Hold-up at Customs

Standing in the line at customs in the London Heathrow airport is a bit like being cornered. You get narrowed down one by one in a tight line and it's all up in the air as to what kind of customs officer you'll be dealing with. There was a young hispanic woman I was crossing my fingers to get - she smiled and seemed pleasant enough. But it was finally my turn for the next available customs officer that, I kid you not, looked like Hitler himself. I told him I was a student hoping to get into the country on a Student Visitors Visa and handed him my passport and paperwork. At first it seemed to be a breeze, but when he found out after scanning the barcode on my passport that I had been denied a Student Visa he got a sour expression on his face:

"You know love, it's quite ridiculous thinking that you can just come in on a Student Visitor's Visa after being denied a Student Visa. How ever am I going to believe that you're just coming in for a few months?" (Who knew they could look up all my immigration history?)

"Well, I have purchased my plane ticket for my return home in December..." I started a list of reasons why it shouldn't be a problem when he interrupted me.

"Yes, but how am I to know that you aren't going to stay past that? I'll tell you right now it doesn't look good. You'll probably be denied."

He quickly scrambled to fill out a sheet of paper saying that I was being held for further examination, took my passport and said he would return soon.

It's been a long time since I've bargained with God in a tight spot, but while my blood pressure soared through the roof and I started sweating the pleas just flowed out of me. Ten minutes later he returned and summoned me to his post at customs.

"What I'm trying to understand here is how I'm to know this school really even exists? I mean, why would you plan to come for a whole year and just change your mind to just come a semester? We don't even use that term in England, semester."

I started spouting off everything I knew about the college, it's association with Andrews University, and the Seventh-day Adventist Conference. Again, he interrupted me and ran off into a back room again, saying something about how he had to look something up on the internet.

At this point I was sure he was going ship me back to the states. I sat down for just a few minutes this time. When he came back out again he showed me my passport with a "Student Visitor's Visa" stamp in it. Giving no explanation, he told me to never ever do this again while he hurried me through the gates at customs.

I had little time to process what had just happened and say a few prayers of thanksgiving while I rushed down to baggage claim to pick up my luggage. It wasn't on any of the carousels so I went over to a luggage help desk and waited for them to locate my suitcases on the other side of the baggage claim area. I wrestled my 50 pound bags and two large carry-ons onto a cart and headed for the exit.

The problem with customs taking over an hour to go through and having to locate all of my luggage was that there was a gentleman from the college waiting outside baggage claim to pick me up. When I finally got out to the international flight lobby he wasn't there. No sign that said "Newbold College" - nothing! Come to find out, he had waited an hour until the announcer said that all passengers from United flight 938 were gone. He went back to the campus.

It's nearly impossible to get ahold of anyone on a Saturday at a Seventh-day Adventist institution, but an hour later my parents finally located the driver back at school and asked him to come back out and get me.

So nearly three hours after arriving at the airport, I was finally on my way back to the school with a nice-enough man from Croatia (though he charged me double for having to come out to the airport again after leaving the first time - 50 pounds, over 80 dollars for a 30 minute ride).

So now, the real adventure beings - finding food and getting over jet-lag!