Not For The Weak - A Timestamp Blog Pt. 1
Never at 18 years old did I think I would be applying for a visa to go out of the country alone. This process has not been easy. It has been frustrating and stressful, but thrilling and exciting. This is a timestamp Blog. A style I will try to utilize during my time abroad. Read more into the planning process of, what my best friend Trent calls, ‘getting my sh*t together.’ There’s a little plot twist, it’s engaging so stay tuned until the end…
Part 1 …
August 22 - Celebration with a catch. After lots of emails, an interview, and many prayers, I was offered my dream gap year opportunity. This has been a lengthy process. I contacted this organization in July and didn’t even schedule an interview until the end of August. I immediately knew this was the organization I wanted to serve with. Its job description (social media management and campaigning) in the Mediterranean region of Europe, and its beautiful scenery instantly had me hooked. There was just one catch…the internship lasts 6 months and I can only stay in Europe “Visa-free” for 90 days. So, I was told I needed to go through the process of obtaining a long-stay visa. I then said a couple of choice words I would not include in my PG Blog and began researching how to get the ball rolling on this. Oh, and also…I’m the first-ever American this organization has offered an internship too, so they have no idea what the visa process is for me. Isn’t that just great?
August 23 - Lots of Googling. So, after about 2 hours of research, I started compiling a list of phone numbers and places to contact in an attempt to approach this task. I sent emails and called multiple entities to figure out the efficient process of obtaining this visa. It was on this day, many things I never thought about were brought to light…
Anything relating to or categorized as “International affairs” or within this entity, must consist of the rudest and most unfriendly people on the earth. I wonder if there is a research study or article that discusses the most impolite people by profession because I can go ahead and provide real-world examples and personal experiences to back up whatever perspective is in favor of debating that airport staff, visa and passport personnel and embassy officials fall under this argument.
Why don’t people respond to emails proficiently? I don’t understand how our world is so oriented to being behind a screen and constantly operating on some sort of technology and my email can’t get a response in a timely matter. I mean I guess I haven’t been in the workforce long enough to understand this, but I know how to maintain a positive “customer-to-employer” interaction and relationship, efficient response time would be best for each side’s sanity. Just saying. Someone needs to do a TedTalk on that too, titled “The Mental Health Impact of Operating the World of Email” or something of that nature.
August 27 - Frustration and Stress. No one ever prepared me to go through the visa application process ALONE. I have navigated this entire process on my own, researching and collecting the necessary materials to do all of this legally. Now yes, I have received some guidance from my fellowship, but overall this has all been oriented and completed myself. Even more thought-provoking life encounters were uncovered today as well…
The time difference barrier is right there with the email ball game. I wouldn’t call it inconvenient, but it’s definitely an obstacle I didn’t take into consideration when communicating with all of these organizations overseas about pretty (what I consider) serious situations. No matter how early I wake up and get that email sent, I can never seem to catch the right person at the right time to get the work I need done, DONE.
Who invented military time? I already have to train myself to think about the time in NC vs. Europe but now I have to think in terms of the 24-hour clock. I think not. I refuse. I tried to convert the setting on my phone to military time to get myself more accustomed to learning this method, but I got bitter doing the math to figure out the time. So, I refuse to learn this and I will not negotiate on terms to grasp this. I will simply google, ‘What is 17:15 in standard time.’ There is no shame there.
August 29 - No progress. My emails have been lost in the inbox. My requests have been ignored. I am simply not the priority I guess. I consider myself a pretty intelligent individual (in UNC terms) and I can contribute to society and make a difference, but I don’t think others seem to be aware of that. I am not self-centered, I am simply STRESSED to the limits. (I also wonder if there is any correlation between stress and smartness and if highly achieving people, are more or less likely to be stressed. Definitely something UNC needs to take a poll on.) A family friend of mine I was conversing with previous to this day stated ‘Aren’t you supposed to be, like, shipped off.’ Yes friend, I am. But, it doesn’t work that way. Some logistics need to be completed. That’s also a reason for writing this Blog, so I can provide a realistic experience and document it for future young travelers to take into consideration. I am not behind on the process but I was just offered this position less than a week before this stamp and I am planning on leaving in the next 2 weeks. So, until I get an email response, I’m just chilling. Currently, stay-at-home brother/son of the year. Someone get me a desk nameplate.
August 30 - We’re getting there, maybe? The organization issuing my visa reached back out to me and provided me with a definite list of materials that are required for the visa application process. AND the organization I will be volunteering with also reached out to the visa organization on my behalf as well, so hopefully we’re getting there, BUT on top of the visa application, of course, I have run into domestic obstacles too. I’ll dive deeper…
So, before my summer institute (in July) for my fellowship training, I had to complete some important paperwork regarding direct deposit and banking information to receive my stipend. When filling out this paperwork and plugging in all the information to have my stipend deposited into my personal account, it never really occurred to me that, this account is a domestic banking service and I would just have to find an ATM while abroad to get funds in whatever currency is accepted (no big deal). While in Chapel Hill for my training, I was educated on opening an account with a universal fee-free card to use while abroad. Well, I have just received my first stipend but it’s in my personal account and I want this funding to go to my new account that I have created just for my scholarship funds. Who knew that a wire transfer would be so difficult and the bank would need to know my whole life story before moving a simple amount from one institution to another? I figured I would be able to Venmo the money I would need to the scholarship account that I would use and call it finished. NO Owen, silly, you can’t have 2 different accounts with the same information attached to both (phone, email, social security, etc.) on Venmo.
So, in conclusion, today’s stamp started with praise and ended with, yet, more frustration. Communicating with the bank to complete this wire transfer which is going to be recurring for the next 8 months, was a lot more than originally intended, but that’s just more content for the Blog, right? PS. I am still “unemployed” at this time, I have not bought a plane ticket yet, I have not found a place to stay, and I still haven’t learned military time. (Thanks for asking, but stop asking)
September 3 - The most random last-minute decision. After the long holiday weekend and a few frustrated thoughts, I have finally come to the peak of realization that there’s no way I can get my visa completed before September 16th. With that, I have full faith in the Lord that I can leave some time at the end of this month or the beginning of October. For the last 2 weeks, my life has been a continuous “un-productive” routine. Wake up, check some emails, grab a coffee, chill around home, go to my sister’s tennis matches, and go to bed to do this all over again. However, I have enjoyed spending time with my family and finding little local projects to utilize my new passion for photography. Then, after a talk with my mother, she mentioned “If you don’t think it will be completed anytime soon, go somewhere for a week. It’s not like you can’t answer an email or book a flight somewhere beyond home.” So I decided I wanted to take a domestic trip. Yep. I booked a flight to (Wait until next week). I decided to do this, kind of mindlessly. I did not have anything specific I wanted to do in this location, and did not have any clue what it was going to cost. Honestly, I don’t really care. This is the reason I took a gap year, right? To do things for myself that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I started school right away. I want to travel, and if I can’t go abroad yet, there’s a plethora of places in the USA I have not visited, might as well go.
During this whole spurt of the moment with American Airlines, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw this inspirational quote that definitely appealed to me at that moment. The image stated, ‘You make your life hard by always being in your head. Life is actually really simple, get out of your head and get into the moment.’
I have already learned so much through this entire process that I would not have been taught in a lecture hall. I am so thankful I get to do this. It’s truly so hard for my brain to process that I have the freedom (well obviously a visa and funds can be restricting) to book a flight somewhere and just DO.
There should be nothing in this life holding me back, if there’s no risk there’s no story.
Part 2 coming soon …
