March 1, 2010, 6 a.m. As usual, the alarm has been playing for a whole hour. Suddenly, in a burst of fear, having swallowed a big gulp of air, you open your eyes and: 7:15. You understand that the new day has begun and you urgently have to get up in order to come to class on time with a nice face, it's a pity my deep sleep stole the time for porridge. Besides, today is the first day of spring! Finally, but the frosts won't let go!
On the tram, while you're riding, you think: "work, how it tires you... my legs, I wish I could sit down sooner." And then there's this job search, so I can't get enough sleep. I didn't manage, but I didn't try very hard, and thank God, otherwise I would have been upset even more.
In short, I barely sat through those three boring classes + the hard PE with dumbbells, a run around the institute collecting papers and signatures that they so desperately need to allow me to go to America. Damn, even less is needed for the consul! And when is the consul? — tomorrow! Eh... well now home it is, I'll drop my resume on a flash drive and go to IEC for help! No, I still need to run to the shops, it's Mom's anniversary soon, I need to pick a decent gift!
Everything is finally like to-do-done, 7:30 p.m., it seems I managed everything! Hooray! So, I'll sleep a little now, I'm so sleepy, a shower, so the consul can appreciate the smell and beauty of my washed hair, and I'll also look at what the Center sent me a week ago about that wonderful day — March 2!
As a result, the little nap didn't work out and only at 11 p.m., with wet hair, I sat down at the computer to read something about this Consul. The internet started winding up, VK, pleasant topics for conversation, it immediately popped up that Sasha (a classmate with whom we are going to the consul tomorrow) has a birthday tomorrow and I'll have to be the first to congratulate him.
In short, it's 2 a.m., I looked through the questions the consul asks and shot off to sleep with the mindset: "Tomorrow I must get up on time!"
March 2, 2010, 7 a.m. Hooray, I got up on time! I dressed warmly, I'll take my bag, I'll still make it to classes later, and during my time at the consulate I'll leave it in the car with our Ani and Kostya. I'll check the documents: Russian passport, gradebook, student ID – I took everything!
It's frosty... And here's a bunch of young people standing, apparently I should be here! And there is Sasha found: "Happy Birthday!" Kostya is babbling something to everyone here: "I'm here. Yefimova."
We stand, freezing, but I was very cheerful, because an underslept head always gets silly ideas that are funny! It began, they started calling names, they checked pockets again – there was nothing in my pockets. And here is my pair – some boy from Kazakhstan and moreover he is very serious. Okay. Next, security, first floor: they took the pin off my skirt, although there was no talk about decorations (you can poke an eye out with an earring too), then they started moving their occasionally beeping wand around my body, this wand apparently fell in love with me, because it wouldn't stop beeping, as if my whole body consisted of iron cells! The security guard also beeped, gasped, waved that wand around me 10 more times. I told him: "Leave me alone, I have no metal, your stick is broken!" In short he also broke down and let me through. Maybe there were a lot of buttons on my jacket, although I wasn't wearing a jacket... I don't know why everything was beeping like that! On the first floor you also had to sign into a journal and remove your belt or sash if present, and carry it in your hands up to the fourth floor – also a fact that I didn't understand. "So the pants won't fall, or is there a doctor who checks something," I thought while walking to the fourth floor.
Fourth floor, hello again security! Only here the guys are even less friendly, I would even say – nervous, because one guard was dealing with some young man with red hair and piercings on his face (let's call him Vovochka): his stuff also beeped like mine did on the first floor, only now he had to go through the white gates! That's where I warmed up waiting and watching the escalating events... in the end, Vovochka said that he has a plate in his leg because he broke his leg, and the guard demanded a certificate confirming this fact, and of course the boy didn't have it, and who had told us about that... nobody told us, and yet many who had some injuries have pieces of metal in their bodies, so the Center should also warn about such things. Well, in short, everything ended well, the guard felt sorry for the kid, and having gone off with Vovochka to the bathroom he made sure there was a scar in that place. In the end, it turned out that Vovochka had forgotten something from his documents and had to go back down to the first floor to the street and then do everything again. So check everything one more time, don't be lazy!
I went through fine myself, handed over my passport to be stamped, took off my outerwear, went like everyone else to the waiting hall, and there everyone was still sitting, waiting, reading the rights in America. And on the left as you enter the waiting hall there are three "counters" with slightly tinted glass (apparently glamor is also respected in the consulate): in the middle – a person speaking Russian, handling paperwork, and on the sides – the consuls who haven't come yet. And me – naive fool, I thought we would go one by one into his office, sit on a chair and talk to him heart to heart. Ha! Everything is more mobile and glamorous – there are two consuls and they are "behind glass"!
The processing proceeded in order. My turn. This Russian-speaking person asked my last name, first name, asked for the Russian passport, looked confusedly at the computer, asked me to repeat, then again looked confusedly at me and squeezed out: "Were you definitely scheduled for today?" "Yes" – I answered firmly! He left, raised a fuss, came back, started searching through the pile of papers for my documents, found them, began entering data into the computer, then asked to place my fingers on a special device. I, of course, was nervous all this time, my fingers sweated, he gave me a napkin, everything seemed okay, but the main thing: press your fingers tightly to the screen, joining them together, but don't press hard!
I completed the procedure, plopped down on a chair, a voice behind began to speak not in Russian, and with an electronic sound too! Aha, the consul arrived and called the first processed person to him! And it turned out to be a girl! Their whole conversation was heard by the audience waiting their turn! She answered the questions well, and the consul didn't hold back either and bombarded her with questions! Then I panicked, I remembered that I don't know what my parents do for work, because they also like adventures and have abruptly changed their professional profiles! Okay, I thought, and decided to read the little booklet with the rights! I opened it, flipped through, thought about something completely different, got distracted by the people who were entering, rejoiced for Vovochka that he was finally sitting with us and had time to get processed, listened to that strange electronic speech in the general din (noise).
They didn't call my name for a long time, but I held my ground, although Sasha was constantly stirring things up, and saying "Why aren't they calling you? Why aren't they calling you?" And I as always in my repertoire – smiled and laughed. We were separated by about ten people in the queue, but in short we went together: he – to one window, I – to another.
Well then – the most interesting part: "Good morning, sir!"
I expected questions from him, and at first he asked to place the index finger of my right hand again on the special recognition device. Well, at first I didn't understand him, I waved my hands, then put my left thumb, staring at the pictures on that strange device. Finally, with the words "Ah, right!" I did what he needed. Then came the questions: where do you study, I answered "Technical University" – not the full name, in panic I forgot the full name... and immediately wanted to fix it and blurted out "Government". While I said that, he was asking me a question about my major, and realizing what nonsense I had told him, I started to grin broadly and said "Oh", then the name of my department, he began to say something long after that and I wasn't listening anymore, thinking I was doomed! He finished his long sentence and of course I having missed it all, said as if clarifying "Where?" because his last few words were about the territory. He nodded too. I said that I'll go to California, I don't know exactly where, his last question was "Why?". I answered: "hot & sunshine" and smiled. He smiled too, said thank you, I also to him and, having turned 1800, exhaled, with a feeling of complete satisfaction went to classes together with Sasha!
In general, during the conversation with the consul, I always answered monosyllabically, didn't build sentences, spoke just separate words, like in Russian when you just chat, and smiled! In short, everything is elementary simple, easy and so much emotion and positivity in that consulate! Go there boldly and in a good mood, as if you're in love with the whole world and everything will work out for you! (preparation and language level here are irrelevant, the main thing is your energy and positive attitude!)
HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coming down outside, the air seemed so fresh and fragrant, my legs light, my teeth froze from smiling all the time! In short, I wanted to live! That's what the consulate does to people! And Sasha also has a birthday that day – March 2 – and it's no problem if the consul didn't notice, the main thing is I noticed that he also wanted to live!