Slam!

Well, it's looking like I'm not going to Bangladesh this time around, as I cannot get a letter of invitation from Compassion, and I need that to get a VISA while Korea-side.  *sigh*  I'm disappointed, but I plan to still see Moumita one day.  It just won't be this time.  Now to cancel that plane ticket...

On the bright side, I have some very special guests here with me for a couple weeks.  I'll update more on that later.  For now, I'm dead tired (having taken the bus to and from Incheon Airport tonight), so I'm going to get some sleep.

<3

Banging my head against a wall

I went to Seoul today instead of school so I could apply for my VISA to Bangladesh.

I had worked hard to get a day off and will be making it up tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the Bangladeshi Embassy didn't feel the need to inform me that they would be closed today, celebrating Victory Day.

I really don't know how this one's going to play out, guys.


(I'm banging my head... get it?  Banging?  BANGladesh? hahahha... I'm so ready to embarrass some teenagers some day...)


On the bright side, it was doing this when I got home:

That's snow, in case you can't tell... and a lot of it.

Which put me in the mood to finally buy this:

Which now looks like this:

It's now waiting to be finished, as per tradition, when my brother gets here.  (All in all, it's looking like I'm going to spend about 11 USD total on Project: Christmas tree.  The rest of it, as per my previous commitment, will be homemade ornaments.)

The angel with whom I'm wrestling... (Just call me Israel)

ChristmasChristmasChristmas is ALMOST HERE... which means I'm in the mood to go drop a paycheck, buying gifts for EVERYONE (literally everyone) I know/see on a regular basis/comment on their blogs with any half-consistency.  "But, Anne," you say.  "Didn't you just post this really compelling list telling me to spend less money and more time at Christmas?"  Yes.  Yes I did.  BUT, actually, I wasn't telling you (I'll bet you think this song is about you, don't you? Don't you? - just kidding)... I WAS TELLING MYSELF.

I am a gifting addict.  I will literally be only allowing myself PB&J and water for whatever meals aren't provided and still spend hundreds of dollars on other people.

This is not to be applauded.  Don't do it.  I mean, yes, this is great and all, but it's not really nice to myself, AND, after reading this AMAZING post by Jen Hatmaker, I'm not really sure it's nice to the rest of the world either.

See, she has this quiz that she linked in her blog (which I clearly just linked, too) that tells you how many slaves work for you.  Yes, slavery still exists today, don't be fooled by the message Satan wants you to believe.

This screen shot of Not For Sale's interactive SlaveryMap shows the number of reported slavery cases since 1-Jun-2008.

It's hard to believe, I know; we're so well trained to believe that it ended with Abraham Lincoln.  If you're still having trouble with it, check this out.

So I took the quiz.  I gave it as much detail as I could.  I knew it was going to tell me I had slaves working for me.  That's the reality of this world.  I did not know it was going to tell me I had 39 slaves working for me.   

That's 39 people who, every day, I say that are worthless; 39 people over whom I've decided I'm more important. 

I gagged and swallowed back vomit over those 39 people.


This is the angel with whom I'm wrestling.  The voice in the back of my head saying "..I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me."

But it's more than that. 

I'm taking their food.  I'm stealing their drink.  I'm casting them out of their homes. I'm stripping them of their clothes.  I'm blighting them and locking them up. 

I'm sitting in my wealthy world, worrying about what gift I should give the people that I don't know well enough to decide if they will even miss a gift from me.  Stressing over difficulties with a VISA to take my international, tropical vacation, and I can't do it anymore.


I'm sorry if I didn't buy you a Christmas present yet and you really wanted one, but I'm done.  Unless I'm walking through the store and it's absolutely perfect for you, you won't be getting anything on which I spent money.  You may not be able to understand this.  After all, most of my friends are American and celebrate the Americanized Christmas, but that is no longer going to stop me.  I can't do it anymore.


What it comes down to is this: 
Is that coffee/chocolate/cigar/gold jewelry/cotton blouse that I was going to buy him/her REALLY more important than the LIFE of the person who got it for me?

This is the angel with whom I'm wrestling.

Bright, blaring red tape

Well, after a couple phone calls (and by "a couple" I mean eleven), I finally got through to the Bangladeshi Embassy in Seoul.

Verdict?

Because I'm not Korean, I must appear in person at the Embassy to get my VISA.

*Sigh*  I'm beginning to understand the frustrations of minorities in the States.  (And I do mean beginning.  Under no circumstances do I claim to fully understand what we put those people through.)

I think I need to start carrying a picture of Moumita in front of my face, so I can remember why it is that I want to go.

She's precious, isn't she?  She just turned 8.

In fact, just looking at this picture (it's a new one, by the way; I hadn't seen it yet!) as I'm loading it onto my blog for you to see is calming my spirit.  This is just the first of my struggles with this trip.  As I understand it, the Bangladeshi people are even less amenable to vegetarians than Koreans are.  Soooooo, we're going to have fun on this trip.

MoumitaMoumitaMoumita... I can't wait to meet her. :)

It's that time again...

...the time where I'm dealing with governments and trying to get VISAs in order.  At least this time it's for vacation purposes.  Thankfully, I am well trained to have a short-term memory, or else I would never travel.  Good golly, Moses, you'd think they didn't want me to come to their country and blow a whole paycheck!  My word... I thought it was bad getting my VISA to come to South Korea, but it's even more complicated now that I have a 9-5 (well, 8:30-4:30) job in the mix.

Anne: "Yayyyyy!  Vacation's around the corner!  I think I'll go to Thailand and Bangladesh to see two of my Compassion kids!"

Thailand: "Yayyyyy!  Pay me some money when you land; I'll throw a stamp in your passport."

Compassion: "Yayyyy! Pay us some money when we roll up, and we'll throw in a translator and transportation."

Anne: "Yayyyyyy!  Bangladesh?"

Bangladesh: "Hmmm... well... Pay us considerably more than you'll pay at any one place during the rest of your vacation, and we'll consider giving you a VISA for a certain amount of days at our discretion."

Anne: "Really, Bangladesh?  Okay.  I mean, if that's what it takes.  Compassion?"

Compassion: "Yayyyy! Pay us some money when we roll up, and we'll throw in a translator and transportation."

Anne: "Yayyyy! I love consistency!  Here we go over to the travel agent that should be able to do this..."

Travel Agent: "I'll check on that.  Come back tomorrow."

Anne: "Okay." 

(Tomorrow) Travel Agent: "I'm sorry, the embassy forgot to check.  Come back tomorrow."

Anne: "...Okay.  *At least they give me free hot drinks.*"

(Next day) Travel Agent: "I'm sorry.  We cannot arrange your VISA.  You must go to the embassy in Seoul between the hours of 9 and noon, Monday through Friday to drop it off, between the hours of 4 and 5, four days later, Monday through Friday to pick it up."

Anne: *facedesk*

Luckily, it's looking like I can have my friend who works evenings in the Hagwans help me out with this one.  (Here's hoping.)  From what I've seen online, it shouldn't pose a problem, but hey... it's the government... all sorts of things can go wrong.  Anyone seen any information on whether people can turn in paperwork and stuff for others VISA-wise (specifically for Bangladesh)?

Anyone want to pray that we can make this work???