Today Has Been One of Those Days. Panama Immigration is a Nightmare : (
Usually I Put on My Strong Persona for the Steemit Community, But Today I am a Defeated Man.
After spending the night in the city, at a hotel, in order to be up bright and early to be at immigration we ended up with nothing to show for it once again. We spent seven hours sitting in a freezing cold building with thousands of other people trying to complete their immigration process here in Panama.
Granted my process is not out of need like many of the Venezuelans who are trying to escape poverty and starvation in their home country but it is still frustrating nonetheless. If it was not for @AnaHilarski pushing me to complete my path to citizenship I would have given up on this process a few years back.
Every time I set foot in a Panama government office I feel my soul being consumed by the, "Death Eaters" from Harry Potter. It seems wherever you go in the world the level of gov employee incompetence is low but in Panama it is unparalleled.
Return Tomorrow Morning Gringo.
So with my veins popping out of my head Ana and I got in the truck and headed home defeated once again. All I really want to do is put this nightmare behind me. Hopefully tomorrow is the last time I need to deal with these people until it is time to get my full citizenship.
Being an Expat is Definitely Not for the Faint of Heart.
If you are thinking about living in paradise like we do, I recommend you live here for a while before making the leap and spending money on attorneys. This country and most of the countries in Latin America will humble most men and break others. Hopefully I have better news tomorrow.
Oh goodness, I know how this is Randy! Being a world traveler for the past 6 years we have seen all types of wacky, zany and sometimes outright frustrating visa processes. I know how this feels so darn well. We had some interesting ones in Bali, including needing to return to immigrasi 3 days in a row. 1 day for paperwork. 2nd day to pay. 3rd day to get visa stamp. Not kidding. 3 trips. 3 days. 3rd world LOL. Good luck tomorrow!
Yes, this is actually how it is. If people knew what we all go through I think some would rethink the process. BTW congratulations on joining us on Steemit!!
Thanks a bunch! Happy to be here :)
You are generally so upbeat, so we know this has gotten you down! You are such a determined person. If anyone can navigate and get through the process, you can! I hope tomorrow is the day it all works out.
Wow, best of luck tomorrow.
Damn son! Chin up Randy, you know how these fools operate, they're only goal is to break people down 😠
I hope the appointment tomorrow works out and you are smooth sailing afterwards man ⛵
Oh god - my body tightened up on the word immigration. Just a mess.
Well that's government for you sure you cant bribe some one, there must be Steemians working there :) Hope all ends well Good luck
If not there will be soon. ; )
I spent 10 years sitting in the immigration department in Dominican Republic. I know that office as well as almost anywhere after having spent so much time there! Luckily I had the best lawyer on the island who usually fast tracked me to the front of the line or it would have been a nightmare like with you. Have you searched for a good lawyer in Panama who accepts Steem? It might help. ;)
I thought today was the final day in the process Jeff. Then somehow my file was sent to archives. They have to retrieve it for me to come back tomorrow. Incompetence is why we thrive here. ; )
Keep your head up. No great adventure is great with out a battle.
Sorry about that Randy, my Steemit post today was also about the Immigration Office.
Saw that Brad and I upvoted it. We were not as well off financially when we started this four years ago or we would have definitely hired an attorney that was efficient like yours.
Thanks @hilarski. Looking forward to hearing about your success tomorrow.
Hey man keep your head up , i myself have been an expat in the U.A.E all my life i was born and raised here.. just graduated college , and in order to stay here i was asked to put my Visa under a company , so i did that and i ended up getting rejected so now i have no clue what the f to do... Can't go back to war torn syria in fear of being targeted by the goverment to be drafted for army and can't stay here seems to me like the whole worlds shut its doors on me.Well now , anyways haha enough with the depressing stuff point is theres always someone having it worse than you are, and nothing to do but be grateful and happy for being here.
On a positive note check me latest post out and tell me what you think !! :)
https://steemit.com/foodforthought/@dwehji/is-it-though