revising Essay

Yaqoub Ali

Eng-101

Mr. Taylor

February.19, 2014

Visa’s Difficulties

I have booked a ticket on Lufthansa airline and got my plane tickets from prestige Travel agency. Then, I went to the airport immediately, because I have to go and wait through the line for more than 2 hours and do the check-in. I was relieved, I finally got the visa and I am going back to the United States. It was a very long trip full of confusion and concern.

Through life, many barriers can appear that can distract a person. Whether those obstacles are serious and hard to be dealt with or simple and easy to be solved, we are the ones who determine the complexity of those problems. At first, I did all the scholarship requirements to apply for renewing the Visa to continue my study as an Engineering student at Cal State University Fullerton. They needed the passport and a receipt to prove that I have made the payment for Burgan Bank as they wanted with a recent picture that has been captured in the last 6 months. Also, a new i-20 that is valid for the next 5 years, with an appointment to visit the United States embassy in Kuwait. It was an obstacle that could have changed my life to the worse, but I had contradicted it with patience, persistence, and believing in fate.

At the beginning of my Visa renewing journey، patience was a very effective factor of getting me the visa and let me reach the place I am in now. After finishing most of the requirements the embassy needed from any student to renew the visa. It was the appointment day for the interview with the embassy agent. At the same time of the appointment, the only branch of Burgan bank that a student can pay his/her fees at was going to open before the time of the appointment. I was so happy that the process was going smoothly. Also, I was prepared for that day from weeks, but the only problem that was standing in my way was the bank because they had a week off to get there plans and be organized for the banks exhibition of winter in Kuwait. A couple of people and I were waiting at the front door of the bank, we were very amazed and angry about how the workers were carless. They saw and kept us waiting at the hot shining sun while they were laughing and eating there breakfast. Afterwards, they allowed us to enter and we waited through lines when we got shocked by the new policies and the new requirements that the embassy was asking for. The bank made an announcement to all of the people waiting telling them that if they had the paper that contains the routing number of the embassy references you can step forward and pay to get the receipt and go to the appointment that each one had. With anger the people replied no one have told us that before and our appointments will be canceled because of this issue. I was so stressed and went as soon as I could straight forward to get my laptop. I could not find the paper that contained the routing number for Burgan bank, and no one could guide me because the embassy had a new web site that needed strange information from each student until each of them got the routing number. Thus, I could not make it to the appointment that I had and it was hard to get a new appointment in the near future at that time. However, at the following day the new system had some new appointments available to make it up for those people who were delayed. I was on the laptop struggling to find a new appointment and after 14 hours of waiting I finally got one on the next four days. I thought that I was really lucky that I have had that appointment. Unfortunately, there were some violations at some of the United States embassies that made them close for 6 days. My appointment was delayed for an extra 4 days. I have waited for that day with passion and patience, because it has been one of my dreams and plans to study at a University in the United States of America. It was the most important day in my life, but the obstacles began since then.

In the next few days, I finally got to go to my appointment, after the longanimity and patience that were going to lead me to desperation. Farther on, I went with persistence so; I would not let any problem stop me from getting the visa. Thus, from the beginning of that day I kept calling the embassy to inquire any delays or missing requirements and there were not any of them. I went on my own and waited on the first line. I have to admit that I was so stressed from the inside, but I could not reveal that stress in front of the agents or they will doubt that I came to the embassy to apply as a student. It was like a prison with a lot of checking points and restrictions. After passing those checking points I was given a number for one of the counters that were running tardily. It was a day fulfilled with investigations and there were a few of people whom have gotten the green card that shows they had accomplished there work and their visas will be issued at a matter of time. However, the counter that I was waiting for was giving the red and the yellow card mostly. This means that either those students will get the visa in more than three months or they will not get it at all. Moreover, when the counter called my number I went to him and collaborated by answering all his questions. It was clear that the embassy had assigned that person to reject the visas and give the yellow and the red card to the people they did not want to give them the visa. He cleared to me that he still has got many questions to ask before he gives me the green card. At the same time, he did not have the time to ask all the questions, so he transferred me to another counter. In other words, he helped me a lot and I felt guilty of abusing him with harshness. The person of the second counter was very relieved. He took my passport and told me that my visa was approved on since I first made my appointment and I will collect it at a post office in at least two or three days knowing that my course will start in a matter of time. I came to a point were I told my self everything will be fine, or perhaps what I thought.

Next, I waited for 3 days and the weekend came. My course of study was going to begin the day after the weekend and I was in a miserable situation. I kept talking to the embassy on the weekend and they only could have told me that the visa was still in process. I could not do anything but to notify my advisor and Cal State Fullerton of those delays that I am having. Meanwhile, I got my visa on the day of the beginning of the semester and at the same time, I received an email from my advisor and the university that I am not allowed to enter the United States after the beginning of the semester, it was one of the immigration laws. At this point, I was broken morally. After all what I did to my self for continuing my study this silly problem appears and delays my future. I could not wait a year to continue my study in a university. Although that I had been in that frustration, my family supported and advised me to keep moving forward and never let any obstacle hold me from getting what I want, and it is my fate sooner or later to study in the United States because I have earned that. I believed in fate and started the packed my language. I notified the university that I was going to come even if the immigration sent me back to Kuwait. Therefore, I went to the airport with my ticket and the letter that was given to me by the university. My patience, stubbornness with persistence has not been wasted because I believed that I would continue to study and I have strived to reach that stage. Finally, on that long trip fulfill with confusions and concerns, I arrived at the United State and passed all the visa’s difficulties that I had interfered, and now I am in my second semester at CSUF.

To conclude, those problems were very intractable and by persisting and believing in my fate I could have reached my goal with patience. Thereafter, obstacles must not be a reason that can distract a person from achieving his/her goals. They cannot stop people even they showed no mercies in life, because people always move on and try to start a new page each day by anticipating and defying all those obstacles. That is why people must use them as an advocate toward what is better for them.