Tuesday, May 11, 2010

What happens when you lose your passport

  • pray that God helps you to find it, especially since you are to leave the country in less than a month for a vacation to New Zealand
  • start looking everywhere - in drawers, under things, get in touch with your contact person in the capitol, who you thought had it, and have him look everywhere, send him to immigration to see if it was handed in with the wrong paperwork by mistake, have them look under desks in drawers - nothing
  • go on the internet to see what you need to do if you lose your passport, and fill out DS-11 and DS-65
  • email someone from the embassy to see what the process is, and if you need a birth certificate (which you don't have)
  • learn a new passport costs US $100 or 255K, and you will receive an emergency passport the day you apply (but you need a copy of your face page of your old passport), and a real one within a month if you fill out another form
  • get passport photos
  • talk to your boss to make sure you can miss work
  • find a place to stay in POM
  • buy a $400 plane ticket to go to POM
  • fly to POM with forms, passport photos, money, and visa extension forms praying it will all work out
  • go to the embassy 1st thing Monday am and wait for about an hour while they get you your new passport, good for one year, so you can still go to NZ and through Australia (which requires a passport valid for 3 months from when you leave)
  • head across town to the immigration office to get your visa
  • get a number from a guy outside so you don't have to wait so long inside
  • finish filling out the forms with your new passport information
  • wait for 30 minutes before your number is called
  • explain you lost your passport and stand there as the lady leaves her counter for 20 minutes without explaining where she is going
  • when she comes back she just asks you to wait, so you sit back down and observe the people in the office waiting with you
  • 60 minutes later you ask what you are doing - just keep waiting
  • you sit back down and 30 minutes later it looks like she is about to leave, so you go and talk to her one last time, trying to figure out what is happening - she said they are waiting for a signature and then your visa will be done, just keep waiting - so you sit down (amazed as they normally give you a piece of paper and say come back in 2-4 weeks and see if it is done)
  • you pray and thank God for what you just heard, a visa and passport in the same day, which will allow you to go to NZ on vacation - more than you expected
  • 30 minutes later, just as you were in desperate need to find a restroom, she comes with your passport, visa stamped and signed inside, saying you are good to go
  • you look at it, check to make sure it really is all there and praise God for providing
  • head to a nearby Italian restaurant, as it is now close to 2pm for lunch
  • head to Air Niugini to change your plane ticket to leave on the morning flight instead of the afternoon flight, pay 110K to do so (definitely worth it)
  • call friends back at Kudjip to tell them the good news and to have someone meet you in the morning
  • head to the airport in the morning and see sign directing you where to take your weapons and ammunition
  • arrive safely back home, new passport and visa in hand