The day started early today getting up at 3:30AM to feed the dogs and get ready to take our trip to Montreal for my husbands interview with the US Consulate there for his immigrate Visa to the USA. We had a quick breakfast and set the GPS to head us towards Rouses Point to cross into Canada there on the 87.
It was a great day to drive with clear sky and dry roads which made things easier. We got across the border and went to pick up Anders medical papers first and chatted with a few friendly people there in the lobby while we waited for the office to open. Always nice to have a pleasant conversation with friendly people.
We then walked over to the consulate but since we were early we headed over to Tim Hortons for a coffee and donut to wait for a bit since it was so cold out and our appointment wasn't for another hour. While there we met a father and son who were waiting for the same thing. We chatted the whole time we waited with them it was nice to meet them and laugh about stories we all had about the process involved in getting permission to stay in the country.
We walked to the consulate and waited in line to get checked by security. Quite a different process then the last time we went there 6 years ago. No longer allowed to bring lap tops, cell phones, food, beverages heck they even took our car keys and held them for us while we went up with the rest of the crowd who were there waiting for different steps in the process they were involved with. That didn't bother me though. I'm all for keeping me safe..:)
We took our turn in line and were given a number to watch for on the screen which would tell us what window to go to down "the hall" While waiting we were happy to see the father and son come in and sit with us which was fun to share more stories with them throughout the morning. Our number came up about and hour later and we went to "the window" where a friendly woman went through the 2" stack of paper work that is required to be sure we had it all which we did have all the paperwork they required us to have we gave her Anders medical papers and she took his fingerprints with a cool digital finger printer. She was very helpful in trying to find the answer to a question I had but in the end she said we'd have to ask our interviewer both the questions we had. Okay no problem so far things were going well.
We went back to sit with our new friends and waited another hour or so to be called for our interview. Finally our number came on the screen again and we walked down that hall again and went to a very small little room with a little window. The woman there promptly told us to put down everything we were carrying because she needed our hands. So okay no problem. Anders just needed to confirm who he was by putting his thumb on a finger print machine. No biggie . Then she started with questions, Where did we meet? When did Anders propose...? Why was she asking us this when we had been married for 9 years almost? We did our best to answer her questions , then she asked for proof that I was living in the USA...gave her my drivers license..she didn't like that, gave her my mortage loan papers, nope that only has a post office box, I gave her 3 other papers but then she said that only proves I have an address there...doesn't prove I LIVE there...( I guess I need someone to record me living in the house????) Then she asked Anders a few questions and told him " Don't answer me until I'm finished talking because I don't think your listening to me, I tell you this woman was getting worse and worse, when she asked about Anders employment and my lack of employment she said Anders was going to need to file this certain form and I said I had filed it she looked at me and said " I do know my job" after a few more remarks she gave us Anders passport back and said we were going to need a few more things before he could get his visa, Anders started to say "When I get my visa...." She wouldn't even let him finish " I will not say you will get a visa", then I said " IF he gets a visa will he be allowed to come and go into the country" Where she looked a me and said with a face like you are so stupid woman " YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE APPLIED FOR" and then she opened the door to leave the interview room....I've never wanted to flip someone off in my life before but I sure wanted to then...and I politely left the room and shut the door before I turned to Anders and said in a quiet voice " what a bitch " ( excuse me)
Why, tell me why when two people have been married for 9 years...why do they have to make it so difficult for them to be together? Why do they have to treat you like your some kind of criminals??? I have never been so insulted in my life...Thank God we don't have to go back there we just have to file some more paperwork...and that form she said we needed , I read it...we don't but of course we'll send it in..and the $70.00 that needs to go with it....
I need a drink......
