I forgot to say yesterday that it's now 3 months since I sent my passport for renewal to the Zambian embassy. I had initially been told it takes three months for processing (I have the email to prove it), yet I received no receipt or anything telling me they had received my information. I only know they got it coz I fedexed it and had someone sign for it. So any way, I decided to practice patience and waited till the time had come before I called them.
Manena: I was calling to inquire when my passport will be ready and sent to me. It is now 3 months and I have heard nothing from you.
Lady at embassy: You will be getting something in the mail very soon. The prices have changed and so have the passports, so we need to send you a new form.
Manena: I sent the extra money, so can I download the new form and send that to you?
L @ E: No, we will send you the form and you can fill it and return it to us.
Manena: So in theory, nothing has been processed in the last 3 months with regards to my forms?
L@ E: That is correct. In fact, we haven't touched anything that came in after July. So now we're starting the process.
Manena (controlling her mouth obviously-- coz she's major pissed off!): So Then it will be another 3 months before I get a passport?
L @E: Yes. It will be 3 months.
Manena: So altogether it will be probably 6 months to get a passport.
**************************************************
In short-- They are forcing me to find someone to bribe. When you bribe passport officials, getting a passport is less than a week... even one day. The legal route takes 6 months or more. Why? to keep bribery going I suppose.
******************************************
So I ask thee-- what good is the Zambian embassy to me? Really. When people are sick, or die, or are in jail, other Zambians from Zambian associations donate money and time. The embassy doesn't as far as I know. They can't even get me a passport, so really...what can they do for me as a Zambian? I am not being funny or anything-- maybe there's something I am missing. I seriously don't know how it can help me.
***********************************************
any hoo-- on another piss Manena note, it turns out you can sue good Samaritans in California. So the story is that a paralyzed woman and her friend go out drinking on the drive back, the para. woman has a car crash and her friend (driving behind her) runs to pull her out of the wreck. In doing so, the para lady sustains injuries and sues her friend. The court says good Samaritan laws only apply if you administer medical assistance to someone. So like if the friend had put a band aid on her, that would have been ok. How crappy is that???
8 comments:
Manena! Manena! Manena! – Mele kalikimaka – Kala Christouyenna – Joyeux Noel – Buona Feste Natalizie – Gun Tso Sun Tan’Gung Haw Sun – Pozdrevlyayu s Prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom – All mean the same thing - So think of it this way -Administrative Bureaucracy is universal – try calling the IRS to tell them that you owe 1M dollars in back taxes and would like to make a partial payment using your platinum AmEx – you will be on hold for almost one hour and when you do get to speak to a human , you most likely will be transferred to three departments before someone tells you to go online - fill out a form and mail in a check . To expect the Zambian embassy to be immune of administrative bureaucracy is being overly optimistic, most political appointees have no incentive to be efficient. SING ! FELIZ NAVIDAD and at the start of the New Year call the embassy one more time and ask for a Mr. E. Kalaba and your passport problem will be solved. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Zambian Passport Holder of 2009.
WOW!!! I am waiting for the moment I can owe a Million Dollars! That will mean I have a gazzilion dollars in my account!!! Or maybe I'll have used it to travel the world! Oh wait...I don't have a passpoort any more!
See this is why I am looking for a cushy government job. I will get paid to not really be there. I have been slacking on applying... but my new years resolution is to find one:-)
WELL – If you must know - Zambian passports are printed in the UK – are then sent to The Inspector General’s Office in Lusaka via South Africa. The Inspector General’s Office keeps track of how many passports have been printed and the bar code numbers and then sends the passports to Cabinet Office so that the Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs can sign them. From there the passports are sent to the Government Printing Department - off Cairo Road - to be laminated. In your case your passport will then be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be sent by diplomatic bag to the US. The embassy then waits for a call from you inquiring about your passport. And guess what – EUREKA! You have a NEW passport. With vacations, sick leave, funerals, kitchen parties, declining Kwacha exchange rates, diplomatic receptions, traffic jams etc etc - one has to be patient ….
OMG!!! No way! You know that is very informative! I had no idea it has to go through all that drama before I can own it:-) I am shocked that it doesn't take a year!
So why can't America print passports if England can?
Oh I have absolutely no patience at times...That is something I will work on next year too:-) I promise!
I know you don't want to hear this but I know someone that got it done in 4 days, just last week. I got mine done in 2 weeks.....Sorry about the dragged out affair with the embassy! Erm you know I could take your info for you and get it done!!!
I know you don't want to hear this but I know someone that got it done in 4 days, just last week. I got mine done in 2 weeks.....Sorry about the dragged out affair with the embassy! Erm you know I could take your info for you and get it done!!!
Seriously???? where should i send my details? Leave me a comment with details and i wont post it.
It’s Monday morning I am at work catching up with everyone after the Christmas break and I go on line to check my must read blogs and find that one of them has NO CHRISTMAS POST – What’s up with that ! – I don’t get it - DO bloggers realize that some of us look forward to their postings - - CHRISTMAS POST ! CHRISTMAS POST ! CHRISTMAS POST ! CHRISTMAS POST
Post a Comment