But the correlation between the mental image I have of each country and their respective embassies/consulates is hilariously accurate.
The Russian one is cold, dim, and located in a rather isolated and relatively peaceful part of the city. Inside the waiting area it’s quiet, cold, and stern. Seriously, everyone has been dead silent both times I went, save for the one middle-aged American guy trying to crack jokes and make small talk unsuccessfully. The people waiting just sit there awkwardly avoiding eye contact, shivering because the damn room is so cold. It’s like we’re all waiting for someone to bust out the vodka to break the ice. Both times the Russian guy working was all serious business, and didn’t crack a smile at all.
The Chinese visa office is surprisingly clean and white, and looks good from the outside, but is complete chaos the minute you step in. There’s a system for getting a number and waiting your turn, but for some reason there’s a clusterfuck of people scrambling around the counter and there aren’t really any well-formed lines. Of course, it’s loud and lively, people yelling at each other in Cantonese or Mandarin and chasing their little kids around. There were a couple token white people (as well as me) who, from the looks on their faces, were obviously thinking “WTF is going on”. And of course, the Chinese guy at the visa window was all serious business as well, no smiles at all.
March 2009 is going to be absurd.
