Getting my visa

I finally got my visa to France. I never thought I’d get to go to Paris at this point in my life, especially since I barely have enough money. But things have an odd way of working out and just in time for my birthday this week!

Visa preparations and applications are always troublesome affairs, especially when applying for trips to Western/First World Countries. Embassy people always seem to view applicants with suspicion and you really get to feel how much of a Third World citizen you are. Some applicants want to put their best foot forward and practically kowtow to embassy people. Often, the grouchiest embassy people are fellow Filipinos. I hate that we have to go through this.

When I applied for a visa almost 2 weeks ago, the embassy guy (a fellow Filipino) asked me stupid questions like where in the map was Angouleme (the place where I was heading to). I didn’t realize this was a geography exam. Going back to my seat after being interviewed, I wish I said that to his face.

But when I came back to get my visa results 2 days ago, the same guy remembered me and the fact that I was going to France to make comics. He mistakenly understood though that it was a contest when in fact it was in fulfillment of a grant (I got the grant though through a form of a contest). He asked if I was the only representative from the Philippines and I replied yes. He wasn’t smiling when he said “granted”, but somehow I could tell that their was a tinge of pride at seeing his countryman represent the country. I’d like to think that if he could, he’d probably say “good luck”. Well, I guess he wasn’t too bad after all.