The Embassy Adventure

Once upon a time my friends Lane and Michelle realized a few days before their visas were to expire that they were completely out of pages in their passports and could thus not get new visas before going to an embassy to get pages added. Unfortunately, things at their dorm have been a bit crazy and a day trip to the embassy was difficult to plan. When Lane finally created the opportunity, he drove a couple hours to the embassy with both their passports as well as a few of the students who were in the same predicament. Embassy denied his request since he was not the power of attorney for any of the passports. So he drove back home, a day wasted, only to break the bad news to an already overwhelmed wife who just wanted the mess to be done.

So the next day I went to the embassy with letters of "power of attorney" in hand for all of the passports. I thought the embassy closed at noon and was traveling quickly down the autobahn to get there asap. I ended up getting into the city about 10:45am- gas light going on as I went into city limits. Found the embassy and proper parking garage- no problems until I tried to walk out of the parking garage the way I drove in. But there were no doors! I had come in through a censored door that closed behind me. I looked around, saw no exit signs, felt totally stupid, cursed the unrelenting doors and proceeded to run through the parking garage like a crazy woman. Some man found man and must have recognized the panic expression on my face and said something like, "you look like you need a friend." I think I said something really classy like "or a door out of this place!" He befriended me by showing me the exit. Too bad it put me out on the wrong side of the building with fences all around. So...basically, it took me about 10 minutes to find the other side of the stinkin building. I asked 2 people for directions, and they both gave me directions to the old embassy in French. I knew it was the wrong place because the directions were way too long and involved busses. One lady scoffed at me when I tried to explain that that was the wrong embassy as if saying you're the one who asked for directions.

But I got there. Running. I enter and the woman nonchalantly asks, "are those all yours passports?" Yes! All 8! With 8 different names! Whew, I tried not to be sarcastic since I was asking her to process 8 passports in an hour's time. I waited an hour taking note of how many American passport holders don't speak a lick of English. After a while I started guessing what kind of accent people would have based on how they were dressed. Sometimes I was right, some wrong. But my favorite guy of the whole day strolled in wearing an all white suit. Security guard asked him to remove his belt and SNAP! It was like lightning! And immediately "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson started playing on the soundtrack in my head. I laughed aloud. I'm not sure why that song apparently goes with my stereotype of that guy, but who am I to fight the music playing in my head?

Noon rolled around and the nice embassy lady told me that they hadn't started working on my 8 passports because their computers were down, but to come back at 2:00. She'd tell the guards to let me straight in. I was excited! Special treatment from embassy people is always nice!

I got quite bored walking in circles. Switzerland is too expensive to buy the fun European shoes I've been seeing about, but I found a big sports store that kept my attention for a while. But not long enough, so I went back to the car in the devil parking garage for a nap. And guess who left the interior lights on! Ding Ding!! Great...so not only am I out of gas, but now it might not start. I turned it off, waited a bit, prayed, cranked it, let it run, then the car and I both took a little nap. Thank you God.

2:00 I went to pick up the passports to find a line of about 25 people outside the embassy, because you know what? They DON'T close at noon! I didn't have to rush to get there afterall! But the nice guard man did let me go straight back in, and by 3:30 they were finished.

Yay! It worked! Now everyone can get their visas and be in Germany legally. Now only 2 more hurdles to overcome: filling the gas tank and finding my way back to Germany. I had passed a few gas stations on the autobahn on the way into town, but not only did I not know which autobahn I was on since I was just following signs to get to the booming metropolis of Bern, but I came in on a one-way, and I couldn't remember how far away they were. And the car was sputtering. I asked for directions at the embassy, and none of the workers had vehicles and therefore couldn't tell me where one was. Finally, they pulled a man in who gave me directions to an "underground station." What?! I tried to find it, but gave up after a while. Stopped again. And got more directions in French. Ahh! I don't speak French! So a woman hopped in my car and pointed the directions for me to go. I got there; she left. Enter gas station man who filled the tank completely for 89 Swiss Franks (CHF). I had 72 CHF. If this had happened in the States, where I usually felt in control of my life and everything going on around, I would've been mortified. But here, it was a bit humbling, but not too traumatic. I'd never filled the tank before, and didn't know how much it would take. I made a mistake, and won't do it again. He wouldn't take card but unhappily accepted the deficit in Euros.

So with a full gas tank, I ventured back onto the road. It was easy to find Bern; there are signs all the way there from Kandern, and I'd been there before. Unfortunately, there are no signs heralding traffic toward Kandern, Germany. I slept the entire way back from Bern last time I went. And I had neither directions or a map. But, praise the Lord for giving me a decent sense of direction, because I got back to Kandern with no wrong turns (although I questioned myself multiple times).

And thus, concludes my adventure to the embassy in Bern, Switzerland. Michelle was very happy that neither she nor Lane had to go. And I'm happy to have learned the flow of things at the embassy, how to get in and out of parking garages, the hours of the embassy, the procedure of filling up a gas tank, and the overall joy of being a foreigner.