They're letting me in!

Hey y’all,

So today was the day I went into the US Consulate so they could decide whether or not to let me into the country… and they decided to say YES! (Thank god).

I was lucky enough to have to be up at 5am this morning and drive all the way into the city in the dark (we all know how much of a morning person I am, so this was heaps of fun) to make my 8:30am appointment. At 8am when the embassy opened, I walked from my car to the lobby and waited 30 minutes in line with all the other people there for visa interviews. 5 at a time, security would let us into the security check room where an attendant checked our documentation to make sure we had everything (including a photo no more than 6 months old – several people got sent to the post office down the street to get a new one before they were able to attend their appointment). Then we went through the usual airport-like security and waited to be escorted up to the 6th floor where the interview office was. First we lined up to get our passport and visa form checked and our fingerprints scanned. We then joined a second line where one by one we were called up to be interviewed for our visa. All the lady asked me was what I was going for (exchange), what I was studying (commerce and criminology), how many semesters I would be there (1), and what Australian university I attend (Deakin), and then sent me to the pay window to pay an extra $147AUD issuance fee (yet another visa fee, how lovely). That whole part of the process was over and done with in less than 5 minutes and I was on my way back down to security to collect my car keys and leave the building.

So that was that, very easy and simple but a lot of time spent staring into space while queuing up for security. I’ll receive my passport back in about a week with the visa inside and I’ll be set to go!

On another note, I had my one and only trimester 1 exam today (finance, gross) and so I’m now officially done with Deakin for the year and am on my 2 months of break until I leave!

That’s all for now, be back with something new next week!

- Emily xx