Pretty busy day at work today as I try and finish out some projects before closing the door on my career with the Department of Education.

Yesterday, my new employer advised that I would need to get an “Official Passport” and a special visa. I knew about the visa, but thought my tourist passport would be sufficient. I called the Korean embassy and they said I needed the official passport and DoD ID to get the visa I need. Well, I won’t have the ID until I report for duty in Korea. A nice catch-22. So, today I find out how to apply for the official passport and learn they will also process my visa application. Which pleased me much.

Anyway, I completed the paperwork and took the metro to the office that handles the passports. Of course, security said I needed an escort to go upstairs to the passport office (a Dept. of ED ID just doesn’t have much cache I guess). So, I call upstairs for the escort and am told someone would be right down. After 15 minutes of standing there, I called again. “Someone will be down in a minute” I was advised. 10 minutes later the phone rings at security and the guard says “yeah, he’s down here.” Apparently, the passport office thought I was waiting in the 8th floor lobby. Never figured out why they would think that since you can’t move in that building without an escort or an official DoD ID. Anyway, I am not ragging on the need for security of course, but I was pretty frustrated by the point. Finally, a young female GI appeared to take me upstairs. She was apologetic for the mix-up and I was not about to hassle a soldier, even unarmed. I said this was my first taste of “hurry up and wait” my daughter had told me was a staple of Army life. The soldier just smiled.

So, they take me to this conference room, told me to sign in and said someone would be with me soon. There are two other people in the room, one with her head down on the table trying to nap. It is now a quarter to 12 and the person on the list ahead of me had signed in at 10. Oh no, I figured this is going to be a nightmare. But 5 minutes later a nice woman appeared and took me away to process my paperwork. Only took about 10 minutes and I was out of there.

Took the Metro back to my office and there is a message on my voice mail from the woman who had processed my application. “Didn’t you leave your tourist passport? I need that to submit with your application.” I call her back and said “no, I didn’t leave my passport. I am going to need it if the official passport is not back by my January 22 departure date.” So, we agreed that I would drop my birth certificate off in the morning and she would submit that in lieu of the passport.

So, I am almost back to square one. The Korean embassy website says you can enter the country as a tourist for 30 days without a visa. Provided you have a return ticket. Which, since I am going to be in country for 2 years I don’t have. Anyway, it will work out. I will call the embassy tomorrow and see what can be done in my circumstances.

The other thing I did at work was go through my word documents and archived email to see what needed to be saved. I came across some email from my dear friend Linda, who died last year from breast cancer. Of course, I am saving all those to keep with me, but I did get pretty choked up reading them again.

She was something special, and I am going to find a way to honor her memory once I get my emotions under control.

So that was my day. How about yours?