.

And not to nitpick, but THERE IS A PICTURE ON THE PASSPORT. Not to mention the fact that visa application itself requires yet another brand new photo which I also provided. I know it's a big racial assumption here, but you'd think that looking at all three photos of a blond chick may cause someone in the visa office to at least double check about that southeast Asian heritage thing...

Now, if I leave Russia, I'm not allowed back in.

So props to the Russian bureaucracy; they are not only slow, but woefully incompetent.

I should have it all fixed up by Tuesday, when I'll likely be receiving a visa for free passage in and out of Russia, issued to "Larissa Supleve, native-born citizen of Camaroon. "

I HAVE AFTERGLOW

The foreplay of red-tape, identification, and background checks finally came to a climax today--

I have a visa to live in the Russian Federation this year:

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I hope it never leaves me. I'm making it breakfast tomorrow. I think this could be it...

Just Waiting for My Visa. And Yes, I'm Aware of the "War"...

Well, provided that my visa application is accepted. Hopefully, the Russian government is better at giving me a visa than those bastards at Visa are at giving me a credit card. (Just because I haven't declared the majority of my income for five years, doesn't mean you can judge my finances. I mean, how do you think I manage to pay all the rent that I demand deductions for, Visa? Ever think of that? No, no. Didn't think so. Point for me.)

Anyway, it was touch and go for awhile there, and I almost didn't go, for reasons that were just as impulsive as my initial decision to go. But I AM going now. If that whole Visa thing plays out. Yeah, small detail....


Also, many friends and family members have been kind enough to point out that Russia is, in fact, at war. The truth is that it's not so much a "war" as it is a "violent conflict with potentially war-like consequences." Again with the details, here. Anyway, if you think about it, isn't Russia always a little bit at war with somebody? Russia's kind of a jerk like that. It's part of her charm...