I grew up with my formidable years in the 80’s during the heady days of détente between the US and the late Soviet Union. The Cold War was in full effect and the former Soviet Union was the dominant “red” threat to our ideology. I guess being yuppies and preppies and a product of the decadent 80’s I always viewed Mother Russia as representing everything antithetic to our lifestyle of wayfarer sunglasses, Sperry topsiders and Le Tigre shirts (collars turn up of course). I mean, come on, who wouldn’t agree that the Material Girl, Boy George and Devo weren’t the enlightened ones.
Saturated with the obsession of uber-capitalism and superficiality, the idea of Communism seemed evil. I still feel the same way at times now that I’m living China and I realize what a wonderful experiment the US is. The US definitely has its issues but even with all its faults I still think it is the greatest country that ever was! We are declining though, and fast. I promise to share thoughts on this because I feel it completely relates back to everything that manifested in the 60’s and made its mark in the 80’s.
It was then that I placed Mother Russia as one of the places that I needed to visit before I die. Most people want to stand in front of the Taj Mahal or frolic on the beaches of Bali but not me. I wanted to go to Moscow walk along the Moskva River make my way up to Kremlin and stand in front of it take a picture with my hands raised over my head in victory (maybe even ‘flipping the bird”) and repeat those infamous words uttered by Reagan, “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
With the fall of Communism and Christina and I living so close to Russia, I finally had the chance to accomplish item #3 on my list of things to do before I die. Plans were fashioned, plane tickets purchased, hotels and transportation reserved. All that was left was the visa. Simple enough, we had friends from the US go there with no issues.
With a week left before our flight, I finally got back my passport from the Chinese government (every year you have to register with the government and they hold your documents until you interview with them to get it back). Christina and I stayed up all night putting all the documents together that were required for the visas.
Let’s see......application-check, bank statements and assets-check, international medical insurance-check, verification that we are not experts in explosives and fire arms – check (not joking), hotel verification letters of everyplace we will visit- check, someone to vouch for you-check, passports, tickets, blah..blah..check…check…check….and finally copies of everything in triplicate!
Flawless…we had everything. It was going to be a slam dunk! The next day at the Russian Consulate there was a Finnish lady and an Italian guy in front of us in line. We could over hear them discussing what a pain in the ass it was to get a Russian Visa. We joined in the conversation and discovered that they had been there multiple times and have been turned down.
We had to enter the Consulate one by one so by the time Christina and I got there we saw the Finnish lady sitting in the corner crying. We asked her if she was ok and all she said back was: “I hate Russia….I hate China…I hate Communism…why the hell do they make it do damn hard to enter their god forsaken countries”. Needless to say she wasn’t able to get her visa.
To make a long story short we couldn’t get our visas and trust me it was no lack of effort either. We tried everything including calling in favors from friends that have friends in the Chinese Foreign Affairs. Well, actually we could get the visas but it would take some time because the US and their Allies are supporting Georgia in their little Civil war.......but I filled out the damn application and explained that I couldn’t build a bomb and I wasn’t an expert marksman…wasn’t that enough!
Anyway, we cancelled everything, choked down a grand in penalty fees for flights and hotels and booked a trip to the Czech Republic and had a great time.
So I had to “uncheck” item # 3 on my list …..but I’ll get there someday. The irony is that to get to Prague we had a stop over in Moscow. In the picture I don’t quite have my hands over my head but that’s not a peace sign either. It’s my politically discrete “victory” sign….and oh, I’m not really smiling…I’m pissed off!
Saturated with the obsession of uber-capitalism and superficiality, the idea of Communism seemed evil. I still feel the same way at times now that I’m living China and I realize what a wonderful experiment the US is. The US definitely has its issues but even with all its faults I still think it is the greatest country that ever was! We are declining though, and fast. I promise to share thoughts on this because I feel it completely relates back to everything that manifested in the 60’s and made its mark in the 80’s.
It was then that I placed Mother Russia as one of the places that I needed to visit before I die. Most people want to stand in front of the Taj Mahal or frolic on the beaches of Bali but not me. I wanted to go to Moscow walk along the Moskva River make my way up to Kremlin and stand in front of it take a picture with my hands raised over my head in victory (maybe even ‘flipping the bird”) and repeat those infamous words uttered by Reagan, “Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
With the fall of Communism and Christina and I living so close to Russia, I finally had the chance to accomplish item #3 on my list of things to do before I die. Plans were fashioned, plane tickets purchased, hotels and transportation reserved. All that was left was the visa. Simple enough, we had friends from the US go there with no issues.
With a week left before our flight, I finally got back my passport from the Chinese government (every year you have to register with the government and they hold your documents until you interview with them to get it back). Christina and I stayed up all night putting all the documents together that were required for the visas.
Let’s see......application-check, bank statements and assets-check, international medical insurance-check, verification that we are not experts in explosives and fire arms – check (not joking), hotel verification letters of everyplace we will visit- check, someone to vouch for you-check, passports, tickets, blah..blah..check…check…check….and finally copies of everything in triplicate!
Flawless…we had everything. It was going to be a slam dunk! The next day at the Russian Consulate there was a Finnish lady and an Italian guy in front of us in line. We could over hear them discussing what a pain in the ass it was to get a Russian Visa. We joined in the conversation and discovered that they had been there multiple times and have been turned down.
We had to enter the Consulate one by one so by the time Christina and I got there we saw the Finnish lady sitting in the corner crying. We asked her if she was ok and all she said back was: “I hate Russia….I hate China…I hate Communism…why the hell do they make it do damn hard to enter their god forsaken countries”. Needless to say she wasn’t able to get her visa.
To make a long story short we couldn’t get our visas and trust me it was no lack of effort either. We tried everything including calling in favors from friends that have friends in the Chinese Foreign Affairs. Well, actually we could get the visas but it would take some time because the US and their Allies are supporting Georgia in their little Civil war.......but I filled out the damn application and explained that I couldn’t build a bomb and I wasn’t an expert marksman…wasn’t that enough!
Anyway, we cancelled everything, choked down a grand in penalty fees for flights and hotels and booked a trip to the Czech Republic and had a great time.
So I had to “uncheck” item # 3 on my list …..but I’ll get there someday. The irony is that to get to Prague we had a stop over in Moscow. In the picture I don’t quite have my hands over my head but that’s not a peace sign either. It’s my politically discrete “victory” sign….and oh, I’m not really smiling…I’m pissed off!
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