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5 comments
Have you ever thought about being a politician? It seems like you don’t even need a coherent ideology or narrative today. I read an article a while back about how people only hear parts of speeches they liked (I think it was on Macron’s rhetorical tactics). I think that’s how Putin’s Russia can be the last white (or European) country that’s untainted by mass migration and the last bastion of traditional values uncorrupted by LGBT stuff to the far right in the West while also being an anti colonial champion of the oppressed third world to the far left in the West. He’s also presented himself to the Russian public as the savior of multicultural Russia from the western backstabbing of the 1990s and their degenerate culture promoting separatism.
Trump also had some similar flip flopping around issues. Simultaneously presenting himself as the champion of the working classes while boasting about tax cuts for people like himself. Criticizing Iran for LBGTQ issues while denying he’s doing anything against LBGTQ in the US.
<[David Mitchell voice](https://youtu.be/1W34wyKZlWQ)> Are you one of those annoying bro-type people who insists on greeting others with some sort of elaborate sequence of fistbumps, high fives, low fives or indeed anything other than a regular handshake, hug, or timid smile and wave (or *la bise* if you’re from that part of the world)? If so, do you seriously expect me to not screw up whatever returning gesture you’re expecting from me, and to not feel extremely awkward in the process? Then fuck you. </David Mitchell voice>
I wanna see how immigration and customs varies from country to country. I’m a non-EU National and I travel a lot. I’m mostly based in Brussels as a student but I usually never fly internationally in and out of Brussels, my first port of entry is usually Lisbon, Paris, or Frankfurt (a few years ago). Exiting, I’m usually leaving out of Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt. I just wanna see how strict some countries are at the border, or how laxed they are, if it’s quick to get through immigration or not.
IME Paris CDG is a favorite of mine to fly in and out of. It’s usually cheaper than doing it out of Brussels and Amsterdam, and the passport control people are basically lampposts. They usually never even bother asking anything and they just flip to a random page in your passport and stamp it. Tho at the exit they always have a couple police officers watching everyone, but I usually never see anyone pulled to the side.
In Lisbon they just ask for the final destination and what I’ll be doing there/how long, then I get the stamp and go. A few days ago, the guy didn’t even ask the purpose and wasn’t looking for any visa.
The two times I’ve come back into Brussels from outside the EU, they seem to want to take their sweet time talking for a couple minutes while scanning my passport or whatever before they finally stamp it. Also usually asking me for my residence permit since I’m a student (which I don’t have because it takes a long time to get). They also always have a couple officers standing at the baggage claim exit, but they’re also always pulling random people out. Hell, I even got pulled out once.
Amsterdam, I flew out internationally once and the process was mostly automated and the border guard just asked what I was in the EU for and then stamped my passport.
London LHR, going in I just used the automatic passport gates and it was easy. Tho I was slightly intimidated by the fact that at the green customs channel, they had like 20 police officers just standing around there watching everyone and chatting. I was afraid I was gonna get pulled aside because I got a bit nervous and would make shaky eye contact.
Barcelona, I flew in from Morocco. They were like the Paris passport controllers: lampposts. Just hand them the passport, they flip to a random page and they stamp it and you can go. I think the customs channel at the baggage claim exit only had like one lone officer standing at it.
Frankfurt, the passport control guy just says in his strong German accent, as a stern question, “final destination”. Then they flip to a random page and stamp the passport. Going through customs, most of the time they don’t even have the customs channels open. And in the event they are open, it’s just one or two officers standing there. Exiting Frankfurt, they were quick about it and just asked what I was doing in the EU. I say I was a student and then I was on my way.
Oslo, the Norwegian passport control guy took a little longer with me when I said I was a student. Asked me if I had a residence card/permit or anything on me and I said no. Then he just stamped my passport anyway. This was leaving Norway to go to the UK.
Warsaw, I got the most shit there because the Polish passport controllers didn’t think I was the person on my passport. This was in 2022 and my passport was issued in 2016 where I was fatter and had a different hairstyle haha. They were questioning me on what I was doing in the EU and I eventually showed them my newly acquired Belgian residence card and suddenly they took all the heat off of me, said I should’ve showed them that earlier. I guess they were just confused at me having a layover in Warsaw to go to South Korea, but started in Paris and I didn’t have a French entry stamp.
I think I’ve covered the ones I have personal experiences with. I hope to hear more from you guys!
Yesterday I was so tired that I went to bed without dinner. Unfortunately, I was also so tired, that I couldn’t sleep till one or so, and woke up at five.
I will go for a run later. Clearly I have something that needs sweating out.
Do you guys have a favorite “I need to reset my brain” activity?
Saludos desde San Sebastián-Donostia.
I said Bilbao would be a hard act to follow, but San Sebastián has risen to the occasion.
What a lovely little city. The weather has been finicky but overall tepid and agreeable, I already managed to “echarme un baño en el mar” at the famed La Concha beach.
I’m now at a lively terrace café on a “mirador” (lookout point from a hill) overlooking la concha inlet, knocking back Basque cider and Tinto de Verano while the DJ is mixing a banger of a set for this pleasantly alternative crowd here.
Viva País Vasco!