Finding it fard to keep the excitement down! Still, why should I?
Still waiting for our prospective buyers to sell their house - hoping that happens fairly soon as we still have the furniture booked to go at the end of September. The TV box has broken which is just typical, but the man from Virgin is here now and fixing it.
Excited, excited, excited!!
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Friday, 10 August 2012
VIVA LA VISA!
On the 8th August, we travelled down to London. Stayed at The Sumner hotel which was really lovely and thoroughly to be recommended.
In the evening we met with some of my cousins which was lovely as it's maybe the last time for a get together in this country.
On the 9th August, after breakfast we set off for the American Embassy. You were not allowed to take anything electronic with you or any large bags. We set off from the hotel at about 9.10am as our interview was at 10.00 and we joined the queue which really wasn't too long. Got to the front of the queue at about 9.30. We were searched of course and I'd left my little Apple earphones in my bag. The guy said we would have to go back out but we must have looked crestfallen because he changed his mind and said that he would 'get rid of them' and threw them in a corner. Of course, he said, if I gave him a wink on the way out, he might be able to find them! We went into the main embassy and got given our number. It was one with an I in front of it which I assume stood for immigrant visa. There weren't many of those, but the place was packed with mostly people waiting for number beginning with N - not sure what they were.
Of course, I chose where to sit and it was beside the most garrulous man in the world! Good grief! The numbers shifted fairly fast and after about 30 minutes our number was called. We went through to a window where all our documentation was and the guy went through it all and took our fingerprints. He took a long time. He also attached our visa photos to a form.
Then we were given a pink form to complete and told to sit back in the waiting room until the number was called again. That didn't take so long. We went to a different window and an American woman who was a consular officer again took our fingerprints. We had to swear an oath that we had told the truth on all our forms. For the oath, we had to hold our hand up as if we were in court. Then she asked us why we wanted to emigrate so we told her about the grandchildren living in California. She asked about our other daughter in the UK and how she felt too.
Then she said that our VISAS WOULD BE GRANTED and that we should take the pink form to the mailing desk. She kept our passports and stuff. She also showed us a large envelope that she said would be sent to us and that we should take it, unopened when we went to the States. We were also told that the visas will only last until December!
I was shaking with excitement - it was amazing. Everyone else in the Embassy seemed cool calm and collected but Steve and I did a little skip on our way to the mailing desk!!
We paid the £22 for the visas to be mailed and they will come in the next 7-10 days before noon and we have to make sure that someone with proof of our identity is there to receive them. On the way out we popped into the office where we came in and a 'secret handshake' was given to get my headphones back !! :-)
Cannot believe it!!
We went to the station for the train back home - shattered but really happy. Had a Dominos pizza and some champagne to celebrate!
In the evening we met with some of my cousins which was lovely as it's maybe the last time for a get together in this country.
On the 9th August, after breakfast we set off for the American Embassy. You were not allowed to take anything electronic with you or any large bags. We set off from the hotel at about 9.10am as our interview was at 10.00 and we joined the queue which really wasn't too long. Got to the front of the queue at about 9.30. We were searched of course and I'd left my little Apple earphones in my bag. The guy said we would have to go back out but we must have looked crestfallen because he changed his mind and said that he would 'get rid of them' and threw them in a corner. Of course, he said, if I gave him a wink on the way out, he might be able to find them! We went into the main embassy and got given our number. It was one with an I in front of it which I assume stood for immigrant visa. There weren't many of those, but the place was packed with mostly people waiting for number beginning with N - not sure what they were.
Of course, I chose where to sit and it was beside the most garrulous man in the world! Good grief! The numbers shifted fairly fast and after about 30 minutes our number was called. We went through to a window where all our documentation was and the guy went through it all and took our fingerprints. He took a long time. He also attached our visa photos to a form.
Then we were given a pink form to complete and told to sit back in the waiting room until the number was called again. That didn't take so long. We went to a different window and an American woman who was a consular officer again took our fingerprints. We had to swear an oath that we had told the truth on all our forms. For the oath, we had to hold our hand up as if we were in court. Then she asked us why we wanted to emigrate so we told her about the grandchildren living in California. She asked about our other daughter in the UK and how she felt too.
Then she said that our VISAS WOULD BE GRANTED and that we should take the pink form to the mailing desk. She kept our passports and stuff. She also showed us a large envelope that she said would be sent to us and that we should take it, unopened when we went to the States. We were also told that the visas will only last until December!
I was shaking with excitement - it was amazing. Everyone else in the Embassy seemed cool calm and collected but Steve and I did a little skip on our way to the mailing desk!!
We paid the £22 for the visas to be mailed and they will come in the next 7-10 days before noon and we have to make sure that someone with proof of our identity is there to receive them. On the way out we popped into the office where we came in and a 'secret handshake' was given to get my headphones back !! :-)
Cannot believe it!!
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| Steve at the message board at King's Cross Station! |
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