Ministry of Interior Part Two (2/7)

Today I went back to the Ministry of Interior for my 2nd attempt at getting a visa renewal appointment. They opened at 2:30 but I was able to get there by a little after 2pm. There was already a line and it was drizzling out, so I tried to seek cover under the awning of the makolet/corner store just next door. There were too many people pushing and shoving (in Israel? No way!), so I decided to go across the street for a slice of pizza at Agvaniya (which means tomato). Thank goodness I decided to get inside because after a few minutes, the thunder rolled in, the skies opened, and hail came down. Yes, chunks of ice falling straight from the sky. The ice was bouncing off of cars and the sidewalk. I was thankfully enjoying my pizza and mango juice.

Finally the clock struck 2:30 and I guess I saw the doors to the building open, but it wasn't a very quick-moving line. I waited out the continuing rain in Agvaniya, watching everyone push their way toward the door. The way I saw it, I was waiting either way. I could cross the street, wait in the rain, deal with the clump of impatient people trying to make their way in to an office, or I could wait under the awning of the restaurant, untouched, and just laugh at everyone clumped together seeking shelter and being obnoxious. I chose the latter.

At about 2:45 it seemed like the line was moving enough to make it worthwhile to cross the street and deal with the drizzling. I waited a few minutes before hearing my name being called. My roommate Suri was just behind me in the line. Apparently she also got the memo that you had to wait outside in the rain to get into the building to try and get an appointment for a visa that is no longer valid. So we kind of dealt with this whole together at that point. We made our way to the door, went through security, and somehow found our way to one of the offices upstairs. Of course, the signage was terrible, no one was helping us to find our way, who knows where all of the other people in line actually went, because we couldn't really find any of them. The building looked like a run down NYC public school. This is an official Israeli government office? Seemed pretty shanty to me.

We finally get to room 204, the visa room. The door is open but the sign on it says, "Leave your name and phone number and we'll call you back." This is the sign I've heard about that I thought couldn't actually be real. A sign up list? This doesn't seem very official. Well here it is! We could have just signed our names and left but the door was open and there were a few people inside. Since there is no such thing as customer service in Israel, no one comes to greet us or ask if we need any help, so we wait patiently for many minutes until one of the women says, "Do you need something?" When we respond yes, that we need to sort out our visas, she says, "I'm sorry, we're closed." Really? The building is open. It even says so on the outside of the building. You were closed the other day when I came by and I specifically came today at 2:30 because I knew you were open. You aren't closed. The building is open. The door to this office is open. You are sitting at a desk. You're closed? You look open to me. You sure as hell look like you are working. OK, fine, we put our names on the list and head back out of the building our separate ways.

Hopefully I'll actually get that phone call tomorrow setting up an appointment. C'mon Israeli government, show me your stuff!