The War is Over

Dear America,

Since my hysteria has ebbed enough that I can use words again, I tried to make the story of my visa funny, but it’s just not. So, the super abridged context: for the last few months, I’ve been killing myself sending out emails, making phone calls, traveling to London in the middle of the night, filling out insane amounts of paperwork only to have them deleted, repeatedly having to ask that organizations to send me required documents, sending out more emails, changing flights to accommodate my program, sending out more emails etc. just to get this India visa before orientation starts on Dec 27.

Super abridged last 48 hours:

The schoolwork battlefront: I cannot organize interviews for a paper I was supposed to be writing when I was busy focusing on my losing war with the visa, so I’ve restarted research and changed the paper topic.

The possible lateness to India front: I receive an email asking why I turned in my visa application so late and saying that I cannot participate in the India program if I don’t arrive on time, even though I have done literally everything I was supposed to, been in contact with all of these organizations and explained the situation countless times since October, and done insane amounts of extra, totally unnecessary work. I send out millions more emails, I explain the situation yet again and ask them to clarify “cannot go.” They don’t respond via email or pick up the phone. I contact Dickinson Global Ed and send them a super abridged version of all my email correspondence, plus legal documents, plus travel receipts which prove that I have done everything right and the visa lateness is not my fault (good thing I'm a pack rat. I still have all my third grade homework piled away in my bedroom closet just in case.)

 My study abroad correspondent, who is not in her office, finally responds to my emails by telling me that I shouldn’t have emailed these other people explaining my situations but does not clarify the phrase “cannot go.” After apologizing profusely for doing absolutely nothing wrong, I explain the situation again and ask her again to clarify “cannot go.”

Meanwhile on the visa rushing battle front: I contact the US Consulate (over skype via my dad’s speaker phone because I have recently maxed out my phone making international calls to fix the visa situation) and send them documents to try and rush the visa. I have emailed the following questions to the visa application center since the beginning of December: Can I pay extra for a rush visa? Four days later: “No.” Can I change the address you will send it to so I can pick it up closer to the airport and save time? Four days later: “No.” Can I pick it up in person? No response. I call the visa center. They charge me a pound per minute, cannot answer my question and tell me to call back later. I call back later. They cannot understand the question “Can I pick it up?” and charge me 20 pounds. I finally get a response via email: “No. But if you check the status of your visa every day and then come to the application center all the way in London before 3:30 on the same day it says “ready for dispatch” you might catch us before we mail it.” I check my visa status and it says “Sorry! No record shown.” I send a page long email to the visa application center outlining several more options and asking if they can do any of them (At this point I begin to have flashbacks to the college admissions process with my high school guidance counselor, and I throw up a little).

The "where will I live?" front: My lease at UEA is only paid for up to Dec 18. My flight is Dec 26. I originally planned to stay at my flatmate's and then go to her house for Christmas, but if the visa is coming to UEA I have to stay here, meaning I have to put 90 more pounds on lease. If it's going to London I need to find a hostel in London. Meanwhile, I also can't book train or bus tickets (whose prices increase daily) until I know when and where the visa is going.

As my hypothetical future of hopes and dreams in India tears away like a truck (which in the movie version of Jesse's Visa adventure would crash into the visa application center in a dramatic Hollywood car crash explosion scene) on a Doppler Effect diagram, I again turn to the schoolwork front: At this point, I have spent all my allotted research time for this new paper topic on the losing the Great Visa Battle, which is quickly turning into a massacre of my troops (my troops being my belief in anyone else’s competence, my soul, and my general faith in the human race). I explain the situation to my professor and ask for an extension noting that I am an excellent student, work extremely hard, and the only other time in my life I have asked for even an extra day, I had a sprained wrist and was incapable of writing or typing (actually a hilarious injury but the story would ruin the super serious tone I'm trying to affect for this visa war story). Answer from professor: No.

Returning to the possible lateness / “cannot go” clarification front: I still have not gotten a response email, my CIEE correspondent is temporarily out of her office again and apparently going on vacation next week. I call the CIEE emergency hotline and it is a US only number. I skype my dad who calls the hotline and I dictate to him the question “Can I go on this ****ing program (or have you wasted thousands of my dollars and hundreds of hours of my time, you useless ****ing ****s?)” which he translates into a polite question over the phone. Answer: yes. The war is won.

I can deal with the Indian Consulate, I can deal with flight changes, I can deal with having to be in a random hostel near the London visa application center over Christmas, and I can deal with this ridiculous paper. I still get to go to India. Sorry I had to tell a horrific tale of mundane bureaucracy to get us there (that’s just the super abridge version. I spared you about half), but this is basically the best news I’ve ever gotten, and I just want to spread the joy (by first spreading the horror. No one appreciates an antidote until they’ve first had an infectious disease). I’m pretty sure the universe has been doing mean things so it will be more awesome when I finally get there. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy my last weeks in England (meaning lock myself in my room to write this ridiculous paper and hopefully finish early), and return to my regular action-packed adventures.

Norwich fun fact: Norwich usually hanged their witches instead of burning them at the stake (they're progressive).