Visa

So, at around 7:30 PM today, the UPS guy returned an envelope I sent to the Japanese Consulate in Boston last week. Inside this envelope was my passport along with a freshly applied allowing me to stay in Japan without the Japanese government throwing me out in 90 days.

It's always a bit of a nerve-racking experience for me dealing with customs or border control or visas and such. Not that I have any reason to be, I'm just terrified of answering a question the wrong way and getting moved to another room where they... do whatever it is to people who actually try to cheat that sort of stuff.

Also, my passport photo was taken when I was 16. I'm 22 now. I don't know about you, but I definitely don't look the same as I did six years ago. So, I'm always afraid that I'm going to go to some country, and they're going to be like "THIS ISN'T YOU AT ALL! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" I was especially afraid of this when I was leaving Israel, when I had really long hair and hadn't shaved in a while and they don't mess around when it comes to that type of stuff.

Anyway, while this process wasn't as HARDCORE as that, but I was still afraid because I had to send my passport by mail and GOD KNOWS what could happen. But basically, I filled out the visa application ("Oh god, I hope I'm answering this correctly"), affixed the passport photo I had to go to my local Rite-Aid to get taken ("oh god, I hope this is the right size"), and included the return envelope ("oh god, I hope this is what they want") and waited. A few days later, I got a call from the Japanese Consulate in Boston, which at first FREAKED ME THE FUCK OUT, because no news is good news, right? But they only wanted some other information from me. In addition to confirming my birth date and my name and such, they also wanted my address I'd be staying at in Japan. Since my school wouldn't tell me the exact information until I got there, I had just put down the address of the campus. Apparently, this wasn't sufficient enough for the Japanese Consulate. I told them I'd ask the school and email the information to them.

I sent an email to the school asking what the specific address was for the dorms, hoping that they would email it to me overnight (due to the time difference). When I woke up, I found out they hadn't (later I found out that the Japanese holiday Obon/お盆 was taking place and didn't get a email until Monday from them), I got on the FaceBook and asked my friend who went to this school last year. He gave me the address and the only difference between the one I wrote and the one he gave me was that he had "International Residence Hall" at the top or something. Anyway, I emailed them the address and called them up and let them know I did, the nice Japanese woman on the phone checked the email and said it was all good.

...great.

Almost a week later, and I have my visa! YAAAAAAY!

On a more serious note, this really puts everything in perspective. It doesn't seem long ago that I was applying to this program and doing lots and lots of forms. Now, other than a few little things like grab some Yen, clean up my room and pack, there's nothing else in the way from now and me leaving.... that is unless I forgot something.

Really, this blog will get more interesting. I've somehow got to think of other things to fill it with until September 20th.