9.19pm and in an edit session, helping another Producer out. Conference call at 10pm. Since my time to start working isn't till later, I'm blogging on the go. Thanks BlogPress!
Since it was a moon day today, I thought I'd make a trip to the Indian embassy to figure out this vedic studies visa thing for my trip to Mysore. It's all the way in The Hague (y'know... Where the international courts are, where they put people on trial for World War 2 crimes and stuff?) it's a 1hr train ride away from Amsterdam.
If I were going on a regular tourist visa - Which you used to be able to go on until they changed the rules recently - I could get it done by an agent here in Amsterdam. However, this new rule about a yoga visa or student visa or Vedic studies visa seems as mysterious as the Yoga Korunta to everyone. They kinda sorta know it exists, but no one has ever seen it. I don't think it was eaten by ants in the Calcutta library though (HAHA! I made a REALLY silly Yogadork joke!! Actually, that's an Ashtangadork joke coz that info's probably obscure to the other schools of yoga thought)
But I digress.
Because I'm not even on a local Dutch passport, this makes it even more obscure to the visa dudes who don't know what they ought to do with me. So I thought I'd go straight to the source, the Embassy itself. THEY should know, right?!
They're BLOODY USELESS!! Never picking up the phone to answer, and when they FINALLY pick up the phone (calls answered only between 4-5pm on weekdays)... This is the kind of conversation I have:
ME: "Hello, I'd like to inquire about this new vedic studies visa I need to get. What documentation do you require from me?"
PERSON FROM THE MOTHERLAND EMBASSY (PFTMLE): "Oh. You just come to the Embassy and we'll see."
?!?
ME: "Oh-Kaaaaaay. But... What should I bring with me? My passport? Letter from the yoga school? What else do you need?"
PFTMLE: "Oh. I don't know. The person who knows is not picking up. You just come. If we need anything else from you, we'll tell you and you can post it."
... ... ...
So why do I have to take the bloody train an hour out there in the first place?! (On top of this, visa hours are only between 10am - 12pm. I mean seriously, what are they doing all day that they can't answer calls nor give you a visa at any other time?!)
*** END OF RANT ***
To be fair, it seems like it's EVERY single consular section from every single embassy or high commission that seem to have the same kind of laissez-faire attitude. Maybe it's just me. Remember when I had to fly back to Singapore after 1 week in Amsterdam coz the Dutch immigration had screwed up my visa application AFTER I'd already arrived?!
Anyways... If we don't end too late tonight, I might just take the train up tomorrow morning. Apparently it's a beautiful ride through countryside.
Here's work-in-progress action of my bike. I've added a front carrier. It's a very Dutch thing - most bikes have this in the front. Some people leave it blank like this, others add milk crates, boxes or baskets on top of it.
I've ordered the white wicker basket, so it will be attached to this tomorrow!! :)
OMG. How do you know you're an Ashtangi? When you *get* the ant joke.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that visa, and keep posting about it because it's so new and so mysterious!
Welcome to India! :-)
ReplyDeleteEaten by ants, haha!! And maybe the visa's written on banana leaves too (right??). Look forward to hearing how you figure this one out as it does seem like a mystery to pretty much everyone!
ReplyDeleteHey guys! Welcome to India indeed! It was an adventure to the Embassy today. Was also an anticlimax coz after waiting 2 hours, all I had to do was fill in a form, pay money and they said "we'll contact you in 1 - 2 weeks about your application and whether we need anymore info from you."
ReplyDelete...I guess there's some kind of process in the madness? Will write a post later or tomorrow about it. ;p xxx