Today was probably one of the most interesting days I've had in a long long time. On top of not having my bag delivered to me (which I could live with), I lost my passport at the airport in San Jose moments after we went through all the security. Luckily the professors have all had experiences with people like me so they knew what to do. First, Profesora Gomez and a tour guide from the Inn named Luis took me to the airport to check with customs and security to see if a Good Samaritan picked up my passport. Of course, the chances of that were minimal so I had to file a police report at the airport with the aid of Profesora Gomez. Then, we went to the embassy in San Jose. I guess they were on their lunch break so we decided to have ours. Luis took us to a nice little restaurant to try "comida muy auténtica de Costa Rica." After a nice lunch we returned to the embassy. Word to the wise, don't lose your passport. I had to fill out several forms, have my picture taken, and pay $100 for a temporary 4 month passport. Of course I will renew it once I get back but that's not the point. I also had to do the oath all over again in front of an immigration officer. Luckily the people there were nice and experienced with special cases so it all went smoothly. Moral of the story: lose your passport and you get treated to a nice 6 hour tour of airport security, San Jose (an air-conditioned minivan tour with Luis), good food, the US Embassy, and a local supermarket. Don't lose your passport and you skip the above-mentioned activities but get peace of mind and don't cause a major inconvinience to your professors and fellow students.
Overall this was a good experience. I know now what it's like to lose your passport but that help is there if you act fast and without hesitation. I cannot say enough thanks to Profesora Gomez and Luis who gave up 6 hours of their life because I pulled an amateur tourist mistake. I can safely say that I almost don't regret losing my passport because of the good things I was able to experience today as a result.
P.S. Thanks to Erik Budlong I was able to impress the embassy staff with a nice set of business casual clothes. Luckily my bag is here now so I don't have to inconvinience him any further.
My apologies to Professors Gomez, Annavarjula, Tebaldi, and Meagan Sage. You warned us a million times about this and I had to be the one to do it the minute we step onto warm and heavenly soil.
- Bakhtiyar Baidaralin
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