O'Hara's Own Corner

To continue on Toby’s little rant, I was the participant at the Immigration Office. I got there right on time for my appointment to find only one person was working and the number machine ran out of paper right on my go, yep it took a good 10mins just for them to find another role, they were starting to doubt they had any. In the end turns out my number did print just before the paper was no more but naturally she didn’t check that prior to the search was completed.

I was finally seen about 30 mins later. By that time we now had 2 workers, seems it’s one very slow stream back from lunch, plus always so much to chat about rather than serve customers that are having to pay for a parking lot to be there as I watched the minutes pass away. My request seemed such a quick one, if only they had an isle for 1 or less questions or even better a self serve, I could have stamped my own passport, grin!

Upon being seen I told them my plight of needing a permission slip to leave the country for a week as my residency card had expired last year along with it having been stolen and most likely tossed in the rubbish, plus the fact my new card that I paid for about a year ago still won’t be arriving until October or so. She said they could put a stamp in my passport but said I’d need to take a seat.

Yep they sure don’t want to you to stay long those seats are hard and uncomfortable. As time passed and not only all the people before me but all those after me, kept leaving and I was still waiting I started to wonder if I’d been forgotten about, so alas some glances the reps way occasionally letting her know yep I’m still here.

Once more I was the only white person in the vicinity, seems a regular event during my immigration visits. When playing spot the white people the game gets dull rather quickly.

1 hour and 45 mins later I get called back up, she said here’s your passport it took longer because your wallet was stolen and we had to make reports. As my eyes rolled internally as I remembered Toby’s and my conversation about what our reason was for not having the card any longer, we ended up deciding to go with the truth, seems not really to our advantage after all!

It’s at times like this that one has to hope that my card will be used and they will catch some underhanded person and punishment will prevail, what can I say makes all the hassle much more worth it at that point, don’t you think!

Toby and I still wonder if there is an advantage about going about such things above reprieve when seems so many others don’t, and they are still ahead of the the game and we are way over here.

On the up side she knew her stuff, and that is always nice for a change.