Sunday, May 09, 2010

Visa Saga Part Seven - Not Done Yet

Monday morning, my first day in over a month that I don't have to run on any visa related tasks. I plan to sleep-in and then study for a little bit.

8:30 a.m. - the phone rings. It is the city police telling me that while my health check is officially still valid for another 2 months I am applying for a yearlong visa, and therefore the overlapping time is not sufficient I will need to get a new health check before they can finish processing my visa.

I quickly get dressed and head up to the travel medical centre (more than an hour long bus ride from my home). In order to register I need to have a copy of my passport. I explain that I don't have my passport sine it is in being processed at the city police. No passport copy, no medical check. I know I have a scanned copy saved on my computer at home, so I jump on the bus and head back across town.

In the afternoon I try again, back on the bus, back up north, back to the travel medical centre (which i find out is sadly only open in the morning) and back on the bus home. That means I spent a total of almost five hours on a city bus and have nothing to show for it in other words I have accomplished nothing.

Tuesday morning with passport copy in hand I try again. This time successfully. Blood work, urine, EKG, ultra sound, chest x-ray, blood pressure, height, weight, eyes, ears, mouth and nose all checked and done within the hour. The results would be finished and ready for pick up Wednesday afternoon.

I got it turned in on Thursday morning. I hope I'm finished, but I am holding off the celebration until my passport is safely back in my hand with a yearlong visa pasted in it.

No comments: