If You Have to Ask, Slowjamastan Is Not For You
June 14, 2023 9:31 AM Subscribe
On the one hand, Emperor Norton would be proud.
On the other hand, this feels pretty adjacent to sovcit nonsense.
But, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, so slow jam on
posted by Windopaene at 9:43 AM on June 14, 2023 [6 favorites]
On the other hand, this feels pretty adjacent to sovcit nonsense.
But, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, so slow jam on
posted by Windopaene at 9:43 AM on June 14, 2023 [6 favorites]
Slowjamastan statutes prohibit the wearing of Crocs, eating string cheese by biting directly into it, the playing of “mumble rap” music and driving in the left passing lane unless you’re actually passing another car, among other things.
(¬_¬)
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:44 AM on June 14, 2023 [10 favorites]
(¬_¬)
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:44 AM on June 14, 2023 [10 favorites]
Yeah, slowjamistan is not my culture.
posted by Jon_Evil at 9:53 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Jon_Evil at 9:53 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Knowing this is in imperial county makes me feel a lot better about the entire thing.
Building something in imperial county kind of implicitly guarantees that it can only be strugglingly weird
posted by billjings at 9:58 AM on June 14, 2023 [17 favorites]
Building something in imperial county kind of implicitly guarantees that it can only be strugglingly weird
posted by billjings at 9:58 AM on June 14, 2023 [17 favorites]
How is crypto involved?
posted by Going To Maine at 9:58 AM on June 14, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 9:58 AM on June 14, 2023 [14 favorites]
1. What is the terf level?
2. How many Juggalos?
posted by Horkus at 9:59 AM on June 14, 2023 [10 favorites]
2. How many Juggalos?
posted by Horkus at 9:59 AM on June 14, 2023 [10 favorites]
Fascinated by the list of nations that have recognized the Slowjamastan passport. I wouldn't have expected one would be able to get stamps even in countries with lax entry requirements, much less major nations like the USA (and maybe Turkey?—though there's no stamp in that picture).
Is this possible because (a) the dude actually entered these countries with his regular USA passport and asked to have the Slowjamastan one stamped as a joke (to which some easygoing customs official readily obliged)?; (b) there is some trickery afoot where the stamped passport is not, in fact, the green Slowjamastan passport/the one with the "By the Order of the Sultan" leaf?; (c) the nations in question either didn't do a good job of checking passports or didn't care (unlikely)?; (d) other?
(Also kind of... confused about the vaguely Islamicate aesthetics of the nation, from the name [which, if I can get my petty on, should probably be Slowjamistan] to the title of "Sultan" [which generally implies some sort of Islamic basis of rule] to the Crown Prince's description as "the guy with the pretty tablecloth upon his head."
Is this just a Borat thing or something? [Note: I have never seen Borat.])
posted by the tartare yolk at 10:05 AM on June 14, 2023 [5 favorites]
Is this possible because (a) the dude actually entered these countries with his regular USA passport and asked to have the Slowjamastan one stamped as a joke (to which some easygoing customs official readily obliged)?; (b) there is some trickery afoot where the stamped passport is not, in fact, the green Slowjamastan passport/the one with the "By the Order of the Sultan" leaf?; (c) the nations in question either didn't do a good job of checking passports or didn't care (unlikely)?; (d) other?
(Also kind of... confused about the vaguely Islamicate aesthetics of the nation, from the name [which, if I can get my petty on, should probably be Slowjamistan] to the title of "Sultan" [which generally implies some sort of Islamic basis of rule] to the Crown Prince's description as "the guy with the pretty tablecloth upon his head."
Is this just a Borat thing or something? [Note: I have never seen Borat.])
posted by the tartare yolk at 10:05 AM on June 14, 2023 [5 favorites]
to which some easygoing customs official readily obliged
That same "easygoing customs official" could start a shooting war between multiple nuclear powers if a passport of a different not-universally recognized country was stamped as a joke (Taiwan), so I doubt it.
posted by Back At It Again At Krispy Kreme at 10:13 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
That same "easygoing customs official" could start a shooting war between multiple nuclear powers if a passport of a different not-universally recognized country was stamped as a joke (Taiwan), so I doubt it.
posted by Back At It Again At Krispy Kreme at 10:13 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's a performatively middlebrow San Diego radio DJ who was a teenager in the 80s' version of being 'gonzo.' Complete with vague caricature of middle eastern desert despot.
Who wants to form the Croc Liberation Front? Maybe The Squeaking Path?
posted by snuffleupagus at 10:15 AM on June 14, 2023 [16 favorites]
Who wants to form the Croc Liberation Front? Maybe The Squeaking Path?
posted by snuffleupagus at 10:15 AM on June 14, 2023 [16 favorites]
I think the sultan stuff is just orientalism fashioned after the Ottoman Empire to give it the feel of something exotic and not quite of the modern world.
I would have loved this kind of thing in college. Unfortunately, times have changed, and now there are too many truly dangerous kooks who say similar things but not as a joke, and it’s ruined the fun of these japes for me.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:16 AM on June 14, 2023 [24 favorites]
I would have loved this kind of thing in college. Unfortunately, times have changed, and now there are too many truly dangerous kooks who say similar things but not as a joke, and it’s ruined the fun of these japes for me.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:16 AM on June 14, 2023 [24 favorites]
Is this just a Borat thing or something? [Note: I have never seen Borat.])
That alone is for the ages.
posted by y2karl at 10:21 AM on June 14, 2023 [6 favorites]
That alone is for the ages.
posted by y2karl at 10:21 AM on June 14, 2023 [6 favorites]
I have gone by both "R-Dub" and "Rick" in the past. Methinks Slowjamastan isn't big enough for YARR (yet another R-Dub or Rick), especially since I enjoy the music of Future and Lil Yachty.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:37 AM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by infinitewindow at 10:37 AM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Is this just a Borat thing or something? [Note: I have never seen Borat.])
This brought this piece to mind...
Why it's time to stop calling Central Asia 'The Stans":
There are seven countries in the world whose name ends in “stan”: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. The suffix istan itself comes from the Persian language, which means “a place abounding in”. Aside from these Central Asian countries, there are also republics and subnational areas scattered around the Middle East and Asia ending in “stan”: Tatarstan and Dagestan in Russia, or Iraqi Kurdistan. In many ways, “stan” is an equivalent to “land”, just as you’d find in Ireland, Finland, England, Scotland, or Poland. But you’d never hear anyone saying that they want to travel to “the lands”.
Etymology aside — and it would be pedantic just to concentrate on that — most people don’t realise that the term is incredibly loaded. Fictitious names of countries ending in “stan” seem to follow a common trope in popular culture, usually depicting “cultural backwardness” in games, films and TV series. Some examples include “Kamistan” in the TV show 24 and “Urzikstan” in the 2019 Call of Duty release. These made up words can also be rooted in Islamophobia, like when London gets called “Londonistan” because of its Muslim Mayor, or Bradford is nicknamed “Bradistan” due to its large population of British-Pakistani Muslims. “Dumbfuckistan” was a term used for the states that voted for George Bush in the 2004 American election. And, of course, who can forget the infamous Sacha Baron Cohen film Borat, in which he portrayed Kazakhstan as a backward, sexist, and racist feudal society? Is it surprising that in 2014 Kazakhstan’s president even wanted to change the country’s name to Kazakh Eli?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:46 AM on June 14, 2023 [19 favorites]
This brought this piece to mind...
Why it's time to stop calling Central Asia 'The Stans":
There are seven countries in the world whose name ends in “stan”: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. The suffix istan itself comes from the Persian language, which means “a place abounding in”. Aside from these Central Asian countries, there are also republics and subnational areas scattered around the Middle East and Asia ending in “stan”: Tatarstan and Dagestan in Russia, or Iraqi Kurdistan. In many ways, “stan” is an equivalent to “land”, just as you’d find in Ireland, Finland, England, Scotland, or Poland. But you’d never hear anyone saying that they want to travel to “the lands”.
Etymology aside — and it would be pedantic just to concentrate on that — most people don’t realise that the term is incredibly loaded. Fictitious names of countries ending in “stan” seem to follow a common trope in popular culture, usually depicting “cultural backwardness” in games, films and TV series. Some examples include “Kamistan” in the TV show 24 and “Urzikstan” in the 2019 Call of Duty release. These made up words can also be rooted in Islamophobia, like when London gets called “Londonistan” because of its Muslim Mayor, or Bradford is nicknamed “Bradistan” due to its large population of British-Pakistani Muslims. “Dumbfuckistan” was a term used for the states that voted for George Bush in the 2004 American election. And, of course, who can forget the infamous Sacha Baron Cohen film Borat, in which he portrayed Kazakhstan as a backward, sexist, and racist feudal society? Is it surprising that in 2014 Kazakhstan’s president even wanted to change the country’s name to Kazakh Eli?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:46 AM on June 14, 2023 [19 favorites]
Having passed through some pretty dodgy easygoing borders in northern Africa, I'm pretty sure you cold get a stamp on any semi-official looking passport. I'm also pretty sure this would cause trouble on exit or at check stops though.
Then again, I think a Slowjamistani passport would go well with my Writ of Summons as Internet Baron of Milpitas...
posted by flyingfox at 10:47 AM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
Then again, I think a Slowjamistani passport would go well with my Writ of Summons as Internet Baron of Milpitas...
posted by flyingfox at 10:47 AM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
On the other hand, this feels pretty adjacent to sovcit nonsense.
LOL. That's exactly where my thoughts went when I saw this.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:55 AM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
LOL. That's exactly where my thoughts went when I saw this.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:55 AM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
In my first year of college a bunch of people from my floor at my dorm would hang out in the hallway until all-hours, and at one point a couple of us declared the floor a micronation called "Little America". The only statutes I can remember were that the Clean Air Act was null and void (largely because they wanted to smoke in the hallway), and that our national anthem was "Tempted" by Squeeze. Also, several months later I was hanging out alone in one of the stairwells at the very top of the building; that was a popular makeout or solo-reflection spot in the dorm overall, and I'd gone up for some peace and quiet to read. And at one point I glanced at one of the staircase railings and saw a bit of graffiti - "this site claimed for Little America 11-14-88".
Earlier than that, a bunch of us in high school once spun a fantasy about how we should somehow acquire an uninhabited tropical island and form our own micronation called "Aquatica". I don't think anyone ever figured out what the laws of Aquatica would be, or anything else for that matter other than that we wanted it to exist.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:00 AM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
Earlier than that, a bunch of us in high school once spun a fantasy about how we should somehow acquire an uninhabited tropical island and form our own micronation called "Aquatica". I don't think anyone ever figured out what the laws of Aquatica would be, or anything else for that matter other than that we wanted it to exist.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:00 AM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
In my first year of college a bunch of people from my floor at my dorm would hang out in the hallway until all-hours, and at one point a couple of us declared the floor a micronation called "Little America".
A few years ago, I was taking a shortcut I usually take through a housing complex courtyard, and encoutered a bunch of signage declaring it "Little America." Turns out it was set-decorated for use as a location for The Handmaid's Tale.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:14 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
A few years ago, I was taking a shortcut I usually take through a housing complex courtyard, and encoutered a bunch of signage declaring it "Little America." Turns out it was set-decorated for use as a location for The Handmaid's Tale.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 11:14 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Not to be confused with Toejamistan which was disbanded forcefully by the American Podiatric Medicine Association in 1994.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:22 AM on June 14, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 11:22 AM on June 14, 2023 [6 favorites]
and driving in the left passing lane unless you’re actually passing another car
Next thing you know, it'll be cats and dogs living together...
posted by ovvl at 11:28 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Next thing you know, it'll be cats and dogs living together...
posted by ovvl at 11:28 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
I had to ask. Alas.
posted by mhoye at 11:31 AM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mhoye at 11:31 AM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh wow! Last winter I spent a week camping and exploring the BLM land south of Ocotillo Wells, which is to say, the exact stretch of Highway 78 the article is talking about.
And I know this place. It's a huge compound adjacent to BLM land, surrounded by high fences. Outside the wall, there is a dirt airstrip.
Coordinates: 33.105211, -116.045263
I was heading north out of BLM land when I encountered this place. I kinda came out of their back yard and drove up the airstrip. It was extremely very Mad Max, minus any people.
Wait a minute! I looked up the actual location of Slowjamastan and it's 5 miles from my Mad Max Compound GPS waypoints. So I plugged in the correct location, and it's this anonymous strip of desert right next to the highway.
Coordinates: 33.126583, -115.958944
Lol that Randy William's bare patch of dirt is next door to an actual post-apocalyptic fortress.
posted by ryanrs at 11:54 AM on June 14, 2023 [5 favorites]
And I know this place. It's a huge compound adjacent to BLM land, surrounded by high fences. Outside the wall, there is a dirt airstrip.
Coordinates: 33.105211, -116.045263
I was heading north out of BLM land when I encountered this place. I kinda came out of their back yard and drove up the airstrip. It was extremely very Mad Max, minus any people.
Wait a minute! I looked up the actual location of Slowjamastan and it's 5 miles from my Mad Max Compound GPS waypoints. So I plugged in the correct location, and it's this anonymous strip of desert right next to the highway.
Coordinates: 33.126583, -115.958944
Lol that Randy William's bare patch of dirt is next door to an actual post-apocalyptic fortress.
posted by ryanrs at 11:54 AM on June 14, 2023 [5 favorites]
No Crocs and no mumble rap is aimed 100% at Post Malone in order to prevent him from saucin, swagin and ballin.
posted by srboisvert at 11:55 AM on June 14, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 11:55 AM on June 14, 2023 [6 favorites]
driving in the left passing lane unless you’re actually passing another car
This is not about Highway 78, which has only 1 lane in each direction. He's really talking about the larger Highway 86. He'll need to take 86 to buy groceries, and will be stuck in truck traffic to/from Mexico both ways, ha ha.
posted by ryanrs at 12:02 PM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
This is not about Highway 78, which has only 1 lane in each direction. He's really talking about the larger Highway 86. He'll need to take 86 to buy groceries, and will be stuck in truck traffic to/from Mexico both ways, ha ha.
posted by ryanrs at 12:02 PM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
Unfortunately, times have changed, and now there are too many truly dangerous kooks who say similar things but not as a joke, and it’s ruined the fun of these japes for me.
I did enjoy it, but yeah, having a post entitled "TRAVEL ADVISORY: Non-Americans Wishing to Travel to Slowjamastan" had me thinking for a bit that they were on the dangerous kook side of things (turns out, that post is just noting that there is no Slowjam* airport, and the nation is an enclave, so any travelers wishing to enter must first meet the entry requirements of the United States).
*The citizenship page seems to indicate that the demonym is Slowjamastani, but that doesn't make any sense, and I demand linguistic rigor in my made-up nation-states.**
**Fun fact: they're ALL made up!
posted by solotoro at 1:10 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
I did enjoy it, but yeah, having a post entitled "TRAVEL ADVISORY: Non-Americans Wishing to Travel to Slowjamastan" had me thinking for a bit that they were on the dangerous kook side of things (turns out, that post is just noting that there is no Slowjam* airport, and the nation is an enclave, so any travelers wishing to enter must first meet the entry requirements of the United States).
*The citizenship page seems to indicate that the demonym is Slowjamastani, but that doesn't make any sense, and I demand linguistic rigor in my made-up nation-states.**
**Fun fact: they're ALL made up!
posted by solotoro at 1:10 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
prohibit… driving in the left passing lane unless you’re actually passing another car
Haven’t read the article yet, but I’m getting the impression from the thread that this is one of those “even a stopped clock is correct twice a day” type situations?
Seriously, though. Don’t drive in the passing lane. Or pass people while going only 2-3 mph faster than them (looking at you, I5 drivers in Washington state).
posted by eviemath at 1:13 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Haven’t read the article yet, but I’m getting the impression from the thread that this is one of those “even a stopped clock is correct twice a day” type situations?
Seriously, though. Don’t drive in the passing lane. Or pass people while going only 2-3 mph faster than them (looking at you, I5 drivers in Washington state).
posted by eviemath at 1:13 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
noting that there is no Slowjam airport
Pathetic. His neighbor has an airport!
Here's my Slowjamistan travel advisory:
If you travel south of the 78/86 intersection, you will need to pass through a US Border Patrol Checkpoint on the way back, unless you go off road. In addition to travel delays, the border patrol does not recognize CA marijuana laws.
posted by ryanrs at 1:23 PM on June 14, 2023 [4 favorites]
Pathetic. His neighbor has an airport!
Here's my Slowjamistan travel advisory:
If you travel south of the 78/86 intersection, you will need to pass through a US Border Patrol Checkpoint on the way back, unless you go off road. In addition to travel delays, the border patrol does not recognize CA marijuana laws.
posted by ryanrs at 1:23 PM on June 14, 2023 [4 favorites]
Haven’t read the article yet, but I’m getting the impression from the thread that this is one of those “even a stopped clock is correct twice a day” type situations?
Eh, I wouldn't say a stopped clock so much as a joke-didn't-land clock—this is very much a tongue-in-cheek website, and I don't see anything to suggest that R Dub! seriously entertains any sovshittery. (Even though, as pointed out upthread, his brand of humor certainly overlaps with more serious and harmful ideologies—but I don't think the overlap automatically marks him as a Bad Person in the same way that, e.g., racist or transphobic humor might.)
posted by the tartare yolk at 1:27 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Eh, I wouldn't say a stopped clock so much as a joke-didn't-land clock—this is very much a tongue-in-cheek website, and I don't see anything to suggest that R Dub! seriously entertains any sovshittery. (Even though, as pointed out upthread, his brand of humor certainly overlaps with more serious and harmful ideologies—but I don't think the overlap automatically marks him as a Bad Person in the same way that, e.g., racist or transphobic humor might.)
posted by the tartare yolk at 1:27 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
This is not a sov cit thing. It is a goofy gimmick by a radio DJ.
If you check the Imperial County assessor's website, you will find that Slowjamistan, APN 018-240-058-000 is up-to-date on their property taxes.
posted by ryanrs at 1:40 PM on June 14, 2023 [8 favorites]
If you check the Imperial County assessor's website, you will find that Slowjamistan, APN 018-240-058-000 is up-to-date on their property taxes.
posted by ryanrs at 1:40 PM on June 14, 2023 [8 favorites]
I don't see anything to suggest that R Dub! seriously entertains any sovshittery.
Yeah, trust me I vetted for that before posting. The flag doesn't even have an admiralty fringe.
posted by chavenet at 1:40 PM on June 14, 2023 [14 favorites]
Yeah, trust me I vetted for that before posting. The flag doesn't even have an admiralty fringe.
posted by chavenet at 1:40 PM on June 14, 2023 [14 favorites]
as you would expect, being a landlocked nation
posted by ryanrs at 1:42 PM on June 14, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by ryanrs at 1:42 PM on June 14, 2023 [5 favorites]
which, if I can get my petty on, should probably be Slowjamistan
slowjamistan.org redirects to slowjamastan.org
posted by kirkaracha at 2:02 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
slowjamistan.org redirects to slowjamastan.org
posted by kirkaracha at 2:02 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
The google maps entry cheekily refers to it as a Federal Government Office
posted by Slackermagee at 2:33 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Slackermagee at 2:33 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
In 2001 there were reports that one of the hijackers used a Conch Republic passport. Apparently the FBI was taking it seriously, since people holding these passports were successfully using them.
posted by credulous at 3:57 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by credulous at 3:57 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ask not what the desert can do to you rather what you can do to the desert.
posted by clavdivs at 4:36 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 4:36 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Is this just a Borat thing or something?
Judging from the uniforms, it looks more like 'The Dictator'
Is it surprising that in 2014 Kazakhstan’s president even wanted to change the country’s name to Kazakh Eli?
Kazakhstan is also attempting to distance itself from the Soviet Union past by transitioning from Cyrillic to a Latin alphabet.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 4:46 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
Judging from the uniforms, it looks more like 'The Dictator'
Is it surprising that in 2014 Kazakhstan’s president even wanted to change the country’s name to Kazakh Eli?
Kazakhstan is also attempting to distance itself from the Soviet Union past by transitioning from Cyrillic to a Latin alphabet.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 4:46 PM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
With all these white people involved you'd think they'd be able to keep words from overflowing their div's on the website.
posted by rhizome at 5:30 PM on June 14, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 5:30 PM on June 14, 2023 [5 favorites]
July 25th – Choco Taco Remembrance Day
OK, fine, I clicked far enough in for one small sensible chuckle.
posted by EvaDestruction at 6:25 PM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
OK, fine, I clicked far enough in for one small sensible chuckle.
posted by EvaDestruction at 6:25 PM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]
I can’t decide if I like this or fucken hate it.
posted by slogger at 6:31 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by slogger at 6:31 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ęeph u tek mawh mograggen aft ha “bro” čir Slowjamastani sifsif gã!
posted by slogger at 7:08 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by slogger at 7:08 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
If they like Slow Jamz, are they down with Twista when he was still Tung Twista, the fastest English-speaking rapper according to the Guinness Book of World Records?
posted by jonp72 at 8:42 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jonp72 at 8:42 PM on June 14, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm worried what happens if they open relations with Shoegazeistan.
posted by credulous at 9:38 PM on June 14, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by credulous at 9:38 PM on June 14, 2023 [4 favorites]
I wouldn't have expected one would be able to get stamps even in countries with lax entry requirements
Me neither. I travelled through Trinidad one time with my NZ passport. I was the very last person going through immigration that night and I think I got the junior night shift immigration officer who hadn't seen a NZ passport before. They went away and came back with a massive binder which had every country in the world in it along with instructions on how to process it / entry rules. Not sure what would have happened if my country wasn't in the binder but it took long enough just for a passport they were unsure of but was legit (and resulted in me leaving Piarco airport *way* after anyone else and it being a pretty lonely / creepy place after 1am in the dark...)
posted by inflatablekiwi at 7:30 AM on June 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
Me neither. I travelled through Trinidad one time with my NZ passport. I was the very last person going through immigration that night and I think I got the junior night shift immigration officer who hadn't seen a NZ passport before. They went away and came back with a massive binder which had every country in the world in it along with instructions on how to process it / entry rules. Not sure what would have happened if my country wasn't in the binder but it took long enough just for a passport they were unsure of but was legit (and resulted in me leaving Piarco airport *way* after anyone else and it being a pretty lonely / creepy place after 1am in the dark...)
posted by inflatablekiwi at 7:30 AM on June 15, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm disappointed the official animal is a racoon because it should be something slow like a tortoise or a sloth.
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:47 AM on June 16, 2023
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:47 AM on June 16, 2023
I'm worried what happens if they open relations with Shoegazeistan.
Wanderaway decelerationism
posted by snuffleupagus at 12:00 PM on June 16, 2023
Wanderaway decelerationism
posted by snuffleupagus at 12:00 PM on June 16, 2023
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posted by cmfletcher at 9:33 AM on June 14, 2023 [12 favorites]