It's Thursday - exactly a week since my ill-fated trip to the pub that sparked off a chain of events that put both my upcoming holiday and my sanity in jeopardy.
Today I'm feeling a little jittery, but ultimately positive and still hopeful. A few good things have happened since my last post, and I do have every reason to believe that going home is a strong possibility - maybe even a probability. I have been in touch with Shoes' cousin, who has a contact that can organise a full SA passport in 2 weeks. It's a full, legitimate passport, done by people who have contacts inside Home Affairs. Whether or not the fast tracking is above board, I don't really care, and I'm sure it's not as it costs 5 times what a normal passport costs. However, Shoes cousin used these people when he lost his passport recently, and it worked perfectly for him. If I go and apply on my first morning in Jozi, we might even be able to get it before we're due to fly back on Sunday 10 Feb, which would save us astronomical costs in flight changes. Then, a guy at my work has a friend who used to work in Immigration over here in the UK. He's worked both in British Embassies across the world and at Passport Control at the airports. He has confirmed to me that I will be able to re-enter the UK with a new SA passport sans visa (I can't afford to wait the extra 3 weeks in would take for a visa application to be processed in SA), provided I bring all the supporting documents with me to back up my story. So, copies of my old passport and visa, the police report, proof of employment and address in the UK, etc.
So that settles things with regards to my return from SA to the UK. Now, the only thing up in the air is my passage from here to SA. I've applied for my emergency travel certificate - I had to do it by post, so I posted it off on Monday - and it is supposed to take 5 days from when they receive it. The thing that is stressing me is that I can't track its progress. What if they don't open my envelope straight away? What if some ass is having a bad day and decides he doesn't feel like opening ANY of the posted applications today? What if they're on a go slow, which we all know is the case in SA Government departments, and they only get cracking on it today or tomorrow? I only have 6 working days left before we fly, and that's counting today. They need 5, but that's once it has been processed and sent off for approval. It's so tight it doesn't bear thinking about, so of course it is all I can think about.
I've also been advised that they may or may not contact me when its ready, so to be on the safe side I should go in every day from Tuesday and ask if its there (efficiency, thy name is South Africa). Because I couldn't see anyone to check over my application, the other thing haunting me is what if I did something wrong? I followed all instructions, submitted all documents, but I also know these people (far better than any one person should know them), and I know how petty they can be.
The only thing that might push this through for me is that my Great Uncle died on Monday morning, and I was able to submit his death certificate along with my application. Since they only class serious illness or death as a true emergency situation, it may be my saving grace, as callous as that sounds.
Part of me wants this week to go really slowly to give them that extra time to get everything sorted, and the other part just wants it to be over so I know my fate. It's really hard to accept that I have done everything I can, and that it's now in someone else's hands.
However, I am staying strong and imagining myself back with my family and doing all the awesome things we have planned for our trip. I can feel the sand between my toes, smell the ocean breeze and suntan lotion, hear the sounds of my family getting up in the morning and going about their day.... it's everything, and if this was decided on will alone, I would be able to confirm this second that I'm going!
Today I'm feeling a little jittery, but ultimately positive and still hopeful. A few good things have happened since my last post, and I do have every reason to believe that going home is a strong possibility - maybe even a probability. I have been in touch with Shoes' cousin, who has a contact that can organise a full SA passport in 2 weeks. It's a full, legitimate passport, done by people who have contacts inside Home Affairs. Whether or not the fast tracking is above board, I don't really care, and I'm sure it's not as it costs 5 times what a normal passport costs. However, Shoes cousin used these people when he lost his passport recently, and it worked perfectly for him. If I go and apply on my first morning in Jozi, we might even be able to get it before we're due to fly back on Sunday 10 Feb, which would save us astronomical costs in flight changes. Then, a guy at my work has a friend who used to work in Immigration over here in the UK. He's worked both in British Embassies across the world and at Passport Control at the airports. He has confirmed to me that I will be able to re-enter the UK with a new SA passport sans visa (I can't afford to wait the extra 3 weeks in would take for a visa application to be processed in SA), provided I bring all the supporting documents with me to back up my story. So, copies of my old passport and visa, the police report, proof of employment and address in the UK, etc.
So that settles things with regards to my return from SA to the UK. Now, the only thing up in the air is my passage from here to SA. I've applied for my emergency travel certificate - I had to do it by post, so I posted it off on Monday - and it is supposed to take 5 days from when they receive it. The thing that is stressing me is that I can't track its progress. What if they don't open my envelope straight away? What if some ass is having a bad day and decides he doesn't feel like opening ANY of the posted applications today? What if they're on a go slow, which we all know is the case in SA Government departments, and they only get cracking on it today or tomorrow? I only have 6 working days left before we fly, and that's counting today. They need 5, but that's once it has been processed and sent off for approval. It's so tight it doesn't bear thinking about, so of course it is all I can think about.
I've also been advised that they may or may not contact me when its ready, so to be on the safe side I should go in every day from Tuesday and ask if its there (efficiency, thy name is South Africa). Because I couldn't see anyone to check over my application, the other thing haunting me is what if I did something wrong? I followed all instructions, submitted all documents, but I also know these people (far better than any one person should know them), and I know how petty they can be.
The only thing that might push this through for me is that my Great Uncle died on Monday morning, and I was able to submit his death certificate along with my application. Since they only class serious illness or death as a true emergency situation, it may be my saving grace, as callous as that sounds.
Part of me wants this week to go really slowly to give them that extra time to get everything sorted, and the other part just wants it to be over so I know my fate. It's really hard to accept that I have done everything I can, and that it's now in someone else's hands.
However, I am staying strong and imagining myself back with my family and doing all the awesome things we have planned for our trip. I can feel the sand between my toes, smell the ocean breeze and suntan lotion, hear the sounds of my family getting up in the morning and going about their day.... it's everything, and if this was decided on will alone, I would be able to confirm this second that I'm going!
2 comments:
shame, you sound totally spaced out about this, and with good reason! let's hope you get a highly motivated guy who processes your papers within seconds...
I'm so sorry about your uncle.
It sounds like you'll be home soon though... I hope it works out for you soon xx
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