About a year ago, I was just left with a month to embark on that journey of a lifetime. After a long rest after returning, I bring you excerpts of the experience...
I vividly remember the day. It was Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at the University of Ghana in front of the Balme Library🏦. We sat on the wall and my inviter (my Swiss mum) discussed with me the invitation to visit Switzerland. Throughout the one week remaining her stay she demonstrated her commitment to her invitation in diverse ways (cash 💰inclusive). Please don't ask me how much it was. I beg, I chop am dadaaaada.
Unlike those who will do anything just to travel abroad in search of greener pastures, I was just a tourist🚶. However, I had my fair share of the numerous frustrations 😪 that one has to go through in order to travel✈️.
So in February I started to renew my passport. Make no mistake about it, my passport was not expired. Authentic information from the Swiss Embassy in Ghana states clearly that the expiration of ones passport must not be less than three months after the expiration of the visit duration. I was to visit in July and return on August 19 and my passport was due to expire in September (just a month after I'm due to return). So obviously the renewal was very essential and a must.
I bought a new form and filled just like the process of acquiring a new one. I was not perturbed at all since I knew that that was the regulation. After filling the form and with our school headmaster's endorsement, I went to the passport office on Friday, January 30, 2015 very early in the morning. The number of people who were there by 4:30 when I got there and the many 'Goro Boys' or better still, 'connection men' who were parading the frontiers of the passport office indeed is a subject for another discussion.
At 6:30, some officials came round to check our forms and when satisfied to some extent gave out a number to the applicant. When it got to my turn, the officer realised that I was 'just' renewing my passport and so asked me to go to the Passport Office at Ridge first. According to him, that was where to start such application from since all the previous data are stored. So what I was in effect going to do was what they referred to as 'Release to Scan'. Indeed, I was just angry inside and I tried not to show it since I thought that such a process should have been known somewhere either on a notice board or elsewhere just so that people wouldn't have to come and waste time just like I did. But as I intimated, I swallowed it and made my way to Ridge. Little did I know that that was the genesis of my woes.
I arrived at the Ridge office only to be told at the security point cum reception at the gate that the office is not opened to the public on Fridays. I thought I heard him say the office is not opened to the public only on Fridays.
Ha! Why didn't I know this one too. Well, I had no choice than to go back to work and plan for another day. On the way, I decided to do it the next Wednesday since I was less busy on Wednesdays, hoping that no frustration will come my way again.
Early Wednesday morning about 4:15, I got to the Passport Office and waited and waited for about two hours. One of the police officers who saw me later at the frontiers of the building inquired about my mission and upon hearing told me that the office is only open to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays. What! I nearly blurted out.
Why couldn't someone tell me the whole truth if there is no mystery surrounding this whole passport renewal? Chai! Who am I to challenge a GH security officer with all their "Do you know who I am" attitude? Quietly, with all my thought buried in my head I headed to the workplace.
I was there again the next Monday morning. Indeed, there were many people applying too. With all self confident that nobody dares tell me that the day is not right for me, I was quiet in the queue for those of us applying for the release of our data. Then for a moment something struck my attention. I heard some people discussing their frustration with others and some in the process showing their application document. Attached to their passport forms were their receipts. Quickly, I rummaged through the polythene bag containing my documents and nowhere was my receipt. Then I asked one of the officials at the gate and she clearly explained that without the receipt I could not get my application through. Why has success so eluded me in the passport renewal process? Why? I wish I knew where it was. Without wasting much time I set off straight to the house and lo and behold, there it was in my drawer.
It was so obvious that if indeed I was bent on getting the application done, then the following day was the day to go there again. I went to work.
Tuesday morning I was there and now everything went through. I mean my documents were briefly scrutinised by the officials and I was asked to submit it in one of the offices in the building. I did and I was asked to return the following day at 2 O'Clock for it. Now I could heave a sigh of relief after clearing step one.
I went for my application form with my old passport the following day as said. Another smile creased my face.
Part 2 soon... Please!!
