Recently some friends of our family tried to get a visa to the Czech Republic for their son to study. It was terribly difficult. To make an appointment at the consulate, you need to register on the Internet. But, apparently, there are so many people that getting into this queue is incredibly difficult. Our friends tried to do it for several weeks. They got up at midnight to be the first, but the list was already full. They applied for help in the travel agencies, but they could do nothing. They went to various forums on the Internet to consult with other people, but everyone was in the same situation, no-one could help. My friends were even ready to give a bribe, only to get into the consulate (and this gave no guarantee of obtaining a visa), but did not find the right person. Finally, after a few sleepless nights, friends managed to press the button first at exactly 12 o’clock in the morning and get on the queue the next day. On this occasion they even had a big celebration with their friend.
At this party my son, hearing this whole story, declared categorically as a young man, “I would never have gone to this Czech Republic”. “But why?, I asked, Czech Republic is a wonderful country, I’ve been to Prague, such a beautiful city”. “Right,” my son objected, “if they have such a mess in the consulate, then there’s a mess in the country, too. You cannot convince me with your stories”.
I had nothing to answer him.
And I thought how important the work of consulates is around the world. According to them, even before entering the country, foreigners form an opinion about it.
Is everything good with our Kazakh consulates in other countries?
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