Thursday, March 5, 2009

quietude

objectively life here might seem kind of boring. we're far enough from town that i can't get there without driving which means i'm on my own until 3 when reuben gets home.

but honestly it's quite lovely. we've had mostly great weather since i've been here so in the mornings (when i feel well enough) i take a walk for 2 or 3 hours. i've found that my favorite part about traveling is simply seeing new places and absorbing the sights, sounds and smells. so i've been quite happy with my quaint little walks and mellow days.

sheila (reuben's great-aunt) took me to the garda station in town to try to sort out my visa. turns out i have to call someone tomorrow morning in another town to set up an appointment, so sheila said she would deal with all of that and we could go tomorrow. it'll be a relief to be able to finally start making plans, whether or not they involve staying in ireland longer.

i realize i never really elaborated on what my visa trouble was. when i got into heathrow the immigration officer didn't like the fact that i had a one-way ticket. he asked me 1001 questions, none of which i was prepared for because i didn't do my homework and didn't realize i was going to look suspicious. i originally told him that i was simply in ireland as a tourist and was planning on staying in hostels and traveling around. he kept asking me how much money i had and i told him truthfully but i hadn't thought to bring bank statements so i didn't have any proof. after about 2 hours of questions he made it very clear that i was not going to be let into the country unless i had someone in ireland who could vouch for me. so i told him that i was staying with barbara and i said she was a friend. after another round of questions i told him about the wwoofing and he was, quite rightfully, none too pleased about the fact that i lied.

in the end he made me withdraw 500 euro from an atm to prove that i had enough funds to do so and let me in with a one-month visa. he also gave me a 24 hour visa for the uk, i guess so that i wouldn't be tempted to stay in england, which i found silly. the amazing thing was that after 3 houra of questions and waiting i still made my connecting flight to ireland. i got to the terminal as they were boarding the last 2 passengers.

i feel fairly confident that i'll be allowed to stay if i show them proof that i have enough money to support myself while i'm here but now i'm nervous about going to france. i'm sure he made an electronic note in my passport that i lied to an immigration officer so i'm really hoping that won't keep me from getting into france. once i'm there it'll be smooth sailing--any other traveling i do will most likely be by train, and i'll probably avoid the uk just to be safe--but i'm seriously hoping that i don't have any issues. i think i'll probably buy a ticket home so that i don't have the potential hassle of being seen as suspicious because of my one way-ticket. if i decide to stay longer i can always just change it for a fee.

1 comment:

  1. So, I am buying a round trip ticket now. I'm only staying in England for 2 weeks, so hopefully they won't give me any shit. Then I'm off to Scotland.


    I WANNA VISIT YOU WHEN YOU ARE IN FRANCE.

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