Part II: Ups and Downs or going to Russia - easy peasy - It's not over yet!!

Don't even think about it!! It's not over!! I can not even be angry or anything anymore, I start laughing about it, it just seems all like a joke...

I got my invitation yesterday, and wanted to book a flight for Wednesday with another company. My plan was (of course I still don't have a visa):

Go to the Consulate at 9 am, get my visa at 1pm, get on the train to Basel at 3 pm, get on the train to Frankfurt at 6 pm, arrive at the airport at 9pm and take a flight at midnight. Arrive in Novosibirsk at 5 pm the next day and get on the bus to Altai Mountains, rafting and fun at 8 pm.

Sounded like stress, but would have been ok.

So yesterday I called the post at 7.40 am to find out at what time they'll bring the invitation. Between 3 and 4 pm, of course the guy arrived at 3.50 pm. More than half of the afternoon over. Go to the post office to change my adress during my stay, go to a travel agency just to find out, that it's much cheaper if I book on the internet (difference of German and Swiss tariffs of travel agencies) and arrive at home at 6.20 pm. Find my flight, try to book - at 6.50 pm I find out that I cannot book the student tariff as I don't have this stupid international student card!!!! Too late to ask the agency, bookings have to be made two days before. Here we go, deception again.

I get used to the idea that I'll miss the conference. Well, if someone up there doesn't want me to go rafting, it will be for a reason. Anyway.

So last night I decide to analyze this famous invitation a bit closer - and see the dates: 24.07.06 - 24.10.06

I look again: yes, that's written. So today I write an email to my TN manager to ask whether this means what I think: a three months invitation. And guess what: yes, it does!!!

She told me that she didn't ask for the invitation herself but let someone else do it, and apparently that person made a mistake!! Wait until I find him/her! :)

Consequences:

1. I have to leave two weeks earlier than was planned and discussed with the company. :-(
2. I will be homeless for more than a week as I rented my apartment until beginning of November (special thanks to Sarah who already proposed me to stay at her place :-))
3. As this invitation counts for a visa for three months, a faxed or scanned copy would have been enough to obtain the visa: meaning I could have had my visa last Wednesday and could have left yesterday with the flight I wanted to!!!!!!!

I got the proposal of just getting there without return ticket and to arrange things over there. Would be ok. The point is that a single ticket costs only 20 Euros less than an aller - retour ticket, and I neither have the money, nor the (great German word) 'Bock' to go there without return ticket and pay the double. So I'll leave two weeks earlier.

Lucky as I am they won't let me enter the country because of that because they think I'm either a spy or want to get married for the passport and don't plan to ever return ;-)) lol

I can already see the scene: I arrive in Moscow, and they won't let me pass on because I'm German and have a visa from Switzerland and I have

to go all the way back :-) Or I won't get my transit flight because I will queue for about three hours :)

Nothing seems impossible anymore!!! lol