Take that, Agent 8!

So I woke at 3:45 this morning to make an early morning appointment in DC to get my second passport. I drove all the way there, waited patiently for an hour for my number to come up, and made my way to Window 8. Agent 8 then proceeded to share with me that the several pages of documentation I brought with me were not enough (in spite of the fact that I had talked to two different people and brought more than what they told me to bring). I needed an official statement from my foreign employer on an original letterhead, and I needed to drive back to DC on Thursday. Then they might be able to help. The letter is not a requirement, but she doubted my employment.

I have to admit that I thought some very unmissionary-like thoughts about Agent 8! After my blog got banned from Guilford County, I'm starting to suspect some kind of conspiracy...but I digress. Fortunately, I begged the lady at the appointment counter, and she mercifully got me an appeal with a supervisor.

This is why I'm thrilled to be teaching at ICSB. I frantically called a fellow teacher, Austin, who was kind enough to give me several numbers for staff in Budapest. I called them at home after hours. In spite of their own activities, a six hour time difference, and the school being closed, they rushed a faxed letter with photocopies of their own passports to prove the validity of the request. The supervisor agreed to reconsider, and after five hours I walked away with my second passport!

Thank you for praying about this; I came very close to not getting this passport. I probably could still have gone to Budapest on time, but I would have had to surrender my passport and live in a foreign country with no official documentation. That terrified me! What a relief, then, that everything worked out. I'm especially excited to be working with such great people. I was really sad to leave my fellow teachers at SE, but I think the ICSB staff will be able to fill the void :)

A huge thank you to Rilla, David, Lori, and Austin!