My Little Blue Book

I knew coming to Korea that I would need to renew my passport.  After 10 (fun, exciting) years together it was due to expire in February.  So I did the needed research to figure out the process and procedures I would have to follow in order to get a new book.

All was easy enough.  Print the form, fill it out, slap a picture on it, include a check and post.  Done.  The only troubles were with the sending step.  Send it how?  The US Embassy in Seoul required that you post your materials by courier.  They kindly supply you with two courier services on their website.  However, these courier services don't have offices in Busan and they definitely don't come to Yeongdo.  

Not a problem.  I will call the Embassy and speak with a representative in the Passport department and see if I am able to post my application by regular mail.  

Should have been easy.  Should have gone something like this:

>>Ring, Ring<<  "Yes, my I speak to the passport department please?" ... "Thank you" ... "Yes, I have a question about mailing my passport" ... "Thank you, that is great news, I will post it by regular mail.  Have a great day" ... >>click<<

Expect it went nothing like that.  Because the American Citizen Services site is full of lies and useless, incorrect information that makes actually being able to reach a person at the Embassy more difficult than any act Houdini ever performed.  

I only needed a new passport to go on vacation in winter.  I only needed a new passport in order to renew my visa to work another year in Korea.  I only needed my passport to return home at some point!!  I NEED A PASSPORT.  

 

After a bit of calling around, we were able to reach a guy who worked for one of the courier companies and was willing to come to Yeongdo, get my passport, and take it off to Seoul.  Expect he was coming to Yeongdo on his own accord, after work hours and was going to take my passport, check and personal information for some amount of money (undetermined at this point) and to be return at some unknown date in the future and even more unknown was if my parcel would even reach the Embassy!!  

I was a bit worried.  But I needed a new passport.  So I sent it off with him.  Here you are random man, take this and be on your way!

Weeks went by and I thought little of it.  Best to keep it out of mind and not stew over what I could no longer control.  

 

But it came back!!  Both books!!  Old and new!!  

Come this winter I'll be off to Malaysia and Thailand getting stamps and visas in my new (ugly) little blue book!