Bureaucracy

Oh, the delays and disappointments of bureaucracy.

On Friday we received the great news that Thandokuhle’s passport had been printed, finalized, and dispatched from the capital.  Our plan was to pick it up when it arrived at the local office between Monday – Wednesday.  Then we would fly to Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon (i.e. tomorrow) for a Thursday appointment at the US Consulate office to apply for Thandokuhle’s visa.  We checked in with the adoption agency yesterday only to learn that the passport had not actually been dispatched and was still in the capital.  We checked in this afternoon and found out that it was still at the airport in Johannesburg.  The adoption agency worked a miracle and determined the tracking number of Thandokuhle's specific passport.  Then they contacted the courier service and learned that the passport is supposed to fly out tonight and should arrive at the local office sometime tomorrow.  But then it still has to be “processed” before we are able to pick it up.  So, we came to the discouraging realization that it is not possible to pick up her passport tomorrow and then turn around and fly to Johannesburg since we don’t know if the passport will actually be processed in time.

We have re-scheduled our US Consulate appointment to next Tuesday (the US Consulate only schedules visa application appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays).  We should be able pick up her passport sometime this week (Wednesday – Friday) and then travel to Johannesburg on Monday.  Now we are in a frenzy of travel logistics – extending the rental car and arranging the house check-out here in Cape Town and booking flights, renting a car, and finding lodging in a safe part of Johannesburg.  I am very happy to have Amy here to help with this.  She’s doing lots of legwork to figure out lodging options and details on baggage requirements on flights (we have A LOT of luggage!). 

On top of the delays then there are the unique extra challenges that arise.  This morning I called to extend the rental car we have here in Cape Town.  The agent said she would call back in a few minutes and never did.  After an hour or so I tried to call back and the phone would not connect.  I tried several times with several phones and never got through.  I finally found a number for the headquarters, not the specific branch, and talked to a customer service representative.   I waited on hold for awhile and finally heard back that the Cape Town Airport was out of power so the rental car agency had no power.   The customer service rep took my information and emailed it to the branch manager and I was supposed to receive a phone call back from the branch.   I never received a return call and my rental contract expired at noon…I’m assuming all is taken care of.  However, now that we are not flying to Johannesburg tomorrow I need to extend the rental car agreement again.  Let’s hope they have power when I call tomorrow.

Needless to say, we didn’t do any tourist activities today.  We did go to the beach for a few hours.  We walked to a public beach which has a breakwater that creates a large pool to swim in without waves. The girls had a great time splashing around in the water and it was warm enough for it to be enjoyable.

Now, I need to go book some flights…