Hi. So. Moscow. The Embassy.

But first, about the train to Moscow. Fun. It turned out that 9 out of 13 people in our carriage were going to the interview. Two more in the next one. We just slept, ate, and talked. We ate, oh my god, so much.

Moscow didn't exactly welcome me with open arms. I didn't have time to put on makeup or have breakfast. I bought a metro ticket and went through the wrong gate, so some guy slipped through using my ticket. What's it like when everyone is waiting for you? Well, I snuck in as a stowaway too.

We found a 24/7 place on Novy Arbat. Went in, had some tea. Managed to get myself together.

So. June 2nd. The Consulate:

The last chance to get a visa this year for full-time students (June 7th in Yekaterinburg for part-time students). There were about 650 people standing in front of the consulate.

Our city was 23rd in the list—the middle. Ulan-Ude were the last—42nd, poor things. Damn it, I should have worn a sweater instead of just a t-shirt to the consulate. It was cold. At least there was some food and toilets. We went through the metal detectors without any problems. We were filling out, or rather signing, the DS-2019 form, and I made a typo in the word 'Moscow'. I thought, 'That's it, I'm doomed.' Then waiting. Fingerprints. I said hello loudly, which made everyone laugh; in short, I made everyone laugh that day with my conversations with foreigners.

And the agonizing wait for the consul. Feelings: cold, fear, fun, chatter, silence, more chatter, concentration, jokes, shaking knees—apathy, concentration, anger—joy!

We waited 8 hours for the interview. During that time, I taught the Nizhny Novgorod group how to pronounce our city correctly. And a lot more. It's a middle city, damn it!!!!

Approaching the consul, I was smiling.

Sweet guy. I liked him. It was more like a conversation on a train.

We just chatted.

C: Hello.

Me: Hi.

Me: How are you?

C: Fine. How about you?

Me: Good, just a bit tired. But the weather is super.

C: Where are you from?

Me: From Perm.

C: How did you get here?

Me: By train.

C: How long is the trip?

Me: About 24 hours.

C: (shocked) Where do you study?

Me: PSU.

C: Where are you going?

I answered.

And what is this?

• A restaurant, with very sweet employers.
• And why are they so sweet?
• (here I hesitated while formulating the phrase) Because I was supposed to leave on the 23rd, and today is the 2nd, and they are still waiting for me.
  C: I see.

C: He rummaged through the documents, scanned them like in a store. Signed them and said the cherished 'have a nice summer!!!'

Hooray! Thank you, Sir! Goodbye! Have a nice day.

I said it loudly and joyfully again, which made the whole audience laugh.

Result. 70 percent rejection rate. From Perm, 3 out of 13; from Yekaterinburg, 8 out of 20; Rostov (they went after us), none out of three. Moscow, almost everyone! Damn it!

We snuck through without soap! Hooray!!!!

We walked around with the girls from Perm and ate. Threw away half of the spoiled food from the train. At 4:30, we came to the consulate and unexpectedly met our people. And more people were coming out. !!!!! We walked around Red Square and the park. I saw the girls off to the train, and I wandered around Moscow for another 2 hours. I was charmed by it. On the way back, the strap on my sandals broke. I sat at the station for another hour waiting for the train. In sneakers. :) I mean, I was in sneakers, not the train. Killed my feet.

The return train—we traveled with guys from Yekaterinburg. A ballroom dancer, her boyfriend, and 3 other guys. I didn't talk to the 2 Perm girls who were in the same carriage. During all this time, I realized they were sour. The only thing I wanted was to finally take a shower. The train, compared to the branded Kama we took on the way there, is crap. Drafts from the windows. Sanitary zones and other delights of life.

And now I'm waiting for Monday and the booking.

Don't be afraid of anything!!!! Consuls aren't that scary. The main thing is a smile and a good offer! A girl from the 5th year got it with me, a second-timer who returned a month later than her DS-2019 form allowed last year. And nothing! It worked out somehow!

And another boy from the priority group. I don't know anything about him.

Guys! Good luck to you on the 7th. And especially to my favorite part-time student. We're keeping our fingers crossed for you!