Pre-Departure IV - Negotiating Customs

Thanks to the wonderfully express services of the private mail system, I got my passport back today, along with my birth certificate, and two guidebooks about the Czech Republic!

Did you notice something missing in that sentence? I didn't, until I opened my passport to find...nothing. No visa stamp. My passport, issued two years ago, was more pure and unmarked than fresh snow on a soccer field. As I contemplated this puzzling turn of events, I noticed another piece of paper in the envelope. Here is an excerpt:

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, most visas were not processed by the Czech Consulate in time for your departure...Those of you without student visas will enter the country on a tourist visa. You may be questioned at the airport, probably in the USA, as to why your return plane ticket from Prague is scheduled for after the expiration of your 90-day [tourist] visa. While this is extremely unlikely, it is always best to be prepared. Please carry with you a copy of this e-mail along with the attached letter and calendar.

Oh, fabulous. My first-entry prediction is almost becoming terribly true! While I'm not too panicked, my parents have already sent a letter to the president of Smith College, demanding a refund on tuition for the semester should I, for any reason, be barred entrance to Prague or my study program.

(When Smith students travel abroad, they still pay Smith's tuition to the college, not the program directly. Smith then uses the regular tuition to pay the program, and all the financial dealings occur between the two schools. However, even though my program is roughly $10,000 cheaper than Smith tuition, we still have to pay full Smith tuition. So it's already something of a ripoff - and now this. In the absolute worst case scenerio, I wouldn't get any credits towards my degree, and also lose that tuition money!)

In other news, I took a trip to Massachuetts this week to say goodbye to my partner, Chris, and some of my other friends. I did my best not to cry, although I got choked up as I watched Chris frantically fingerspelling (using American Sign Language) through the window of the bus as I pulled away. "D-o-n-t t-a-k-e a-n-y w-o-o-d-e-n n-i-c-k-e-l-s" he spelled, one letter at a time, as I made the sign for "I love you" and bit my lip. I made promises to write, to stay out of trouble, to get into lots of trouble, and to keep posting on this blog. I visited Hopkins, my wonderful on-campus house, and said au revoir to the kitchen table, my room, and the free-box under the stairs. I scolded myself for being so sentimental, but I love the Pioneer Valley and so many people in it. Leaving them is almost harder than leaving home.

And then there's the issue of saying goodbye to someone, and then calling them several hours later. What do you say? You've already had a lengthy goodbye, but you still want to talk to them while you have a chance. It's hard to negotiate what's proper. Hmm.

Well, it's time to head over to dinner at my grandparents' house. Last Thursday dinner for a long time - I hope Mammy's made something special. But I know if I ask her what's for dinner, she'll just tell me, "Food." I like that in a person.