a pleasing consulation

I do love a pleasant surprise, don't you? My lovely recruiting organization prepared me for the visa application with emails like this one:

THE FIRST DISCUSSION I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE TODAY IS WE DO NOT HAVE MUCH TIME, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE TO SEND YOUR DOCUMENTS BACK AND FORTH BY MAIL TO PROCESS YOUR VISA YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ANY MISTAKE (IF YOU MAKE A SINGLE MISTAKE IT IS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFICULT TO FIX IT AND MEET THE TIME FRAME).

Man was I surprised to find that the Korean Consulate General in Chicago is, in reality, a quite organized and forgiving place. It is downright charming. Compared to an ongoing battle over the receipt of my Master's diploma, a day long tug-of-war with the secretary of state office over a couple silly apostilles, and a series of completely stereotypical phone conversations with unsympathetic IRS agents, my trip to apply for my South Korean work visa was like a date with Ben & Jerry.

Not only was the office completely empty, making for an errand that totaled around 7 minutes, but there was a lovely woman speaking beautiful English who kindly told me to use the complimentary (!!) copy machine to duplicate my Notice of Appointment, smiled while stamping the heck out of my contract, and even giggled when I offered to return for the visa myself rather than wait for it in the mail. Fearing another snafu along the lines of my recruiter's warnings, I sheepishly whimpered, "Do you have any sense of how long it will take for the visa to be ready?" To which she responded thoughtfully, "Let me think -- today is Wednesday, so how about Monday?" My surprise must have registered so obviously (bad American! baaaad!) on my face that she quickly amended, "By 3 o'clock, ok? Can you come at 3 o'clock?" Um.... YEAH I can come... you do mean like five days from today, right? Can I come behind that perfectly polished glass window and kiss your adorable little bifocaled head?

So, my darling readers, this day marks an important milestone in the trans-world journey. My contract is signed and in the hands of a Korean consulate. My thesis is officially printed and turned in to the powers that be. And my days in Chicago are truly numbered: less than 2 weeks till I'm moved out of ole' 1D and en route across the sea. I actually didn't mean for that to rhyme but that just goes to show how completely synchronicitous (word?) this is after all!

Now if I could only get my hands on that Master's diploma so that I can drive back to the apostille for round 2, and convince those damn IRS agents to speed their booties up so I can get my tax exemption! Then I will really be set. For now, I'm just glad to know that there's a job waiting for me in Korea, and that I'll have the visa to get me there.