The Roaming Nole: Отдыхай, брат...

I've been holding off on writing about all the visa issues I had in my attempt to participate in both FSU's study abroad program in Moscow, and the Critical Languages Institute's program in Kazan this summer. (At least I got my initial visa quickly enough to begin my 1st program on time, 2 of my classmates weren't so lucky) Long story short - you can't have 2 active visas in your passport at the same time even if they cover different time periods, extensions are hard to get, and all sorts of other messy stuff.

My professor forced me to be patient once I got here in regards to my visa extension, because I would have actually needed 2 extensions. The 1st is so I can legally stay in the country long enough for my trip to Siberia, because someone screwed up the dates on my invitation. The other just isn't possible because of time constraints and registration issues, and my lack of forethought/experience traveling.

I found out the day before leaving for our weekend excursion to Saint Petersburg that the 2nd extension wasn't approved. This was crushing news to me. Some of you know that Kazan has been one of the few things I've really been looking forward to for the past year. Now, Казанский Вокзал is the closest I'll be getting to Kazan this summer. It took a lot not to let that news ruin that weekend in St. Pete. I suppose I should do a separate post on how awesome and different that city is... anyway... I'm still waiting for the 1st extension to be processed. Yep... that means I've been living and traveling in Russia for 2 weeks without a passport.

My hopes of reuniting with dear friends from CLI were shattered with the news that I couldn't get a visa to study in Kazan.

However, thanks to the tensions between the US and Russia over the situation with Ukraine and Crimea, CLI has moved some of the program to Batumi, Georgia- a country which doesn't require me to get a visa to stay there for up to 1 year. So, I am very happy to let y'all know that my adventure will not be coming to an early end, as I had begun to fear due to these visa issues, but will be relocating to Georgia, and I'm incredibly excited!

At least my massive amounts of stress will turn into an unexpected adventure. I'll see part of the world I never would have imagined going to, learn about a culture I don't know much about, continue my intensive Russian studies, and be reunited with some of the people I have missed immensely over the past year.

This leads me to one of my biggest lessons: relax, bro. If you stress out over things like this, you'll detract from the fun that's all around you. I'm somehow both a worrier and entirely too laid back about traveling. I booked a one way ticket here. I'm confident my passport will be returned to me with the extended visa within the next 2 weeks (my professor has assured me that things will be fine from the very beginning of my visa issues, and that I just need to be an adventurer like her, so here I am, adventuring), I'm sure that I'll manage to get to Batumi within 24 hours of my return to Moscow from Siberia, and I'll be updating y'all from Eurasia through the middle of August. (I'm less sure that I'll find a place to live in Tally when I get back, though... oops...)

Anyhow, things are bound to go wrong at some point, it's how you deal with it that can make or break your adventure. And though I have felt perfectly comfortable and safe everywhere we've been, we've constantly been warned about the dangers that surround us. Maybe it's made me subconsciously more vigilant, but seriously, act normal. I've been walking around with a clutch wallet and my cell phone in my hand, just like I would in the states. Don't mark yourself as a tourist, but be aware of your surroundings and get comfortable.

So, the moral of today's story is: chill out, relax, отдыхай. Don't let things out of your control detract from your experience.

And as cheesy as it is to say... I've got my ticket for the long way round - the one with the prettiest of views...