And did you know that you could qualify to renew your expired visa without the usual hassle of logging along all your documents to prove that you do not intend to overstay your visit.
Best of all, you can even book your appointment via internet! Just register at : http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph or https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/
Gone are the days of lining up at the embassy gates at the crack of dawn just to ensure an interview. Gone are the days of standing in the heat of the sun or drenched in the rain. Gone are the mad, mad days of fixers and vendors and amateur ID photographers.
No need to bring a snack or a drink or even a small folding chair… the 1st waiting lounge in the embassy has all the comforts of an airport sans airconditioning. There is a restroom (and like all American establishments, there is toilet paper), a water fountain, and there are two food carts: American hotdogs on one and siopao on the other. There is even a Kodak photo kiosk in case your photo does not measure up to the requirements. And best of all, there is a souvenir shop to get a mug, a cap or a keychain that will remind you of your visit. Uncle Sam is an entrepreneur.
The 2nd waiting lounge where the short interview and fingerprinting is done is airconditioned with a flat screen teevee showing an American basketball game. But you can request for a cartoon channel if you have a child with you. They are so considerate.
As I could see, there was only one American embassy worker at the time of my visit. The security guards, number dispatchers, guides & ushers, even visa officers were Filipinos. I wondered where all the Americans where.
But some things still remain the same like:
• You must arrive early for the appointment
• Security is tight, tight, tight. Three stages! So much document and bag search.
• The same gay guy is still around to offer to hold on to your celphone for P150.00 (celphones and all electronic devises are prohibited inside the embassy). Your celphone is placed inside a plastic bag and promptly sealed with a knot.
• I am sure I have all my papers and life in order but there is tension as I wait my turn. Why is that? It’s not like I have to be in America or that I am a fugitive.
• I still do my crossword to kill time.
• there is a feeling of oneness of purpose as I hear some applicants bids each other good luck.
This time, I complete the whole visa request process in less than an hour. I am impressed.
The elation is soon replaced with disappointment as I make my way through a long line at the MRT station for my ride back home. The crowd is close to being unruly with some inserting themselves between the line with nary a care at the dagger looks thrown at them. The security guard is issuing instructions about moving on to another entrance but no one pays him heed. I realize that the Filipinos could do better if only we behaved the same way we do when we are in foreign territory.
Life in the Philippines would be more fun if only getting on the MRT was as easy as renewing an expired US visa.
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Besides hotdogs and apple pies, I wondered what best reminds me of the US of A. Aha! Pillsbury Brownie Mix in a Box. I remember loading up my bags for the return trip back to Manila with cartons of this American treat. It’s a relief that most groceries carry local versions that could give the Dough boy a run for his money.
Now if you have time on your hands and would like to proudly earn brownie points, try baking it from scratch using the following “you-could-eat-the-whole-thing” recipe courtesy of my sister turned US citizen. This is a brownie that is crispy on the top but slightly gooey on the inside.
M’s Brownies
6 eggs
2 ½ c sugar
1 t vanilla
2 c flour
¾ c cocoa
1 ½ t salt
1 ½ t baking soda
1 c butter, melted
1/2 c chopped nuts (more if you are a nut lover like me or none at all if you are like my sister and daughter)
Mix first 3 ingredients and set aside.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda.
Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture.
Add the butter and the nuts (optional) and stir.
Bake for 45 mins at 325.
You might be tempted to over bake seeing that the brownie is a bit gooey but this sets up after it has cooled down.
So DON’T overcook or your brownie ends up dry and cake like.
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