As said, the best is yet to come!
10.2.09
Visa-free access for Taiwanese visitors to the UK from 3 March 2009
I don't know what the majority of ppl think upon reading this headline. For me, I almost bursted into tears. From Austria, Czech, Slovakia, Poland, UK, USA to Spain, the story of my visa application can be aggregated into a long novel. I have literally "begged" the officials of this countries, one way or another, to give me a chance to get access to these countries. If one has never been treated like "dodgy people who try to invade the country", one would never understand how bad this feeling is.
You might ask -- then why don't you just refuse to go to these countries who regard you with contempt? Then the truth is -- I will never be able to study in another country, see the world, and meet all the people who are currently reading this blog.
Every now and then I hate my own country for being such a loser in international politics that it cannot even protect its citizen from insult.
Last week I have been just insulted by Spanish Embassy. Despite the extraordinary amount they charge on reservation line (approx. 1,5 pound per minute and it lasts for 15 minutes), the attitude of the officers is the most disgusting. "How could you get a visa for 6 months last time??" The officer questioned me with suspecting look in his eyes. Because I am a honest person who respects the immigration law and thus was entrusted into such freedom!
Ironically, if i manage to sneak into the country and stay there 2 years, I will be eligible for legal residence. While if I seek the legal way and ask my boyfriend to invite me, we have to pay a huge fortune of money (100 Euro per invitation letter plus 50 sterling pound visa fee -- still growing!) and he has to own a house, a nice job and a huge fortune in his bank account, let alone all the time we have to spend on all the paperwork.
That is how dirty the real world is. We claim to pursue intercultural communication, international interaction, global village, and whatever big-word one can imagine. Or for a more down-to-earth view, "tourists bring money!" Nonetheless, what the hypocritical bureaucracy has done is just to undermine all these notions.
I still remember that 3 years ago Mu-yun and Yasin were retained in Sevilla airport for not able to show a valid UK visa (as matter of fact, they didnt need one as they were just transferring). At least for UK, such story is becoming history, and I am really, really happy. My friends in Austria and Norway can finally come to visit me without the hassle of submitting all the documents. My family in Taiwan don't have to suffer the time-wasting and anxious interview before coming to see me.
And I shall return as well, one day.
You might ask -- then why don't you just refuse to go to these countries who regard you with contempt? Then the truth is -- I will never be able to study in another country, see the world, and meet all the people who are currently reading this blog.
Every now and then I hate my own country for being such a loser in international politics that it cannot even protect its citizen from insult.
Last week I have been just insulted by Spanish Embassy. Despite the extraordinary amount they charge on reservation line (approx. 1,5 pound per minute and it lasts for 15 minutes), the attitude of the officers is the most disgusting. "How could you get a visa for 6 months last time??" The officer questioned me with suspecting look in his eyes. Because I am a honest person who respects the immigration law and thus was entrusted into such freedom!
Ironically, if i manage to sneak into the country and stay there 2 years, I will be eligible for legal residence. While if I seek the legal way and ask my boyfriend to invite me, we have to pay a huge fortune of money (100 Euro per invitation letter plus 50 sterling pound visa fee -- still growing!) and he has to own a house, a nice job and a huge fortune in his bank account, let alone all the time we have to spend on all the paperwork.
That is how dirty the real world is. We claim to pursue intercultural communication, international interaction, global village, and whatever big-word one can imagine. Or for a more down-to-earth view, "tourists bring money!" Nonetheless, what the hypocritical bureaucracy has done is just to undermine all these notions.
I still remember that 3 years ago Mu-yun and Yasin were retained in Sevilla airport for not able to show a valid UK visa (as matter of fact, they didnt need one as they were just transferring). At least for UK, such story is becoming history, and I am really, really happy. My friends in Austria and Norway can finally come to visit me without the hassle of submitting all the documents. My family in Taiwan don't have to suffer the time-wasting and anxious interview before coming to see me.
And I shall return as well, one day.
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