contributing to the economy, though somewhat unwillingly part 3

Three stories, one thread.

Nigerian visa, part 3

I awake late - having slept through my alarm after traveling all night, and instead of being at the Nigerian Embassy before it opens at 10:00, it is 10:39 and I'm just now tottering to the bathroom.

Go, go, go, gotta get this done by 12 noon, or I'm toast - speaking of which, no time for breakfast. Grab some water, get the desk man to book me a taxi, and off I go. I'd planned on walking the kilometer and a half, using the google map I'd printed. Good thing I woke up too late to do that.

Firstly, the Nigerian Embassy was at least a kilometer further away than the map said, and secondly, the last turn was a right turn, not google's suggested left turn. Google's Nigerian Embassy was at least two kilometers away from the real Nigerian Embassy! Phew, disaster averted. How would I have recovered from that on foot, with limited time?

I told the taxi fellow he could go - he said, 'no, he'd stay'. I considered the cost of a waiting taxi, and decided to go with his suggestion.

The requirements were posted - two photos, passport, letter of invitation, photocopy of passport front page, photocopy of (expensive)Benin visa page, vaccination booklet, residence card and photocopy of residence card (I didn't need that, so ignore...). I guess I'll have to have the required photocopies done here at the Embassy.

I went to the window, and was told 'no, I couldn't'. To get an interview for a visa, I needed to bring the photocopies, not have them done at the Embassy. Oh. Good thing the taxi driver was NOT an accommodating personality, and that I was.

I was given an application to fill out, and started doing so - to be told somewhat alarmedly - 'no, I couldn't'. I was supposed to take that application form to the copier, get my two copies made and bring the 'original' back un-marked. Okay, my mistake.

Off we went to find a copier, who was apparently somewhere in the direction of a haphazard arm-wave. Time - somewhere after 11:15. Visa office closes at 12:00.

Found the copier; I didn't have small change, so the taxi driver got the copies made, came back to the car, and we returned to the Embassy, while I continued hurriedly filling out the application forms, hoping and expecting that there'd be no more setbacks, as time ticked on.

We arrived back at the Embassy, and this time I had no thought of suggesting that he leave.

11:45. The doorman at the window declared my papers complete, stapled the photos to the application forms (did he wince as he stapled my photo onto his 'original'?), and waved me in. Sat and waited. And thus I became, once again, familiar with the phenomenon of 'Hurry and wait' .

I napped, and lost my place in the 'queue' as a robed cross-wearing gentelman (Egyptian Orthodox, perhaps?) who'd come in after me took advantage of my groggy state to get in before me. Oh, well, I'm sure he's doing good work. My bad for not remembering to be assertive in West Africa, especially in the coastal countries (I'd been told just the day before that the people in the coastal countries of West Africa are more aggressive.

Finally, last, my turn.

last installment later.