I want to bring you along with me on my journey today. However, I am going to use a different format for this entry because I am tired. All the energy I had in me was utilized between the hours of 1:00 -7:00 p.m. today. Please note all conversations are being conducted in Portuguese. I have translated them for your reading pleasure…
April 14th (9:30 a.m.): I sent an email to one person in my Rio support network. Time obviously has been flying by because I realized the night before that my Visa is going to expire in either 10 days or 15 days. Either way, I need to act fast. Tomorrow is a day off of training so I am determined to have this situation handled before the close of business.
April 14th (12:35 p.m.): I receive a message back with two web site links. These two sites were not able to effectively communicate, in a way that I could undertand, the location, cost and forms that I needed to submit.
April 14th (9:00 p.m.): I email two translators listed on the U.S/Brazilian Consular site. I tell them what I need, ask if they can assist and ask for their rates.
April 15th (10:00 a.m.): I pay a visit to the mother of my hostess. I ask her if she knows where the Federal Police office is located. She gives me a location but she is not sure if it still exists.
April 15th (10:05 a.m.): I ask the two doormen if they know the location of the nearest Federal Police Office. They apologize and tell me no.
April 15th (10:07 a.m.): I receive an email message from each of the translators. One has requested to see the document and so she can provide a rate. The other told me that she is not an attorney so she is not going to be able to assist me. However, she wanted me to continue having a good time in Rio and stay dry (it rained all day today).
April 15th (10:17 a.m.): I pay the internet café guy, and then I ask him if he knows the location of the nearest Federal Police Office. He tells me to walk down the street 4 blocks. I decide to do a trial run before gathering my papers.
April 15th (10:27 a.m.): I see one federal office. However, it doesn’t say Policia. I decide to just ask anyway, who knows what I might find out.
April 15th (10:35 a.m.): The gentleman at the front desk hands me a slip of paper and tells me to go to this web site for information. I thank him and keep heading north. I need a location. These web sites are not cutting it right now.
April 15th (10:42 a.m.): I spot a Police Office. Excellent! I return home to gather all of the paperwork that I think I may need.
April 15th (11:15 a.m.): I just sit down on my bed. I know I need to just get myself together for my visit to the Police Office. It is a public facility so I am not sure what to expect, but I am confident the process will go smoothly.
April 15th (1:00 p.m.): I am standing in a very short line at the Police Office. I notice a sign that reads “Civil Policia.” I don’t know if this is the right Police office, but I am confident that they will be able to assist me in some way.
April 15th (1:15 p.m.): I make my request to the front desk receptionist. She hands me a slip of paper and tells me to go the International airport. I ask her if she knows how much an extension costs. She calls the number, and the person on the other end tells her that I am not eligible for an extension. Fortunately, I still have until May 5th to legally be in Brazil. I have more than 9 days (My visa issue date was January 24th). At this point, I don’t feel like the person she spoke to knows what they are talking about. The lady encourages me to just go to the airport. I ask her how I can get there. She asks me if I speak Spanish. I nod in the affirmative, and she tells me to take one of the blue buses. The lady wishes me well, and I leave the Civil Police Office.
April 15th (1:30 p.m.): I walk a few steps to the closest hotel. I ask the bellhop a few questions about travel to the airport. I have to know exactly which bus, if any, I need to take. Time is of the essence. He suggests that I take a cab, and quotes me a price of 30 Reais. I wasn’t trying to pay that because that would mean 60 Reais roundtrip—unless I located a bus after I successfully obtained my Visa extension. I walk away from him for a second to think, and then I return to accept the offer.
April 15th (1:38 p.m.): A black Volkswagen pulls up to the hotel. I hop in, the bellhop wishes me well, and I pass the driver the address at the airport. As he is driving off, the driver tells me the rate will be 60 Reais one way. I reply with the rate that I was told, and he calls the hotel. It is then discovered I was provided a quote for a different airport. An ongoing conversation ensues between the cab driver and hotel contact (via cell) and me, as the car circles the block in Copacabana. The cab driver secretly agrees to charge me 45 Reais. I agree to it, and we head to the airport. The driver tries to entertain me during the ride with tidbits of information about people he knows who live in the United States.
April 15th (2:15 p.m.): I enter the airport. I am not sure where I am supposed to go so I approach a cleaning lady who directs me to a desk clerk. The desk clerk instructs me to go up to the 3rd Floor.
April 15th (2:20 p.m.): I am at the 3rd floor but I do not see any signage for the Federal Police Office. Fortunately, I am standing in front of a hotel that is located inside the airport. The front desk clerk directs me to go to the end of the hall.
April 15th (2:25 p.m.): I enter the Federal Police Office, and I approach the front desk clerk. He points me to the Estrangeiro line. Yes, I am a stranger in a strange land. (I think my granddaddy said that to me right before I left to come here.) They call foreigners estrangeiros. I wait until it is my turn. A gentleman hands me a number, and points me to another line in the back.
April 15th (2:48 p.m.): An immigrations Clerk makes an announcement for the next person with a yellow ticket to come forward. My ticket is green. However, he motions to me to approach the counter. I am trying to get an extension so I comply. He looks at my ticket and makes a sarcastic comment and tells me it is not yellow. As I return to my seat, a Brazilian woman is laughing. She is holding her toddler as her “new American husband” is stumbling over some words to receive permanent residency at the counter. I don’t know if it was the look of “you could be in my shoes one day” or overhearing her husband struggling to present his file for acceptance that made this lady quickly cease her laughter.
April 15th (3:00 p.m.): I ask a British woman, who has some forms in her hand, where she obtained the forms. She briefly explained that I would receive all of the information from the clerk.
April 15th (3:10 p.m.): The immigrations clerk hands me the extension form to complete. I have to go to the cybercafé, complete an online form with the code he provided, take the form to the bank, pay the bank 67 Reais, and bring the receipt back to the desk. After he rattled off this long list, I was certain that I would have to make a return trip to the airport on the next day. The clerk politely explains to me that the cybercafé is at the end of the hall and so are the banks. I can have everything done before they closed for the day.
April 15th (3:18 p.m.): I am at the cybercafé. Another European lady, who I saw in the Immigrations office, comes over to my computer and offers her assistance while her boyfriend is printing off his paperwork. Then, the store clerk approaches my computer and quickly types in all of the information for the fields that are related to my residency in Rio so that I do not have to spend more money using the Internet.
April 15th (3:28 p.m.): With my printout in hand, I enter Banco do Brasil. The teller receives my paperwork and payment of 67 Reais. He provides me with my receipt.
April 15th (3:38 p.m.): I am at the Visa Extension counter. My paperwork is reviewed, and the clerk requests some small edits. Once these are complete, he tells me that I can stay in his country for another 90 days. Thank you! Now, I just have to find a way back to Copacabana…
April 15th (3:45 p.m.): I approach a military guard outside of the airport to ask him where I can catch a bus to Copacabana, Leblon or Ipanema. The guard laughs, imitates my request and gives me directions.
April 15th (4:00 p.m.): I am on a chartered bus which will take me back to Copacabana. The cost is 6.50 Reais. I wonder what this ride is going to be like and how long it will take me to get home.
April 15th (6:00 p.m.): Will this ride ever end? Although my ride is showing me many places that I have not seen, it is raining, I am cold and I just want to go to sleep.
April 15th (7:00 p.m.): I am off the bus, and walking to my place of residence.
According to my count, it took 22 people to assist me in completing my goal of receiving an extension on my visa. I would like to publicly thank each of them for the important role that they played today. Readers—thanks for going along for the ride. I hope you enjoyed the adventure! Future Tourists—in the event you need to extend your visas, you have step-by-step instructions of where to go, how much it costs and what your procedure will entail. Bring a good book and a blanket for that bus ride back to your Rio residence.
April 14th (9:30 a.m.): I sent an email to one person in my Rio support network. Time obviously has been flying by because I realized the night before that my Visa is going to expire in either 10 days or 15 days. Either way, I need to act fast. Tomorrow is a day off of training so I am determined to have this situation handled before the close of business.
April 14th (12:35 p.m.): I receive a message back with two web site links. These two sites were not able to effectively communicate, in a way that I could undertand, the location, cost and forms that I needed to submit.
April 14th (9:00 p.m.): I email two translators listed on the U.S/Brazilian Consular site. I tell them what I need, ask if they can assist and ask for their rates.
April 15th (10:00 a.m.): I pay a visit to the mother of my hostess. I ask her if she knows where the Federal Police office is located. She gives me a location but she is not sure if it still exists.
April 15th (10:05 a.m.): I ask the two doormen if they know the location of the nearest Federal Police Office. They apologize and tell me no.
April 15th (10:07 a.m.): I receive an email message from each of the translators. One has requested to see the document and so she can provide a rate. The other told me that she is not an attorney so she is not going to be able to assist me. However, she wanted me to continue having a good time in Rio and stay dry (it rained all day today).
April 15th (10:17 a.m.): I pay the internet café guy, and then I ask him if he knows the location of the nearest Federal Police Office. He tells me to walk down the street 4 blocks. I decide to do a trial run before gathering my papers.
April 15th (10:27 a.m.): I see one federal office. However, it doesn’t say Policia. I decide to just ask anyway, who knows what I might find out.
April 15th (10:35 a.m.): The gentleman at the front desk hands me a slip of paper and tells me to go to this web site for information. I thank him and keep heading north. I need a location. These web sites are not cutting it right now.
April 15th (10:42 a.m.): I spot a Police Office. Excellent! I return home to gather all of the paperwork that I think I may need.
April 15th (11:15 a.m.): I just sit down on my bed. I know I need to just get myself together for my visit to the Police Office. It is a public facility so I am not sure what to expect, but I am confident the process will go smoothly.
April 15th (1:00 p.m.): I am standing in a very short line at the Police Office. I notice a sign that reads “Civil Policia.” I don’t know if this is the right Police office, but I am confident that they will be able to assist me in some way.
April 15th (1:15 p.m.): I make my request to the front desk receptionist. She hands me a slip of paper and tells me to go the International airport. I ask her if she knows how much an extension costs. She calls the number, and the person on the other end tells her that I am not eligible for an extension. Fortunately, I still have until May 5th to legally be in Brazil. I have more than 9 days (My visa issue date was January 24th). At this point, I don’t feel like the person she spoke to knows what they are talking about. The lady encourages me to just go to the airport. I ask her how I can get there. She asks me if I speak Spanish. I nod in the affirmative, and she tells me to take one of the blue buses. The lady wishes me well, and I leave the Civil Police Office.
April 15th (1:30 p.m.): I walk a few steps to the closest hotel. I ask the bellhop a few questions about travel to the airport. I have to know exactly which bus, if any, I need to take. Time is of the essence. He suggests that I take a cab, and quotes me a price of 30 Reais. I wasn’t trying to pay that because that would mean 60 Reais roundtrip—unless I located a bus after I successfully obtained my Visa extension. I walk away from him for a second to think, and then I return to accept the offer.
April 15th (1:38 p.m.): A black Volkswagen pulls up to the hotel. I hop in, the bellhop wishes me well, and I pass the driver the address at the airport. As he is driving off, the driver tells me the rate will be 60 Reais one way. I reply with the rate that I was told, and he calls the hotel. It is then discovered I was provided a quote for a different airport. An ongoing conversation ensues between the cab driver and hotel contact (via cell) and me, as the car circles the block in Copacabana. The cab driver secretly agrees to charge me 45 Reais. I agree to it, and we head to the airport. The driver tries to entertain me during the ride with tidbits of information about people he knows who live in the United States.
April 15th (2:15 p.m.): I enter the airport. I am not sure where I am supposed to go so I approach a cleaning lady who directs me to a desk clerk. The desk clerk instructs me to go up to the 3rd Floor.
April 15th (2:20 p.m.): I am at the 3rd floor but I do not see any signage for the Federal Police Office. Fortunately, I am standing in front of a hotel that is located inside the airport. The front desk clerk directs me to go to the end of the hall.
April 15th (2:25 p.m.): I enter the Federal Police Office, and I approach the front desk clerk. He points me to the Estrangeiro line. Yes, I am a stranger in a strange land. (I think my granddaddy said that to me right before I left to come here.) They call foreigners estrangeiros. I wait until it is my turn. A gentleman hands me a number, and points me to another line in the back.
April 15th (2:48 p.m.): An immigrations Clerk makes an announcement for the next person with a yellow ticket to come forward. My ticket is green. However, he motions to me to approach the counter. I am trying to get an extension so I comply. He looks at my ticket and makes a sarcastic comment and tells me it is not yellow. As I return to my seat, a Brazilian woman is laughing. She is holding her toddler as her “new American husband” is stumbling over some words to receive permanent residency at the counter. I don’t know if it was the look of “you could be in my shoes one day” or overhearing her husband struggling to present his file for acceptance that made this lady quickly cease her laughter.
April 15th (3:00 p.m.): I ask a British woman, who has some forms in her hand, where she obtained the forms. She briefly explained that I would receive all of the information from the clerk.
April 15th (3:10 p.m.): The immigrations clerk hands me the extension form to complete. I have to go to the cybercafé, complete an online form with the code he provided, take the form to the bank, pay the bank 67 Reais, and bring the receipt back to the desk. After he rattled off this long list, I was certain that I would have to make a return trip to the airport on the next day. The clerk politely explains to me that the cybercafé is at the end of the hall and so are the banks. I can have everything done before they closed for the day.
April 15th (3:18 p.m.): I am at the cybercafé. Another European lady, who I saw in the Immigrations office, comes over to my computer and offers her assistance while her boyfriend is printing off his paperwork. Then, the store clerk approaches my computer and quickly types in all of the information for the fields that are related to my residency in Rio so that I do not have to spend more money using the Internet.
April 15th (3:28 p.m.): With my printout in hand, I enter Banco do Brasil. The teller receives my paperwork and payment of 67 Reais. He provides me with my receipt.
April 15th (3:38 p.m.): I am at the Visa Extension counter. My paperwork is reviewed, and the clerk requests some small edits. Once these are complete, he tells me that I can stay in his country for another 90 days. Thank you! Now, I just have to find a way back to Copacabana…
April 15th (3:45 p.m.): I approach a military guard outside of the airport to ask him where I can catch a bus to Copacabana, Leblon or Ipanema. The guard laughs, imitates my request and gives me directions.
April 15th (4:00 p.m.): I am on a chartered bus which will take me back to Copacabana. The cost is 6.50 Reais. I wonder what this ride is going to be like and how long it will take me to get home.
April 15th (6:00 p.m.): Will this ride ever end? Although my ride is showing me many places that I have not seen, it is raining, I am cold and I just want to go to sleep.
April 15th (7:00 p.m.): I am off the bus, and walking to my place of residence.
According to my count, it took 22 people to assist me in completing my goal of receiving an extension on my visa. I would like to publicly thank each of them for the important role that they played today. Readers—thanks for going along for the ride. I hope you enjoyed the adventure! Future Tourists—in the event you need to extend your visas, you have step-by-step instructions of where to go, how much it costs and what your procedure will entail. Bring a good book and a blanket for that bus ride back to your Rio residence.
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