...all for the want of 5$...

***DISCLAIMER!*** I notice that this post has been getting an inordinately high number of page views in comparison to the rest of our blog. It was pointed out to me that most of the views may be coming from people seeking information on the Korean recruiting agency Canadian Connection andthe Korean Consulates of Montreal and Atlanta. I just want to make it abundantly clear that the fine folks at Canadian Connection have been nothing but helpful and professional and have only my gratitude for being so patient with my rather weird experience. Likewise, I realize that the people at the Korean Consulate are professional, diligent people who are just doing their jobs. What I wrote below is intended to be an amusing cautionary tale and a way for me to vent my anxieties at the time. The original script is below.**** 


Hello, again! I was hoping to update again last week with all of my various escapades in Asheville, but I thought this little story was so delicious it deserved its own post. I will explain:

To those who don't know, I'm approaching the whole Korean work visa process from a unique angle. Typically, someone from New Brunswick should be applying through the Korean Consulate in Montreal; however, I'm doing it through Atlanta, GA since Hannah and I wanted to go visit her family in Asheville together. It's possible to do the whole song and dance with the Consulate in Atlanta, but I seem to have hit a snag....

You see, while all of my documents are in order and it's clear that I don't exactly fit the model of a comic book villain (well, save for maybe The Riddler when I'm in a weird mood.), I apparently followed the instructions for visa issuance a little too well and paid the required 45$ US for the visa processing fee without knowing that (silly me!) foreigners had to pay 50$ big ones. Fifty. As is 5x10=50$. I got this news on Wednesday; two days ago. Now, being as adept in math as most of you are, 50$(needed)-45$(paid)=5$(owed) would make logical sense. At least, it does to me. And so, upon receiving the news, I sped off to the nearest post office and sent a 5$ money order to the consulate.

Don't give me that "I told you so" look, you smug bastard!

However, we fail to factor in the physical concepts of time and space in our equation. Time being composed mainly of postage transit and space being composed mainly of the distance from Atlanta GA to Asheville NC. Though time was previously estimated as being 2 days (arrival by Friday afternoon), time, as we all now know, is relative and my money did not arrive as planned and my passport/visa is being held hostage as a result.

...and I DEFINITELY do not need that look from YOU!

So, allow me to recap: I unknowingly underpaid by 5$, I sent off the remaining amount, and it has not arrived by week's end. Factor in the fact that in a week's time I should be off the ground and heading to Korea, with the air fare already paid and non-refundable.

I called my recruiter's office (Canadian Connection) and they were able to give me at least some peace of mind: the visa was in the process of being processed and they were simply waiting on that 5$ to give me my passport back. Well, that's all well and good, but now we must add another two variables to "time": finishing up the visa process upon arrival of the money order and transit time of the passports back to Asheville. Depending on how "time" factors 1, 2, and 3 interact, I could get my visa back Wednesday (2 days before the flight), Thursday (day before the flight), or Friday (day OF the flight, which leaves at 8:30AM... which means that I miss my flight). It was suggested that, if my money does not arrive by Monday afternoon, I should travel down to Atlanta, go to the consulate in person, and get my passport, paying ANOTHER 5$, if necessary, not to mention travel, food, and accommodation costs!

Now, the convenient thing to do would be to switch my flight plans to leave from Atlanta instead of Asheville. Makes sense, right? I mean, our current flight plan was Asheville-Atlanta-Incheon-Busan, so it should be easy to eliminate one step and fly direct from Atlanta. HOWEVER, apparently I would get charged a hefty fee if I did that and was advised to make my way BACK TO ASHEVILLE to fly out. To put this in perspective, I go down to Atlanta (4 hour drive, or 9 by bus) on Wednesday, sleep, get my passport back on Thursday morning, get back to Asheville that night, and THEN depart for a 25+ hour trip around the world. Factor in all of the associated costs and this 5$ begins to become something substantially more.

I put "money eating monster" into Google and it spat out this. Isn't it adorable?

All of this is in the air. The weekend begins now and both the consulate and the post office are as of now no longer operating. In all of the phone conversations and emails I had today, I was told to "have a good weekend".... yeah RIGHT!

 I am convinced that, never, in the history of the internet, has this GIF been more appropriate! 

 So, a good weekend to all and to all a good weekend! Hopefully I'll have better news to present next week.

...all for the want of 5$...

-Garrett