What a roller coaster!
I am flying to Ghana on Sunday. I got everything taken care of that I can: yellow fever vaccine, typhoid fever vaccine, malaria pills on the ready, flight, travel insurance (as required through the school), waivers, letter of invitation, passport… wait… I don’t have a passport in my possession because it’s still at the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington, D.C.! I submitted my application, passport, and paperwork for the Ghanaian visa 7 weeks ago. What was supposed to take 7-10 business days has turned into an utter nightmare. I fly in three days and I haven’t received the passport back yet. I have tracking on my prepaid return envelope and while the Embassy informed me that my visa was approved, my passport has yet to hit a mailbox. I’ve spent the past week tirelessly trying to reach someone – anyone – at the Embassy to no avail. It’s usually 45-minute holds, then the call gets dropped, or voicemail messages that never get returned. I’ve even left emails asking for a status update only to get a “thanks” in response. I finally reached a human being today and she asked me to say and spell my name a few times… then she transferred me to another voicemail box. Incredibly frustrating? You betcha.
I’ve spoken to my professor and she has been experiencing the same frustrations to the point that she went and obtained an emergency passport today. So, guess where I will be spending my Friday? Yep, at the Passport Agency in San Francisco. What a whirlwind.
I’ve learned that I can obtain a Ghanaian visa at the airport in Ghana, it just requires me to wait around the airport a while until it’s approved. Fine. At this point, I’m willing to do anything.
The hardest part about this whole experience is not having control. I'm a control freak (surprise) and having done everything in my control without reciprocation is difficult. I've been praying for peace and for trust that everything will work out and I know it will. I just have to stop holding on to something that I can't control and let things play out. Having a Plan B, and sometimes a Plan C is the greatest benefit to being a control freak - that even when Plan A falls through and it's incredibly frustrating, the other Plans pop up and say hello.
Long story short, I will be embarking on my journey to Africa sometime this weekend. I know all of this crazy will be worth it, but I’m ready to catch a breath.
