I am currently planning to visit Toronto for Valorant’s VCT Masters tournament. This trip is out of the US so I needed to get a passport and it was quite the ride. The days started like any other day off, I woke up late, made a coffee, checked what schoolwork was due for the week and then I remembered. Real ID has become mandatory as well as summer coming up fast so more applications for passports will go through, meaning they will take longer to process applications.
I quickly got ready, filled out my application online and got all of my documents together, then disaster stuck. I am almost out of black printer ink. I don’t have time to go get more so I print and copy with color ink and hope for the best. Fortunately everything is legible and i am on my way with plenty of time to spare, or so I thought.
I needed a money order so I headed to speedway, it was on the way and I wanted a cherry coke slushy anyways. This was the first hot day in of the late spring and i was a beautiful walk. However I must be unlucky because speedway’s machine was down, so I wasn’t able to get a money order there. Okay, starting to panic but they recommended I try CVS, so I head there. In my haste I also forgot my slushy which would have made this day so much smoother.
When I arrive at CVS I am met with the terrible news that they no longer do money orders, okay full panic mode. I go to a citizen’s bank location nearby, I was not a member so I couldn’t get one. In my panic I had not realized I passed a grocery store so I turn around and head there. Surely they can solve my problems and I can get a drink.
I arrive at the grocery store and make my way to the guest services counter, any my day is SAVED. I have a money order and I rush out the door to try and catch the bus. As I am waiting for the bus, unsure if I am too late, I started talking to the other lady waiting. She is not sure when the next bus is and my phone says it should be there in 2 minutes. So I wait … and wait … and wait. After 20 minutes I decide we probably missed It and to head inside the KFC to get a drink and a snack. After I place my order I looked outside to see the other lady was gone, so I look the other way and realize the bus came, 25 minutes late.
I am annoyed but at least I am in the wonderful air-conditioned building with a cold drink and snack to eat, it okay I’ll catch the next bus. I eat my snacks and wait about 30 minutes for the next bus and all is well. I make it to the office that handles passports.
I got to the office around 3:05pm , but that’s fine because they close at 4pm, or so I thought. I am informed that the office doesn’t process passports after 3pm and I will have to come back the next day but they can take my paperwork and my photo today. After all the issues I had already had I just sighed and told the nice lady that was fine. We take my photo, everything is smooth, and then I don’t know if it was luck or pity but they accepted my documents and had me pay so I didn’t have to go back after all.
I have received confirmation that my application was received and I am impatiently waiting for the next update, hopeful it will get here before my trip in 5 weeks.