Just a quick post before I get ready for language lesson tomorrow.
I just submitted my Nigerian visa application... 4th time's the charm! Each time I'd get a little further in the online application before realizing I didn't have all the information I needed--and because there was no way to save the application, I had to restart it every time! Today, I finally had all the right pieces of information, an official job title, and knew which option to select from the various dropdown boxes. So while I was out at a coffee shop with another of the girls after classes let out, I decided to tackle the application.
I finished the last page and clicked submit... and nothing happened. I was too afraid to hit refresh, so I decided to call their customer service. A nice guy answered on the second ring and told me that the server was down for "one hour and a half hour" and asked if I would "kindly attempt to retry again in ninety minutes."
Well, the coffeeshop was due to close in 18 minutes, and we were expected for dinner back at the training program in 3 minutes. So I decided to attempt the near impossible: keep my mobile hotspot on and keep my laptop up and running on the drive home so that it wouldn't disconnect from the internet. (And did I mention that we currently have gusts up to 80mph going through Palmer Lake and the area West of I-25?) Ah yes, that was a fun walk/run across the parking lot while holding a laptop open!
Anyway, I got back to my room and everything was still online. I just retried the application and was able to submit and pay for it. (Interestingly enough, my credit card didn't have a problem sending an online payment to Nigeria like it did last year.) So glad that is done!
On another God note, I found out a week ago that the airport in Abuja, Nigeria--the airport I bought a ticket for a few weeks ago--would be closed for six weeks in February and March! I started praying like crazy, along with my parents, and my small group here at Mission Training International, that God would work it out. I really did not want to fly into either of the other Nigerian airports, as that would make the airport pickup a 2-day event, and I would not have an easy way to keep an eye on all of my bags.
I got an email yesterday that the date for the airport closure has been pushed back to mid-March--after I am scheduled to arrive.
God is good!
I just submitted my Nigerian visa application... 4th time's the charm! Each time I'd get a little further in the online application before realizing I didn't have all the information I needed--and because there was no way to save the application, I had to restart it every time! Today, I finally had all the right pieces of information, an official job title, and knew which option to select from the various dropdown boxes. So while I was out at a coffee shop with another of the girls after classes let out, I decided to tackle the application.
I finished the last page and clicked submit... and nothing happened. I was too afraid to hit refresh, so I decided to call their customer service. A nice guy answered on the second ring and told me that the server was down for "one hour and a half hour" and asked if I would "kindly attempt to retry again in ninety minutes."
Well, the coffeeshop was due to close in 18 minutes, and we were expected for dinner back at the training program in 3 minutes. So I decided to attempt the near impossible: keep my mobile hotspot on and keep my laptop up and running on the drive home so that it wouldn't disconnect from the internet. (And did I mention that we currently have gusts up to 80mph going through Palmer Lake and the area West of I-25?) Ah yes, that was a fun walk/run across the parking lot while holding a laptop open!
Anyway, I got back to my room and everything was still online. I just retried the application and was able to submit and pay for it. (Interestingly enough, my credit card didn't have a problem sending an online payment to Nigeria like it did last year.) So glad that is done!
On another God note, I found out a week ago that the airport in Abuja, Nigeria--the airport I bought a ticket for a few weeks ago--would be closed for six weeks in February and March! I started praying like crazy, along with my parents, and my small group here at Mission Training International, that God would work it out. I really did not want to fly into either of the other Nigerian airports, as that would make the airport pickup a 2-day event, and I would not have an easy way to keep an eye on all of my bags.
I got an email yesterday that the date for the airport closure has been pushed back to mid-March--after I am scheduled to arrive.
God is good!
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