Today my thank you goes out to Joe Loney, who is also known as "Jose" in Bolivia, and is the American attorney who helped walk us through the arduous path that eventually led to a Bolivian carnet! What is a carnet, you ask? For those of you who have been fortunate not to have to walk this path, a carnet is a "get out of jail free" pass for those of us whose 30 day visas expired...let's just say some time before the carnet was a mere light at the end of the tunnel. If this still makes no sense, check out the picture on the left :). What it means is that we became regulars at Interpol, the police station, and more governmental offices that we can count after having a full medical check-up including x-rays, dental exam, drug test, and being fingerprinted so many times that our fingers may as well have been endlessly purple. We made trips to notary offices, the Archbishop's office, and pleaded our way through each new document that was requested in a language that we did not understand very well. We signed our names to countless forms, that for all we knew, could have been promising our first born child and that we would only eat ice cream on Tuesdays. We showed up, nodded and kept our heads down, and only asked questions in the most humble of demeanor and when absolutely necessary. We said "muchas gracias" after being told the fifth time that we had to get yet another document and come back to the same office. We begged nuns at the convent and asked for children to testify as our Bolivian witnesses. We asked Jeff, fellow FMS missioner, to accompany us when he could very well have had amoebas, and we shamelessly asked him to show up at more places and make more copies of his documents. Finally, we made multiple visits to different banks to deposit required fees that could not be accepted in government offices because no money could change hands there. And through all of this, who was right by our side guiding us and saying, "yes, I understand, thank you very much" right along with us? None other than Joe Loney, who is a practicing attorney with a busy schedule and a family of his own to boot. Thank you Joe, for your constant patience with us and the entire visa process! Food for thought: The next time you see a foreigner in the US who is having difficulty with the visa process, please remember that he/she is trying to tackle a daunting process in "lawyer speak" in a language that he/she may not understand, and that a little patience goes a long way!
4 Comments
Vee
7/3/2014 02:00:29 am
Good picture Val :)
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Valerie
7/3/2014 07:55:34 am
Thanks, Vee! My love to you and the girls!!!
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Elena
7/7/2014 10:29:25 am
Good job, Val! Welcome to the immigration system...Hahaha
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Valerie
7/8/2014 01:39:04 am
Thanks, Ellie! It brought back memories of our conversations about how difficult the system is in the US. Hope you and Ivo are well!!!
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AuthorValerie Ellis, who is in alignment with the Black Lives Matter Movement and everyone whose life is impacted, now or before, by times of social injustice. Archives
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