A Visa Ordeal

It was something of an ordeal, actually.

Thursday morning I set out on a mission; to obtain a visa for my three month educational sabbatical beginning September 15.  Never needed a visa before.  Never stayed longer than the 30 days before.  So this would be a new experience.

The mission included a trip to Tyndale to pick up the required letter from my sending 'educational institution'.  From there, I would need to head south, into Toronto's downtown core, to the Thai Consulate.  Driving in Toronto...not a fan.  So I had decided ahead of time to park at the Yonge and Finch Station and take the subway, and do the short walk to the Consulate.  Everything needed to be timed precisely given the Consulate's morning and afternoon hours, and my uncertainty as to how long the process would take.

Even before Thursday, I had had to obtain letters from Thailand, fill out an application form, and get a second set of passport pictures taken.  I also had my eticket on hand to demonstrate my intended stay, and, just because the instructions were a little unclear, I also arranged to have an official transcript available, which I would also pick up at Tyndale.  I found the Thai Consulate online and printed out a map.  Everything seemed ready.

I was able to leave in good time on an already hot morning, arriving around 10 a.m. without too many traffic slow ups.  It was a little disorienting, in that Tyndale, as you may know, has just made a huge move to a much more expansive facility on Bayview Avenue.  Incredible property, beautiful building.  I feel like I'm now attending some Ivy League school, like I was in the movies or something.  Still, there's construction and renos going on.  Just to find the office of  Dr. Michael Krause (Director of Intership Program) was an adventure in itself.  Ran into Tyndale's president, the ever-affable Dr. Gary Nelson, who asked me if I was lost.  "Totally", I replied, "but it's kind of fun."  At that point it was.

I did find my way to where I needed to be not too long afterward, but ran into several potentially mission-thwarting road blocks.  Locked and vacant offices, no record of my registration for the Internship or the Directed Reading and Research course I'm also taking.  And most importantly, no official letter, without which there was no point in going to the Consulate. It was starting to look like the day was going to be a wash.  By about my third trip up and down the staircase between offices, I was looking to plan for another day for "Operation Visa".

But thanks to the kindness of Eileen the savvy receptionist, and the technological marvel of getting email on your phone, by 11:15 I had the letter in hand!  Phase Two of the day was on....finding the Yonge- Finch Station.

That might have been the most stressful part of the traveling that day.  Actually didn't take long, but when you can see the Station but not where to park, and there are only a trillion cars around you driven by hard-core Toronto drivers, things can get tense.   But I did find the parking lot, paid for the maximum time, because I really didn't know how long this could take, and locked the van and headed for the trains.

Now the easy part.  Phase Three.  Let the air conditioned subway train take me all the way down to Wellesely Station.  Relax for a bit.  Make time-travelling-like comparisons between Toronto subways now and almost 40 years ago when I rode them back and forth to my summer job as a teenager.  Smile at the baby tied to his momma's back.  Make room for the old man who sits down next to me.

When the automated voice says we're at Wellesely, I get up and literally go with the flow, out to the street.  A Starbucks provides the bottle of water I suddenly need in the heat, and my map provides the route for the short but intense walk to the Thai Consulate.  And there it is!  Looking just like Google Maps' Street View said it would!

It's 12:10.  The website said they close for lunch from 12:30 to 1:30.  The woman at the desk is not Thai, and I confess I'm disappointed.  I had hoped I would get a chance to practice speaking Thai, but never mind.  I pull out all my papers and hand over my passport.  She remains unsmiling (so not Thai) but is very efficient.  "How long will this take", I ask.  Ten minutes.

Ten minutes!  Fabulous!  I was fully prepared to go find a cool place to read for a couple of hours.  I had braced myself that I would have to remain longer if necessary to avoid rush hour.  Told Ken not to expect me home for supper.  But none of this is going to be necessary.  Just another quick walk down the block for $170 in cash, because that's all they accept.  And then, it's done.  Before lunch!!!!

I sit on a bench in the shade and admire my prize.  It's a sticker, pasted right into my passport.  And it is altogether lovely.  And I eat my lunch and feel elated.  It's done.  I have my visa.

The reverse trip home was uneventful, and I walked in the door a little after 3 p.m.  By then the elation had worn off a smidge, so I washed my city-grimed feet and laid down for a nap.  (They don't call me Gramma for nothing.)

Yes, I know it could have been worse.  But it still felt like a big deal.  And I tell the story because it will help to illustrate something I've noticed, in various ways, about the difference between living life in Canada and living life in Thailand.

Because, I experienced that as something of a 'big day'.  I was tired and needed a nap.  I felt the need to recount the story, not just here in my blog, but to others over the next few days.  Wow, I wanted them to say.  That was something of an ordeal.

But actually, it wasn't.

Because to get a visa in Thailand is way harder.  First off, you need a visa for ANY length of stay, not just for visits longer than 30 days.  I would say that the required documentation, letters, etc. are comparable.  But, for our Thai friends in Chaing Mai, there is an 8 hour bus ride to Bangkok, which by default requires an overnight stay.  Once you get the the proper government office, there are four different steps, including a bank transfer directly to the visa agent.  The cost might be considered comparable until you compare average monthly incomes between Thailand and Canada.  And then the waiting period is one week.

That's an ordeal.  And so it getting internet, and food shopping, and obtaining land deeds.  So is getting a birth certificate if you're mountain born.  And so is getting adequate medical attention, even a doctor's appointment.  And being educated and, for oh so many, so is finding enough food to eat for the day.  It's way more of an ordeal to live life for so many big and important things that I know I thoughtlessly take for granted.  I must, since getting my visa on Thursday seemed like such an ordeal to me.

I will live there for three months.

I am not, in any way, expecting it to be an ordeal in the ways I've just described.  Adventures, yes.  But the kind of care and attention our Thai family lavishes on us when we're there, plus our status as Canadian citizens, protects us from experiencing the true nitty gritty of what it means (comparatively) to live as a Thai.  Still, I am hoping for a taste of the ordeal.  Yes, I said it out loud.

I am asking for insights into Thai culture and life.  I am asking for experiences that will help me understand our Thai beloveds better than short visits can afford.  I am asking to know this.

Why else would I do this thing I'm doing?

Six weeks to go.