the final countdown
i`m sitting in grantley adams international airport, one of the last three airports i`ll be travelling alone from.
i`m less of the emotional wreck that i was yesterday, i`m still eternally grateful for all the prayers and good wishes and support, moral and physical through the last two years.
by the time this is posted, i will be back in jamaica and have a clearer idea of when i`ll get to leave. i would have tendered my resignation.
there are so many things i need to do in the next day and a half, including ship my books off, thoroughly clean my apartment, disconnect my phone and internet accounts as the lease on my apartment is up on saturday.
i need to do laundry, probably my last on my own. it`s such a relief to know soon, now has a date.
i`m on the plane now and coherent enough to recount my trip to the consular offices, including a number of interesting discoveries. after my visa had been approved and while i was waiting for them to print it and put it in my passport and provide me with the packet i have to present to immigration officials when i arrive in the us, i had a real conversation with the officer.
apparently the overseas offices have always been short staffed and events since september 2001, haven`t made it any better. for the three days i was back and forth at their offices there were three officers on duty, two issuing non-immigrant visas and one dealing with immigrant visas.
the problem specifically in barbados is, they are the consular authority for seven other countries. all applicants from grenada, st. vincent and the grenadines, st. lucia, st. martin and a few other places that i`m not entirely sure of, fall under the aegis of the the bajan embassy and consular services. and this not just about visas, they also deal with american citizen services like passports, births and deaths abroad, that kind of thing.
it`s was interesting to be able to talk to this woman, like a real human being and though i`ve been frustrated and disappointed by them on previous occasions i could empathise. when i got my passport back, it was a little before 2pm, she had been interviewing since 8am, missed lunch dealing with my case and she still had to deal with the family of someone who had drowned in st. martin. i listened to her explain the same thing to a woman at her window at least five times, using the same language and tone of voice. i couldn`t do that job with snapping, it requires a lot of patience and shutting yourself off emotionally.
i guess in my own way, it`s my way of saying thank you to her as well.
i feel very blessed and grateful. there are people that have to be publicly acknowledged, i have to say again huge thank yous to guttaperk and the divagirl for all their help; the shuttling about, the food, the accommodation, the general good time. a very special thank you to sam, without whom this trip would not have happened at all. my mother for supporting me however she could. and my best friend in the world, pig, thank you.
and vic. my love, my love, thank you for sticking with me through all of this. i love you. soon.
Technorati Tags:
immigration, consular offiice, barbados
Archives
- January 2021
- December 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2019
- January 2018
- November 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- October 2014
- August 2014
- May 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- July 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- June 2012
- April 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- June 2011
- January 2011
- August 2010
- July 2010
- October 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- September 2005
- July 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
- September 2003
- August 2003
- July 2003
- June 2003
- May 2003
- April 2003
Tags
advertising alt-facts Alternative facts apple books bureaucracy children DHS douglas adams elections f1 family fff flash fiction fridays friendship holiday immigration inclusion trigger journalspace love macworld memes morality movie review movies music nashville nerve party patriot act photos politics rain reading relationships religion San Francisco satire television travel trinidad tv USCIS writing wyfaggregator
Blogroll
design