Yesterday was quite an adventure.
To summarize: I walked, bussed, and wanted to cry in frustration, and got home pretty late.
I left the house around 7:20am, and arrived JUST IN TIME to jump on the bus to San Jose, and a direct one too, which makes fewer stops. I was also lucky enough to get the very last seat! It is never fun to stand on a long bus ride. After arriving to the station I asked a taxi driver how far the embassy was, and how I would go about getting there by bus...in the end I took a taxi, which was a good decision. Otherwise it would have taken a lot longer to get there, and the likelihood of me getting lost was very probable...
Standing at the door to get in I felt so nervous.
(Note about me being nervous and upset...my emotion always seems to collect in my tear ducts, which means I get flushed and feel like crying. This results in me feeling frustrated which only makes me want to cry more...! And on the whole I feel very embarassed and back down, which is no good. Got to find a better way to deal with my nerves.)
I showed my passport and was ushered in. You cannot take in cell phones, by the way. Not an issue since I do not have one at the moment! US citizens have every priority, and can jump lines and are attended to better. Remember that I was going to ask about getting E a visa? Well this is where I got pretty frustrated...There was no one available to talk to directly about the process, and in order to talk with someone directly I have to make an $18 appointment. Otherwise I can call during certian hours, three days a week, or check online for requirements. They did not have a copy of the application eiether...basically I was in and out in about half an hour!! With none of my questions answered. And since I do not have a phone, calling to ask questions is tough. I think I will come tomorrow morning and use some of my Skype minutes to try and call. Otherwise I need a bunch of change and a working pay phone, which I think would be pretty expensive. Just hope thinsg arrive here soon...one thing I do miss about the USA is the security of sending mail. Here you always take a risk sending something!
Anyway I left the Embassy and walked all the way down to the bus stop...which was about 30-40 minutes. I passed the National Stadium, and ICE headquarters (the Instituto Costaricense de Electricidad, the biggest and until recently only provider of cell phone, internet and electricity in the country), asked directions twice and crossed the highway to arrive to a bus stop where I got a bus to Heredia, and then once in Heredia got on another bus that went to San Joaquin, and spent some time with my Mama Tica. We just chatted and had lunch and then ran some errands, and I felt a lot better after. Around 7:30pm they dropped me off at my bus stop, and I had to wait about half an hour for the bus I needed....!!! I slept fitfully on the bus with my arms around my backpack, and woke in time to get off at my stop and walked home, unlocking my door around 10pm. My bed looked so inviting, I watched the last bit of CSI:NY and fell right asleep.
A long and not so productive day.
I am glad that I visited the Embassy though, and that I learned something about the process of arriving, where to go to ask questions, and was exposed to the experience.
Honestly sometimes I am hesitant to do things by myself here, afraid that I will trip over my Spanish or get lost or end up looking silly. That is a fear I have to learn to let go of! In life we do not always have someone to hold our hand...I think in some ways this time by myself makes me realize how I sometimes depend on others to get things done, and that is something I cannot afford to do. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF! So when I feel that hesitancy about doing something, I stop and ask myself..."How much do you want it?" And then I take a deep breath and plunge in.
Today I woke up on my own time.
Tomorrow I hope to accomplish something concerning the visa...sigo adelante, luchando. (Moving forward, fighting!)
Pura Vida.
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