A day after Colombia-based ICBF officially closed its file on Daniel Forrrester, the United States granted him a sought-after visa to enter the states with his parents.
We woke up at 5:45 a.m. and began our morning routine preparing to leave for our 8:30 a.m. meeting at the United States Embassy. Daniel skipped his morning bath, dressed wearing his USA jacket and had a quick breakfast. Claudia grabbed all of our documents necessary for our meeting and we were off.
We hailed a taxi to take us to the U.S. Embassy that is located near the El Dorado International Airport. En route, we struck up a conversation with the driver. There are 400,000 taxis serving Bogota's 7.4 million population. No wonder its so easy to get a taxi!
Even though we arrived at the Embassy at 7:45 a.m. there was already a line of a few hundred people hoping to receive a U.S. visa. Each person pays just to have an opportunity for an interview at the Embassy with no guarantee of receiving a visa.
A U.S. visa is very difficult to obtain in Colombia. It's something most U.S. citizens don't understand because there are very few countries that require U.S. citizens to obtain a tourist visa. Nearly every person waiting this morning had a packet of documents for their interview.
Inside the packets there was more than likely either letters from a family member in the United States petitioning for the applicant to recieve a tourist visa and vouching they will be responsible for the applicant, financial documents supporting a sufficient amount of money to incentivize the applicant's return to Colombia, and/or letters from work, etc.
The interviewer has a lot of leeway during the interview, based on information provided from a U.S representative. The interviewer has the right to ask whatever questions they want. They can request to review every document the applicant brings, or on a good day they won't even ask for it. If the applicant is nervous, then odds are against them receiving a visa. For these reasons and more, no one in Colombia takes the process for granted.
As we watched people leave from their interview, they had one of two reactions. Either they were smiling and hugging their family members, or they had a sad or frustrated expression. Many had dressed formally for the interview and some were probably wearing new clothes specifically for this morning.
All of that said, Daniel's situation is different. Because of his adoption, his visa is almost guaranteed. His visa will only be good for the 5-hour flight to Houston, but once he arrives there he will become a U.S. citizen.
After nearly two hours waiting, we were told his visa was approved and we can pick it up on Tuesday. Personally, I think his USA jacket had a lot of sway during the interview process. The little guy is eager to be home just like his parents!
This is the last step in our nearly 18 month process to bring our son home.
That afternoon, we went to Santa Fe to celebrate with Daniel. He ate Bandeja Paisa with mommy and I ate a burger to satisfy a week-long craving. After lunch, we went to both of the children's play areas. Daniel was in heaven with all of the children running and jumping around him.
We headed back to the condo after a couple of hours. Daniel was obviously worn out based on his crying. It was time to start our night-time routine. Eat. Play. Change into pajamas. Bottle. Bed.
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