Visas, Bombs, and Tacos
Tuesday March 15th,
I expected more than anything else to be very relaxing. I slept till 11am, and had lunch plans with some friends from Albany. Bob and Pam are a very sweet older couple whom I had class with my freshmen year. They work in the SUNY office here at МГУ in the main building. They help students from America come over here to study. Joe told me they were here and since September and that they would love to see me. We were trying to figure out a time and place that we could meet to catch up, and at last we figured it out. We had a lovely lunch in the cafe downstairs, and decided that we would have to do this again sometime soon.
After saying goodbye, I went to the building where I had classes to meet with the Dean so I could prolong my visa since it would expire March 24th. It took him about 30mins to scan my passport, visa, immigration card, student ID, and other various important documents. I sat there staring at my purse counting the number of studs on it, then moved on to trying to figure out how many pieces of leather it was made out of. After 40 minutes or so, he was done! He gave me directions to go to the bank across the street and pay them 1000 roubles because of a federal charge on prolonging my visa. When I made it into the bank it was almost 3:30, and it was pact. All these old ladies were sitting on chairs and assured me that even though I was standing, they were in front of me. Than a woman who worked there looked at my papers, and was asking me a million questions all at once, and I had no idea what she was saying. So, I very slowly explained that this was for my visa, and I needed to pay a bill because I was a student. She realized that I didn't understand, and rambled off again. I let out a deep breath, and simply asked her if I could pay for it here or not. She laughed, smiled, and said yes, and left me alone after that. After waiting in line for 30 minutes, I was finally free to go back to my room!
Heh...you totally believed me, didn't you? The dean left me directions to go to the main building, go to the 9th floor to room 113. Well, if it was supposed to be room 113, it would be on the first floor, wouldn't it? The sector he instructed me to didn't have a room 113, so after wandering around, trying to call Marina and failing, I decided to just go to the 9th floor. After talking to 3 different people, I finally found the room and the girl I was instructed to speak with. She took all the papers, and my passport. I will be without my passport for the next month. Until then, I can not leave Moscow, and I now have a document called a Справка. It's very large, has a ton of official stamps on it and my picture. This will get me into my building after 11pm. yay...
Wednesday March 16th, started off like every other Wednesday with classes. Literature class was canceled, and Rachel heard found out that Ашан, the local super market had taco seasoning. She said that the only thing she wants to go home for is tacos, so if she could get them here, she will! We told all the boys about it, and they really wanted tacos too. So after class, we went back to the main building to drop off our school supplies and pick up Tara to help us get taco ingredients only to find the building surrounded by men with machine guns and funny looking sticks. Rachel went up to one of them to get into the security check point. He said something to her, and walked back to me. Students were standing in large groups outside the security checkpoints, and people were slowly evacuating the building. We tried calling Tara but she would not pick up. We had no idea what was going on, so we decided that we would just go to the mall, pick up the taco supplies and hopefully by then things would be back to normal.
When we got to the mall, it was 4:30pm when Greg called us and said that there was a bomb threat to the main building, and the police force were doing a sweep of the building. Rachel and I bought all the supplies we needed for tacos, and went to the food court to get a soda and wait to hear back of when it was ok to go to our rooms. By 7pm, just about the entirety of the foreign student body had flooded the mall not knowing what was going on, or when it would be safe. Chris and Spencer soon joined us and joked about having to sleep there. Rachel called up her Russian boyfriend who came to pick her up and give her a place to stay. By 8:30pm we found out that it was safe. I couldn't wait to get back to my room and sleep. I had my netbook with me the entire time, but there was no wifi in the food court. SUNY informed my parents of the threat, which I was happy to inform them that despite all the attempts this country has been making on my life, I'm still alive.
It is now Thursday, March 17th
Happy St. Patrick's Day! It is also officially my Grandmother's 40 days. In the Orthodox church we have a memorial service for our loved ones that have passed away. It happens on the 3rd, 9th, and 40th day after their passing, and there is a significance to each of the services. "The 40th day is celebrated in the memory of the Savior's Ascension 40 days after His Resurrection and that the reposed one, when he is resurrected, may be taken up in the clouds to meet the Judge, our Savior and Master, and thus be with Him forever (1Thes. 4:17)."
I woke up this morning feeling very much like I had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. I didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. I once again could not be with my family through this difficult time. I then thought back to what my mother had said to me when I left. "She had to hurry up, to get on that plane with you. Grandma is always with you no matter what Stephanie, her forty days is on St. Patrick's day, the day you dance your heart out." It's strange, yet a blessing to have that feeling that perhaps it's more than just a small coincidence.
In celebration of St. Patrick's day, and how taco night did not happen due to the bomb threat, Rachel and Tara, while the rest of us were in Political Structure class, cooked up the tacos. Everyone came together for this evening. We sat around the kitchen on the 6th floor of my building, ate, laughed, and wore our green proudly.
I expected more than anything else to be very relaxing. I slept till 11am, and had lunch plans with some friends from Albany. Bob and Pam are a very sweet older couple whom I had class with my freshmen year. They work in the SUNY office here at МГУ in the main building. They help students from America come over here to study. Joe told me they were here and since September and that they would love to see me. We were trying to figure out a time and place that we could meet to catch up, and at last we figured it out. We had a lovely lunch in the cafe downstairs, and decided that we would have to do this again sometime soon.
After saying goodbye, I went to the building where I had classes to meet with the Dean so I could prolong my visa since it would expire March 24th. It took him about 30mins to scan my passport, visa, immigration card, student ID, and other various important documents. I sat there staring at my purse counting the number of studs on it, then moved on to trying to figure out how many pieces of leather it was made out of. After 40 minutes or so, he was done! He gave me directions to go to the bank across the street and pay them 1000 roubles because of a federal charge on prolonging my visa. When I made it into the bank it was almost 3:30, and it was pact. All these old ladies were sitting on chairs and assured me that even though I was standing, they were in front of me. Than a woman who worked there looked at my papers, and was asking me a million questions all at once, and I had no idea what she was saying. So, I very slowly explained that this was for my visa, and I needed to pay a bill because I was a student. She realized that I didn't understand, and rambled off again. I let out a deep breath, and simply asked her if I could pay for it here or not. She laughed, smiled, and said yes, and left me alone after that. After waiting in line for 30 minutes, I was finally free to go back to my room!
Heh...you totally believed me, didn't you? The dean left me directions to go to the main building, go to the 9th floor to room 113. Well, if it was supposed to be room 113, it would be on the first floor, wouldn't it? The sector he instructed me to didn't have a room 113, so after wandering around, trying to call Marina and failing, I decided to just go to the 9th floor. After talking to 3 different people, I finally found the room and the girl I was instructed to speak with. She took all the papers, and my passport. I will be without my passport for the next month. Until then, I can not leave Moscow, and I now have a document called a Справка. It's very large, has a ton of official stamps on it and my picture. This will get me into my building after 11pm. yay...
Wednesday March 16th, started off like every other Wednesday with classes. Literature class was canceled, and Rachel heard found out that Ашан, the local super market had taco seasoning. She said that the only thing she wants to go home for is tacos, so if she could get them here, she will! We told all the boys about it, and they really wanted tacos too. So after class, we went back to the main building to drop off our school supplies and pick up Tara to help us get taco ingredients only to find the building surrounded by men with machine guns and funny looking sticks. Rachel went up to one of them to get into the security check point. He said something to her, and walked back to me. Students were standing in large groups outside the security checkpoints, and people were slowly evacuating the building. We tried calling Tara but she would not pick up. We had no idea what was going on, so we decided that we would just go to the mall, pick up the taco supplies and hopefully by then things would be back to normal.
When we got to the mall, it was 4:30pm when Greg called us and said that there was a bomb threat to the main building, and the police force were doing a sweep of the building. Rachel and I bought all the supplies we needed for tacos, and went to the food court to get a soda and wait to hear back of when it was ok to go to our rooms. By 7pm, just about the entirety of the foreign student body had flooded the mall not knowing what was going on, or when it would be safe. Chris and Spencer soon joined us and joked about having to sleep there. Rachel called up her Russian boyfriend who came to pick her up and give her a place to stay. By 8:30pm we found out that it was safe. I couldn't wait to get back to my room and sleep. I had my netbook with me the entire time, but there was no wifi in the food court. SUNY informed my parents of the threat, which I was happy to inform them that despite all the attempts this country has been making on my life, I'm still alive.
It is now Thursday, March 17th
Happy St. Patrick's Day! It is also officially my Grandmother's 40 days. In the Orthodox church we have a memorial service for our loved ones that have passed away. It happens on the 3rd, 9th, and 40th day after their passing, and there is a significance to each of the services. "The 40th day is celebrated in the memory of the Savior's Ascension 40 days after His Resurrection and that the reposed one, when he is resurrected, may be taken up in the clouds to meet the Judge, our Savior and Master, and thus be with Him forever (1Thes. 4:17)."
I woke up this morning feeling very much like I had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. I didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. I once again could not be with my family through this difficult time. I then thought back to what my mother had said to me when I left. "She had to hurry up, to get on that plane with you. Grandma is always with you no matter what Stephanie, her forty days is on St. Patrick's day, the day you dance your heart out." It's strange, yet a blessing to have that feeling that perhaps it's more than just a small coincidence.
In celebration of St. Patrick's day, and how taco night did not happen due to the bomb threat, Rachel and Tara, while the rest of us were in Political Structure class, cooked up the tacos. Everyone came together for this evening. We sat around the kitchen on the 6th floor of my building, ate, laughed, and wore our green proudly.
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