Registering at FINEC is a piece of cake in comparison to the extension of your visa. However, both challenges are intertwined and may also, as well be observed as one – an extremely time consuming process! A great amount of patience and self-control is required. Waiting is the credo!

This article is the first of the two-part series and illustrates the preparation and the registration process, as experienced by myself. The second article presents a registration guide, created on the ground of information, sadly I did not possess, as I had to register.

Thanks to the advices of my tutor Eva and the report of Friederike I felt relatively well prepared and must confess I feel pretty happy about, how everything worked out for me. Let us however firstly observe

THE PREPARATION PART.

What you may bring along with you from your country of arrival, except of course all relevant documents and belongings, are 3 photographs, in case you have some, lying around. Otherwise doing them in Russia would probably be cheaper. The first photo you can use for your dormitory admission card (пропуск общежитие), the second photo for getting your student ID (студенческий билет), and the third you may use for issuing a library card (читательский билет). In contrast to the photographs needed for your multi-visa, there aren’t any special regulations about those ones. Thus, if one can recognize you on them, they will do just fine. With the dormitory admission card you are supposed to go to the administrator of the dormitory, and get it stamped. It serves as evidence, that you live there. You have to show it to the guard ladies in the first couple of weeks, when entering the dormitory.

More information about the dormitory will follow in one of my next posts. For issuing a library card you just go to the library, on the first floor in the university, bringing along a photo and your student ID.

AN ALTERNATIVE REGISTRATION METHOD

Most of the people go, as instructed by their tutors, to get registered at the international office, first thing on the day after the arrival. If you decide that waiting should be your new hobby, this may be a good idea. However, I am sure you may find better ways to spend your first week in St. Petersburg. Many students complained they waited for hours, in order to get information about, what they need for registering. Afterwards, they had to come back, after filling all the papers and wait once again.

I wonder, how is it possible, that no one thought of providing the exchange students with a written guide and the necessary papers beforehand or at least putting them on a place in the international office, where they can just pick them up and start preparing them, without having to wait so long?

Anyway…. presentimenting the long lines in front of the international office I decided to firstly get my AIDS test (Сертификат об отсутствии ВИЧ-инфекции) and the 6 matte photos (матовые фотографии) – in size of 3,5×4,5 millimeters – done. The AIDS test I did in the Otta clinic (Клиника Отта) and the photos at a Qrkiy Mir (Яркий Мир) studio. There is some other photo studio, right next to the university, however we were advised not to go there – no details were presented. I followed this advice.

Because of lack of Information I was forced to complete the rest of the registration “ordinarily”. I was lucky, for after returning from the Otta clinic, the women in room Nr. 7 of the international office were just handing out the gathered passports with some of the necessary copies. Apparently, the last 5 or 6 hours they spent collecting them, doing the necessary copies, filling out some papers and now they were returning the passports with the copies. I explained, I just came there, so one of them simply got my passport and did the necessary procedures right away. Here I also used one of the photographs, I brought with me from Berlin and were told to come on the next day to pick my student ID (студенческий билет). After ca. five minutes I got registered at FINEC, got my copies, and was ready for going to room Nr. 9, where the applications for the multi-visa, were supposed to be handed in. Of course, firstly one was supposed to receiving some additional papers and instructions… after waiting for hours (:

The real reason I am happy, about how things worked out for me is the fact I needed not more than 2 hours for the whole process, including applying for my visa. Why? I just didn’t wait… I always went through the doors of the offices, ignoring all other people, standing on the lines. I know it is not the nicest thing to do, but the other option – mentioned many times so far – didn’t really felt worth considering…

Why was it possible?

Well… firstly all students waiting in front of the rooms of the international office are foreigners, most of whom have very low knowledge of the Russian language. Many are for the first or second time in a foreign country, thus coming, staying and waiting together. As everyone else they don’t understand, what is really going on. Hence, if someone just goes through… well he must, in comparison, know what is he doing…

In addition, most of them are only familiar with registration processes, which are much better organized. Thus, the situation they find themselves in is completely new. Moreover, the women working in the international office don’t really care, who is coming next or if the order of entrance is correct. To them we are all the same, there are no numbered tickets or anything in that sense. Therefore, it is not “first come – fist serve”, but more like “first enter – first serve”. Ergo, if you act self confident enough, you are able to skip the waiting part. At some particular moment one may look at you more repiningly but, normally one is not sure, what exactly is going on and also has no time to react. It is of course important not to do this with people, you already got to know on the first evening (:

The best solution in this case is, saying to you tutor to grab your hand and just walk you through the whole process. I saw one girl doing this with the student she was “responsible” of. I felt both anger and respect. Fact is… I don’t even remember, how the exchange student looked like. He was in this case “innocent”. (:

This article is the first of the two-part series and illustrates the preparation and the registration process, as experienced by myself. The second article presents a registration guide, created on the ground of information, sadly I did not possess, as I had to register.

Gisterenavond was hels! Ik kreeg rond half negen een mailtje van Roger Janssens, dienst International Office van de KU Leuven, met allerhande documenten die nog in orde dienden te worden gebracht. In zo’n uur tijd heb ik dan het volgende gedaan: mijn vakken kiezen voor volgend academiejaar (in ruim 10 minuten, maar best dat ik er al wat over nagedacht had!), financiële garanties aantonen, mijn punten doorsturen (ruimer: transcripts) en zelfs een motivatiebrief neerpennen! Deze moest ik dan doorfaxen naar Roger, maar uiteraard: wij hebben geen fax thuis! Dan vlug naar Sarah gereden en daar met Brecht – haar broer – vlug alles doorgefaxt. Enkele minuten later kreeg ik dan het mailtje van Roger:

Beste Bram,

Je fax is net toegekomen, en je motivatiebrief had ik al gehad. Maar dit is schitterend – ik heb inderdaad alles wat er nodig was (incl. een vakkenlijst), behalve de aanbevelingsbrieven, en daar probeer ik morgen voor te zorgen. En dan nog het antwoord van Lehigh, natuurlijk!

Met vriendelijke groeten,
Roger Janssens

Inderdaad, nu is het wachten op Lehigh die me hopelijk snel – en als het kan voor dinsdag – dat I-20 formulier kan doorsturen. Ik vermoed echter dat ik de afspraak van komende dinsdag zal moeten verplaatsen. Net immers gezien dat ik het originele document moet meebrengen, geen kopie of fax. Hoe lang zou het duren vooraleer vanuit de VSA – desnoods ‘urgent delivery’ – een document in mijn brievenbus terecht komt? Het zou er immers al maandag moeten zijn… Zit er waarschijnlijk niet in. Maar goed, best niet vooruit lopen op de feiten! Again, patience is a virtue.

Das International Office hat, wohl um Bildmaterial für PR-Material zu bekommen, einen Fotowettbewerb “Mein Auslandsaufenthalt” ausgeschrieben. Die Zielsetzung spiegelt sich auch in den Ausschreibungskriterien

“Thema des Fotos soll einerseits der Bereich Lernen, Forschen oder Arbeiten im Ausland sein und andererseits die Besonderheit des Gastlandes widerspiegeln.”

und der Zusammensetzung der Jury wieder:

“Die Jury besteht aus Vertretern des International Office und des Career Center der Universität Freiburg sowie aus Vertretern von Unternehmen der Region (AOK Südlicher Oberrhein, McKinsey & Company, STA Travel, Herder Verlag, Kienbaum Executive Consultants)”

Ich hab trotzdem mal teilgenommen, war ja kein sonderlich großer Aufwand (mal abgesehen vom Sichten der ca 3.000 Bilder). Dabei hab ich die Ausschreibungskriterien großteils ausser acht gelassen und Bilder gesucht, die “für sich” stehen können und nicht unbedingt “alles ist toll und sonnig hier”-Touristenpostkartenmotive her geben.

Diese beiden Bilder hatte ich eingereicht:

Ein einsamer Baum, mitten im Rhein mit Sicht auf die Schweiz, von Frankreich aus fotographiert, als der dem Dreiländereck am nächsten gelegene Fixpunkt. Nahe der "Passerelle des trois pays" zwischen Hüningen und Weil am Rhein (und dem Aldi dort;-)

Vernissage Exonemo: UN-DEAD-LINK, Titel: Un-Dead-Cactus: Der digitale Kaktus auf dem Bildschirm war in der Installation Un-DEAD-LINK der japanischen Künstlergruppe Exonemo eben dieser untote Link zwischen Virtualität und Realität.

Natürlich hab ich mit diesen beiden Bildern nix gewonnen, Basel ist nicht weit genug weg, und heisst leider auch nicht “Yale”, oder “Bahia”.  Die Bekanntgabe der Gewinner findet am 24. Juni um 16:00 Uhr in der Prometheushalle (KG I, Uni Freiburg) statt.

Hier gibts schon fünf Bilder die es in die Auswahl geschafft hatten. Oder sind diese fünf etwa schon die GewinnerInnen? Ich gratuliere den Fünf, Lukas Fendel, Natalie Jäger, Matthias Schmidt, Christina Weiler, Mareen Hoeppner. Schöne Fotos sind das.

]]> http://joleneonthescene.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/goodlife/ Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:43:45 +0000 jolienherber http://joleneonthescene.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/goodlife/ http://joleneonthescene.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/international-frustrations/ Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:14:44 +0000 jolienherber http://joleneonthescene.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/international-frustrations/ http://swedenmind.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/oficina-internacional-de-kista-centro-de-examenes-de-mostoles-y-carnet-de-conducir/ Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:03:19 +0000 pablojcoloma http://swedenmind.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/oficina-internacional-de-kista-centro-de-examenes-de-mostoles-y-carnet-de-conducir/

Desde la charla de Stallman no escribo nada. Este finde pasado estuve haciendo como un poseso (lease tal cuál, sin exageraciones) tests de autoescuela para sacarme el teórico del carnet de conducir. Es un poco triste: tengo 21 años, vivo a 50 Km de Madrid, mi hermano pequeño tiene ya el carnet de conducir (de hecho alguna vez me ha llevado en coche…), me daba miedo/pereza el estudiarme el carnet… la verdad es que por mi parte la situación habría continuado así por mucho tiempo (la de buenos momentos durmiendo y cayéndose la babilla en el autobús) pero mis padres me dieron el ¿ultimatum? diciéndome que soy una calamidad (en plan cariñoso), que llevo 4 años y que podría haberme sacado el carnet de conducir antes… que es esencial… vamos, que no podía continuar así y más si me quiero ir a Suecia. Así que el viernes me puse y este fin de semana me he hecho unos 70 cuestionarios (la página llevaba la cuenta por mí ).

Así que ayer me desplacé (si bien un poco acojonado por el poco tiempo que llevaba haciendo tests) a la central de exámenes de la DGT de Móstoles. Para el que quiera saber cómo llegar, los autobuses salen cada 30′ de Príncipe Pío y es el número 522 (a Móstoles por las pistas de tráfico). Una vez llegados allí te encuentras en una rotonda y sigues a una masa ingente de personas como tú que, libro en mano, preguntan, realizan los últimos tests… y en definitiva te ponen más nervioso de lo habitual.

Me sentí un poco sólo: allí todo el mundo iba con su mami y papi, tenían pendientes y piercings ellos y ellas y de haberme encontrado con ellos en un callejón una noche oscura… seguro que completo no habría salido. La verdad es que no era tan complicado (todo el mundo te lo dice, tú dices que no y luego te das cuenta que sí… hoy me siento como después del día de selectividad). Hoy he mirado en tráfico y he aprobado con 1 sólo fallo, así que estoy más contento… A las 5 llamaré a la autoescuela para que me digan cuando puedo empezar a hacer las prácticas. Mi intención es hacerlas de dos en dos y a partir de las 8 de la tarde. Tengo un poco de prisa y el tiempo pasa muy rápido.

Por otra parte, hace dos días, la oficina internacional de Kista (el campus de ICT de la KTH), nos escribió un mail diciéndonos que habían recibido la documentación de la universidad y que entrabamos en el proceso de selección, allá por mayo nos enviarán la carta de aceptación (espero). En concreto…

(…) Thank you for your application for exchange studies at the Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, for the academic year 2008/2009. Your application (with ref. No. ZZXXXX_XXXXX) has been received in due time before deadline and it will be taken into the admission process with regards to your selected school at KTH: School of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)(…)

Al menos es un paso…