Culture Trek and Visas

It's time to make another post, I guess. Since last month, AFS has sent me account information for Culture Trek and instructions for getting my visa.

Culture Trek is supposed to help me be more accepting of other cultures. It's a good idea--I don't know yet whether it will work since I've just started completing the activities, but so far it's thought-provoking if not enlightening.

In other news, the visa application process is pretty entertaining. I thought "in triplicate" was a joke, but it turns out that bureaucracies really do ask for 3 copies of everything. I'm a bit worried about this process--I can imagine getting to the consulate (in Houston, a 4 hour drive from San Antonio where I live) and having an intimidating bureaucrat tell me that I've done something wrong.

But I guess bureaucrats are a different cultural group, so I'll use my newfound Culture Trek tolerance skills to deal with them. (mostly kidding)

Still no word from AFS about who my host family will be. On the bright side, I haven't been bored in three months because I can always wonder about my host family.