Brazil: The Prequel

In Colombia people often say "es complicado" when things are difficult or challenging.  Acquiring my Colombian work visa in the summer of 2007 felt like a dizzying process.  Lots of apostilled documents and a trip to Chicago to visit the consulate - with an inconvenient stroll to the bank across Michigan Avenue - seemed like a lot of work.

Colombia: take note.  You don't know "complicado."

I began the process of receiving my Brazilian work visa back in early February when I sent off a letter of employment from my then-current employer in Cali to the Brazilian consulate in Bogotá - the consular seat for that geographic jurisdiction - to be "legalized."  A short time later I sent off a university transcript to Chicago - by way of a friend who then handed it off to a future colleague - for the same treatment at the consulate in the windy city.  

Congratulations, Chicago, you win!  Legalized transcripts were successfully sent off to Brazil with no issues.

Over the next month, my unfortunate letter of employment was translated into three languages twice, stamped, sealed, signed, and notarized by the minister of education for Colombia in Bogotá (on two separate occasions) and the secretary of education for Cali (once).  Three months later the good folks at the Bogotá consulate were satisfied enough to give it the all clear and away it too was sent to Brazil to finally meet up with its long lost brother documents.

Now, it seems that Brazil is very thorough (or slow) in processing these types of things so "45 to 50 days plus five business days" later, I was notified that my visa application was ready in Chicago.  Application.  As in, "not finished yet."  Side note, I leave for Brazil in three days.  Further side note: I need to come in person and the consulate needs to keep my passport for the duration of the time it takes to put a sticker on a page.  Consulate website states four days to two weeks.  (gasp!)  

Enter Tuesday - the hottest, meltingest day in the history of Chicago - where I fly in and out from Minneapolis in one day in hopes that the Brazilians on Michigan Avenue take pity of my situation caused by the glacial pace their compatriots in Bogotá moved back in February, March, April and some of May.

Now, let's skip to the anticipated ending: Tomorrow, Thursday, I am getting on a plane in Minneapolis to land at O'Hare, with all my luggage for life in Campinas.  I am doing this without a passport, something that may prove to be a detriment upon arrival at the check-in counter.  In Chicago I will leave the airport and head downtown to be at the limited visa office hours of the Brazilian consulate between 12 and 1pm where some nice and efficient lady will return my passport, complete with work visa, to me and I will cruise back to the airport to catch a late-afternoon flight to Dallas.  In Dallas I will have approximately 50 minutes to meet up with some future new colleagues at the departure gate and we will all merrily make our way into the southern hemisphere waking up to the São Paulo sunrise.  (exhale...)

Colombia turned out to be amazing and I thought that was hoop jumping.  

If this goes well, Brazil might just be epic.

Oh, don't ask me about luggage logistics.  I'm on a mission.  

Es complicado.