I am still in Germany enjoying the time with my family! I did a lot less traveling than expected because I got a really bad cold. For some reason, I am never sick in San Francisco but I ALWAYS catch a cold or a virus when I see my nephew and my niece. They are both in pre-school, and I guess my immune system is not used to that kind of stress…In addition with a jet lag it’s almost certain that I get sick 72h after seeing my family…the good news is that I will live and it is worth it.
I had an appointment at the US Embassy last Monday to interview for my H1B-visa. I got an appointment at 8.00 am, which is the earliest available. Last time I had an appointment at noon and I had to wait 3h, this time I thought I am smart and avoid a long wait. I had to get up at 4.30 am to drive to Munich. I got trapped in a traffic jam on the Autobahn and arrived at the Embassy at 7.50 am… My plan to get coffee and breakfast before my appointment had to be changed then… They have security controls at the Embassy worse than at the airport. They even took my car keys away from me because no electronic items are allowed…come on, it’s a car key…! Oh well. While I was waiting in line outside the building, I met an old friend of mine, Geli, who is now working in Washington D.C.! We couldn't believe that we both came back from the States at the same time to go to the Embassy, what a coincidence. It was so good to see her and it made the long wait so much more fun. I haven't seen her in 3 years so we had a lot to catch up. The security check took almost 25 minutes and when I was finally in the building, there were already 12 people waiting… I gave them all my paperwork, my fingerprints and was told to wait for the interview…10 minutes later, they told us that the computer system was down and no work could be done at this point, but they are trying to fix it asap…30 minutes later, they offered people to reschedule appointments for the next day because they couldn’t solve the problem. For me, there was no doubt that I would wait, no matter how long it would take because I didn’t want to get up at 4.30 am the next day again and drive 130 miles to Munich… At 10.30 am, I finally had my interview – it took less than 1 minute.
“So, what kind of research do you do?”
“Parkinson’s Disease”.
“Well, that seems quite important, right?”
“Right.”
"And you have worked there as a Postdoc?"
"Yes, the last 3 years."
“Ok then, you’ll get your new visa. Have a nice day and safe travels to the US!”
I GOT MY NEW VISA, it was worth the wait! I am soooo happy!!! I spent the rest of the day in Munich, I had such a good time. I love Munich, I really think it is the most beautiful city in Germany. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring my camera (no electronics allowed at the US embassy), so I have no pictures from Munich to post. But I will be back next weekend and hopefully make some nice pictures then. I finished my visit to Munich with a visit at my favorite hair stylist – now my hair is much shorter than I actually wanted it, but it's ok. Although, now that my long hair is gone, I think it looked really good on me...Hmpf.
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