Trouble in DC

Yesterday morning started off with me learning that our passports had been misplaced (accidentally) and that this would mean our plans to visit the Senate, House of Representatives and the Pentagon had to go out the Window. Not only by us losing our passports did we suffer from possible activities but we were flying out the next day, you can see how this would affect us. We soon realised that we had to consider the day as a write off, we had to move on to solving the more urgent problem of having legal immigration documents missing. My parents called the police, they came round very fast and they filed a report for stolen goods I believe it was. The police were very helpful and asked a lot of questions, and provided good advice.  We then had to leave the apartment in order to see the necessary people about getting emergency passports.

We left the apartment and walked down the street, around the DuPont Circle to the nearest bank. There we learnt we had to see the CVS to get our passport photos taken, walk down to the post office to get money off of an international credit card and finally to the New Zealand embassy to fill out some forms. First the CVC Pharmacy, when we arrived we went up to the second floor where a lady took our photos, printed them and sent us on our way to the post office for a money order. Finding the post office was a mission. We walked down the adjacent hill to the corner of the street where we found no post office but a Marriott hotel, t’was a nice hotel, but it was no post office. We walked around the corner where we discovered a USPS post office, there we were able to find that there was no way to get money off of our international money order without passport ID - which is the whole point of needing the money order - except for calling New Zealand and paying at our own passport office - when they were awake.  So next we headed to the embassy.

After taking a taxi to the embassy we found it was across the road from the Vice President's "white house" and the army headquarters.  That was unexpected.  We met some nice people at the Embassey.  Mum knew the Ambassador from his work and we saw him when he was heading home.  Lucky he lived only next door as it was a hot day to be in a suit! We filled out forms about ourselves before heading out to lunch. We went back home and then me and dad went out to get lunch. For lunch, me and dad went to Starbucks for mum's coffee and 7 11 for us. We both had hotdogs and utilised the free liquid cheese, chilli and condiments to the maximum. As a drink, I had a slurpee and dad had a coke. We returned home ready for an afternoon of searching.

Although lunch was good going back to the embassy wasn’t particularly fun. Although the people had the typical Kiwi happy and kind attitude I wasn’t fond of waiting in a room for our passports to be printed, when I knew I was missing the visit to the Capitol. We finally got our passports and in return gave the man who helped us a present in the form of a book about New Zealand. By then it was around dinner time, we headed back to DuPont Circle via cab and had Chipotle for dinner, I had a burrito and my parents a salad. We took the food and drinks to go so we could return in time for the main speakers of the Democratic National Convention. Michelle Obama did a really great speech about how America has progressed and is in a much better place than before.  I liked her words about her daughters being able to play on the front lawn of the white house when slaves helped build it and when Trump goes low we go high. 

Although the day was more relaxed than usual with much less walking I am still frustrated about the incident, I guess now I know what happens if you lose things overseas and how to fix them.Tomorrow it's time for Las Vegas.

 Joseph