Important Lessons I’ve Learned:
The Passport Story
09-10 March 2005
I pass through customs in NY (actually
We talked to dozens of people, most of
which were not very helpful. Helpful person in the first and the most helpful: The lady who worked for Continental in the
baggage claim area. She called
Helpful person, the
second: the ticket lady. Changing the flight for my professor and I to
stay an extra day, so I could get a new one, was easy. The first part of the mission accomplished. Get the new passport, sleep well and move on
to
Wrong again! Okay we got to the hotel and
they try and put my Prof and I in a room with one
bed. Uh, No.
Well that was all that was available at the moment so we'd have to wait until
after checkout time for that day ‘til another is available (remember it is
still rather early in the morning). So
we put our bags in some hotel closet and set out for downtown
"Do you have an appointment?" Uh no, I just had a phone number on a piece of paper that I can't currently find. "You won't have much luck without an appointment. Go talk to information." I stand in line at information. "Do you have an appointment?" Again no. "We can't help you, you need an appointment." Look lady I called the number, they didn't make me an appointment, they told me to call some number when I got here and I can't find the paper. "Sorry can't help you." If only I had that damn piece of paper. I go out talk to my Prof. I go in again. Look it is an emergency I need my passport by tomorrow. "No appointment, can't help you." I leave again. I had been so calm and controlled up until then. But I broke down. Great, crying in front of my professor. At least he was cool about it. "Let's get breakfast, coffee and figure it out from there." Helpful person the 3rd: Louis, my Prof. He figured out that we should call the main passport number again and get that information that we had lost. Thank goodness for a rather level head in a moment I had lost mine. We call, I get the number.
"Back again." I got it figured
out I replied. These security guys are entertaining. They also asked me about my hoodie. "Your school mascot is seriously the
Vandals? What do they look like?" Yes, and they are pretty much like a
Viking, only we didn't want to be 'The Vikings'. I also made no mention that I
had recently graduated from that university and was now with
Up on the 10th floor. I go into the waiting room to the bank of pay phones. I have the number.....but I don't have the change. I go to the security desk on the floor and explain my situation. "Do you have an appointment?" Okay over explaining myself again. I just need change so I can use the payphone. I call the number. "Is that you at the pay phones?" Yeah that'd be me. Damnit, had to waste a dollar just to call this guy's cell phone who was sitting in the damn waiting room. Turns out you do need an appointment to get a passport. What these guys do is have automatic appointments, they are a private company. Once you get an appointment you can get your passport the same day. And that was what I needed. Helpful person, the 4th: The guy. Although I had to pay him a lot for his services he was generally helpful...way more helpful than the people who were paid by the government to do their job, people who were rude to me and seemed like they really hated that I was asking them for help. Damn red tape.
So I fill out the forms and wait to be
helped by the lady behind the glass. "Birth certificate?" Uh no sorry, I don't carry it around with me everywhere. "You bring me her
and you don't even make sure she had all the required documents?" she
asked the guy. "There will be a
fee." Oh right I was told about that, I'm okay with that, please charge me, just get me my damn
passport. Shit, I was told on the
phone that it'd be an extra $50, turns out it was $60. Oh well.
So the lady starts tapping away on her keyboard, to look me up and make
sure that yes I am a
"I'm going to lunch,
this lady will help you out." Okay. She taps away at her computer. "Oh there you are." Thank the Gods! I liked this lady way better,
she was a little more helpful, or maybe she just knows how to work a computer.
"Okay." So I paid and was told that it would be done by
3 hours later. "Back again?" Yes, I'm here to pick up my passport, and leave and you'll never ever have to see me again. And I'll never have to come back to this damn city. Why does everything say 'I heart NY'? Why can't I find one that says ‘I L NY’…that would be great. Of course I really shouldn't blame NY right? It isn't the city's fault.
Passport in hand I head back to the subway
station and make my way back to the point at which the hotel driver dropped us
off. I figured I could take a taxi back
the rest of the way, it was supposed to be nearby. After wandering up and down the road for a
while I was taxi-less and had no idea how far the hotel was. Finally a taxi! "Sorry I don't know
where that is. I don't go into
Or not. By the 5th light, it is starting to get dark and the walk wasn't short unless you ignore the large bridge I crossed, then the distance probably would have been bearable. And at that point I knew I was headed in the wrong direction. Screw this. I go back towards the gas station I had just passed. I show him the hotel card. "I don't know where this is at, but it isn't the one that is nearby. The guy sent you to the wrong one." But Helpful person the 5th: this station attendant took out a map. We still weren't sure. So he called the hotel. "How do I get there?" He got the directions. "You won't be able to walk. You should get a taxi." I leave and head out to the road to hopefully flag down a taxi this time. The attendant calls to me. Turns out there is already one in the parking lot, he tells the driver where to go.
I arrive back at the hotel and talk to the
desk clerk to figure out which room I am in.
"Your husband has just arrived." Oh dear no! He's my professor, that is just wrong. "Sorry." So I get to my room. Damnit, left my I heart NY hat in the
taxi. I'm really getting sick and tired
of losing things! I eat, sleep, and then
get up early the next morning and make it to
And it amazes me that the most helpful people in this story of mine were those who had no obligation to help me… Those people who I just happened to encounter. The lady at the baggage claim….She could have told me to go away because while she did work for Continental, she was paid to help those find lost baggage. The two gas station attendants could have told me to go away (although one gave me incorrect information he was still more helpful than the taxi driver). While those who should have because it was their job didn’t give a shit about me. Thank you to all of those helpful people, Goddess bless and may Karma give you a large reward. For those who were rude I hope that Karma gives you a ‘reward’ also.
But you know what, despite all the bad and
strange things that happened, it wasn't all that bad. (This is my attempt at optimism) There are
certainly worse things that could have happened. If one of the other students had lost their
passport it would have been much more difficult to get them a new one (Although
being in NY, a significant amount of embassies would have been there). There were other incidents that didn’t happen
to me. We had one guy lose his luggage
arriving in
The End
I Certainly Hope So…..