Living and Working on South African time

T-Minus 12 days:

So, the first mini-break down occurred: I forgot to include copies of my immunization and birth certificate with my Visa application. As they would say in Afrikaans: Ag sis! (I'll let you guess what that means...)

After a good cry on the shoulders of my VERY supportive sister (thank you Elisa!), and the quick thinking of my Mom & Bradley Mack (you guys are amazing!), I obtained the appropriate copies and sent the now-completed-paperwork off to the distant and quite exotic land of the South African Embassy all the way in Washington DC. Fingers-crossed, positive energy, gratitude prayers, and Aunt Evy...I'll receive my Visa in the mail with PLENTY of time before I actually leave on January 16th.

Some funny things about South African Visas:

1) First of all, it probably took us (Ayla--the other intern going to South Africa with me--and myself) about a month to determine which type of Visa we required for our travels. Technically speaking, we're getting a permit...SO many options for the "Visitor's Permits - issued on entry in South Africa for visits of three (3) months or more, but not exceeding (3) years":

• Sabbatical
• Voluntary or Charitable Activities
• Research
• Spouse and Dependents
• Bonafide Activities

I kinda always wondered the difference between bonafide activities and nonbonafide activities. Any thoughts?

2) Why Washington DC?!?! Oy vey! I got to drive to Houston to get my Italian one; it was like a "wham, bam, thank you ma'am"...you're in and then you're out with a Visa in no time flat. But Texas is covered by the South African Embassy in DC. Huh? Let's face it, after spending a million dollars on Express mailing my Visa application to DC, it would have probably cheaper to fly to DC and go in person to this mysterious Embassy, which, according to Ayla, they're only in the office for like 3 hours a day. Ag sis, man! Plus, I called to check-in with them to make sure they had received my application, and it hadn't gotten there yet...WHAT?!?! Hello postal service!!! I paid extra for over-night for a reason!

Dear G-d,

Please make sure the South African Embassy gets my application and all of the appropriate paperwork for my Visa...I mean, permit, on time so they can approve it & mail it back to me in time for me to go to South Africa on January 16th.

Amen.

3) I swear I'm clean! South Africa doesn't mess around...they mean business and by business I mean a freaking background check (and it must include all countries of residence in the last 18 years!) The craziest thing is that the first time Ayla & I tried to get our background check, they turned us away! Then we called their main hotline number...and whoops! Got them in trouble. The next week we went again for attempt numero dos, and the employees recognized our faces and started speaking in Spanish to each other. Aye caramba! They hate us!...That's probably why it took a million years to get our background check results back. Sooorrrryyyy!!!

4) Radiological exam!?!?! Say what? After a surprisingly pleasant experience with the radiology tech, SUPER friendly guy who was telling me all about his African adventures, I got my results back along with my physical exam form from the Docta. No worries, my chest x-ray, sans TB, noted my chest as "unremarkable." With a push-up bra, however, I'd like to say my chest is pretty remarkable...haha...But South Africa doesn't care about my cup size, they just want to make sure that I don't got the Tuberculosis. And, gratefully, I don't.

5) Copies of my bank statements, salary advances, credit cards & travelers cheques "to ensure adequate funding of travel related expenses"...uhhh...

6) Then, it says "Deposit." Just Deposit and goes to the next line. What kind of deposit would you like South Africa? How much? Cash, check, or money order?!?! I'm so confused....

All-in-all, drum roll please....I'm like 99.9% sure that everything is in and I'm going to get my Visa/Permit on time. I'm just going to go with the mantra: "it's all good." And try not to worry about it. However, positive thoughts and prayers from each and every one of you for my Visa are greatly appreciated!!!!!

Oh, and another funny thing: when Ayla & I booked our flights...South African Airways almost charged me for 6 roundtrip tickets from Austin to Johannesburg. Gotta love the internet with it's busted connections ;) Good thing I called them first thing the next morning to clarify my ticketing needs....phew, thank you cell phones.

I guess I should have learned about South African time and the way things work down there long ago: Ayla & I found out that we were accepted to the South Africa placement at the beginning of September...we didn't book our flights until November 2. Not because we're procrastinators, but because we had no control over the process of coordinating with Botshabelo, time zone differences, faculty meetings, etc. Looks like I'm going to have to throw out my anxious ways this semester, and remember what Kathy Armenta always says: Trust the process.

Good thing I'm chronically 15-20 minutes late to things...I'll fit right in while living and working on South African time.

In the meantime: Give me my Visa please! :) Dankie! (Afrikaans for "thank you")