Kazan — summer 2010

I hope to be in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia for the summer. To get to Russia you need both an invitation and a visa; the consulate won't process a visa until the invitation has been issued. I processed my paperwork through an expediter that I had been told was generally reliable. I filled out the forms so that they would expedite my processing, and I overnighted it to them on 8 April 2010. I had hoped to have my invitation by 18 Apr 2010. Alas, the Russian government has recently changed their policy about expediting paperwork: they no longer do it. The expediters sent me a note saying it would be issued May 11. The invitation was in fact issued 11 May, so theoretically I should receive back my passport by 25 May. I'm a bit nervous since my departure date is the 27th.