Earlier this week I went to ask for my multi-visa (they gave us only onetime-visa when we came) when the devil in me got out. According to all the official papers, it takes two weeks to make the multi-visa so I went to the administratsiya ask for my
documents little over two weeks after I gave my passport, HIV-certificate, four photographs (which I had to make twice because there first ones were wrong kind) and after paying 400 rubles to some random bank. Of course it was obvious that the multi-visa wouldn't be ready yet but I wanted to just check in which phase the visa-process was. What I didn't know, was that they had done absolutely nothing with my papers. All the documents which I gathered with te
ars (the first visa was already a big fight with extra-payments and second passports) and blood (HIV-test) just lied on the floor of the office in a plastic bag! That wasn't all; the visa handler didn't even have planned to take our documents to the immigration office in near future. I snapped because I'll leave Russia for Switzerland in three weeks and I really need my visa in order to get back to my studies after the holiday. Her answer to my rage got my mood even worse: "I'll go to Moscow tomorrow so I won't deal with the papers any more". Me: "So, why the fuck couldn't you take the documents already two
weeks ago?". She: "Well, öööh, well..". She didn't understand my anger at all, for her it was totally normal to hold the papers in her office and to do nothing. Finally I had to give her a copy of my flying ticket in order to get the visa on time because "Oh Suvi, you should have said you need your passport that soon, it will be a bit difficult now".
What a durak (idiot in Russian) or actually, what a balvan (absolute idiot)! The whole situation was totally absurd: I was furious, she had know idea why and even when I explained and explained, she couldn't understand why she should do something anything faster (the whole conversation was in English so I cannot even blame my bad Russian). But like my Russian teacher said "You don't need absurd theatre in Russian, the whole life is one big absurd theatre".
Beside getting angry and hating Russia (at least for a day), I have learned that the worst thing to do here is to loose faith (which I did in that visa office). What would be the right thing, would be to trust that balvan visa-maker to do her job, because one of the biggest problems in Russian society is general distrust on everything. People don't trust politicians, so they don't vote. Russians are suspicious toward the authorities, so they don't report crimes to militsija but ask mafia to get their stolen property back (this I learned at t
he mafia class two years ago). Media is under state control, so newspapers (excluding few independent) and television tell only lies which leads to that people don't follow news any more. Plus nobody knows what kind of nuclear waste may have been buried to Russian forest, so people rather buy Finnish food and cottages at Finnish lakes. Schools are getting poorer all the time due to lack of money, so the rich ones send their children to study abroad. Poor children just end up having bad education.
At the end, all the mistrust and distrust on everything make people passive members of society. No matter what you do, nothing changes. On the other hand nothing can change before people start to trust their society and its institutions again (or in Russia, for the first time). I know it's a lost fight already but I decided to trust Russia(ns) instead of gaining more distrust. According to my previous experiences everything will work out finally. First you need tears, rage, shouting, begging and sometimes money, but eventually I have always got everything I need here in St. Petersburg. Like a real example from my previous exchange proves. I wanted to participate courses which I wasn't "officially" allowed to take. First I asked my exchange coordinator: "No, no, absolutely no". Then rector: "No, your exchange is only for these and these cours
es. No, no, no.". Finally, almost crying I went to ask professors if I can participate their courses. "Of course, come on in". That's how it goes; first they make you to hate them and finally when they have broken your spirit and you're falling into pieces, they finally say "yes" which on that moment sounds like a biggest amnesty you ever got. Like your death penalty was just cancelled. So, at the end you can just love them. This hate-love-hate-hate-love-love-relations get you hooked which is the reason I keep coming back here (at least until now it has been possible, let's see what happens this time with the multi-visa).
After deciding to swop all the mistrust into trust, I found myself enjoying Russia a bit more. Today I needed to buy more coffee filters for which you have to walk to the other side of the city center because that's one of the few (or two) places you can find them. Instead of being pissed of by the fact that I had to walk 1,5 hours back and forth for coffee filters, I decided to enjoy the trip and take pictures on the way. Finally we ended up in a nice coffee shop with two other Finns playing board games and enjoying the sunny side of Russia. At the end, life is not so bad here. Just have to remind me about that time to time.
You're right; trust is the key element for a functional society. Must be interesting to observe the delicate balance of emerging trust and wide-spread mistrust in everyday life.
VastaaPoistaHmm, that sounds a bit supercilious but whatever. Just remember to update your blog every once in a while!
That's what I love about russia and Eastern Europe (having not lived there though)- people are realists. It's the exact opposite to the American way which in a similar situation would be "yes, of course darling, yes, yes" topped with a California smile. In reality, however, they are being passive-aggressive and what they really mean is "not in a million years, you prick". ;)
VastaaPoistaPS. If this visa-thing prevents you from coming to Switzerland, my opinion will change!
That's true! I like Eastern mentality more even if it drives on the edge of despair. And if they wont give me multi-visa for Switzerland, I'll come anyway and just not come back here anymore. I can always leave the country but coming back is more tricky:)
VastaaPoista