Disappointments

 What's the brighter side???

The most unexpected happened last night!
We were all prepared with travel documents and all and went to the airport early.
There were many queues..so finally after baggage check in...we went to immigration!
I gave my passport and the guy asked me if I had another one. I said no this is the one I traveled on last!
So he said no there's an issue please wait!
He went off somewhere and then directed us to , apparently the immigration office.
There they told me my passport is invalid!
I stated my case as I knew it could not be!
I had time to renew it till May next year and I had it with me, it was never lost. The last time I traveled was 9 yrs ago ..not that I meant it to be that way...but I could not travel because of many other responsibilities!

They checked the system and said that apparently I have made an application for  a lost passport in march 2013!
I had done no such thing!
And also this was done from an office outside Sri Lanka...finally they told me it was France!!! As much as Love to visit the land of love...and romance..I was bodily in Sri Lanka so how was t that I  have done that!
Strange right?
No amount of stating facts helped me...they turned me around..than I asked them to check my daughter's and it was fine. .

The assistant Controller of Immigration gave me his number and said you can come to meet me, directly, you won't have to hang around..why should I anyway! I hadn't done anything wrong in my life! Definitely not this!
So hanging our heads, we collected our baggage and came home after 6 hrs of waiting and arguiing.
Now I have to visit the local immigration office and found out...which stupid clerk made the wrong data entry?And they will be taken to task by the authorities...definitely if not them by me!

My daughter is upset and in tears...she thinks she's being punished!

By whom?? the Sri Lankan apathetic public system! Is that the right word..can't be bothered to check the meaning- my head hurts!

Back to square on on reservations- had to write to them in Bangalore early this morning!
Airlines, had to prove to them that we showed up- but there was a technical glitch at Immigration!

What's the brighter side???
2nd June- No acknowledgement to my letter sent on 2nd may..but I got an unofficial refund from the Dep Controller....

On 10/16/12, Driving Test (sent to the Island) name changed to Ramya!
> It was a dramatic day!
> Did you know that there is an unwritten dress code for the Government
> dept which gives you the license to drive.....
> My daughter had decided  to take an easy way out(against my better judgement and
> suggestion) and grabbed a pair of 'long' shorts(if you get i mean??)
> it was knee length and she wore  a white loose t-shirt.
    She  looked a real scallywag but not indecent.
   I told her I wasn't sure if this will be
 > frowned upon (knowing something about the mentality of some
officials in government dept)       but we were a bit late ..and she
was not dressed indecently .so we left Colombo at 7.30am.
>
> Anyways to cut along story short...we went along with the routine
> which involved getting to Werahera by 8am (we were late-8.15am) and mark
> attendance with her driving school rep- he marked some papers and gave her
> a "trial"
   And so, you think u r getting to drive around town...but what is
> it? just a reverse into a lane and back!
>
> Ramya having done that right , we waited awhile in this dingy little
> communication centre for the next step.
> That is finger printing and signing.
> At  8.55am we all walk towards the Main Dept. and only the
> candidates go in....about an half hour later I text her and check
> what's happening- and she says they are waiting in line with a number in hand at
> the car park area to be assigned an instructor.
   Then she suddenly appears in the hall...and says "Ammi don''t angry
but the Examiner
> says he can't test me as i am in shorts and I have to get changed into
> something long!!!!
> So what do we do....as all mothers do (I suppose they do too) i did my
> thing- "i told you so , now I hope you will learn not to dismiss
> things I say and  list en to me???"
>
> Yeah yeah I am sorry..she says.
   So we walked upto the top of the Road only to find out- many
communication centres and eating house , no clothes shops in
Werahera../ And so quite
> worried i asked her why she did not protest. She isn't that forward so
> she had shown her surprise at him and said "Aththa de.".and the
> instructor  says"yes yes, ohomma ba karenne!!!"
>
> So we had to get the car , (as someone we checked with on the road-
> said there aren't any clothing shops we had to now go to
> Boralesgamuwa...).and  we drove and drove...then we spotted D& A.     By this time she told me how
    all the candidates were pretty amused and giving her the "Honde
waday look???!!'
> except one former school girl from St Paul's, Milagiriya- (God Bless her soul) who had      befriended her and was chatting with her!
  To add
> to the high drama already we were part of, we went into D & A ( they were shooting a
> teledrama ! so watch out for us folks we are now inhala film stars too)
> Thankfully there were trousers that fitted her so we told the sales girl
> to pay for it and Ramya got into a pair of beige trousers  and now i was
> worried the instructor  might say it looked like she wasn't wearing anything as it was
> almost skin color!
> I drove back pretty fast and dropped her off to fend for herself as i
> had to get back to conduct a lecture at a training session  by 2pm! I could
> only pray and leave her in God's hands
> She called to say there was a queue remaining, with some of the other
> candidates from the late morning session  who were allotted to this instructor, (she had had by now lost her number /position in the 9am queue ) and joined the queue and waited her turn.
>
> Now it was 11am i told her i'll KIT- so called her at 12 noon( i had
> reached home and had to get ready to get to office by 1pm) no luck she
> she said , she was still waiting while the fellow finished all the reversing tests of all the other candidates and hadn't called her yet! .
>. I think he may have  purposely put her sheet down!!!

She had to go back to the dingy communication centre and wait. after a long wait THE DRIVING SCHOOL REP GOT A CALL AT ABOUT 2.15 PM AND THEN SHE WAS ASKED TO COME TO THE TEST AREA..the Examiner must have  had a nice long(45mt)
  lunch break leaving my daughter her and one other
  candidate behind...
Finally she was taken in at 2.45pm...

I honestly don't know what to say- harassment, demeaning behaviour of an older man towards someone who is quite helpless- Ramya  is only 19 and a bit timid too. .I cannot comprehend the
examiner's behaviour.

  The final outcome was he was silent after he just told her which
direction to drive and where she should turn.
  My daughter had done alright,   stalled just once, at a junction but she had
  recovered quickly  and then she had to do a left turn and stop......

  Phew.!...what a drama!!!! Finally  he gave  her the Kolay- that said  passed-
   What a relief!
A foot note- Her new friend from St. Pauls, had kept in touch with her by texting my daughter throughout the whole drama as she had finished early.Bless her!  Angie