Yesterday, I went in to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit a visa application for Big Dave, who’ll come to visit in September. It was the 3rd time I’d been for the same request and this morning the woman flicked through all the documents she’d told me I needed, saying ‘yes, yes, yes.’ I was about to walk out when she added, ‘but you need a letter to state he’ll be your guest.
‘It’s there,’ I said, pointing out the Personal Guest Application Form that she’d added to the list on my last visit. ‘Yes, yes, but you need a letter addressed to the Chief of Protocol as well. Come back when you’ve got that.’
I held back my rage and demanded that she give me the full list of requirements this time. She assured me that it was everything, but a Bhutanese tour guide next to me whispered that I’d need to submit 3 copies of the Visa Application Form.
So, I came home, write the letter, waited for Marie to get home to sign it, then rushed back to the Foreign Ministry. A sign on the door says that submissions are only taken from 9:00 to 12:00, but you only see that when the door is shut. I poked my head into the next office and the lady I spoke to that morning says that the COP is now in a meeting. Come back tomorrow. I was about to demand that she take it and submit it for me, but somehow I got the feeling that when I went to pick it up next week, the real COP would say that she’d never recieved it.
Today, the COP accepted the application, but I remain in fear. The person in line before me was picking up a visa for their friend and wasn’t happy with the results. ‘This is for August, but my friend comes in September.’