They say Death is the Great Equalizer. This morning, I realized theres another one: the United States Embassy. Everyone in there was just all sheep. Some tried to disguise their sheepness by a suit or party dress (with matching high heels) but the equality of their nature with ours in that place showed through anyway. Those of us who were dressed in more normal clothes - you know, those which you wear when youre not going to the U.S. Embassy - saved ourselves the indignity of being treated like sheep in any other apparel than that which sheep would wear. I mean, if we were just going to be told by our Filipino compatriots holding walkie-talkies Kuya, pakisandal na lang diyan sa tabi, pag tinawag kayo, saka kayo lumapit, or Kuya, forward na lang po... - and what they mean is walk one more inch so you dont break the line - might as well be wearing jeans and rubbers rather than a smart suit and leather shoes. Ive nothing against the lines addressed to us or the fact that they wanted the assembly line to be as efficient as possible without even an inch looking like idle space. Nope, nothing against those - but the fact is, all of us there were all equal. At least it felt like it - from the rich Chinese businessman with his wife and two cute little kids, to the owner of a sari-sari store; from the old woman who croakily answered that she born in 1932 (made me remember my mom all of a sudden) to the teenager who surely wouldve been nodding himself to his music if only electronic devices were allowed in those hallowed grounds: yes, we were all herded like sheep into a line that reminded you of anything between the queue at the MRT and the colorum FXs. Again, Im not complaining - just stating a fact. And Im sure the U.S. Embassy is trying its best to convince everyone that it treats everyone who goes in there with dignity. Another way they do this dignity business - aside from herding us into the lines - is that they showed all the applicants a few rather amusing videos. I say amusing because I could hardly keep a chuckle (but I really had to keep it in for fear of compromising getting my visa - Im sheep, remember) when I saw these consuls acting out their roles as assuring officers on the video. Im sure they tried their best, but well - just think B-actors. And then there was another video that showed a successful Filipino visa applicant complete with a silent yes! at the end of the process. Their point in all these videos was the following: theres no secret to getting a U.S. visa! Everyone CAN get it - so, even if youre a young, single, nursing student whos not particularly cute with a pending immigrant petition status you can get a a U.S. visa! And despite the Italian book I was trying to concentrate on, like everyone, I was somehow glued to the screen even if I found the acting lousy and their assurances well, frankly, unassuring. I suppose that was part of being under the spell of the other Great Equalizer. I mentioned the word unassuring two sentences back. That was really because as I was straddling between the videos and my Italian book, I was also overhearing very uncomfortable questions and remarks by the consul in Counter 10. There were possibly others of the sort from other counters, but this one was the closest to me, about 3 meters, 30 degrees northeast where I was sitting. And quite a number were getting blue slips - individuals and groups. Blue slips mean that read up and know what else you need for the next visa interview - meaning of course, youll have to spend another non-refundable Php 7,200 6 months from now. The sari-sari store owner with her daughter didnt quite make the cut, sadly. But so did some other sophisticated looking men and women. There was one particular young lady who Im not sure now if she was trying so consciously to be cute (since she was smiling the whole time) and who I was sure wouldve breezed through that (now) dreaded counter; but she didnt get through quite that easily. That got me a bit nervous (the unmistakable effect of any Great Equalizer). The difficulty seemed to have stemmed from the fact that she was going to study English in the U.S. so that (apparently these were her words as there the very words the consul blurted out through the mic for all to hear) she could learn to speak it better. The consul was baffled, How can that be your reason for going to the U.S. to study English when youre speaking it fluently with barely an accent? (For Americans, accent means anything EXCEPT theirs - as in ip yoo ispik layk dis you have an accent). Oops awkward moment. After exclaiming to myself, Oh God...trouble. I tried to focus on che ora e? But that the story did have a happy ending. I dont know what else the consul found since I didnt overhear anything else afterwards, but for some reason, the young lady collected her papers - there was no blue slip from the quick look I flashed in her direction - and she flashed a beaming smile to everyone else in our direction. The Great Equalizer seemed to me to have become a bit random at that point. Then it was my turn, thankfully not in Counter 10, but 8. Whenre are you going? I wasnt sure he said when or where, so I clarified, Where? And then a surprise, Saan ka sa US pupunta? I bet he was just itching to practice his Filipino. I indulged him, New Jersey. Click, click, click, no words, eyeballs rolling all over the screen. Nasaan ang old visa mo?. I gave him my old passport. He opened it, stamped something on it - I found later that it said Cancelled without prejudice. Then he kept my passport and mouthed something like one week. I understood it to mean the visa would be sent within one week. Why didnt I think it to mean instead Im giving you a one week visa? Because that is simply too horrific to imagine. And if one is under the mercy of the Great Equalizer, one just has to conjure his own happy thoughts until the moment of truth comes. At least I didnt get a blue slip. I came out of the U.S. Embassy sure that I had just gone through an experience akin to near death. There I saw all (Filipino) humanity being herded without any regard of status. I saw pretenders turned out and merit rewarded. Im sure there were also others who were wrongly judged because they were simply too nervous to the point dubiousness. I felt fortunate I was not turned away and ended on the right side - just maybe because I had the right credentials. In any case, it was a reminder for me once again to be better prepared for Death, because unlike the U.S. Embassy, THEN there will be no mistaking my credentials or lack of them, nor can I do a hat trick with a smile or distraction. I know I will only be judged by all the charity in my soul. And just as in my previous near-death experiences, like someone being given another lease on life, I had to let go a deep breath of relief. Then I could drive back home.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Jul 2014 07:53:34 +0000
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