Visa trip fun........

Hey guys, so I thought I would do another post as I haven't done one in a while. I was thinking about talking about my trip to the USA Embassy in London. I am going to start by a quick overview for those who may not understand why I would go there. Cadets from my company and most others are sent for a USA Visa, this is so you can work and earn money in American waters, unlike all other countries you have to go down and have a interview with them (quick chat) just so that they can look at you I suppose. All other countries you fill out the paperwork and that's you done simple.


Anyway, so before you get to go on this wonderful trip you have to fill out an application, make an appointment with them, print out all sorts of different documents and take them with you. I hated filling out the paperwork, they want to know everything up to what you had for breakfast that morning, it had the usual stuff where your from, where you where born etc etc then it wanted to know allll of your education, allll the places you had worked, then it really got in depth the company sent us 4 A4 sheets with the info we needed to put into this form. I would have been lost without it there was so many different addresses and names and places and reasons and much more I can't even remember. So after that I made my appointment, the office sorted travel as I didn't have a clue and didn't want to go over spending. I went in May, my mum dropped me off at Glasgow Airport, I managed to find my way without to much trouble since I had not bags it was very easy. I got onto the plane and found myself to be the only one not wearing a suit, I was on a plane full of suits, I stuck out like a sore thumb oh great, I got myself to the back of the plane to try and hide away. Once I got to London, I didn't hang about I headed straight for the DLR this is basically a train service with no drives just a computer, then I got 2 different tube trains, it was rush hour 9am ish personal space doesn't come into it during this time. I can't even remember the place I got off to walk round to the actual building, so anyway I was walking round a very fancy looking place, there was shops with very expensive cars in the windows I stopped to stare in and dream for a minute then continued walking. Then found myself at the side of the building and noticed a very high police presence and not just any police, it was police armed to the teeth with guns, lots of them, this was new. You are not allowed any electronics in the building either you can only take you and your paperwork and a book if you are smart enough to have brought one (I didn't), so then I got ripped off and stored my stuff in a local chemist for £3 and I joined the queue to get in, there was a stand with some staff on it checking if you had everything with you before entering, they where sending people away who did not have what was required. Once you get past them you go through basically airport security again, though with more guards and again more police with guns. So finally I was in after flying down 1 train 2 tubes and a short walk round and through tighter security then at a airport.


Once you get inside you are given and number and its basically Argos all over again but much longer. You wait to be called up for the first time (this took over an hour). I spoke to the women, handed over my paperwork, she scanned my fingers asked a couple questions then gave me a new number and asked me to take a seat again. There was a small shop in there, I must have spent about £5 in it for drinks and chocolate, I think I resorted to reading the empty wrappers and cans I got that bored. I was sitting for hours, I arrived at 10am and was still there around 3pm my flight was 4pm if I remember correctly, safe to say I missed it, I waited around for hours to go back up answer 2 questions and have my visa granted. I was free. finally. Now I could go and get my phone and all my other stuff, I phoned the office and they moved me onto a later flight to get home and that was it, on the flight home it was all suits again, this time I didn't care I was going home I was shattered. So that was that, all for a small page to be put into my passport but it's done now, just gotta go do it again in 10 years when it expires oh joy.