And I say that with enthusiasm and joy because to apply for an American Visa is not as easy or fun as it seems.
You need to go to Alliance bank to pay this, get the visa form from the university in USA, apply and pay for SEVIS, fill in DS-160 online, make sure the photograph meets all specifications, run here run there, do this do that WARGH!!!!
The fact that you cannot and MUST NOT get anything wrong made it all the more stressful! One wrong thing and no visa for you!
After a whole lot of miscommunication between the uni and with friends, I finally managed to get everything ready before I proceeded to the final step.
Kautsar, Jessie and I got the interview on the same day. We all know how terrible KL jams are, so thank God we made it just in time for Kautsar to check in!
The American embassy is really cool. It gave me the whole "White House" feel, only the building was not white in colour.
My appointment time at the embassy was at 8.50am, but I only left the place at 11am. It took two hours because of the waiting process, but the interview itself took less than 5 minutes.
And security there is tight! We had to leave our IC, handphones, cameras, Ipods, MP3 players and other electronic devices at the front gate. They even took my set of sewing needles away. I totally forgot about them hehe
I even overheard this African guy have a heated argument with security, to which she sternly replied, "Sir you are not an American citizen. If you are going to be angry I will not let you in." True enough she did not, because I never saw him inside after that. It pays to be patient I guess.
Since they took my stuff away, I could not take pictures of the embassy's compound. It looked really nice, and again, the whole white-house-splendour feel came as I walked towards the building from the gate.
The entire waiting process was so long. There were so many people, and it seemed as though they were skipping numbers! One moment it was A62, and the next it was A80. What happened to the numbers in between? Hmm...
Even though it was another slow day at the embassy, the people working at the counters were really nice. There was this sweet American lady who was in her late-forties, and she greeted everyone with a friendly "Good morning" even though they kept her waiting after she called their number. I like her hehe
While waiting for my turn for the interview, I was so nervous and I felt butterflies in my stomach.
Before I went to the embassy today, I always thought that the interviews were done in a dark boardroom where you have to sit across a panel of interviewers. The two or three of them would start drilling you with questions and shred you to pieces in anyway they can! And one of the interviewers will be this old white-haired American guy enjoying himself as you turn into a speck of dust during the interview.
Does it ring a bell? How about this picture:
Yup, I thought I was going to walk in a room just like that and have my interview done, only I did not expect this fellow to be there.
Yes I have a wild imagination, and I should probably stop watching so much TV now :(
I was relieved, but slightly disappointed when I found out that the interviews will be conducted at a counter through a glass window that separates us from them. No scary boardroom for me then.
The interviews can last up to half an hour, depending on the officers mood. But sadly, mine lasted about 5 minutes :(
Why sadly? I mean, I should be glad because I passed and the dreadful process of applying for VISA is finally over, right?
I'll tell you why I am sad.
Because the officer was so so sooo handsome!!!!
I think he is an ABC (American borned Chinese). And he has such a cute American accent!! He was so so soooooooo nice to me! He even acknowledged the fact that CSM is a very good school! So smart!! Hahaha
Man, I wish I had the chance to talk longer with him.
Coincidentally, Kautsar, Jessie and I were interviewed by him. After we stepped out of the embassy, we squealed in delight as we talked about him. Haha Kautsar would like me to point out the fact that he talked to her the longest. Meh :p
What a way to start the day huh! Hehehe
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