Trust the Process

   As I try to personify this phrase coined by my city's basketball team, being patient is not something that comes easy to me as I sit and trust the process, the visa process that is. After several grueling weeks of getting proper paperwork verified by the government, obtaining passport photos, and setting up an appointment with the Spanish consulate. The date finally arrived for me to travel to NYC to get my visa. 
     The process of setting up a visa appointment was surprisingly simple. I emailed the consulate with the proper information and they emailed me back with an appointment time. I decided to make the day a memorable one by taking my mother along with me; the woman who has blessed me with everything including buying me a passport to begin with. It was a beautiful summer day to drive into NYC. The consulate was placed in a not so impressive building, which may have attributed it to me walking by it multiple times without knowing. For some reason I thought the building would be stereotypical, blindingly Spanish; with Spanish flags hanging, announcing their location. But no, it was surprisingly dull and corporate. I entered the building and was politely directed to the location of the consulate office on the highest floor. My ears popped from the combination of being filled with excitement and the dramatic change in air pressure while ascending on the elevator.

     Once I entered the consulate office, I confirmed my name and appointment time with security and then I was told to wait until I was called. A consulate employee called all student visa applicants together at once to confirm that we all had the proper documentation. Thanks to CIEE’s amazing visa guidebook I had everything! Poof. Just like that, within less than 15 minutes I was processed and was told my visa along with my passport would be mailed out to me in a few weeks. Shocked at how easy it was, I asked probably more times than was necessary if they were sure that I could leave, and so I did, but not without a very important receipt from the consulate that confirms that all documentation was received and that my visa was being processed. 
      Overjoyed, I sashayed on to the busy NYC streets as if I was in a Broadway play, beaming with extreme joy and relief.  Of course one doesn't waste a day in one of the most famous cities in the world. So to make the day of it, my mother and I visited Coney Island, walked the boardwalk, and enjoyed a free concert at Hudson Yards while watching a beautiful sunset in Manhattan.