One of Igor's girlfriends in the park is Patty - English Pointer. Patty's owner is Zoa Alexandrovna, the professor of choral music at the Kiev Music Academy. She also conducts the choir at the Kiev music academy. Every two years a city of Nis in Serbia arranges an international choir festival. Zoa Alexandrovna wanted to go to Nis this year. She made an application and a down payment for her choir participation at the festival. As the Academy did not have money, students put money for the downpayment themselves - per participant it is EUR 150. In Kiev a salary of EUR 500 is considered a good one, so for students and their parents EUR 150 is a lot of money. Unfortunately some students could not pay EUR 150 and out of 36 singers in the choir - only 24 student could pay EUR 150 to go to Nis. Zoa was never in Serbia. Most of her students were never abroad. Zoa and her students received a confirmation to participate sometime end of April. Since than every time I met her she talked about paperwork she needs to arrange to get the money - about EUR 3600. Academy said they do not have any money to help with funding. Some government institutions said the same. It was very hard for Zoe to go around and beg for funds but she did. As some students never been abroad they had to get their first passport. Than she had to arrange for herself and students a transit visa for Hungary and a visa for Serbia. She told me each student had to fill eight forms for each visa application. She was struggling with the amount of paperwork she had to do for students.
Before she could apply for visas she needed a down payment for a bus. Without a contract for a transport vehicle a transport visa would not be issued. A day before a "bus contract" was to be signed Zoa still did not know if the government would find few hundred EURs for a downpayment. She had her own money as a "back up". Fortunately she did get the money from the state.
For Serbia the process of obtaining visa took two weeks. For Hungary one week. In the visa application form there is a question for the applicant about financial support. Zoa was very nervous about it as parents had to confirm they are financial capable to support their kids. Parents of some students are officially unemployed (they might have unofficial job) so Zoa worried these kids will not get visa. Fortunately they did. The festival in Nis started on 7th. On 6th Zoe still did not know if she will get the money from the state for a trip. During all this time hectic "visa arrangements" time she and the choir continued to practice. It was truly very stressful time for her. I had not met Zoa on 7th in the park. I hoped this is a good sign.
I met Zoe on Wednesday. I asked her how it was. Humble as she is it was difficult to get from her that her choir got "grand prix". Congratulations! She told me how her students were happy! They all liked Nis. She said everyone there is in good mood. She liked it very much. She told me the "grand prix" is huge and the dean of the academy is impressed.
I am so happy all the stress she went through for two months is now well rewarded!
http://www.choirfestivalnis.com/srpski/
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