Last Thursday I trekked to Abu Dhabi to see the comedian, Chris Tucker. What a treat that was! Surprisingly, there were lots of local men and women. I kept thinking, do they know this guy? Do they know that he can be risqué? And if, or rather, when he is, is that going to be a problem?
Nope. Not at all.
They were lapping it up. It helps that Chris comes off as the cool kid that everyone wants to hang with. Some of his best material were the local jokes. Again, the crowd loved him.
Now to the Russian Embassy.
I'm headed to Moscow for Spring Break, and so is one of my teachers and her family. She asked if I've gotten my visa. Of course, I hadn't thought about it because in most places you can pick them up at the airport when you land.
Anyway, thank God for this lady. In order to visit Russia, you have to go online and get an "invitation" to visit the country, and complete a lengthy application. Without her help, I would have been up a creek. She also shared the GPS coordinates, which was critical to finding the place.
Interestingly, it is not anywhere near Embassy Row, where most are located. It is housed in a large, old nondescript building surrounded by storefronts. The only clue that you've found the place are the guards posted at every corner. They were kinda cute. Very laid back. Teddy bearish.
Inside, the place was manned by Russians, unlike the American Embassy, which didn't have an American in sight.
There were Russian speaking folks there for visas, too. Not sure why they needed them.
Here's is how it works.
You present your paperwork to a clerk, who checks it, and when its all good, she takes your passport and gives you a bill for the services.
Here's the wild part.
They don't handle any money directly. You have to go to their bank where they have an account, deposit the money, bring back the receipt, wait for a while for them to complete everything, and then you're done. My friend suggested I park Luther and take a cab to the bank and back. Again, this was great advice. It took a total of two hours, although with all of the running around, it seemed a lot longer. The only branch of the bank open after hours is in Abu Dhabi Mall. What a madhouse that was!
Anyway, thankfully, with the visa in hand, I'm ready to go. Come April 2nd, I'll be on my way. The following week I'm headed to Ethiopia. You can be sure I'm checking their visa requirements as soon as I post this.
Things have been crazy busy at work, so the break will be a welcome reprieve.
Hope that all is well in your world.
More soon.
Cheers.
Nope. Not at all.
They were lapping it up. It helps that Chris comes off as the cool kid that everyone wants to hang with. Some of his best material were the local jokes. Again, the crowd loved him.
Now to the Russian Embassy.
I'm headed to Moscow for Spring Break, and so is one of my teachers and her family. She asked if I've gotten my visa. Of course, I hadn't thought about it because in most places you can pick them up at the airport when you land.
Anyway, thank God for this lady. In order to visit Russia, you have to go online and get an "invitation" to visit the country, and complete a lengthy application. Without her help, I would have been up a creek. She also shared the GPS coordinates, which was critical to finding the place.
Interestingly, it is not anywhere near Embassy Row, where most are located. It is housed in a large, old nondescript building surrounded by storefronts. The only clue that you've found the place are the guards posted at every corner. They were kinda cute. Very laid back. Teddy bearish.
Inside, the place was manned by Russians, unlike the American Embassy, which didn't have an American in sight.
There were Russian speaking folks there for visas, too. Not sure why they needed them.
Here's is how it works.
You present your paperwork to a clerk, who checks it, and when its all good, she takes your passport and gives you a bill for the services.
Here's the wild part.
They don't handle any money directly. You have to go to their bank where they have an account, deposit the money, bring back the receipt, wait for a while for them to complete everything, and then you're done. My friend suggested I park Luther and take a cab to the bank and back. Again, this was great advice. It took a total of two hours, although with all of the running around, it seemed a lot longer. The only branch of the bank open after hours is in Abu Dhabi Mall. What a madhouse that was!
Anyway, thankfully, with the visa in hand, I'm ready to go. Come April 2nd, I'll be on my way. The following week I'm headed to Ethiopia. You can be sure I'm checking their visa requirements as soon as I post this.
Things have been crazy busy at work, so the break will be a welcome reprieve.
Hope that all is well in your world.
More soon.
Cheers.
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