Visa fun...

My three year long-term visa expired on November 14 and due to some complications, I hadn't been able to turn in my paperwork to renew it before the expiration. So, I needed to leave Romania before it expired and then re-enter the country after the expiration (on a 90 day tourist visa). I decided to go to Budapest and visit friends who used to live here in Bucharest.

As I went through passport control to depart Romania, the following conversation occurred:
Guard: When did you last enter Romania? (Checking to see if it was more than 90 days ago)
Me: August 2 (handing over my visa (permis de sedere))
Guard: It expires today.
Me: That's why I'm leaving.
Woman in the booth with him: You can come back after 3 months.
Me: speechless, smiling, taking passport, walking away...

I spent part of the flight to Budapest thinking through different scenarios about what might happen when I attempted to return to Bucharest just two days later. What possibilities might there be if I was told I needed to leave for 3 months?

The best idea I came up with was that my parents and I could do an apartment swap. I could go to Prague and teach my mom's class and they could come and live in Bucharest and my mom could teach my class. With that idea in my mind (which I haven't told my parents yet), I decided that it was all in God's hands--whether I was to stay or leave--and I didn't need to worry about it (one hope of the weekend was rest).

My plane landed in Romania on Sunday evening and I headed toward the passport control to enter Romania. Here is the conversation that ensued:
Guard: Where are you coming from?
Me: Budapest
Guard: Do you have a visa?
Me: No, I had one, but it expired before I could renew it so I had to leave. I'm going to work right now to start the process of renewing it.
Guard: Ok. (stamping my passport and returning it to me)

Yeah, God! It certainly could have ended up differently:)