tue 24 may 2011 09:09:43 — witte de withstraat
trouble with nations in the house
lately the frustration with national boundaries has become a household grief. nicole's friend wanted to visit her in amsterdam, just as she had visited him a couple months before, but holland denied him a visa, with the excuse that they couldn't figure out what he would do at the end of his stay. this after nicole had already gone to the stadsdeelkantoor to sign a statement that she would be financially responsible for any misbehavior on his part (such as overstaying his welcome). then yesterday, poor ewa was getting all kinds of frustration trying to apply for a visa to visit the US. after applying on line, she was told she must make an appointment with the consulate, and to make the phone call to make the appointment cost 15 euros -- payable only by credit card, mind you, so she had to borrow mine.