Issuing Visa Issues

Well, yesterday I spent most of my morning in the Foreign Police Department. I went to the High School that hired me to pick up my contract, then they sent me to the Foreign Police to apply for my visa. They said it would be simple, I'd have to wait a while, then I'd be able to send off my paperwork for a work visa. Once this was done I'd be able to start teaching, something I've been waiting to do for about three weeks now.

It's never that easy in the Czech Republic.

I arrived at the Foreign Police after taking an uncountable number of trams and metros. I waited with a mass of bodies surrounding this computer that had a sign on it. The sign was in Czech, so I had no idea why we were surrounding it or what we were waiting for. Not one offical person was in sight. Not one sign was in English. Finally, a lady came out of a locked door to issue tickets with numbers on them to us from this computer. I waited some more. And some more. And some more. Meanwhile people from all over the world were in this room waiting for something. I started to wonder why I wanted a work visa in this country. I was the only American in the room. Why does an American want to work in the Czech Republic? Well, I guess there are some questions that are unanswerable.

So, my number was finally called...after sitting, standing, The Count of Monte Cristo, an instant cappuccino, three bathroom trips, and time spent people watching. The lady behind the desk was upset that I hadn't registered as a tourist. Who knew about this? Aparently, people have to register within three days of their being here. Who wants to do that when they're on vacation? She gave me some grief about that and asked me some questions about when I arrived. Then she goes on to say, in broken English, that I have to go to a Czech Embassy outside the country to apply for a work visa. What!? That is not what the school said.

So I left with nothing accomplished and my teaching date pushed back further.