La Visa Loca indeed.
I'm in a state of terrible distress at the moment and not in the mood to write a decent blog entry, so let me just say the two words I've been wanting to say for the longest time, but found no worthy recipient until now.
FUCK YOU
Italy Embassy!
That's FYI for short.
Now I'm not really into expletives and vulgarities and I'd hate for my blog to be tinged by them, but FYI!!
God knows I've been saving (and starving) up for the trip, and bam, because of some outrageous requirements NOT IN THE LISTING IN THE ITALY EMBASSY WEBSITE, the tramps at the Italian embassy (who banged the phone on me yesterday too) have successfully found ways to strip me of my dream vacation.
The credit account statement honored by the Czech embassy was rejected by the Italian one. As I'm a full-time student and a minor, they require that I also produce my parents' bank accounts. The letter of authorization I produced, which had Ma and Dad's signature and was scanned and emailed to me, was similarly not honored. How do we know these are really your parents, the big boss lady in green said. I can easily make this one myself, she continued. So I offered to have proof that my parents can fax them the documents showing that I'm their son and all, and their bank accounts. But no, Lady Bitch demands that my parents sign the documents at a European embassy in the Philippines so some person they trust can actually see that Reynaldo and Paulita are my folks and make some sort of stamp as guarantee. UGH. Isn't that just mad?! The Euro embassies in the Philippines are in Manila, thousands of miles away from my home city Davao, and do they seriously want my folks to fly all the way there just for that? Can't I just show them some proof that I was born to Paulita and Reynaldo, and present to them my parents' bank accounts, and cross check the signatures on the authorization letter I showed? But the Italian ladies at the counter were heartless bitches, not realizing that here was a kid who was practically begging them to accept the application, stubbornly staying there long after he was sent away, coming up with new proposals just so the papers could be processed momentarily while he attempts to rush the other documents in the hope of making it in time for the June 7 flight.
And this lousy travel agent was to blame too, since we got our tickets so late! Only this week when we had two Visas to settle, and when the flight departure is on the June 7th already.
Sigh. The Singaporeans and Malaysians are lucky they don't have to apply for the Schengen Visa, unlike me and my fellow applicants from China and Indonesia. Haizz. I distinctly remember wanting to act on the Visa looooong before we did, but the travel agent took bloody long to come up with the tickets, an essential for the application.
OK, so this is what my travel itinerary looks like now.
June
* 7 - 2255 - leave SG
* 8 - 0550 - arrive at Amsterdam
- 0855/1025 - Amsterdam-Prague
* 9,10,11 - Choir competition at Olomouc, 33rd Festival of Songs
- lodge at Hotel Flora
* 12 - by 1200 - leave Olomouc for Prague
- PM - sight-see Prague
* 13 - arrive at Frankfurt
-2230/2340 - Frankfurt-Milan (Ryanair)
- check-in at Hotel Durante (Milan)
* 14 - AM, PM - sight-see Milan
* 15 - 0805/1106 - take rail to Venice (Venizia Mestre Station)
- check-in at Camping Fusina (Venice)
- PM - sight-see Venice
* 16 - AM, PM - sight-see Venice
* 17 - AM - take rail to Florence
- 1400 - check-in at Porta Prato Hostel (Florence)
* 18 - AM,PM - sight-see Florence
* 19 - AM - take rail to Rome
- check-in at Hotel Montestella (Rome)
- PM, evening - sight-see Rome
* 20,21 - sight-see Rome and the Vatican
* 22 - AM - a bit more sight-seeing
- 1620/1900 - Rome-Amsterdam
- 2045 - leave Amsterdam
* 23 - 1450 - back in SG
There. All down the drain. My confirmed hostel reservations in Milan Venice Florence Italy, the booked coach and air tickets. I can't even get into Frankfurt because the Italy embassy was supposed to grant me the Schengen Visa, the pass for the 15 Schengen states. I thought I could apply in other embassies, but I cannot, since the rule says I should apply in the embassy of the country where I'm supposed to stay longest. Unfortunately, that meant the ambasciata l'Italia (embassy of Italy).
It's Sunday, May 29th, now as I'm editing this draft I started making on the 27th, and I'm getting better. I am slowly learning to accept painful truths (for one, that embassies supposedly nice and accommodating are hellholes) , and that well, life goes on.
Most probably I'll just extend my stay in Prague by hooking up with some group in choir who's staying at some lovely guesthouse. I'm mulling over joining another group going to Vienna and returning on the 17th, but I'm not sure if I can get the Visa in time since I have only a week left and no rescheduled tickets yet (but a friend of mine says that the French embassy, which handles Austrian visits, is a kinder and more humane embassy. Besides, a minor there is 18 y/o and below, while in the blasted Italian embassy it's below 21. So at 19, I'll have less troubles with the French fellas).
Nothing much I can do over the weekend, since the travel agent and the airlines open only on weekdays. So no tickets, no application for another Visa. Well.
Oh yeah, here's a new word: Vaffunculo.
In a sentence, Vaffunculo ambasciata d'Italia!
That's FYI in Italian.
P.S. Pardon the vulgarities and bitterness. I needed to let these out here lest I self-implode. I feel better now, thanks to all who showed their concern. I totally appreciate it.
