This picture was taken and belongs to gatogrunch who also has other great photographs in his flickr account.
And growing intolerance for injustice, specially if derived from negligence, because of "not getting it," not bothering to learn and advance, the self imposed incapacity to discern.
An unidentified official of an border control agency from a not so distant country evaluated my application of a transit visa and decided that I was not persuasive enough to convince him/her on my "capacity (financial?) or intentions to leave that country in less than 48 hours." I have -like one million- arguments to prove the person wrong, based on data PROVIDED and readily AVAILABLE. This profusion is what demonstrates his/her inability to think manifest in the reasoning accompanying the refusal notice, or something else: an unjustified dismissal of all the information available about my request. This person's claims are so notoriously faulty that I am compelled to think nationality was the factor that REALLY attracted attention. Being Colombian has obliged me to invest great portion of my vital energy demythifying
whatever people think that comes "in package." tiresome.
Now, for certain, my capacity -the financial one- is disturbed by the wasted air plane tickets (from Tallinn to Miami, a gross amount of money has been thrown to the bin). The Border control agency of that country advises in its Website not to make definitive arrangements for the trip before having the visa but this is another disconcerting line among the many others:
1. If you cannot demonstrate you will leave the country within 48 hours you shall be presumed to intend to stay +
2. Therefore, it is your burden to show convincing proof of your intention to leave within 48 hours after arrival. The standard document (papers. print outs without any juridical value) are itineraries or any sort of booking arrangements +
3. Between the booking of tickets and the submission of the application to the Embassy can and will pass weeks +
4. Any experienced traveller knows that booking tickets can be done in 5 minutes over the Internet, but keeping the booking requires very fast if not immediate payment +
5. Either you pay so your booking is convincing, serious, real or you do not and it would be cancelled, which in turn will make your application false, because the "proof" of intention will not be valid.
Phoney recommendation. Is there any real guideline applicable or followed by border control agents other than the legitimized gut feeling?
Stereotypes strip people off their uniqueness. How can ANY one characteristic, say nationality in this case, could comprehensively define a person or determine someone's life? I find this thought unappealing and uncomfortable.
My children, however, are being taught to bond closely with the ethereal thought of being and behaving nationals of their homeland. It poses to me a difficult dilemma to resolve: should I counterbalance the teachings of standardization or let their individuality dilute on behalf of appreciation for their cultural heritage?
The rising wave of nationalism is puzzling to me. How this notion could possibly contribute to a better world? In very practical terms, I have more pressing and interesting things to do than trying to match my attitude with the definition of being Colombian or anything else so far removed from what matters to my daily life. I prefer to go to cinema (watched
Vicky-Cristina-Barcelona, another fantastic film by Woody Allen), eat cinnamon rolls or anything else, really...ANYTHING else.
Even sheep are all different, please take a look at
this illustrative project:
