My Trip to the Indian Embassy
Yesterday, I had to go to the Indian Embassy in San Francisco. Before I went, everyone was telling me how horrible it was - long lines, no parking, so crowded you can’t even get in the building, etc. It definitely didn’t sound like fun. So the night before I went, I decided what kind of an experience I wanted to manifest. I thought about every detail from the drive to the embassy, the time I was there, the 4+ hour wait while the paperwork was processed, and so forth. I also dealt with any beliefs formed from everyone’s horror stories and any other resistance I had. Then I forgot about all of it.
Now, the funny thing about the embassy that no one mentioned is that it’s in a residential neighborhood. The only thing that really sets it apart from the other houses is the Indian flag on the front and the license plates on the cars in the driveway. There’s only one visible security camera near the door. Other than that, you could drive right by it and never see it. And I did exactly that. After all, it’s an embassy - shouldn’t it be this big business building with a large sign with its name emblazoned across the front?
I guess it’s a good thing I did drive past it though because at the time there was no parking anywhere on the street. When I finally found the embassy, three spots had opened up in front of it. Now, for someone who not only never learned how to parallel park but has never had to do so, this is a very good thing.
Like all of the horror stories I had been told, there were people waiting outside because the lines were so long. But unlike the experiences of everyone I knew, everyone was there to get a passport. No one was there to get a visa. An hour long wait suddenly turned into a total of three minutes.
That left me more than enough time for a leisurely lunch and to visit both Japantown and Union Square.
And when I returned to the embassy, not only was there even more parking but it took even less time than the morning.
And like the drive to the embassy, the drive home only took 1 1/2 hours, not the normal 2 hours. And I didn’t have to drive 100 mph either time to make it so quickly.
All in all it was a wonderful day!
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