Bureaucratic Nonsense

There is a possibility I will have to postpone my flight.

Let's start at the beginning. The US made changes to their student loan system this summer, so they didn't let me apply for a loan until July. After that, it took my school a while to send me the official papers that say I have a confirmed loan. I had to send those papers to the UK Border Agency in Los Angeles with my visa application (on top of that, I had to send them my original passport). This whole process led to me sending in my visa application a little later than I'd hoped. They told me it would be 5 to 15 days processing, plus return mail time. They're going to send me an email with a UPS tracking number when they put my visa and passport in the mail.

Let me make this clear. They do not talk to you about the status of your application. There is no email to contact. If you want to call to ask questions, you don't talk to the people in LA, you talk to some other person who doesn't know a thing about your specific application. And you are charged by the minute.

Yesterday was the 15th business day, and I still haven't heard anything. Since their offices are in LA, that's about 2 to 3 days mailing time. My flight is this Sunday. If I don't hear anything by email today, I'm going to have to change my flight. I better hear something by Friday, so that I know the date I can change my flight to. I'm really hoping this whole thing isn't going to be terribly expensive.

The good thing is, the only things I'll be missing in Scotland are those silly introductory talks and icebreaker socials. I would be able to go to PAX, the gaming convention here in Seattle, instead of flying, since my dad already has tickets. I just hope I won't have to reschedule my adviser appointment, which is in about a week at my university in Scotland.

The thing that bothers me the most is that this is not my fault at all. It's the government's. Their different agencies do not talk to each other. I really shouldn't have to pay whatever fees Travelocity makes me pay.

By the way, this is my first post at my new URL (paperbackdragon.blogspot.com)! Check back soon for an update on my travel plans.

Photo: A shot I took from our friend's houseboat on Lake Union this past weekend. How I wish I was on that plane...