Mohsin Ali » Travel http://mohsinali.name Tue, 19 May 2009 22:08:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Canadian Immigration http://mohsinali.name/canadian-immigration/ http://mohsinali.name/canadian-immigration/#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2007 06:52:53 +0000 admin http://mohsinali.name/?p=131 Candian immigration and the stupidity that is me…
hindsight is such a beautiful thing in times like theses
Canadian custom form SIgned it sure no problem.

Fist immigration desk…
Immigration Officer: Hello sir where are you coming from?
Me: London…
Immigration Officer: what’s the purpose of your stay
Me: pleasure, visiting a few friends…
Immigration Officer: where do they live
Me: Mississauga…
Immigration Officer: alright sir you have a good day…

I could see the baggage carousel and it seemed like glowing light at
the end of the tunnel… heaven at the time i finally did it, my first
trip on a whim and a prayer. I’m almost out. This big canadian guy
bigger than me (can you imagine) flagged me step this way sir… I’m
like ok now i’m in another line for immigration again… waiting…
finally get called.

Immigration Officer: So sir what is the purpose of your stay
Me: visiting friends i said…
Immigration Officer: where do they live?
Me: Mississauga

right it was at this point i realized that i had nobody’s phone number
nobody’s address I had nothing, this whole things was so last
minute… all my communication was on facebook, i was like i’m coming
to canada and they were like cool uncle (our dad) will meet you at the
airport! I was like cool uncle will meet me… Back to this white
candian with glasses….

Immigration Officer: sir could you please write the names and address
and phone numbers of everyone you’re visiting here in canada on this
piece of paper.
Me: ummmm i only know there names…
Immigration Officer: so you don’t know their addresses
Me: ummm no!
Immigration Officer: So you don’t know these poeple really do you sir!
Me: no no I know them I grew up with them!
Immigration Officer: where did you grow up with them? (it got worse from there)
Me: Ummm in Saudi Arabia (eeek)…
Immigration Officer: (it went quiet around me) sir please write the
information i requested on this piece of paper!
i wrote the names of the people i grew up with.
Immigration Officer: How old are they Sir?
Me: i guesed roughly gave the ages kinda didn’t know exactly
Immigration Officer: you don’ t know them do you sir?
Me: no no i DO! I really do!

he took Hussian bhai’s name (Hussain Pasha)
Immigration Officer: what’s his middle name I was like
Me: I don’t know! (crying a little inside now)
Immigration Officer: Sir how do you really expect me to believe that
you know these people
Me: Serriously sir i know them… honest!
Immigration Officer: Who are you staying with?
Me: i’m staying with they’re father…
Immigration Officer: What’s his name?
Me: His name is Uncle Pasha…
Immigration Officer: me What’s his first name!
Me: ummm Uncle ummm Pasha?
Me: I don’t know his first name! (i only knew him as uncle pasha)
Immigration Officer: you don’t really know these people how do you
accept me to believe that you know them!
i pleaded….
Me: I do I do know them!
Me: i’m staying with him and his wife…
Immigration Officer: what’s his wife’s name
Me: ummm Aunty Pasha…
i knew here fist name… i got excited.
Me I know her first name.. i know her first name it’s Sabia! Phew sigh
of relief…
Immigration Officer: how old is she!
how old is she i thought? Why the hell do you need to know that! How
WOULD I KNOW THAT!
Me: I dunno!
How should i know that! (eeeeek!) He stopped…
Immigration Officer: how many bags you got..
Me: two sir one on my back and a long one…
Immigration Officer: what’s in the bag?
Me: i got my laptop sir…
Immigration Officer: laptop huh! Why do you need a laptop? are you
planning to work here?
Me: No sir I’m here on holiday!
Immigration Officer: If you’re here on holiday why do you need a laptop!
Me: Ummm for emailing and messaging and facebook and stuff like that sir!
Immigration Officer: But your on holiday why do you need to email
isn’t that work!
Me: no sir it’s for keeping in touch with friends and stuff like that!
Immigration Officer: You’re here to work aren’t you!
Me: No sir i’m not honest I’m not!
I then began to explain to him the whole Social networking web 2.0
scene on the interweb! He finally let me go! I was so thankful at the
time I think i was reading the kalima by then (alhumdulilah i
thought)! Walk out the double doors the baggage carousel’s right
there.

Another big candian officer stops me (6th one)
Big Canadian: hello sir…
Me: hello (no not agian please for all that is good and holy)
Big Canadian: Where are you coming from today sir (this is the 6th
bloody time i had to answer this question) Me: i smiled politeiy
London i said!
Big Canadian: Purpose of your visit?
Me: Pleasure visiting friends (for heavens sake)
Big Canadian: Thank You sir Enjoy your stay!

MY GOD! That was terrible… my heart’s still beating fast had to calm
it down take a few deep breaths i thought… Got my bag… get out and
find Uncle Pasha :)

If canadian immigration was that bad I can’t imagine what American immigration would be like… it’s my own fault really… and no thanx to my passport picture! Yikes!

]]> http://mohsinali.name/canadian-immigration/feed/ 2 Spain http://mohsinali.name/spain/ http://mohsinali.name/spain/#comments Tue, 31 Oct 2006 07:37:17 +0000 admin http://mohsinali.name/?p=97 I gotta say something about spain because spain is and was awesome! You gotta check it out http://www.flickr.com/photos/mohsin/ . I think besides getting browner than i alreday am, you wouldn’t think it but yeh i never thought I could go darker a more goldeny color it was cool. My poor little brother who’s already well baked from the saudi sun went even darker which he didn’t like hehe. The beach was amazing which is what we did most of the time. My little bro and I that’s all we did just beach pretty much everyday. Everyone else was chicken but they all eventually came in towards the end of our stay. But wow it was amazing. I think it was doing somehing as a family it was really fun and different after a long long long time.

Oh Churros for breakfast with chocolate dip, they were to die for. We had them almost everyday and I don’t really care if they’re bad for you, it was the best breakfast ever! Though we’d burn it off in the water but wow i’m a huge churro fan!

I think what really took my breath away was Grandad. I didn’t get to see much of the city just al-humra and the cafe’s and restaurants below, but I really liked it. The city had this really cool vibe that was really welcoming although I did a 4hr drive to Grandad through the most seneic route possible and I really tired the city had this really inviting atmosphere that makes me so totally want to go back. I think it was the muslim culture it was still there in the walls in the buildings, you could see some of the heritige but it was soemthing else that was still there at Granada it’s weird and hard to explain but I guess you’d have to go there and feel it for yourself. Definetley will go back again.

]]> http://mohsinali.name/spain/feed/ 0 Finally Going Home! http://mohsinali.name/finally-going-home/ http://mohsinali.name/finally-going-home/#comments Wed, 02 Mar 2005 18:09:07 +0000 admin http://mohsinali.name/?p=76 Whoa it’s been a long time! I never knew how consuming work could be that I never found time to update this thing!

Well I’m finally going back home to Saudi! Yippee and about time too! Yup I’m going home the passports have visas on them the tickets have been booked and well that’s it really. It’s kinda serial though in a way because I never thought it would happen, and I’m not overly excited about it… don’t get my wrong I am excited but not at much as I thought I’d be. Anyways can’t wait to go home it’s gonna be great, get to play tennis spend time with family, get my iPod hehe!

So all’s well…

Work is really good although at times it can be very stressing though most of the time it’s really great. I’m sorta becoming the don at Linux, slowly though but it’s one hell of a system once you can get your head around it. But things are good here I’m very happy for the moment. There were times when I thought I’d just pack it in and forget about it but it’s something I had to do and boy have I learned a lot.

I hope I get to see some friends back home but I doubt it, well I don’t know really I don’t think anybody comes around march but it would be nice I guess. I just can’t wait to smell the air and the heat on my skin!

]]> http://mohsinali.name/finally-going-home/feed/ 0 London… Nottingham… Harrogate and back again http://mohsinali.name/london-nottingham-harrogate-and-back-again/ http://mohsinali.name/london-nottingham-harrogate-and-back-again/#comments Sun, 26 Dec 2004 22:23:37 +0000 admin http://mohsinali.name/?p=71 I’m back in Nottingham again! I left slough day before yesterday, came to Nottingham because I missed the last train on the 24th because we finished late. Crashed at my friends place. They took me home on xmas night and since I needed to be back the day after instead of being a lazy ass like I usually am (staying at home relax and then make my own way in my own time) I decided to come back with them and it saved me a train ride and carting all my stuff across the uk rail . Half of me wanted to stay at home and chill and the other half (my sensible half) was telling me they’ve come all this way use this opportunity to take all your stuff back… so that’s what I did.

And I’m back in Nottingham with all my stuff, and then I’m going down to London and start work for another week! At least I’ve got something to wear now. I don’t think I’ve ever worn the same clothes for a whole week like I did last week. I feel so clean now after getting new clothes and having a nice warm power shower at home and a shave while I was home last night.

]]> http://mohsinali.name/london-nottingham-harrogate-and-back-again/feed/ 0 Finding my way home http://mohsinali.name/finding-my-way-home/ http://mohsinali.name/finding-my-way-home/#comments Sat, 25 Dec 2004 23:10:00 +0000 admin http://mohsinali.name/?p=70 Well I didn’t go home yet and I’m back in Nottingham… Left slough late last night and it was too late to catch the last train plus being Chirstmas Eve they are fewer services running. So I crashed at my friends place again and being xmas day there ain’t no trains running today so I’m gonna get dropped off home, which is a nice perk :) seeing the way things worked out I get a free ride home. Though I have to be back in nottingham tomorrow becuase I have to go back and start again on Monday.

]]> http://mohsinali.name/finding-my-way-home/feed/ 0 I’m in Nottingham http://mohsinali.name/im-in-nottingham/ http://mohsinali.name/im-in-nottingham/#comments Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:23:56 +0000 admin http://mohsinali.name/?p=67                                                                                     
I’m in Nottingham thought I’d post this… it caught my eye :)
   

]]> http://mohsinali.name/im-in-nottingham/feed/ 0 My Itinerary http://mohsinali.name/my-itinerary/ http://mohsinali.name/my-itinerary/#comments Thu, 16 Dec 2004 13:00:00 +0000 admin http://mohsinali.name/?p=66 Thursday; Sheffield, Friday; Nottingham/London, Saturday; London and then finally home, maybe… could be Sunday though.

I hate traveling! I don’t mind if I’m going to my destination and then stay there for a few weeks like I do when I go home. But the next three days are gonna be murder! Jumping from one place to another but yeah it’s gonna be alright though, I’m gonna be so tired by the end of it.

Hey but if anyone wants to see me and if you’re around at the time when I am, I’ll try to break away to see ya.

I’ve got so much on, hope it all goes well. If it does you never know I might have to go down to London permanently until I can go home. I don’t wanna but I do get the gig in London I relish the challenge, plus my friends have already told them I’m this genius and now they wanna see how good I really am! Eeeeek! Now that’s too much pressure! I love my friends but you know sometimes they can blow you outta proportion :)  It’s all good though… I can only give on what I know and have and if that’s what they want then cool!

]]> http://mohsinali.name/my-itinerary/feed/ 0 España http://mohsinali.name/espana/ http://mohsinali.name/espana/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2004 22:29:09 +0000 admin http://mohsinali.name/?p=16 Fui a España que era muy bueno.

Mi Familia y yo went to Spain, it was awesome. We had a great time. Los todos personas are so laid back and well very good looking I’d have to say compared to the other places I’ve been. We were in the south, the beaches were beautiful the people were beautiful the weather was beautiful. I have ot admit that there are no complaints besides the language barrier we didn’t really have any problems. As you can see my Spanish isn’t all that great but I’m working on that.

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