Let's Go? Not So Fast.

Today was a stressful day. Not because tomorrow is supposed to be the day I'm leaving for South Africa. Not because it's so hard having to choose what clothes, books, and shoes to take with me for my 10-week internship in Cape Town. Not because I'm apprehensive of being away from home for so long by myself in a foreign country.

Actually, it's quite the opposite.

Today was supposed to be an exciting day. I was supposed to be hastily packing, imagining the kinds of adventures I'll have, friends I'll make, and lessons I'll learn in the next three months. Instead, it was spent waiting for the South African Consulate in New York City to call back with news about the status of my visa application. The better half of my day was spent in emotional turmoil. Part of me was hoping, praying, that the truck that I heard coming down the road was the mail truck delivering the oh-so-important pieces of paper. And yet, the other part of me knew that I wasn't going anywhere tomorrow, confined to the comforts of my home for who knows how many more days.

The worst part about this experience is that I sent in my visa application with plenty of time to spare.
One thing about me is that I really don't like to procrastinate unless I have to write a thesis-driven essay arguing the finer points of Gatsby's green light and how it symbolizes how depressing his life is or whatever. I'm the freak that likes to do next week's homework on Friday because I love the feeling of having all my work done days before it's due. And if it's done before the weekend even starts? Life doesn't get any better than that.

Personally, it stresses me out even being around people who are hurrying to submit their work 10 minutes before the deadline. In my attempt to avoid this kind of stress, I got my required vaccines to enter South Africa all the way back in February. I applied the same reasoning (or at least I tried) when I applied for my visa. The South African Consulate said that the visa application takes 5-10 business days to complete, so naturally, I sent in my application 19 business days before I had to leave. Apparently, that wasn't enough time (is this what people mean when they talk about "Africa time?"). When I sent in my application, I carefully went through the website to check that I had included all the documents listed there. But lo and behold, I found out earlier this week that the website hadn't been updated in a while and that there were 3 additional documents that they needed in order to approve my visa.

In hindsight, I should have submitted my application months before. I suppose I lost track of how quickly second semester of sophomore year was coming to an end. We're all busy college students after all...especially with all the Netflix we have to watch and finding ways to squeeze in all of our other work (just kidding, Mom!). But really - who would have thought a Consulate's website could be such a mess? In any case, it's a lesson learned - or rather, lesson reinforced on why never to procrastinate.

On the upside, my grandparents are visiting right now, so I will be able to spend more time with them. It will also be nice to be able to spend more time with friends back home. Fingers crossed that I won't run into any more problems with my application and that late next week, I will actually be on a plane bound for Cape Town.

Until then, thanks for reading my first real blog post! I promise the next ones will be much more exciting and won't be about me lamenting about my life. :)