So, I decided to be the nice, loving wife and go to the US Consulate here in Hong Kong to get more pages added to his passport. This was last week. So, I made my appointment, showed up on time, and turned in my cell phone and Ipad at the door as they don't allow any recording devices inside. I turn in the fully completed paperwork, the lady nods and hands me a bill for $82 which I must pay at the Cashiers Desk.
The Cashier Lady was hoot in and of herself. They must have a problem with people paying with counterfeit bills because this was the process of her accepting my $82. She took the bills, and counted them once. Then she counted them again. Then she looked at each bill individually for the watermarks etc. (Good thing I was paying in 20's and not in 5's or something!) Then she put each bill individually under another light thing to see more stuff. Once she was satisfied they were all real bills, she counted it all one more time. Holy Moly. I'd have paid with a credit card if I knew it was this serious.
Happy that that ordeal was over, I look my receipt back to the original lady. When I showed up she was cringing. Uh oh. Not a good sign. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but the Social Security number you have written down for your husband does not match the number we have in our system. Do you have his Social Security Card available so that we might verify which number is correct?" So now I'm like, "Is this a joke? My number is correct. How do they have the wrong number? Did someone steal his identity? Did they do this on purpose so we can't travel any more? Is there someone watching me at this very moment, judging my reaction to this news? Hiya! Kung Fu moves at the ready. At this point I was scanning the room, sure that some government agent was going to jump out from behind the counter and arrest me for false pretenses. I've always wanted to be in a Bourne movie, except it seems exhausting being on the run all the time, and I need my sleep.
Anyways, I don't have my cell phone on me, as they took it at the door, so I can't call Drew and ask him if we even have his SS card in Hong Kong. I certainly had never seen it. So, the lady said "Until you can prove his Social Security number, you will have to reschedule your appointment. Oh, and you'll need to get reimbursed for the $82 dollars you just paid." At this my eyes get wide. Oh no, not the cashier lady again...
I go back to the cashiers office, and of course there is a line this time. I wait in line. I get to the desk. She starts typing on the computer, then looks at a "Steps for Reimbursement" sheet, and I know I'm in trouble. She has to call a manager over to sign off on the reimbursement. She goes to get the manager. The manager has momentarily left the office and will be back shortly. Please wait in the original room you just came from. I will come get you when he's back. I sit and wait. I get back up after 15 min and stand in front of her again so she doesn't forget about me.
She goes to get the manager again. He's there. He signs off. She counts the bills to hand back to me. She counts them again. She counts them a third time. I get my bills back.
I can finally leave the building and begin to solve the original problem, Drew's identity crisis. I get my phone back and can call him to ask where his SS card is. He has no idea. I go back to the apartment to search, hoping that if I can find it fast enough, I can go back to the consulate and they will honor my original appointment. But, no sign of the SS card. We end up giving Drew's parents a call, and luckily they have the card in MI. His Dad scans me a copy a few days later. Crisis averted.
So today concluded the episode. I went back to the consulate, and they accepted the scanned copy of his SS card. Whew, identity confirmed. This time the whole process only took 15 min. And there was a different cashiers lady, who only counted the money twice. I go back at 3pm to pick up the spruced up passport. Done and done.
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