Getting a Visa

ORIGINALLY POSTED APRIL 26

My life isn’t real. Let me start by saying that. Any of my friends can tell you that my name may as well be Murphy because everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Today I drove to Chicago to get my visa. This is that story.
I woke up with plenty of time to get to Chicago, park, and take the el to the French consulate by my appointment time at noon. I was making fabulous time, even having time to stop and get coffee, use the restroom and hit an ATM. I get to wrigleyville and park my car by my friends apartment. She and I walk to the el and as we are walking, I trip and cut my foot.
Anyone who knew me last year recalls the horrid south padre island Texas trip in which I cut my foot. Let me just clarify for everyone, same foot.
So I cut it and all of the sudden I am bleeding profusely but I can’t stop going to the train, I really need to be to the consulate on time.
We get on the el and head downtown, I use a bar teeshirt in my bag (sorry kilroys) to try to stop the bleeding while I’m sitting next to a guy who is obviously pretending not to notice, bless his heart. Luckily this is probably not the strangest thing he will ever encounter on the red line.
I get off at my stop with 5 minutes until my interview time and a shoe soaked with blood and I realize there is no way I can walk into the consulate in this shape so I go to a nearby Walgreens. A woman points me in the direction of the bathroom and bandaids, I clean the cut, purchase bandaids and the pharmacist offers me alcohol pads to help disinfect my disgusting toe.
I get it all bandaged up and realize I am officially 25 minutes late for my appointment and the website clearly said if you are more than 5 minutes late your appointment will be cancelled.
Being the sassy American that I am, I go anyway, get up to the office and the women only speak French. Unfortunately I do not know enough French to say “I’m an idiot, cut my foot, bled all over the el and then into a Walgreens and that’s why I’m late” so I just let them scold me in French as I mumbled “je suis desolee” the apology generally reserved for serious infractions such as accidentally running over someone’s dog.
They process my paperwork with matching scowls and then tell me I need to go to the post office to get an envelope, one of the women hands me a map and shoos me out the door.
Despite having a map, I go the wrong direction and have to turn around twice. Eventually I find the post office, get my envelope (18.50 thankyouverymuch) walk back to the consulate, slip the envelope under the door because they are now closed, and walk back out into the street.
They told me that my visa paperwork may not process by my expected may 8th departure, so that seems to be my next hurdle.
…I also think I was supposed to photocopy the documents I left at the visa office…
Cheers.