The Day We Got Our Visas

You know those days....the ones when you're thinking, "Some day I'll look back on this and laugh."  The day we got our visas was one of those days.

It all started when my alarm went off at 4:30 in order for us to catch the bus by 5:30....oh wait.  That's where the problems began...my alarm didn't go off.  So, Leah woke me up just before 5:00 and we sprinted to the bus station and made it just in time.  We got on our bus and were on our way.  We knew things weren't going well when it started pouring down rain and the bus had to slow down considerably.  Our feeling was right, because at the time when we were supposed to be in the next city getting on the next bus, we were nowhere near a city of any sort. So, we were on to plan B: stay on the bus to the next city and catch the next bus there....which would have worked except for the fact that we missed that bus too.  Sooo...catch the next train in the next city.  Yep.  Missed that too.  The problem is that the Czech embassy in Slovakia is only open for a 30 MINUTE window in which you can get your visa.  At this point, the last train we could catch was getting into Bratislava, Slovakia 15 minutes to 2PM, which was when the embassy closed.  So, we got off our train, ran to a taxi and made it to the embassy at 2:15.  By God's mercy, Autumn (my other roommate) was there already and had stalled them just enough for us to get in.  Also, the lady that was working that day was "the nice one" and she let us in even though it was past time.  Those two things alone were HUGE ways that God reminded us of His perfect control over the situation.  

So...we got to Bratislava, spent about 15 minutes picking up our visas and got back on the train for 7 more hours.  We made our first train switch with no hold-ups.  But, our train to Prague was late and we had a bus to catch and it was the very LAST bus out of Prague that night.  We jumped off the train, pushed through the crowds, ran to the metro, and ran to the bus station.  We missed the bus by 2 minutes.  After expressing our frustration and disappointment, we sat there in silence, completely unsure about what to do. We searched every bus and train out of Prague that night and nothing could get us home before 4 or 5 AM.  Thankfully, we found someone who could drive us home.  So, we finally made it home at 11PM.  I have to say that this one of the longest,  most eventful days of my life and yet I wouldn't trade it for anything and here's why:

1) I got to spend some much-needed time with Leah and Autumn, who I won't be seeing much more of now that the summer is here and I will be heading back to the states at the end of summer.

2) In situations when you want to cry, you can choose to laugh instead and it makes things SO much easier and more enjoyable.

3) We were dependent upon God and therefore prayerful and sensitive to every small blessing along the way.  

4) We have some great memories that we won't forget.  Here are some pictures to show you how we felt at the end of the day:

                                This is how we felt about the fact that we got our visas!!!!
                                       This is us trying to be happy...really, we were trying!
       But, to be honest, this is how we felt at the end of the day....and our adventure wasn't even                                                                                     over yet!

So, there you have it!  There is never a dull moment when you are traveling across the country.  I know all of this makes you wish you could be here too. :)

The Officially Legal with a Visa girl,

Emily