It was a wonderful Friday morning and Alden thought he ought to get his act together and work on obtaining a Syrian visa.
Armed with his passport, two passport-sized photos, and a money order for $131, Alden walked up to the Syrian Embassy, just north of Dupont Circle. First a money order was obtained- the Syrian Embassy will not accept any other form of payment. $131 seems like an odd price, but whatever.
Alden dutifully filled out the visa application and turned it over with the photos, the money order, and his passport. Was it odd to hand over one's passport to an embassy of a country that is often referred to in the same breath as the 'axis of evil?' No, not really. The staff was professional and nothing was odd... until... Alden was told to claim his passport "Tuesday, after 3 pm," and he was handed a county fair style raffle ticket! Just like one of these:
Yeah, ok, that was a little odd. As a friend pointed out last night, perhaps the visa only costs $130, but the extra dollar in the $131 cost might earn Alden a DVD player or a giant stuffed bear from the raffle Alden just entered? A raffle ticket? Seriously?!?
Alden politely requested a multiple-entry visa, to which he was told the best he would get is a dual-entry visa. Alden politely said "thank you," to which was replied, "No! Thank you!"
What are the odds that Alden just got his identity stolen? Also, the money order was blank- and the staffer said he would fill it out himself. Yeah... When Alden gets arrested and thrown in a 6 by 6 cell down in Gitmo for terrorist financing, this is why. But on the bright side, Alden could still practice his Arabic at Gitmo- which is why he wants to go to Syria in the first place!
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And as the loyal readers might have picked up, Alden Pyle will be speaking in the third person, mostly, as he writes for Whiskey Tango Farley. The committee voted, and Alden agrees.
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