Visa-Vis

I got my visa today! I'm really going to Ecuador!

Getting my visa was the one last big thing I needed to do before I leave, and it's been hanging over my head for MONTHS. What with making sure I had all the injections, doctors notes, a criminal record check, etc, and then the hassle with my passport not being valid long enough, and finally finding out the Consul General for Ecuador was on summer holidays until September, why, I thought my head was going to explode!

The Ecuadorian Consul General is a notorious señor grumpy-pants. I had heard from more than one person that their visa experience was less than savory, and I was prepared for a crotchety old curmudgeon. This assumption was further affirmed when I arrived at the Consul General's house in Richmond and he was yelling at the poor guy who had the appointment before me because he didn't have his papers in order. From what I could surmise from my eavesdropping (the consul was yelling, and the door to his office was open...it wasn't like I was holding a glass to the wall or anything!), the guy had come all the way from Alberta to get a visa because he was volunteering in Ecuador. Apparently the organization he was with didn't give him original documents but had scanned and emailed them instead. Half an hour later, this unfortunate lad walked out with his chin to his chest, visa-less. Oh boy, was I sweating in my seat!

However, apparently my papers were much more satisfactory, and the consul was very friendly to me. I chalk it up to my magnetic smile and cheerful personality, but it may have been my slightly low-cut top... In fact, he spent a long time with me, joking around, showing me pictures and pamphlets of Cuenca. He told me a story about the first time he was asked to participate in a round table discussion with all the big mucky mucks in the Ecuadorian government. Apparently, after they introduced him as the Consul General in Canada, they asked him to suggest ways that the visa process could be improved. His answer? He told them that the stamps he has to lick everyday should be mango-flavoured. He was quickly ushered out of the meeting, and has never been asked back! He also commented on my sense of humour and perception, and was quite disappointed to find out that I wasn't left-handed. He was relieved though, when I told him that my mother was left-handed, and asserted that he hadn't misjudged me!

At any rate, I now have a Intercultural Visa 12-VIII. And I feel like this trip is finally real.