Visa (part 2)

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＊How to behave while applying visas

I'd heard so many stories about those bothersome and annoyance while applying visas. I haven't had one, but had seen a few happening. For those cases I'd seen, it should be reasonable to be rejected or annoyed. I don't understand why some people deeply believe that what tour agencies said would be more correct than what consulates said, if the visas were issued by consulates. Why do people blame the consulates with those details that they don't notice? It should be much easier to apologize then make some amendments, isn't it? "I'd been to more than 30 countries and none of them have such rules, only you do". But mister, now you are going to this country, not the previous 30 more countries, right?

I am so pissed off every time when I saw those arrogant, insolent and bumptious people. Visiting another country is like visiting an amusement park, all they believe they should do is paying. I have no idea where they get those confidence from.

I always believe that applying visas by ourselves is a good way of practicing. Getting visas is not only the first step to enter a country legally, but also the first chance to lower your head. Lowing heads is not making yourself grievances or degradation, but lower your pride and yourself to be modest. It's like hunters always watch cautiously around while entering a new hunting place, to see if this place already belongs to someone or not, to see the plants distributing, to see if there might be huge animals around. Now you are going to a place that is totally different from where you grew up. You might read about it somehow, know it from TV, movies or someone else, but you are far from understanding this place and the people living there. Why do people let you get in as you wish? You don't trust a place because of safety issues, robbery, then why you could ask them to trust you?

Somehow we could understand the relationship between 2 countries according to the availability of setting consulate offices to deal with the diplomatic and consulate affairs. For those complicated things between Taiwan and China, Taiwan cannot really build formal relationships with many countries. Our consulate units overseas cannot really own the name "consulate". But most countries in the world welcome Taiwanese passport holders, maybe because of the money, also a small country like Taiwan is supposed to be harmless as well. Those immigration paper works might piss you off a bit, but usually they don't reject you right after seeing you handing out a Taiwanese passport. Many Taiwanese people are complaining about how annoying to travel with Taiwanese passports. I would suggest those people to read "3000 USD to travel around the world" by a Chinese named Jhu Jhao Ruei. In that book Jhu complaind and cursed again and again how annoying to traveling with a Chinese passport, and he still completed his journey. We could not change the reality. How far things would go depends on how much effort you could pay for them. How much you could insist, and how much you could believe yourself. Someone had done it, what about you?

Different countries have different ways of thinking. They make some rules to for you to follow if you want to visit them. Commenting those rules should be out of their points of view, not ours. Sometimes you might find it interesting if you understand how and why those articles became rules. So stop complaining those rules, like stop complaining picking out fish bones if you want to have fishes. All those requirements go to proofs, which make them trust you more. Working and marriage certifications make them believe that you would be back to your country to work and live. Flight tickets make them believe that you do have to enter and leave their countries, not getting visas for frauds or selling.  Hotel reservations make them believe that you would enter the country for sure and stay for a while. Some countries(like Russia) are more strict to foreigners. The police might ask you questions and check your proofs of staying if you meet them on the streets.  If you cannot present some documents for some reasons, ask yourself "what could that document prove", "what else could I present to prove the same thing", then talk to the consulates to see if they accept or not. If they can't, think about other ways that might work. Give them and yourself some space for discussion.

Among those 3 visas, 2 are out of spec. Luckily the staffs and consular are very willing to help me. They don't even need to listen to me as long as I request to enter after 6 months, but they keep their ears and mind opened, trying to understand my plans and doing their best to help me. I'm very, very appreciated about that. They believe in me and guarantee for me, to make their governments trust me. Not to mention that Schengen visa, German consulate have to convince other 25 countries to trust me, that's how hard it could be. I would try my best to get the visas I need, and not to make too much trouble for them in the mean while, thus increasing the chances to be successful. It's a great task for me, also it proves what I thought before; Visas could be negotiated as long as you are well prepared, and make them feel your respect, cautiousness and passion to visit their countries. You are very much willing to cooperate with them, just some documents might be not so easy to get, so if there's any other way....like this. Try to talk to the supervisor, the consular would be the best, but try not to offend other staffs. The consular would trust their people more, of course. If the staffs could help to consult with the consular, that's also great. Except the oral explanation to the staffs, making some documents, which present the details of your plans and requirements, to ask the staffs handing over to the consular, would be a good idea. Also get yourself ready for the oral discussion in phones or meeting in person. It's just one step away from you visas if things go thus far.

If you still got rejected after making all those efforts, then feel free to blame Taiwan or your background. It's not necessary to complain for something you could not change. There must be somewhere else good for you to visit.

If one doesn't respect and be cautious to the mountains, he might got killed. If one doesn't respect and be cautious to unknown, he might not see anything and stay ignorant, no matter how far he travels. Mr. and Ms. tourists, please stop being arrogant. Nobody puts a knife on your neck and ask you to visit there. If you are not happy with their rules, then don't go.


2010/01/03 Kaohsiung