The Good Girl (& other stories)

Well it’s that time of the year when you sometimes sit down with a nice glass of port and start brooding over recollections of the past. Once I saw in a newspaper (Grauniad) that Christmas time is the most depressing time of the year for those of us who are lonely. Well kidz, let’s fix that up by discussing some good girls who have crossed my path throughout the years. Surely this ought to warm things up bit, innit? When I say good girl, I go for the rather literal interpretation - not in the same sense as that film with Jennifer Aniston in the lead, OK. 

A ha, this is what you could call an optimistic enterprise coz merely three lines into it I just found out that I’d rather be writing a book the size of the universe than a humble blog on the subject. So we’d make a compromise on this by cutting it down to a mere three (Girls) and hey, since when did jumping for joy on your own escapades become cool… Guess its totally sooo uncool and narcissistic, so I will write about two of us - The Man Who Smoked Pot with the Famous and Not So Famous, and myself. Just like in Me, Myself, & Irene!

He first saw Elena at the infamous reception of the institute at the cradle of Industrial Revolution. For the The Man Who Smoked Pot with the Famous and Not So Famous, many a night has passed at that place when they were all engulfed in general merriment and what not (use your imagination here). In one cold starry night, Elena, the beautiful goddess she was, just walked into the reception to get something. Now she sure is eye candy, had Mr Shakespeare met her, he would surely have penned some long eulogy in praise of her beauty. Someone behind the desk asked her what she would consider a good girl. Now, that is one tough question to be asked from a girl at a night, given the other connotations. Elena, being herself, wore her withers too high to be perturbed by small talk like that. Gracefully, she took it in her stride and replied, “she has to have a good heart, a brain to match, and looks that that would put Venus to shame”. She put her hand on her face, heart, and then swept it along her killer body while gesticulating the answer – and poor Man Who Smoked Pot with the Famous and Not So Famous was finding hard to keep his composure. Out of nowhere Elena had struck a chord with him, bringing back the memories of someone else who said the same, on a starry cold night, at the other end of the universe. Although the conversation was brief, it was generally agreed that every man present there would then onwards apply Elena's Law of Beauty when measuring up women. Of all the girls you could meet on a cold, starry night, this was someone who could surely be the full moon brightening up entire heavens with her gentle warmth. Elena doesn't count herself in as a good girl because she had been hell bent on helping out others or for whatever. She counts in merely because she was born that way. Each time she graced the halls, there was always this magic about the air, and anyone who met her even briefly is certain that many a princesses could lay not a claim to that accolade even in their full regalia. Looking at her, you just know that she needs not do nothing extra to make the world a better place, here mere presence was more than adequate.

Leaving The Man Who Smoked Pot with the Famous and Not So Famous, here is who you know at another reception, this time it was the place where the sky blackened with soot of the Industrial Revolution, and there she was, tall, slender, shoulder length shiny blond hair falling in a cascade over her perfectly symmetrical head, talking to the girl behind the counter of something. I have to confess that to date I have only seen two really actually beautiful girls and she is one of them. Shame that I never got around to find out her name, or that of the other one for that matter. She was standing there, one leg slightly backwards, in a semi pirouette, and hugging her folders on her bosom, silken hair forming effortless waves each time she moved her head. The conversation amongst the men ground to a halt as each started noticing her at the reception, and boy she was killing me. If there ever was a beauty contest among our group, she'd win hands down, not even JAT could have been a match for her in that department. I have to confess that her astounding beauty has put fear of God into me (of approaching her) and we were never pals. Yet she was the most outgoing girl there, holding her own when push came to shove, yet so humble and princess like in countenance and conduct. 

I write about her not for that she had been pally with me, but because on a day when I needed the strength to stand up, she gave it to me. Stuck between Scylla and Charybdis, turning around I saw her staring at me with a line of slight approval on her face. They say Helen of Troy was the face that launched a thousand ships, and I there I had that magic moment. Fu%#@ it, for a face like that I could die for, a sudden rush of adrenalin engulfed me and I turned around and said “f&*k you, this is in the wrong and I oppose”. Had it not been for her, I'd never have done that – and would have regretted it forever. Thank you, who ever you are. 

Talking about girls, this treatise would be incomplete without a mention of TM, the Girl Next Door. Well I know there are a couple of films with that name, but this story has nothing to do with them. In case you are interested, one (of the films) has a tragic heroine and is based on a true story, while the other is everyman's fantasy. The latter has Elisha Cutberth in one of the most -use your imagination- roles in recent film history. I could only think of incomparable Lauren Bacall and Lee Remick in Anatomy of a Murder to have bettered Elisha in a similar role. Anyways, our Girl Next Door is someone playing a different league. Good for her. Since my secretary left, running that small outfit had become somewhat problematic – mainly because I have never been known to be an early riser. Post gets lost, customers come and stare at locked doors and turn around in dismay (while muttering to God to be so kind enough to bestow seven strikes of lightning upon me), pretty girls walk on the street and I can't find a legit excuse to ogle them from balcony, and most of all there is simply no one to talk to for me to unwind after having to deal with Visa Bastards or those customers who are on the mistaken belief that I run a counseling service. Sometimes things get so out of hand that I could picture myself slowly descending into madness.... 

In comes The Girl Next Door, who had been so kind enough to collect post on my behalf, ring me up when a customer arrives, who would be so kind enough to take over the task of safely disposing documents of sensitive nature (for I hath not a shredder), and most of all who would sympathetically lend her ears to my rantings. Life there would have been intolerable had it not been for her. She too is one of those rare girls with a magnetic personality and a sense of warmth about her who could brighten up a day, matched with formidable intellectual capabilities allowing her to discuss any topic at length. Mind you, she is no plain Jane either, at least on this side of the Indian puddle.

As with all things, it's time for her to spread her wings and fly up the roaring skies. Luckily she has already set her sights on heights that rather be more homely for someone with her capabilities than resigning to the fate of perishing her marvellous self in this accursed building which caused a minor national sensation when its stupid roof gave way (or rather a fraction of its roof, to be more precise). Sometimes I wonder if she could be actually better than me in every department – an accolade I am mighty reluctant to bestow (mostly out of hollow pride than perspicacity) – especially since I saw her Christmas card design for this year. Hers was an original design while mine had that 20 pints a day plonker William Hague on it (no offence intended as I do respect the guy). It might sound too much of a favouritism to mention someone who had been personally beneficial on a list of good girls, but then again if that does not qualify one on to a list what does? 

For all you doubters of my selection, I invite you to read the Bible, besides it's Christmas:

Matthew 25:35-40

(King James version)

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him.....

Crackdown on Australian boat people

Its the CHOGM 2013 time and the Sri Lanka authorities are cracking down on the Australian boat people. It looks like they have arrested some operatives and, sure as hell I happen to know a few of them. Quite closely that is. Well, this is not the first time we are on about this here. But I guess people who hop in a trawler on a perilous voyage to Australia merit another post and here it is.

In my understanding, many people who talk about this have never actually seen one of these boats or spoken to an operative or a passenger – and they blindly grope around trying to understand how & why these things happen. On part of Sri Lanka authorities, they are desperate to stop these operations for the time being as no one wants to hear about a boat full of refugees landing on beaches of Australia just when their prime minister lands here (by air) for the CHOGM. As usual, we have borrowed billions for cosmetic work, taken down all the bill-boards, arrested all the beggars on streets, and painted everything new - so heads of governments from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh - just to name a few – would not encounter anything they would not see in their own countries! Right where I was yesterday, a “beggar woman” was forced in to a police vehicle in front of my own eyes. The poor woman was harbouring some cats and was no bother to anyone. But surely a prosperous country like Sri Lanka find this unwelcome and cats can go to hell. It is quite important that we present the right picture to those visiting dignitaries, you see.

Once I saw a BBC programme on homeless people in UK. On this, a young man sleeping on the streets stated that he has the chance to get lodging from the council, but that means he has to give up his companion – a dog. So, instead letting his dog companion go homeless and hungry, this young Englishman chose to sleep rough on streets – a mark of his humanity, and that of British authorities. Fortunately, none of those things like humanity or compassion matter in the land of Sinhala Buddhism, The Wonder of Asia, oh no they don't. We need to present the right picture of our prosperity and affluence to the visiting heads of Commonwealth governments. So the poor old woman on a street corner fostering a cat or two does not fit in with Sinhalese Buddhist philosophy or the message of Buddha or basic decencies of humanity at large, and so she got to go.

In other words, all this misery has befallen on the populace of Wonder of Asia because some ego driven people want to have a party to convince themselves how grand they are. The money for health services and education can be taken off and spent on this grand party without any compunction, and the sub-humans who do not fit in with Wonder of Asia picture can surrender whatever dignity & hope they are in possession of, so the party can go on. Oh, and by the way, a new express-way is to be opened soon, from airport to Colombo. There is another party for that too, and all the proper Sinhalese Buddhists living in the vicinity are invited to partake in that show – an invitation they have taken to their hearts.

A man from a civilised nation reading this would no doubt wonder in what sort of a backward semi evolved nation would people celebrate erection of a 30km express-way, or he may wonder in what sort of a country an old woman on a street corner (who does not want to leave so her pets will die on the streets) be forced into a police van so as to make the street look wealthy, or for that matter, in which type of a barbaric land would semi-fed people deprived of basic human dignities and rights such as free expression come out and celebrate opening of a 30km express-way – built with public funds but them not ever being told how money was spent on it!

Now let us look into the boat people leaving for Australia. Not so long ago, there was a country called East Germany – this was before the Berlin Wall came down. When the wall came tumbling down, majority of the inhabitants of the East Germany, the beggarless state, the state with the best social standards of the whole Eastern bloc, where everything from education to health standards to even silly things like Olympic medals was top notch, yes that state – about 60% of the entire population ran off to West Germany. Do you know why? Because basic human dignities and rights, including access to a fair legal system matters to humans. That is why.

To get to know how boats to Australia are operated one only needs to speak to a three-wheeler taxi man at random in Kotahena area. No need of Mafia connections is ever found to be required. Despite of illegality of these boat operations, Shylock type fees of the operatives, inhuman conditions on the vessels themselves, and despite of unbelievable personal risk they are taking on themselves by boarding any of these nefarious fishing boats, in spite of all these odds, people just want to get the hell out of fuck Wonder of Asia. Because there are still some “humans” living here who have not bought the (or rather not sold their souls to the) delusion of grandeur or justice painted out for them. For these people, going anywhere where there is rule of law and respect for basic human dignities & rights is more worth than the price they pay for it or the personal risk they take on by boarding a half sunken dilapidated fishing trawler.

As I have said several times before, I do not condone the actions of boat operatives, nor do I believe anyone boarding an illegal boat to Australia to be doing something admirable. Also my advice to anyone boarding a boat may be “just don't do it”, and you are most certainly unlikely to get asylum in Australia – that is if you survived the boat trip. But people still just hop on to these boats in droves. Ah, I may not be the only one puzzled by their actions, as far as some enquiries go...

So, my dear friends in Australian government and the United Nations (and UK think tank), please don't keep asking me why people board these boats to Australia against great odds. It is because these people have come out of delusions and in a five word explanation: Because they are human beings.

UK Visa for student's relatives

With the advent of various “colleges” which offer bogus educational qualifications to the needy (read as people seeking to enter UK for economic reasons), there is a surge in UK visa applications made by their relations seeking to visit them. Most of the sponsors are holding visas good for about 14 months or more and surely some vacations fall in within this period – or otherwise anyways. Who needs vacations, like Pinocchio said (Girls? Who needs girls!) this was after visiting the hardware store for sandpaper to cure his splinter issue…. Putting that little excursion aside, lets go into the details of the issue at hand.

1. If you are seeking to apply to visit your son/daughter/spouse/sibling in UK, and they are there as on student visa, then consider the following before you apply:

2. Do not use Faminly Visa application – this is because they are not UK or EU nationals/PR holders. Always use General Visitor form.

3. The Visa Bastard is more likely to refuse the application lodged by a genuine applicant than otherwise – so just because your intentions are honourable do not take it for granted that the moron on the other side will respond in kind….

4. Try to show as many ties to your home country as possible. These include properties, job (also provide a leave approval letter in this case), proof of a reasonable income, sufficient funds in the bank to afford the trip, and family & other commitments in home country.

5. The sponsor (student) MUST show adequate accommodation set aside for you (this could be a hotel or in their rented property, and in most cases a letter from a landlord with contact telephone number & address will also do)

6. A letter from the college / educational service provider confirming the sponsor is a current student or awaiting graduation, addressed to the Visa Officer

7. Three months bank statements of the sponsor is useful also – even if you have money in bank for yourself..

8. Birth or marriage certificate proving your relationship to the sponsor is also a must – please don’t leave that out.

Make sure you do not overburden the moron at UK High Commission – http://visacolombo.blogspot.com/2013/05/home-office-uk-recruitment-vacancies.html this one does not take the price considering the later experiences down here. Assuming you did not stuff it, there is a good chance that the visa will be granted. Now the question arises what if my visa application was refused? The trick employed by the ECO’s is to somehow give you limited rights of appeal by using the red-tape against you. Appealing does not work out in most cases and it is time consuming. I am talking of months here kids.. I am not saying you don’t appeal – but merely stating that appeals these days are lengthy and chances of success are not as high as you’d wish them to be. Nevertheless, down here we always appeal, but I would not say it’s the course for all. In some cases a re-application is worth the effort but then again, consider your options carefully. That is if you do not have a stronger case, then the next application is also likely to be refused.

I think a word or two about why applications get refused is important here. Mostly it’s the finance. Show the money in a traceable manner and there should be a good history for that money you show. Do not give conflicting evidence – such as a salary of $500 per month but an account balance of $20,000 – no one is going to take that bait. In this type of cases say you have additional sources of income (and don’t forget to back it up with evidence) rather than ask one to believe the money materialized out of thin air in your bank account. Second most common reason for refusal is not having a strong basis in your home country. Please show that you have ongoing job/business interests and properties &/or financial ties in home country, as well as family and social commitments (such as caring for parents/children/membership in societies, etc.). I do know that some ECO's care not about the evidence you put forth, but if you had to go to the tribunal, then these things matter.

The thing to understand here is that visa bastard will be hard pressed to refuse it if you have given voluminous bulk of credible supporting evidence, and you have a better chance at the courts than otherwise. Also watch it when you fill the application form – something like “How much money you give to your family..” etc. must be addressed carefully in a weighted manner. Too much will impress you are hard pressed for money and too less looks like you are not having commitments or ties. So, the financial questions must be answered in a logical manner with careful consideration.

Hope this helps when you lodge an application for visiting a student fellow in UK.

Good luck.

Visa News Update

Hello Kiddos, I am back. This is becoming somewhat trite now I guess, I mean leaving off for a longish hiatus and appearing here all of a sudden and announcing “I am back”. Well, Arnold Schwarzenegger said that! Actually he said “I'll be back” in that chilling voice.... Oh boy, those were the halcyon days... Skipping school to watch the The Terminator VHS cassette at a mates home, just a stone's throw from school and scared sh*&less (mostly because we were seriously taught that watching VHS videos as an eternally damnable sin without a hope of redemption in either side of eternity), ah those were the days my friend. Anyways here I am and lets look at some new developments in the visa front.

Development #01
Australians have come in to an agreement with the PNG government regarding boat people. Meaning that if you take the slow boat to Oz, you are hell of a lot more likely to end up with some serious gentlemen of passive disposition – namely the inhabitants of Papua New Guinea. Good on you. In a nutshell, unless you have already seen the sarcasm, for Pete's sake just don't board that boat! 

Development #02
Service quality at Her Majesty's Deputy High Commission at Chennai is falling further. This one is perhaps one of those places where no effort short of heavenly intervention can redeem. On the same side, if you are trying spousal visa, and your sponsor's income is less than £18,000, then prepare for a long wait as there is currently a court case in that connection. The bastards anyways take eternity to process spousal applications and this one makes matters worse (albeit this time its not the Chennai outfit which is at fault). Other visas are now processed in good time and worry not with them.

Development #03
There is now a Skype interview for UK tier 4 student visa applicants and its normally a brief one. Main purpose is to check your English and to see if you actually know what you are going to do there. So have good knowledge of the institution, course title, what the study program is about, and where the money came from etc. they might ask about your future plans and all too. Have your answers ready please. Sometimes there is a longer second Skype interview and that one is a bit grilling, say over 30 minutes.

Development #04
There are alternative methods to bypass UK spousal visa system, but beware when you take that option. This is only better if you are currently in a situation where normal route is not the best option out there.   

Development #05
Italian agricultural worker visas are being issued in good quantities. Please be aware of frauds if you are taking this option. Make sure you know the person involved and there is a guarantee for you money. Also, if your visa is successful, please have the decency to work for your employer for at least a two months.

Development #06
New Zealand is enforcing some laws on immigration advisers – meaning although some people claim to be certified advisers, in reality they are not. Now this is not to say you need somehow find a real accredited adviser for migration guidance, but merely we are saying not to be fooled by bogus certifications. Anyways, both varieties here are sharks and will rip you off, regardless if they are accredited or otherwise. Amen.

OK kids, that’s enough for today I suppose. Have fun and be back next week! 

Oz minister, chick on the telly, & Wonder of Netherworld

These days you could hardly take peek at the telly without the Oz minister ranting “don’t be fooled by the trawler operators…”. Well, the feller has a point; many of those who cross the perilous seas for a better life in Australia are turned away – before they ever set foot upon the sandy shores of Australia. What I do not understand is why some people call this Human Trafficking – a term that denotes an entirely different meaning (such as forcibly transporting people across borders against their will, for the purpose of exploitation). Trawler operators here (and boy, say I this on good authority) certainly do not take anyone against their will, in fact, the passengers themselves are the ones who sometimes (financially or with violence) force operators to do the transport part. I am just saying this, because I am sick of that Oz dummy banging on the telly every (rare) time I take a peek at the idiot box. On the other hand, WTF else does he expect inhabitants of an accursed island nation to do? Wonder of Universe, where there are ports which no ship calls, airports on which birds shit on runways, courts where no justice is seen or dispensed, and to put the cherry on top of it, power plants which produce no electricity. Call that one the maraschino cherry. Now, put yourself in the shoes of the boat people and ask yourselves whether you’d not take the slim chance of prosperity in Oz, despite of the minister? I put my money on most fellows opting out of Fuck Wonder of Asia to take on a sea monster in the South Pacific. I kid you not fellers.  

Talking of going to Australia, one need not (need is an effing modal or whatever, K?) put their life and limb at risk going there because the Australians actually do have a good migration program for those who are interested. So why not pay a visit to their website and see if you are actually in dire need of getting there on a fishing trawler while the Great White is waiting for his supper? www.immi.gov.au

Setting that aside, lets see what else is on the telly, oh f, some biatch in semi naked cloths revealing her ugliness to the known universe is trying desperately to play an instrument. Jeeves in heaven deliver me from this torture… I mean, look here, I hardly peep the idiot box and yet, every rare time I do, it puts me off life itself. Want to know how to play something? Here, take a look. Nothing less than Metallica itself being covered by a fully clad chick – telling me that one need not strip when they actually have something to show…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x71Uo5VG6k

Have fun

Home Office UK - Recruitment vacancies

Sorry for not being here for a while – we were kept busy with a few immigration cases in Europe. A few more, I have a feeling that the EU will reconsider clauses included in their human rights charter. Or perhaps not. A lawyer will always find a soft spot in the armour of law and exploit it to get their clients the best possible outcome, but I fear it does damage the original purpose of the relevant rule in question. Sitting here on the other side of moon bin, it does put some strain on ones moral fibre – whatever that maybe. 

Coming out of those ranting, I thought I should entertain you with the latest handiwork of a UK Visa Bastard at the Chennai outfit. Sorry kids, I can’t help picking on them because they are the ones I deal with mostly, and their abysmal service quality shows no signs of improvement on this side of eternity. 

Here is the Latest News From UK Deputy High Commission in Chennai: 

Whilst your bank X book shows evidence of salary credits, your Z Bank book shows a large recent cash deposit of LKR 100,000 …… 

Strange, isn’t it, a person travelling abroad has put their nest egg into bank account and the visa bastard finds it unbelievable –Even UK citizens with maxed out credit cards put some pennies into their account before going on a vacation. And these be the very people who had gone on with minimum payment option for months before that! Putting those aside, let us look into what exactly “a large cash deposit” means:  ah, turns out to be £510/35p. Oh Christ, that is what the bastard calls a large cash deposit –where the average monthly salary of the applicant is LKR35,000 (£182), a pack of cigarettes cost £2.60p, a loaf of bread is £0.34p, a deposit of that 512 is an unbelievable scale according to the bastard out there. 

Wait, it gets better: 

You have submitted your marriage certificate (XXX) showing that you married your sponsor Mr XX-YY on 2011/XX/XX in Sri Lanka. However I also note from the birth certificate of your child XX-YZZZ that the father was RR-XWWW. You have not submitted any evidence as to what your relationship was to this man, whether you were married or not, and if you were, if you are now divorced…. 

Like hell, when the marriage certificate clearly states in plain English “DIVORCED WIFE OF RR-XWWW”, which explains why child’s birth certificate has that fellow as father, and that the applicant is legally divorced and be able to marry freely. Assuming that she had a fling with that fellow and had a baby, WTF is the visa bastard’s problem with that? Since when was this chastity belt bunch appointed as the moral police of the universe? 

I feel like screaming like the Demtel Man (Tim Shaw?) : “But Wait, there's more! Oh now, I know you want more". And here it is, enjoy:

I also note from the property document you have submitted (number XXX) that you own property along with Mxxx Pxxxxx (alias Mexx Pxxx). You have not explained your relationship to this man, whether you were married or not, and if you were, whether

you are now divorced and….

The man referred to in this ranting is no other than the applicant’s father, whose name is also clearly visible on the applicant’s birth certificate, marriage certificate, and what not. Co-owning a property alongside with ones father seems to be an incestuous affair accordingly to the half brained nitwit bastard at the UK Deputy High Commission in Chennai.

Actually the thing goes on, but for reasons of civility I shall refrain myself from detailing all the gory for your entertainment. And this one is not even a prized gem in my collection! I have just two questions, and I’d pay handsomely to anyone who can offer legit answers:

Question 01:

What is the average IQ of Visa Officers at UK Deputy High Commission in Chennai?

You may chose between Idiot (IQ 0 -25), Imbecile (IQ 26 -50), or Moron (IQ 51 -70)

Question 02:

Which other qualifications (other than being either an Idiot, Imbecile, Moron, or a Simpleton) were considered when these people were hired by Her Majesty’s Home Office? 

Over to you my beloved readers..

Visitng USA? Have some helpful tips...

We haven’t been here for a while, have we? Actually there was little to write – it was all trite and stale stories about VB (visa bastards, not Victoria Bitter!) and I was not finding it amusing to write more stories about them.

This week we will look into some helpful tips on visiting relations in USA – specially those who went there on Green Card / DV Lottery. We have talked about this before, but I think a short update will do no harm.

The invitee / sponsor (Green Card holder / DV Lottery winner) must be a close enough relation – someone like son, daughter, brother, sister, parents, etc. Even close enough in laws can help, but a first cousin twice removed is perhaps a no hoper from the onset. OK?

They must have been in US for at least 3 months before you apply to visit them

A steady job with salary and bank details is required of the sponsoring party (your relation in US)

Showing your own money carries little weight compared to their financial stability in USA

An address, preferably with a spare room is quite helpful – usually we give the apartment address if it has more than one bedroom. If the US Green Card fellows are a largish family, then you are probably in bad straits at the visa process!

Do not give esoteric addresses that are too far away from the sponsor – same address as the host is always helpful

Do not be browbeaten at the visa interview – and if there was some issue with them about over 6 or so years ago – viola, they are not much likely to have your old details!!

Showing ties to Sri Lanka (or whatever your home country is) is more important than showing income – and if you are relying on income strength, then it needs to be reflected on your bank statements, taxation, ad infinitum

Face the interviews with confidence, and don’t be scared off by direct questions. First, they do not have as much info as they pretend to have, secondly, clear straight forward answers help more than prevarications

Give a good enough reason to visit them in USA, a baby’s birthday party is a no hoper, while a holiday visit is a good idea if you are financially and socially stable in your own home country

Last but not the least, honesty probably is the best policy when dealing with US embassy (not something I advice if you are dealing with UK fellows)

I hope this brief guide will become helpful to you when applying for US visit visa to see someone who got there recently. Another thing to consider is (not connected to visa process) when you go there, note that transport may not be as cheap as your might think, neither are the fashionable clothes – so getting around and shopping are not perhaps as good ideas as you might think they are. But food and electronic items are dirt cheap compared to here (beware of 110V voltage!) and if you have an Apple I-phone, its good idea to take it there too. Computers and laptops are cheap if they are used, so are some home appliances and mechanical tool kits. My advice is to go American if you are buying anything like machine stuff. Built to last. Oh, and the visas are 5 years multiple entry. Well that takes some stress off you, doesn’t it.