Happily Holding My New Passport(arrival time: 27 days)
For some time now, Paul and I have been procrastinating regarding our passport applications. Our first sense of urgency hit about a year or so ago when the American government decided first that all travellers into the United States must carry a passport. We relaxed, though, when this edict was amended to only those who were travelling by air into the USA. Since we cross by land, usually to shop, we put off the passport application process again.
Then, I registered for the TESOL Conference being held in New York City this year. My administrator, Jan, booked our flights from Seattle, getting an inexpensive fare. Our initial plan was to fly from Vancouver, so I once again determined to get this passport application mess over with once and for all. When Jan announced that we were flying from Seattle, I relaxed once again.
Then my imagination began to wander, and I considered all the "what ifs" of travel outside of Canada. Paul and I had the applications, so why didn't we just get them completed at last?! So, on January 2 we forayed into town and had our passport photos taken. That was a bit of a production, as the stuff I use to keep my eyes wet leaks all over, and I had to keep wiping my eyes so that there wasn't too much glare. Paul's photo really looks like a mug shot or something... Neither of our photos are flattering.
So, then on Friday January 4, we thought, "Why not today?!" The night before I had completed my passport application online, and that morning I had completed Paul's. So, we drove down to White Rock to have our guarantor guarantee that we were who we are. Then, we battled traffic up through Surrey, hoping to get to the main passport office that day. Well, finding parking was a dream. Then, we made our way up into the tower. Just before the elevator bank, we were directed outside to .... yes, in Canada, wait in line!!!
The line was long. The weather was wet, windy and cold. The people in line were not patient. The government employee told us we would be out in this nastiness for about a half hour before being ushered up to the 9th floor waiting area. We were a visible minority - and a linguistic minority - in that line up.
Paul made some very negative comments that do not bare repeating, then announced, "We are not in the Soviet Union; I am a Canadian Citizen, and I am NOT standing in this line!!"
With that, we proceeded down to the warmth of the underground parking, got into the car, and drove back to a Canada Services Office in Langley. Low and behold, we did not have to wait outside. In fact, we did not have to wait in line. In less than a half an hour, we were processed, and told that the only downside of handing our application in at a Services office was having to relinquish our birth certificates, and having to wait until the end of February for our passports. Since I am not leaving for New York until April 1, we were not even a tad stressed about the wait.
Well, in one of those rare moves, the Government of Canada has caused us to adjust our political perceptions. Today, January 31, I picked up my passport - and my birth certificate - courtesy of Canada Post.
Reenactment of How to Dress to Apply for a Passport(using an expired passport)
