After almost not being allowed to enter Kenya because my passport only had two vacant visa pages, and you need three, I made it a point to take care of this promptly. I made an appointment and drove to the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi this afternoon.
As I was driving there, I envisioned special treatment, maybe even a red carpet (OK, that was probably wishful thinking) once I identified myself as a US citizen.
Well, my imagination was a lot richer than my experience.
Allow me to explain.
I had the GPS coordinates, so I found it with no trouble. In fact, the area is home to many embassies. The first one I saw was for Palestine. This may be the only place in the world that recognizes it as a country. Then there was the one for Turkey, and then the very next modern looking structure, which stood out from the rest, was the one for the US.
Security was tight. You had to have an appointment to enter the building. There were security guards at both of the gates on the street. They directed me to a parking lot across the street. When I walked onto the premises, I was told to go to a nondescript door, where there was another guard. We were only allowed in one person at a time, or one family at a time. Once in, all bags were screened. I was allowed to take my wallet with me, but my purse had to be left at the counter, along with my phone, which had to be turned off.
Then I went through another small waiting area, on my way to the building I needed to visit.
Side note - I was wearing a necklace that I bought in Kenya from one the Masai Village women. The female security guard in this waiting area, was from Kenya, and recognized that it was made by the Masai. She asked if I was Kenyan. We had a nice, brief chat about my visit to her homeland.
When I left there, I walked down a path with bushes, at least six feet high, that were along both sides of the walkway, so you could only see in front of you and behind you. When I arrived at the next door, I was buzzed in, given a number, and told to have a seat.
Special treatment.
Not even.
Red carpet.
Only in my dreams.
This place . . . our place . . . our embassy - reminded me of the holding area for families visiting prisoners at Corcoran Prison, near Bakersville, CA, that I visited on occasion.
It was dreary. . .
With rows and rows of hard chairs . . .
And even more security guards.
Absolutely nothing about this place was inviting.
There was good news though.
I was able to get 48 pages added to my passport while I waited. It took about 45 minutes.
Of course, I used that time to people watch. I was intrigued by the number of Arab folks, including a fair number of Emiratis, who were there for visas. I'm guessing they can't get the visas at the airport when they arrive in the US, as is the custom with many countries.
Anyway, I was a happy camper walking out of there with my hefty passport in hand.
I was hungry, so I decided to find the nearest mall, to get something to eat.
Side note 2 - One of the coolest things about mall parking lots here is there are red and green lights above each parking space. Red if it's occupied, green if it's available. It makes searching for a spot much easier.
Side note 3 - When you have a traffic violation, you get an SMS on your phone with the nicest message. It's something like, "You have committed a traffic violation in Abu Dhabi today. Please kindly obey the traffic rules." Well, I had gotten quite a few of these messages, but I didn't realize they were the same as tickets. I discovered this when I went to renew my car registration this week. The bill was crazy high. High enough to have paid for my next trip.
Final point on this - the traffic cameras are hard to see. They are located in the median, between the palm trees. Usually I don't see them until I'm passing them, and it's too late to react, or more accurately, too late to slow down.
Anyway, that was my day today.
Hope that your's will be productive and ticket-free, too.
As I was driving there, I envisioned special treatment, maybe even a red carpet (OK, that was probably wishful thinking) once I identified myself as a US citizen.
Well, my imagination was a lot richer than my experience.
Allow me to explain.
I had the GPS coordinates, so I found it with no trouble. In fact, the area is home to many embassies. The first one I saw was for Palestine. This may be the only place in the world that recognizes it as a country. Then there was the one for Turkey, and then the very next modern looking structure, which stood out from the rest, was the one for the US.
Security was tight. You had to have an appointment to enter the building. There were security guards at both of the gates on the street. They directed me to a parking lot across the street. When I walked onto the premises, I was told to go to a nondescript door, where there was another guard. We were only allowed in one person at a time, or one family at a time. Once in, all bags were screened. I was allowed to take my wallet with me, but my purse had to be left at the counter, along with my phone, which had to be turned off.
Then I went through another small waiting area, on my way to the building I needed to visit.
Side note - I was wearing a necklace that I bought in Kenya from one the Masai Village women. The female security guard in this waiting area, was from Kenya, and recognized that it was made by the Masai. She asked if I was Kenyan. We had a nice, brief chat about my visit to her homeland.
When I left there, I walked down a path with bushes, at least six feet high, that were along both sides of the walkway, so you could only see in front of you and behind you. When I arrived at the next door, I was buzzed in, given a number, and told to have a seat.
Special treatment.
Not even.
Red carpet.
Only in my dreams.
This place . . . our place . . . our embassy - reminded me of the holding area for families visiting prisoners at Corcoran Prison, near Bakersville, CA, that I visited on occasion.
It was dreary. . .
With rows and rows of hard chairs . . .
And even more security guards.
Absolutely nothing about this place was inviting.
There was good news though.
I was able to get 48 pages added to my passport while I waited. It took about 45 minutes.
Of course, I used that time to people watch. I was intrigued by the number of Arab folks, including a fair number of Emiratis, who were there for visas. I'm guessing they can't get the visas at the airport when they arrive in the US, as is the custom with many countries.
Anyway, I was a happy camper walking out of there with my hefty passport in hand.
I was hungry, so I decided to find the nearest mall, to get something to eat.
Side note 2 - One of the coolest things about mall parking lots here is there are red and green lights above each parking space. Red if it's occupied, green if it's available. It makes searching for a spot much easier.
Side note 3 - When you have a traffic violation, you get an SMS on your phone with the nicest message. It's something like, "You have committed a traffic violation in Abu Dhabi today. Please kindly obey the traffic rules." Well, I had gotten quite a few of these messages, but I didn't realize they were the same as tickets. I discovered this when I went to renew my car registration this week. The bill was crazy high. High enough to have paid for my next trip.
So, needless to say, I was very conscious of my speed, going and coming. Usually I'm more conscious going. By the time I'm on my way back, I'm just tired and want to get home. Today, I played soft, soothing music, and paid attention to the needle.
Final point on this - the traffic cameras are hard to see. They are located in the median, between the palm trees. Usually I don't see them until I'm passing them, and it's too late to react, or more accurately, too late to slow down.
Anyway, that was my day today.
Hope that your's will be productive and ticket-free, too.
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