Giro D'Italia 96' - Across Italy in 96' ( Part 2 )
True Life Story
So, it was 1996, we were students, we collected money all year to make our Summer interesting. I was living in at that time country called Macedonia, now in 2021 "Northern Macedonia".
We needed visas for everywhere, we wanted to go, long procedures, documents, bureaucracy, such a Golgotha. Now, in our potential Trip to Italy, I had to find a way to get Visa. As, I said Marco from Palermo was Solution but not quite certain. However at that time phones were expensive, so I had to find a way to Call Him and ask Him to Invite us. As, I worked in Student Newspaper, I went in the Opposite office and I entered the office when there was nobody else and called. Luckily, Marco remembered me & He acted as if He was waiting for me to call and He said immediately "Yes" on all I kindly asked.
We took our passports, fullfil the application, took photos, money and our Application for Italian Summer Camp on Sicily and we thought everything is fixed and we will get Visa with No problem but it didn't seem that way.
Nori said, we need to be dressed well and prepared, so there will be no problem. We went in the Italian Embassy and we came to crowd of million people waiting and expecting same thing as Us. "Oh, My God, I said to myself, how are we going to enter?".
The first temptation was to enter and next thing was to get Visa. Both things were trully equally difficult.
The good thing was that the Security Policeman made difference between us and others, the good thing was that we were rare specie as there were not much females, so He called us and said: "You can enter".
Wow, I was on seventh Sky, that was Amazing. My beginning Excitement calmed down as the Officers in the Embassy started talking that our documents were not enough and we needed more. Finally, as Nori tried talking with them in Italian they said: "Ok, if we get fax from. AISEC Italy for the Summer University and Invitation for You, we might be convinced, so getting Visa, it will be easier".
"Oh, Jesus Christ, I thought we will get for sure not it will possibly be easier". I had to call Marco again and He needed to send fax directly in the Italian Embassy.
(To be Continued)