Some things are just too depressingly familiar

[wiseheart]

So, we've both have our jabs, like more than two million other Hungarians. Unfortunately, in our case we both got the Russian vaccine, while thousands of our landspeople had the Chinese one. We even have our plastic card - valid together with our ID - to prove it.

So far so good, right? The world is now open for us, right?

Wrong.

Many European countries don't accept the Russian and the Chinese vaccine. Because it is, obviously, Russian or Chinese and doesn't work, or whatnot. Now, I could go to the Croatian seaside if I wanted, but I couldn't make a day trip, say, to Vienna or St.Pölten or Graz. I'm afraid I won't be able to visit noadvertising any time, soon.

It reminds me vividly the 1970s. Back then, with the Iron Curtain still intact, we weren't allowed to travel to Western countries at will. I could have gone to the Croatian seaside at a whim, whenever I wanted (never did), but for a trip to Vienna, I had to wait three years in-between.

Doesn't it sound depressingly familiar? The Iron Curtain is still working fine, the only difference is that the lock is on the other side now. So, despite having had both my jabs five weeks ago, I still count as a second-grade European citizen. All I got from the vaccination was a sore arm and the outrageous sum we paid for the private ambulance to get Mum to her jabs.

It isn't so that I could go anywhere as long as Mum is alive - which, hopefully, will be a very long time yet. It's the principle of things. I thought the times when I was persona non grata were over. Obviously, I was wrong.


To end this depressing entry on a somewhat more positive note, here is the (almost) finished quiet book for Little Emma's birthday. I only have to actually fasten the buckles, but my fingers refused to suffer any more for one day:

Comments

[meathiel]

Oh — I didn't know that. I'm sorry to hear.
I'm sure that as soon as those two have been approved in the EU as well — and I know they're working on the Russian one at least — you'll be fine to travel as well.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

It is not as I could — Mum won't be able to board a train any time soon, perhaps never again, and I'd never leave her alone, not even for a day — I just refuse to be looked at as if I were Typhoid Mary or whatnot. This takes me the only hope that helped me go through the whole ordeal: that one day I'll see Vienna and all the other towns again.

[noadvertising.livejournal.com]

I wondered what happened with Basti fantasti´s cocky announcements that soon we would have Sputnik for vaccination. Then- nothing all of a sudden. Not a peep. We know now why. A concerted action, I´d say. To set us at rest we got a bit more of the other vaccines. Not much, but enough to pass it off as success. And then they invented the Green Pass. Moderna, Vaxzevria, biontech, Johnson are listed- Sputnik fell off the list. I do not know why, it´s no less effective than other vaccines...

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

At least I haven't heard of people dying from it, unlike from other vaccines. Of course, it's possible that thousands died from it, but the Russians keep it secret, [/sarcasm]

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry.
the book looks great.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm really glad it's almost done, though. It was an ungodly amount of work.

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

{{{{hugs}}}}

[akane42me.livejournal.com]

Warm-hearted greetings to you Wiseheart. Rick and I have been gone for the past 4 days, and your post really drives home to me how bound to home you must remain, even for day trips, as your Mum's ability to travel is a thing of the past.

About the vaccination. After the joy and excitement, this news that the vaccine you have gotten is not approved by other European Countries? I know you couldn't go to Vienna just now, even if your vaccine was accepted, but the point is — you should be able to, if you wanted to! This has got to be the craziest thing I've heard of in a good long time. For gosh sake, why would a vaccine be approved for the virus, but — oh, wait — it's not accepted in other countries so technically, so sorry, you're not vaccinated well enough to go anywhere? I think my head would be exploding if that happened to me. It's ridiculous, it's mind-bogglingly frustrating, it's enough to make anyone feel depressed. I imagine a lot of folks in Hungary are very angry about this situation. I hope the situation is resolved soon, but I'm not at all informed about what it would take for these other European countries to get the vaccines used in Hungary approved. What a mess.

So — I am sending you positive thoughts and huge virtual hugs, and hope you'll be feeling in better spirits soon, in spite of this craziness with the vaccines.

And I love the quiet book. Emma is going to love it!

[red-day-dawning.livejournal.com]

That’s absolutely crazy. I’m sorry you have to face such a situation. HUGS

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the vaccination system works in the same way the other way around, and as a Brit I would not be allowed entry to China/Russia. It's an interesting conundrum.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thanks. *sigh*

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'm sure you'd be welcome as long as you bring lots of money with you.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Idiotic, isn't it? So our hairdresser who happened to luck out and got Pfizer, would be allowed to enter, say, Austria, but I wouldn't because when I was vaccinated they had Sputnik available.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thanks. The annoying thing is that there are lots of people who happened to be lucky and got Pfizer, so they'd be allowed to enter these countries. We accepted Sputnik, Mum and I, because we thought it would be better than no jab at all — obviously, we were wrong. So, we're allowed to leave the country, we just wouldn't be let in by the other countries.

[mirasaui.livejournal.com]

It's all politics, which makes me furious. Sorry to hear you are subject to such madness. My country is just as bad or worse. Hopefully, reason will return soon and that will change. Glad you were able to make great progress on Emma's book. It looks lovely!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Yes, it is politics, and it's enraging that we feed all these idiots with our taxes, only for them to ruin our lives.