Less Than Two Months Now.

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Okay I lied. I needed to vent sooner.

Exactly 57 days. I got all the worry out of the way(well, maybe not all the worry...)

Got my invitation a week and 3 days ago, with quite a butcher of my middle name into Cyrillic. 50 dollars for such a tiny piece of paper....

So, the things required for a visa. What a production that was. Or, what a production being in a small town made that. I payed 20 dollars for two tiny pictures for the visa application, a bit smaller than the standard passport size as that is what was required. They basically took passport pictures and then just took scissors and cut them down.....

I got immunizations at the request of my mother. I got last time before I went to Russia as well, so there was less to get this time. I got my hep A which I needed and now I am good for life. That was about 70 some dollars. I was also told to get Typhoid but oops, they can't just GIVE a person a typhoid immunization, I needed it okayed so then I filled out a travel form, and pay 20 dollars and was called with specific health advice for Russia(which I had already read on the internet, so...thanks) and told she would phone the health unit and them them to give me the typhoid pills(which last longer than the shot) and they also had a flu shot she said to get, but that wast he last day they were offering it so I had to go back, get a the flu shot in the other arm, get my four pills(to be taken over 8 days). 80 dollars later and I was told to come back in August to take a TB test(and have to get one upon return)......I think that is just a little excessive, what whatever.....

Then I needed to get an HIV test to confirm(I guess) that I am not HIV positive. I went to two clinics and the hostital because everyone refered me to another place. I got a lot of blank stares or "wow....you are crazy" or "you think you may be HIV positive but invented this lie to get the test without staying so" stares. Yeah, everyone thought I was insane. "What, you need an HIV test? Why?", "You need a what?...." "Why on earth would you need this" "So you just need your blood work?" I must have repeated "it is necessary to obtain a visa which is needed to enter and stay in Russia for longer than three months" and "Yes, it isn't than strange actually. Many countries required this if you are staying in the country an extended period of time" and "No, I need a certificate with some specific information about where I am going, passport number, how long I am going for, doctors signature ect" a million times. Finally, after 3 hours, I got to have my blood drawn, which she screwed up on. Twice. And had to use my other arm and then get another tech to do it. I was told by the doctor to pick it up 4 days later but I was out of town for a week so I had to go back in to get permission for my mom to be able to pick it up for me because I was planning on her sending it out for me. She goes in 4 days after I was told it would be ready and was also sent on a wild goose chase that lasted 4 hours and walking between the clinic and the hospital 3 or 4 times. Everyone thought she was insane and she got a lot of "You're here to pick up a what?" and "Uh...we have nothing here. Check back in 4 weeks, that's how long it takes" and "That doctor is now on vacation for 3 weeks so.....". She then gets home and then gets a call from them that my letter is there now and it will cost 30 dollars. It was being "typed" at the time she was there. I guess my mom was too pissed off to go get it that day. She was afraid she'd yell at someone so I guess that's for the best. I picked it up today after waiting 20 minutes in front of an empty desk while two admins gossiped in the corner having some laughs.

So what have I learned from all this? Alberta Health Care? I have nothing good to stay about you after this experience and maybe it was a little practice for what's to come in Russia since I know about the wonderful world of Russian customer service and government bureaucracy. I guess this was a test run of things to come.(and the whole thing is made worse by the fact that I have to retake the test when I get there because the university wants it done by someone there. So that's just swell...)

I sent it all to the embassy this morning with Canada post express, and also sent in there a prepaid express envelope. It takes about 20 days for them to process it at the lowest possible price so 2 months is plenty of time(and not that I'll get it back any sooner. I believe they won't sent it to 5 days before I am scheduled to fly out. Ugh) but I am glad to be rid of it and have that over with.

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