Monday, May 10, 2010

A few thoughts about passport holders



Out for some shopping this weekend and I picked myself up a new passport holder.  Your run-of-the-mill passport holders were 3 grivna (with purple and glitter marbling), but I shelled out 10 for this one.  Was it for the leather-like imprint on the plastic giving an impression of higher quality that won me over?  No, instead (amateur geographer as I am) it was the map of Ukraine impressed onto the book's cover.  I'd like to Strange Maps this one - apparently the only city of note in Crimea is Yalta and it is situated in present day Djankoy.

I heard a rumor that one can get into some sort of vague trouble for carrying around a passport in a passport holder not in correspondence with one's own country of origin.  Seems it could hardly be a problem as long as you took it out before handing it over to someone in a uniform.  Readers in the know - any truth in this?

While I was working as an elections observer this winter I saw quite a few voters with Ukrainian passports dressed in Russian or Soviet passport holders.  I thought about them yesterday at Victory Day while watching marchers in the parade - both young and old - chant about unity with Russia and the Soviet Union.



1 comment:

Unknown said...

I didn't know you could get in trouble for that. That's stupid. I really like your new passport cover, though! I want the Italian boot on mine now. ^ ~