Business with a capital B

"I'm going to London, to buy a heat magazine!"

When I was in primary school on school trips this song would always come up somehow. This time I was actually going to London, but buying a heat magazine was not on the list. I meant business, business with a capital B. 

Today was the day, after a lot of waiting I was finally here. I finally made it to the embassy! Lets just say there was I little bit of a wait with visa petitions and that type of thing. That doesn't matter anymore because I was here! So after a long underground game of sardines we arrived at the Embassy for 10:00am which was perfect, the time I had wanted to be there for. Walked passed a guard with a massive gun in his hand, nothing like a nice welcome. Noticed a small group of people with envelopes and joined the visa queue, by the end of the line I has become well acquainted with the couple behind me who were going to Chicago on holiday and were renewing some visa that you can have for 10 years.

Next stop security...blah blah blah, I'm not a crim so it was a breeze. Then I was in! Now I was getting nervous, what if I didn't have what they needed even though I checked through my stuff at least 5 times? What if I didn't understand the question? All I wanted was a visa, nothing big... I'll behave O'Bama, pinky promise.

Then after I had been to the desk and they gave me a number to wait to be called out and took a seat with what felt like the whole of London! Waiting for your number to be called at the embassy is not like waiting to hear your name to be called out at the doctors. There was a large screen and every so often a number would appear on the screen with a massive ding, I thought I would be able to read a book peacefully but boy I was wrong. Fearing that I would get so engrossed in my book and miss my number I just looked around and waited... The noise of the dinger was stressing my out! I have never been too stressed to read before. 

N188 appeared on the screen, I wanted to shout out "BINGO!" so badly but i didn't think that anyone would have appreciated it. Not a lot of smiling goes on in the embassy, too many stressed out people like myself. I walked over to one of the desks with all my stuff and had papers taken off me by a young guy "can I have ......?" (I can't remember what it was) Errmmm, what's that? My fears were beginning to come true. I asked the guy what it looked like "it's the piece of paper on the top" he could have said it a little nicer, I was stressed and young and never done this before he could have given me a bit of slack. After he had taken finger prints he told me to go and take a seat again. Looked at my watch, 10:20am not bad I'll be out soon...I hoped

On top of the dinging screen there were tannoys every so often, I was confused and had to ask the man next to me what everything meant. Thankfully he was a friendly chap and explained the tannoys then chatted for a little while about why we were both going to America then his number got called and I never saw him again. That's the problem with chatting to fellow visa waiters they always get taken off you.

12:15 my magic number appeared again, by this time there were about 4 people waiting for interview. It's time my interviewer was much nicer than the young guy who took my passport and fingerprints. 

"Hello Miss Hughes, how are you today?" 

"I'm very well thank you, how are you?"

"I'm doing very well thank you for asking" 

That's how you do it, take note young man at number 7.

"Miss Hughes, have you ever applied for this type of Religious Visa before?"

"Nope" (phew something I can answer)

*a little type on the computer*

"What will you be doing with your time over in the United States?"

"I will be working for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Missionary"

*longer type onto the computer*

"Where abouts will you be working?"

"I've been called to the Salt Lake City East Mission which covers the very east of Salt Lake and the west of Wyoming"

*type onto the computer*

"Well Miss Hughes, your visa has been approved and you will get it in the post either Monday or Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest."

"That's it?!" (I mean I did wait 2 hours)

"Yes, that's it. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your afternoon."

"Great! Thank you, enjoy the rest of your day!"

Girl Vs American Government, GIRL WINS!!!

Salt Lake City, See you in 2 weeks and 3 days.