I set the alarm for six o’clock this morning so we could pack up and leave by seven. The GPS system said it was nearly six hours from where we were to the US Embassy in Oslo. When I called the embassy earlier they said it would take a full day to re-issue emergency passports so I was hoping to get there around noonish so by tomorrow at the same time, we might have them and be able to drive back to Aalesund Friday afternoon (an eight hour’s drive.)
Even though I didn’t have a driver’s license, I didn’t let that stop me from speeding. I was on a mission and had only one thing on my mind. It was the best scenario too because Kory was still lying flat on his back in the back seat and could neither see how fast I was going nor if there were other cars or hazards in the way – so he didn’t stress out and he didn’t stress me out. I only went as fast as the car in front of me, figuring the locals knew where it was safe to speed, and it worked well for me as I made it to the embassy in exactly four and a half hours without stopping. Whew.
I would highly recommend a GPS system for anyone who ever needs to drive in Oslo as it guided me right to the spot without one wrong turn. (It was a much better experience than spending two hours trying to find a hotel one time when Kory was driving in Oslo and left the GPS at home.) I also prayed this morning that we’d find parking near the embassy as the only way Kory is mobile is if he flops all his body weight onto my back and lets me take the steps for him. I couldn’t imagine walking like that for blocks, then waiting to be seen, etc. And sure enough, God loves me more than I ever expect and He heard my prayers as there was an empty parking spot as close to the embassy as I could get. Hallelujah! I parked there, left Kory in the car for the time being, and went in with Kaleb and the photo copies of our passports and explained our predicament.
The US Embassy is quite the experience. First we had to stand in line out on the sidewalk (rain and all), waiting to be invited in to the little security house to be checked out. While we were standing there, a security agent came and asked us why we were there. Apparently he’s the pre-screener as some folks had to leave the line after they talked to him. I think for the most part, an appointment is required and if their name wasn’t on the list, they got booted out. Everyone also had to show ID while standing in the line, so they don’t mess around. Once we were invited into the security building our palms were swabbed with a cotton disc which was inserted into some type of scanner to see if we’d recently been handling dangerous chemicals. Fortunately, I found out today, I hadn’t. Then we had the usual metal detector scanner and coats going through the x-ray machine. Once we cleared that we were allowed to go into the embassy building, which felt like being in a bomb shelter. All the employees were tucked behind bullet proof glass with only one slit open for talking at each station. Nearly every window also had a finger scanner machine and everyone had to have their finger and thumb prints scanned on both hands. Kaleb and I didn’t because we were at a special window for US Citizens that had problems with their passports. I guess they know enough about us already.
I was so impressed with the sympathy of the woman I dealt with. I think she was more upset about our experiences than I was so she was more than accommodating. I told her I needed to fill out Kory’s info for him and then go get him just for the signature, as he wasn’t able to walk. She said the Consulate could come with me out to my car and have Kory sign in front of her so we wouldn’t have to move him. Now THAT is good customer service, and I was so thankful! The other thing I was impressed by was that she said we could have the new passports in two hours! So after all the paperwork and signatures were done, I walked to a bakery to buy some lunch and we had a picnic in the car while waiting for the prize. The time flew by as Kaleb got on the phone and called all his buddies from school to tell them he’ll be back in town tomorrow, so his social calendar is filling up fast. I used the time to send a few text messages to people I’d like to see before we leave also, so I’m glad we will have a few extra days in Aalesund before we fly home.
Before we knew it, it was three o’clock and our passports were ready! They cost a hundred dollars each and are only good for three months, but they will get us home and then we can apply for permanent ones for free, so all-in-all, it wasn’t that painful to get them replaced (well, maybe it was painful for Kory as he had to ride in the car to Oslo. The insurance company said they would have flown him back to Aalesund in an air ambulance because he couldn’t walk, but he needed to get his passports in Oslo, so that wasn’t an option we could take.) I’m sure the fact I had photocopies of the old passports (and our social security numbers) helped a lot, but the woman did say it was a problem I didn’t have Kaleb’s birth certificate so we need to present that again when we get back home before they will issue him a new permanent passport. No sweat.
The GPS once again saved the day and guided us across town to one of Kory’s Slaatthaug cousins (Sigrund even has the same last name!) where we are spending the night before heading back to Aalesund in the morning. We had a wonderful visit with Sigrund, Bent and the girls (see photo). Sigrund is an incredible artist, (many of those Slaatthaug cousins are) and she had her first child at 45 (then they adopted another from China). Manghild is just a few months younger than Kaleb and they became instant best friends now that Kaleb can speak Norwegian (on previous visits there wasn’t so much bonding going on.)
So today was the last official day of our road trip. I think vacations with a few bumps in the road make the trip a lot more interesting and certainly give us more to talk about than just, “We had a nice time.”
Even though I didn’t have a driver’s license, I didn’t let that stop me from speeding. I was on a mission and had only one thing on my mind. It was the best scenario too because Kory was still lying flat on his back in the back seat and could neither see how fast I was going nor if there were other cars or hazards in the way – so he didn’t stress out and he didn’t stress me out. I only went as fast as the car in front of me, figuring the locals knew where it was safe to speed, and it worked well for me as I made it to the embassy in exactly four and a half hours without stopping. Whew.
I would highly recommend a GPS system for anyone who ever needs to drive in Oslo as it guided me right to the spot without one wrong turn. (It was a much better experience than spending two hours trying to find a hotel one time when Kory was driving in Oslo and left the GPS at home.) I also prayed this morning that we’d find parking near the embassy as the only way Kory is mobile is if he flops all his body weight onto my back and lets me take the steps for him. I couldn’t imagine walking like that for blocks, then waiting to be seen, etc. And sure enough, God loves me more than I ever expect and He heard my prayers as there was an empty parking spot as close to the embassy as I could get. Hallelujah! I parked there, left Kory in the car for the time being, and went in with Kaleb and the photo copies of our passports and explained our predicament.
The US Embassy is quite the experience. First we had to stand in line out on the sidewalk (rain and all), waiting to be invited in to the little security house to be checked out. While we were standing there, a security agent came and asked us why we were there. Apparently he’s the pre-screener as some folks had to leave the line after they talked to him. I think for the most part, an appointment is required and if their name wasn’t on the list, they got booted out. Everyone also had to show ID while standing in the line, so they don’t mess around. Once we were invited into the security building our palms were swabbed with a cotton disc which was inserted into some type of scanner to see if we’d recently been handling dangerous chemicals. Fortunately, I found out today, I hadn’t. Then we had the usual metal detector scanner and coats going through the x-ray machine. Once we cleared that we were allowed to go into the embassy building, which felt like being in a bomb shelter. All the employees were tucked behind bullet proof glass with only one slit open for talking at each station. Nearly every window also had a finger scanner machine and everyone had to have their finger and thumb prints scanned on both hands. Kaleb and I didn’t because we were at a special window for US Citizens that had problems with their passports. I guess they know enough about us already.
I was so impressed with the sympathy of the woman I dealt with. I think she was more upset about our experiences than I was so she was more than accommodating. I told her I needed to fill out Kory’s info for him and then go get him just for the signature, as he wasn’t able to walk. She said the Consulate could come with me out to my car and have Kory sign in front of her so we wouldn’t have to move him. Now THAT is good customer service, and I was so thankful! The other thing I was impressed by was that she said we could have the new passports in two hours! So after all the paperwork and signatures were done, I walked to a bakery to buy some lunch and we had a picnic in the car while waiting for the prize. The time flew by as Kaleb got on the phone and called all his buddies from school to tell them he’ll be back in town tomorrow, so his social calendar is filling up fast. I used the time to send a few text messages to people I’d like to see before we leave also, so I’m glad we will have a few extra days in Aalesund before we fly home.
Before we knew it, it was three o’clock and our passports were ready! They cost a hundred dollars each and are only good for three months, but they will get us home and then we can apply for permanent ones for free, so all-in-all, it wasn’t that painful to get them replaced (well, maybe it was painful for Kory as he had to ride in the car to Oslo. The insurance company said they would have flown him back to Aalesund in an air ambulance because he couldn’t walk, but he needed to get his passports in Oslo, so that wasn’t an option we could take.) I’m sure the fact I had photocopies of the old passports (and our social security numbers) helped a lot, but the woman did say it was a problem I didn’t have Kaleb’s birth certificate so we need to present that again when we get back home before they will issue him a new permanent passport. No sweat.
The GPS once again saved the day and guided us across town to one of Kory’s Slaatthaug cousins (Sigrund even has the same last name!) where we are spending the night before heading back to Aalesund in the morning. We had a wonderful visit with Sigrund, Bent and the girls (see photo). Sigrund is an incredible artist, (many of those Slaatthaug cousins are) and she had her first child at 45 (then they adopted another from China). Manghild is just a few months younger than Kaleb and they became instant best friends now that Kaleb can speak Norwegian (on previous visits there wasn’t so much bonding going on.)
So today was the last official day of our road trip. I think vacations with a few bumps in the road make the trip a lot more interesting and certainly give us more to talk about than just, “We had a nice time.”
No comments:
Post a Comment