russian border guards - part 3

ok, here goes another one...

i have a special travel document from my work, which does not state my nationality. but it contains my russian visa and the latter in turn states my western european nationality. now remember that i have 2 nationalities and hence another 2 regular passports.

so normally when i travel in and out of russia, i hand over my special travel document and my western european passport.

but, one day last july, i was going on a trip to my eastern european home. so when approaching the border guards at the passport control at the airport, i give them my eastern european passport instead.

oh boy.

that was a funny moment.

the border guard on duty looks at my 2 documents and is totally confused. i mean, really confused. so eventually she asks me if i have 2 nationalities, because my documents don't make any sense to her. hi hi... i admit, i was playing with them that day, confusing them on purpose and pretending to have forgotten my western european passport at home... (actually, this is another sign of saying i have been in russia for too long - when you find it fun to stir up heated arguments with someone else, esp. with the authorities...)

the whole thing ended after a discussion of 15 minutes with the head of the border guards. they finally agreed to let me leave the country! (but also saying that upon my re-entry into russia, i would have to present my western european passport)

imagine that, it is sometimes harder to leave russia than to enter it...

once they agreed to let me depart, i was really mean and, ooops, "i just found my other passport in my handbag - sorry, it's a bit messy and i didn't see it ... i really thought i had forgotten it at home..."

i had so much fun testing how far i could go with the border guards and whether i could convince them with my negotiation skills in russian!
(help - i am soooo russified!)