How 15 minutes Turned Into a 1-Nightstand, costing $600.00 

An old friend once told me, “I’m impressed that you can wake up and be ready to go within 15 minutes.” Coming from a United Nations Security officer with over 20 years of experience, it was the highest recognition.

A Nite in DC…

1. Interview time 11:15am Check in time 11am June 11, 2021, location Washington DC
2. Budget $280: $58=Roundtrip Amtrak, $90.00 visa $30.00 processing fee, $80.00 = misc including, meals, museum admission, taxi’s etc
3. 4am wake up, 4:15 actual wake up
4. Having showered and packed my documents, along with an umbrella, mascara and lip gloss the prior evening, I quickly dressed, brushed my teeth, and gulped my usual 12 oz jar of water. My travel style is efficient. My week-old warrior braids were efficient and stylish. I wore a red tube dress with a white cardigan (to hide my bra straps) medium size hoop earrings and powder blue sneakers- comfy and stylish.
5. 5:55 am Amtrak Train departing at 5:55 am
6. 4:25am Driving into the dawn, I settle into the passenger seat, to review my documents.
7. Travel during a Mercury Retrograde is dubious at best. 
8. 5:40am, we arrive at the Williamsburg Travel center. 
9. Ma, insists I carry a few extra masks, with varying covid restrictions
10. 6:10am my train pulls into the station.
11. 6:12 am, I board the back of the train, opting to for the quiet car. 
12. 6:15 am leaving the station as the conductor scans my e ticket and ensures me the crew are working to make up for the delay. Pulling my laptop from my tote, I settle into my window seat, to watch the changing landscape (with one eye) while preparing for my Econ exam due the same day. 
13. 9:46 am upon arriving at Union Station, a helpful off duty crew member, gave me specific directions to get me to the VFS office in time for my appointment. Three stops and 1 train transfer, later I emerged from McPherson Square metro station. The entrance/exit pit vexed to a corner facing The Presidents Park, surrounded by vagrants camped beneath the station entrance to escape the rain. In the close yet distant view a surrealist view of the White House stood like a symbol of hope and contradiction. 
14. 10:04 am, aAfter a brisk walk in the rain, I arrive at the building that housed my date with destiny. With plenty of time to spare I went to Starbuck for a strong cup of coffee while I reviewed my documents. 
15. 10:45 am, I make my way inside the building to the VFS office located on the second floor. Filing in behind another student checking in with the same appointment time. The receptionist asked us to wait in the lobby for 15 minutes due to Covid [R(1] restrictions. Retreating to the lobby we began to chat. She was a student at nearby American University, heading to Grenoble, France for a year abroad. As we talked, I mentioned how selecting a recognizable host (institute was important when applying for a visa, “It’s not like we’re going to ECPI”. “I’m going to ECPI”, she replied “I’ve heard good things”, I replied then announced it was time to make our way upstairs.
16. 11am-12:30pm, Mission Accomplished! 
17. 12:35pm, I enjoyed a savory lunch of dahl, naan, and Aloo Gobi at the Indian café, downstairs. 
18. 1:10pm After a brisk walk in the rain, I arrived at the American Museum of Women in the Arts and fell down the rabbit hole.