... from my buddy/colleague RM. Today, I went into the Embassy here in Kampala to get a visa to my normal place. Because of ... well... not exactly sure why... anyway, for whatever reason, the Embassies for my place have only been giving people a one month, single entry visa, which costs $100. If you stay more than a month, you have to go next month to do the whole process again... and pay them $100. All the published info says that it is possible to get 6 or 12 month multi-entry visas, for a fraction of the cost (and time and effort!) that it would take to continue to get 1 month visas every month. I had heard bad news from various folks who were saying that getting a 6 or 12 month visa was impossible - they just wouldn't do it. But I thought, and RM thought, well, why not try?!
Some other folks who are coming to visit us up in Jb also had to go get their visas today, so we all piled in a taxi with a Ugandan colleague (our pack-leader, if you will) and off we went to the big city. Of course, half way there, one of the pack members (not me!) realized that he didn't have his passport with him. Oops. So we turned around and went back. By the time we got back to the city, traffic was crazy and we sat breathing all the exhaust fumes for about an hour before we made it to the Embassy. All in all, it took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get from here to there (so I'm sure glad I didn't have to pay for the taxi!).
Once we got into the Embassy, I asked the woman at the desk if it would be possible to get a longer visa. She just directed me to a guy in an office. So I wandered into the office, and put on my sweet, yet respectful, face. Smiled, used a few words both in the linga franca of the area, plus in his own language (which I heard him speaking to someone in the office!), and told him about how long I've been in the country and what I do.... I used all the tactics that I've seen RM use to charm and convince :) He started telling me about some Canadians that he used to work with and I told him all the places I've been in his country... And it worked! He hmmm-ed and hawed a bit, and said, "Well, I will have to think of a way to explain this to my boss..." but decided to grant me a 6 month multientry visa :) I was so pleased!
The other folks who were in the office were rather surprised, but I got it!
But really, even though I think I've learned a few tricks from RM, I have a feeling my visa approval had more to do with the fact that I was sitting there praying the whole time, too, not to mention others (like RM himself!) praying for the visa thing today! Having this visa (for $250!) will make life SO much easier in the next 6 months. I won't have to worry about going every month to renew, or worrying about coming and going out of the country.
Our Pack-leader bustled us back into the taxi, and he went off to pay for the visas at the bank, and do some other errands, and he's meant to pick up our passports again at 3pm. Then he'll drop it off where I'm staying, and I will be all set to get on the plane tomorrow to go home!
At the moment, though, I'm babysitting F and L for my friend Grace, along with 5 dogs and 2 cats, while she ran to the office for a meeting. The weather is about perfect - 27C with a nice breeze! (Not that I want any of you sitting in -30C to be envious or anything... I'm just glad I got out in time and missed that crazy weather!)
Some other folks who are coming to visit us up in Jb also had to go get their visas today, so we all piled in a taxi with a Ugandan colleague (our pack-leader, if you will) and off we went to the big city. Of course, half way there, one of the pack members (not me!) realized that he didn't have his passport with him. Oops. So we turned around and went back. By the time we got back to the city, traffic was crazy and we sat breathing all the exhaust fumes for about an hour before we made it to the Embassy. All in all, it took us about an hour and 45 minutes to get from here to there (so I'm sure glad I didn't have to pay for the taxi!).
Once we got into the Embassy, I asked the woman at the desk if it would be possible to get a longer visa. She just directed me to a guy in an office. So I wandered into the office, and put on my sweet, yet respectful, face. Smiled, used a few words both in the linga franca of the area, plus in his own language (which I heard him speaking to someone in the office!), and told him about how long I've been in the country and what I do.... I used all the tactics that I've seen RM use to charm and convince :) He started telling me about some Canadians that he used to work with and I told him all the places I've been in his country... And it worked! He hmmm-ed and hawed a bit, and said, "Well, I will have to think of a way to explain this to my boss..." but decided to grant me a 6 month multientry visa :) I was so pleased!
The other folks who were in the office were rather surprised, but I got it!
But really, even though I think I've learned a few tricks from RM, I have a feeling my visa approval had more to do with the fact that I was sitting there praying the whole time, too, not to mention others (like RM himself!) praying for the visa thing today! Having this visa (for $250!) will make life SO much easier in the next 6 months. I won't have to worry about going every month to renew, or worrying about coming and going out of the country.
Our Pack-leader bustled us back into the taxi, and he went off to pay for the visas at the bank, and do some other errands, and he's meant to pick up our passports again at 3pm. Then he'll drop it off where I'm staying, and I will be all set to get on the plane tomorrow to go home!
At the moment, though, I'm babysitting F and L for my friend Grace, along with 5 dogs and 2 cats, while she ran to the office for a meeting. The weather is about perfect - 27C with a nice breeze! (Not that I want any of you sitting in -30C to be envious or anything... I'm just glad I got out in time and missed that crazy weather!)
