August 27, 2012: God is GREAT

HALLELUJAH!

So remember my visa approval predicament? Yeah. That’s no longer an issue.

This morning, I sent an email to the Swiss consulate in Los Angeles, asking about the status of my long stay student visa. Then waited for a reply. In the meantime, I called the director of international programs at Pepperdine, and got her voicemail. My anxiety was growing. I had a whole slew of questions: How many visas does the consulate have to approve from our group? If I do leave at a different time, how will the IP office know when to schedule my flight? Do I call and let you know when my visa has been approved? How will I get to the house? Will someone meet me somewhere or will I have to depend on instructions? It’s always good to have these basic questions answered.

Then I got a call from a Long Beach, California number. I admittedly don’t answer my phone unless I know who it is, but for some reason I figured I’d answer. Julie, the director of IP, was out of office, so she was calling me on her cell phone. After explaining that I’d already sent an email to the consulate and was really starting to worry, she said that she had just gotten an email from Pepperdine’s contact at the consulate in Switzerland, saying that there were only six visas left to be granted. Guess what? MY NAME WASN’T ON THE LIST! I just about cried, I was so extremely ecstatic! Julie explained that the Swiss consulate has been unusually unresponsive about the confirmation of our visas this year, and even though I still haven’t received an email regarding the status of my visa, I should go ahead and send in my passport. THANK GOD. And thank goodness for overnight express mail…looks like this will actually be my last Monday in America until April!

Next stop, post office!

Leigh

P.S. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me during this stressful process, especially my amazingly supportive family who has put up with my stress and procrastination more than anyone else. All the support and encouragement I’ve gotten over the past eight weeks means so, so much to me!