For the past month I was planning a trip to Petra, Jordan. At first I wanted to go for as cheap as possible and not miss any classes. I was trying to see how much it would cost and if it would be cheaper to piece everything together myself. After talking to numerous people I realized it would be worth it for me to just go on an organized tour and pay a little bit extra for it. The two people who wanted to go with me agreed. Then one of them backed out... (this ellipsis means I wasn't happy.) I had yet to book the hostel and pay for the $200+ tour. Two days later my other friend backed out. So now I'm contemplating whether or not I really want to go by myself. For about a day I think about this. I wouldn't be completely alone as I'd be with a tour group that friends have used and loved. So safety wouldn't be much of an issue. But it would be so much nicer to go with at least someone I'm somewhat familiar with. I eventually decide I should still go, even if by myself because when is the next time I will have this chance and I just got my Nikon from my parents. Petra in 35mm would be so beautiful.
It's Wednesday night, just a few days before I would be going. I book the hostel and pay the $4 online deposit, the rest due when I check in. I go on to the tour website and fill out the forms. As I'm about to enter my credit card information, my paranoia creeps up on me. "Hmmm, I should probably check to make sure I can re-enter Israel on my temporary tourist visa." One of my friends who has a student visa was given trouble when he was trying to get back into Israel so I have an even higher chance of having trouble and I would hate to be stranded in Jordan by myself.
Earlier that week, I was with said friend at the Ministry of the Interior so I could get my student visa and he could fix his. It was like the DMV on rude Israeli steroids. We entered the building, found where we needed to be and waited in line just to ask where we needed to go to figure our things out. I kept bouncing around from different offices and people all giving me very general directions to go to this window or its down this hall... I finally found my little window, took a number and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally my number is called and I'm told I just need to go to another office and talk to Attitude McGee, who isn't in her office right now but you can just wait for her to get back. So I wait.
Eventually she shows up and I tell her I want to get a student visa so I won't have any problems getting back into Israel from Jordan. First she tells me the office is closed and that they, or rather, just her, only does student visa applications on Thursdays. Then she tells me that I'm not here to have fun and I should be focused on my studying. She gets even sassier, telling me I'll be fine with my temporary visa and that I shouldn't bother coming back to her. Thanks.
Fast forward back to Wednesday night when I'm wondering if Ms. Short&Sassy was being honest and getting slightly anxious at the prospect of not being able to re-enter. I start looking up whether or not I can re-enter on my temp visa. After about 30 minutes of googling and calling numbers I find out that no, I cannot re-enter Israel on my visa...(this ellipsis is for dramatic pause) However!! Tomorrow is Thursday and Thursday is when I can get my student visa, supposedly the same day, after talking to numerous people who have all had to experience the Sasshole because the Israeli Embassy in NY was on strike and wasn't giving student visas. Harumff. I'm starting to wonder if I'll actually be able to get a student visa the next day. It doesn't matter though, its time to go to the Polish Cinema event!!! There was a brief intro about Polish Cinema history relative to politics of the time. After the intro there is time for discussion, wine and mini sandwiches. I guess I won't be cooking dinner. The movie is comprised of three stories, all following the same character, each with a different outcome related depending on the first scene where he is rushing to catch his train. Besides the obvious different plots in each there were some subtle details that differed like what drink was served and how he interacted with women. It was really interesting and something that I would probably never experience if not for deciding to go to the event.
I get back to my dorm and am still wondering what to do regarding Jordan. After talking to some people I decide to throw in the white flag and try to do something else this weekend. I'll eventually come back to Israel and Petra isn't exactly going away anytime soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment