So I guess you can say that I'm FINALLY catching up. I really got the itch to get going with this blog again. I've seen so many girls in the yahoo group I'm on jump on the blog bandwagon so I need to catch up with mine. Plus my Mom mentioned last night she keeps checking for new blog posts and she hasn't seen anything. So here ya go Mom. :-)
I cannot believe that I've been here in Pakistan for 2 months. Time really has gone by faster than I thought except when I look back it seems like I've been gone from the U.S. forever. Right now I'm in Karachi and have been since Feb. 27th. Let me explain why.
Shakil had his visa interview on Feb. 25th in Islamabad. Oh my that was quite an experience. We left for Islamabad on Feb 24th at about 11 p.m. It's a 4 hour drive to Islamabad from Lahore. Shakil told me that we would stop at the last rest area available before getting to Islamabad so we could change into our clothes that we would wear to the interview. So we stopped at this rest area and decided that we would nap for awhile. I think we managed to nap for about an hour. We just sat our seats back and tried to relax. We were both getting very sleepy. Shakil would deny he was getting sleepy but I know he was getting very sleepy. So after the nap we got out of the car and proceeded to go the restrooms to change.
I walked into the restroom and couldn't believe my eyes. There must have been about 10 stalls (maybe more) and the first 5 stalls were of course FILTHY and were the kind of toilets where you just hover over it. NO WAY!! Then, the next 5 stalls or so were normal toilets like you see in the U.S. But once again, FILTHY. Luckily, Shakil had reminded me before we left to take a roll of toilet paper and fortunately I had brought some portable charmin toilet seat covers from the U.S. Sometimes I almost think the hovering would have been better.......at least I wouldn't have had to sit on the seat. But hey, I did have the seat covers. :-) So my next chore was how was I going to change when the bathroom floor was so dirty as well. Believe me if I could have changed in the car, I would have. Somehow I managed to get changed in that horrible stall. Clothing didn't even touch the floor!!!! I freshened up in front of the mirror and put my hair up and went back out to meet Shakil.
When I walked out of the restroom Shakil was waiting for me. I gave him this "go to hell" look and told him that if he ever put me through that again he would never make it to his next birthday. Argh!!!!! I was ticked OFF!!! So we were about an hour outside of Islamabad and went on our way. We arrived into Islamabad around 5:30 a.m. We proceeded to head straight to the parking lot you have to go to take a bus to the embassy. Due to security concerns they no longer allow you to just drive up to the embassy. You have to take a bus over to the embassy. So we got this parking lot at about 6 a.m. Shakil put his tie on and I gelled his hair and snapped a great pic of him. It was so damn cold outside and I wasn't wearing very warm clothing. Luckily I did have a shawl to cover me and it was a warm one. :-) We then had to go over to this line where you purchase tickets for the bus to the embassy. We waited in that line for at least an hour. They were not opening until 7 a.m. Once we got the tickets we had to go over to another line where you were basically "frisked" and "patted down" to check for anything suspicious, etc. So we finally made it on the bus. It was Shakil, me and about 25 other people crammed on this bus. Now the bus ride to the embassy is only like 7 minutes max!! Pointless.
Once we arrived outside the embassy we had to wait across the street for at least another hour. At 8 a.m. we were allowed to go across the street to get into yet another line. We had to go through security again, get "frisked" and "patted down" again. Here in Pakistan women are frisked behind a curtain and men go through something totally separate. So we got into the other line and Shakil tried to get me some priviledges since I was a U.S. citizen. He asked the guard if I could go inside but the line was just about to move. He didn't want me to have to wait in that line. *I'll know better next time*
Once you go inside the embassy all your personal items are put through a scanner. The only personal thing we had was our documents. I didn't bring a purse or anything. We then were directed to go to a large room. That is where the LONG waiting game began. *sigh* This waiting room is just 1 big room and around the perimeter of the room there are windows where a consulate officer or personnel person sits. To the left of where we were sitting there were like 5 windows and they were calling people that wanted "visitor visas" and behind us were another 7 windows that were used for "immigrant visas". I could hear people pleading at the visitor visa windows. Young girls that wanted to go to the U.S. for higher education, etc. almost in tears because they wanted to go so bad. They were still getting denied. I'm shocked at how many denials there are. I never knew what it really takes to get into the U.S. They really have to go through so much to make into the U.S. So many people with hopes and dreams that are shattered in an instant. Very sad.
Shakil was first called to the cashier where he had to pay his visa application fee. I think that call was about an hour after we got there. Keep in mind we made it into that room at about 8:30 a.m. The next call Shakil got was probably about another hour later and it was to present and go over the requested documents that he was told to bring. I went with him to the window where a Paki woman was asking him about his documents and she even asked me when I came to Pakistan, etc. She looked at our wedding photos and questioned Shakil who is who, etc. We then had to take another seat and wait.
Shakil was called again at about 1 p.m. and this time it was by a consulate officer. I walked to the window again with Shak. We were both put under oath and the officer told Shak that he was going to review the documents and then call again. I thought it should be rather quickly but it took another 2 hours before we were called again. Shakil and I were just exhausted waiting and waiting. We were going on 1 hour sleep and no food or water for now many hours. So we went back to the window again and the officer asked me some questions about my stay in Pak, "how long have I been here" "when did I plan on going back" "do I have residence in the U.S." "do I have a job in the U.S." Just a few questions. Then he told me I could have a seat and he started to question Shakil.
I went back to sit down and just leaned my head down and prayed that everything was going to be ok. We have been through so much with this immigration process and I'm ready for it to be over. I just want to take Shakil home to the U.S. where he and I belong. Shakil was questioned for about 15 minutes and he came back to sit down. He came with a piece of paper and on the paper it tells what further information they are needing or what is going to be done. They were wanting all of Shakil's previous passports and a Karachi police clearance. (This is why we came to Karachi). On the paper it tells that they are doing a 45 day administrative review and they will contact him when he will be called again for another interview. All in all we spent about 8 hours inside the embassy. I hope the next interview will NOT be that long. Everything went very well and it all looks good....really good. Our lawyer agrees that everything looks good. Keep us in your prayers.
So Shakil has the police clearance and everything else that is needed. They did fingerprint Shakil at the embassy for FBI clearance. We left Islamabad on the same day and that was a longgggggg drive back to Lahore. We did stop at a rest area on the way back to Lahore and slept for about 2 hours. That helped.
So as I said, we are still here in Karachi since the 27th. We are staying at my mother and father in laws house. I'm ready to go back to Lahore for some privacy. Mother in law has had some very comfy shalwar kameez made for me so that has been an added plus. There is an upcoming engagement ceremony of Shakil's cousin Haroon coming up that we are having to stay until. The engagement is set for the 22nd so I'm looking forward to going back to Lahore after that.
Like I said, I really can't believe it's been 2 months here in Pakistan. Not a day goes by that I don't think of going back to the U.S. I miss the good 'ol American food!! What I wouldn't do for some Dr. Pepper right now!!!!!!!! :-(
Until later...
Bye for now.
