Our trip to Astana or how I got my visa

Our interview was scheduled for April 15th at 10:00-10:30 AM. Checking the train schedule, we bought tickets for April 13th, giving us an extra day. The train was Uralsk-Astana. The travel time was 28 hours. Since we had plenty of time, we went over the questions almost 20 times. Luckily, there were students from the Foreign Languages faculty traveling with us, so we were able to easily refine our answers to several questions. That same evening, it turned out that the interview time had been moved to 1:00-1:30 PM. The whole carriage was happy that we would have time to sleep after arriving.

Upon arrival, everyone went to stay with relatives or friends, and some rented an apartment for 2 days. My classmate and I stayed with relatives. Honestly, we went over the questions 3-4 times there, reviewed the pamphlet, and went out to conquer the night capital. We remembered Astana for its "spicy wings and bites" (those who have been to KFC will understand). We walked along the embankment and popped into Khan Shatyr.

Morning of April 15th. At 11:00 AM, we went to the pre-visa meeting. There, they handed out passport stickers and explained our rights in the workplace in the USA. Zhuldyz wished us all luck, and we caught a taxi to the consulate.

Upon arriving at the consulate, we gave our IDs to the guard sitting in the booth so he could record our details. By the time we arrived at the consulate, a live queue had formed. They were letting people into the consulate building 5 at a time. There, we went through a metal detector arch (back and forth), then the guard checked us with a handheld metal detector for any metal objects. Then he directed us to the neighboring building, where we left our cell phones (they had to be turned off) and ID cards. Further on is the third building, where the interview itself takes place.

In the third building, right at the entrance, we were given a ticket, and the guard asked us to wait for our turn at the first window. If you look closely, you can see a yellow line. This line is the boundary between the person answering questions (1st window) and the person standing in line behind them. Do not cross it. At this window, a girl requested three documents (ticket, grade book, student ID, passport). Then she asked questions: - Have you received a US visa before? - No; - Do you remember your parents' phone numbers? - ...; Then she directed me to the second window, where they took my fingerprints. For a good fingerprint scan, you need to keep your fingers together. I liked that even though she is American, she speaks Russian perfectly;) And by the way, she radiates positivity; after this window, my fear of the interview disappeared. Then I waited for my turn. At first, only Alan was working (3rd window). After accepting 15-17 people, they gradually started inviting people to the 6th window, where Yan was working. The difference with this window is that it's not a window at all, but an office where you sit opposite the consul. This was a big plus for me. Let's move on to the long-awaited interview...

• Hello, how are you? (it was strange when he greeted me first)
• I'm fine, and you?
• Not bad.
• Where are you from?
• I'm from Aktobe.
  And then he said, surprised: Oh, so it's your first time in Astana) (in English, of course)
• How did you get to the consulate?
• By train.
• How much is the ticket to Astana?
• 6560 KZT.
• Where do you study?
• ...
• What year are you in?
• 3rd.
• What is your favorite subject at university?
• Physical education.
• Why?
• I love running, working out in the gym, and I like playing volleyball.
• Where is your job located in the USA?
• Orleans, MA
• What is the name of your establishment in the USA?
• ...
• What is your position?
• Dishwasher and kitchen help.
• What salary do you get?
• $10 per hour.
• Why did you choose this specific state?
• Historical symbols are perfectly preserved in Massachusetts.
  There was a pause, he looked at my documents for a long time, and taking out the DS-2019 form, he said: Your visa is approved! We are waiting for you again! My joy knew no bounds (I wanted to dance the Macarena, but I couldn't), and I replied: Thank you! I left the room with a smile on my face, letting everyone know that my visa was approved. Leaving the consulate building, I shook hands with everyone I had stood in line with, and called my parents, friends, and relatives who were worried about me and supported me to share the good news. And by the way, don't even think about taking photos of the consulate building; it's forbidden. Then my classmate and I caught a taxi to KFC on Respublika for 500 KZT. And of course, the driver was surprised by such a crowd in front of the consulate and asked: "What's happening here?" We told him that a US visa interview was taking place and that we had received it. He was happy, congratulated us, and said he was proud of our Kazakh guys who achieve their goals without any "connections," which we were glad to hear.

P.S. A tip from my observations in front of the consulate: don't bring cheat sheets with answers with you. When they are in your hands, you will worry that you might get confused and won't be able to answer (and why do you need extra worry?). Believe in yourself, and everything will work out! I wish good luck to all students who have a visa interview ahead! Peace to everyone!