The "dreaded" trip to the visa office

Every year I must face it... the dreaded trip to the visa office to submit my applications for residence and work. First, there's the mound of paperwork to prepare, notarize and sign. Then there's the waiting while a letter petitioning the Ministry of Something-Specific gets approved. The hike up 9 (NINE) flights of stairs to stand in a dark hall of some nameless frosted-glass door, awaiting your turn. The nervous waiting and answering dozens of questions as the official examines each and every document in detail... "Will they accept my application?" is the question that worries it's way through my mind every time.

Well, this morning the beautiful, warm and sun-shiney day should have been my first clue that this year would be different. After dreading the 9 flight hike, I found that there were two small elevators that would carry you at least to the 7th floor and then you'd just hike up the remaining two. So, my contact from the church and I squished into the sardine can with two others and slowly made our way up to the 7th floor.... I was trying so hard not to pay attention to the sounds (creaks, scratches, and rattlings) as some mysterious wire ushered us upwards...

Once reaching the 7th floor we wound our way around several windy, twisty hallways until we could find the stairs to take us the additional two floors up. Once outside the visa office, moments before we went in, my contact chose that moment to tell me something that she'd just learned. Aparently there is a new law that if your visa is expired you get into big trouble and can be taken to court. The rush of adrenaline that filled me was instant and powerful as we both knew that my visa had expired on the 1st and here it is the 13th. "Well," I thought, "whatever happens, happens" and entered the office with just a little trepidation.

The man who greeted us was not the usual person from years previous. My heart was dreading the questions and such to come as to why my visa had expired in addition to all the normal questioning.... But I held out my hand and gave a firm handshake and said, "Good morning, Sir." He smiled a really genuine smile, looked at my expired visa, noted it almost in passing, then asked if all the paperwork was there, saw it was and then said, "OK" and that it will cost such-and-such. With not so much as one question, one suspicious or evaluative glance or detailed examination of my documents, we were done. AND he was SO NICE and NOT AT ALL scary to boot!

As my contact and I left the office we just kind of stared at each other in bewilderment and then broke out into suprised happy giggles of relief and joy. SERIOUSLY, it's never been this easy nor gone this smoothly!!! Frankly, I'm still in a bit of a daze that it went so well.

Thank you for the many who were praying.