After reading this blog, you will want to go and apply for your passport, even if you aren't planning to leave the country for 5 years.
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There's a new law out that requires every person leaving or entering the U.S. to have a passport. Yes, you have always had to have a passport to leave North America, but now, even if you are traveling to Mexico or Canada from the U.S. you must have a passport.
This new law has caused quite the influx in passports for US Citizens. I happen to have a story to share about my most recent and terrifying passport experience. Go pop a bag of popcorn, I promise this story (even my shortened version) is entertaining.
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It all began on a sunny Friday on the 26th of January when I learned I was going to Guatemala with my church's Medical Mission Team. I called my mom and told her to send my certified copy of my birth certificate, she sent it out that day. One month later, it finally arrived in my mailbox. Apparently there had been a miscommunication between my momma and I and my apartment number wasn't on the envelope. After floating around the well-ran postal system it got back to my mom where she put my apartment number and a few days later it was in my possession.
On February 22nd, I knew I was cutting it a little close, but I had read over all the passport information and I was sure that if I paid the extra money to have it expedited in 10-14 business days I would have my passport. Twelve business days later, no sign of it. My sister-in-law told me that I could check its status online, so I did. But the online system couldn't find my information. That was weird. So I kept checking it, hoping something would change with each click. No luck.
On Monday, March 12th, I called the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) about 100 times before I finally got through to be put on hold to speak to someone. They checked my information and couldn't find me.
My passport was stuck in limbo between the bank that deposits all of their money and the place that inputs all data. It was easy to tell that it wasn't at the data place. So where the heck was it? "It's probably in our lock box."
WHAT? I paid for speedy service and its sitting locked up where you can't get to it?
I have never claimed to be brilliant, but even to my small brain, that didn't seem very smart.
(For future reference in this blog and all other blogs that I write, I'm a crier.)
Tears streamed down my face as the sweet lady on the other end of the line began to tell me my options for getting my passport.
I had to go to Houston and bring all of my information to re-apply for my passport. I was told by the lady at the NPIC that I would leave that day with my passport and reimbursement in hand. So I made my appointment for 1:30 on Wednesday, March 14th and was told not to be there more than 15 minutes early. I have never been to Houston (unless you count running through the airport trying to catch a connecting flight) so I was a little nervous to make the 4-5 hour drive. But I did and I got there about 11:30. I found the passport place, went to get something to eat, and just sat in my car waiting for 1:15 to roll around.
I went to the office expecting a reception area with a person asking about my appointment time, maybe a few chairs with a few other people. But no. There was a long waiting line just to get a ticket number. I waited for an hour and a half. Once I got my number, I sat down and waited another 30 minutes. They called my number and I went to window number 8.
I slipped my papers and ID under the window slot and waited to tell my story. After the clerk checked my information with my birth certificate she said I would get my passport at 10:30 the next morning.
WHAT? I began to sob. I drove from Dallas at 6:30 this morning to sit here and wait, I couldn't stay the night in Houston I had to work and pack and not too mention my flight leaves on Friday from Dallas.
The clerk found me a tissue and asked me to stop crying, and I tried, but I began to hyperventilate. It was awful.
She must have felt sorry for me because she went to check on what strings she could pull to get me my passport by the end of the day. Someone else had come in with a "Life or Death Emergency" and I got tacked on with their passport order. (Is it bad to be happy about that?) But still I didn't get my reimbursement for the money I had paid for my original passport, instead I was told it would be about 6 months. I cried a little bit more.
"You're still crying?" the clerk asked me. "You got your passport. One out of two isn't bad. Most people don't get their passport. You are very lucky."
I tried to stop crying again as I wrote out another check to pay for my stinking passport.
One hour and thirty minutes later the security guard called my name for me to pick up my passport. I think I might have cried a little.
As if from nowhere the large burden that was beginning to crush me was lifted off my chest. Outside was a little brighter (even though it was pouring) and my world was better. I'm leaving for Guatemala in less than 31 hours and my excitement is getting more difficult to contain.
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My mom said that she thinks I have a large blessing coming my way in Guatemala for all of the trouble I went through to get there. To me, just getting to go on this trip is blessing enough. But I will keep you informed on anything that comes my way.
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Lesson learned from my troubles? Get your passport now to give bureaucracy enough time to keep your passport in a lock box.
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