The Mercy Corps Blog
A daily look into the work, thoughts and ideas of our team around the world.
Blog Post Posted November 3, 2008, 9:53 am by Bob Ham
Is This Your First Time Here?
It didn't take long for the airport officials in Dubai to peg me as a newbie when it comes to international travel, about 10 seconds to be exact.
The young man at the Passport Control desk looked over my crisp new passport and then asked, "Is this your first time here?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Do you have visa?"
"Um, no."
"You need visa," he said, purposefully avoiding my confused expression. "It used to be, you didn't need visa, but now you do."
"Okay," I said, looking around in a slight panic for Miguel, who had skipped past the same desk in 45 seconds. "So, what do I do?"
"Okay, you go back through there and find a bank to pay for visa. I'm thinking it is $2,000."
Wait a second...
I held his gaze for a minute and then saw the faint smile flicker across his face, quickly growing wider.
"I had you," he said, stamping my passport. "Joking."
Off to a good start, I'd say.
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Bob Ham is a former writer and marketing coordinator for Mercy Corps.
Next Post
Safety and Safety Belts
Posted November 4, 2008 8:59 am by Bob Ham
A quick lesson in security in Kabul, Afghanistan.
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- Sinking In
Posted October 30, 2008 3:54 pm by Bob Ham
Mercy Corps writer Bob Ham looks ahead to his upcoming trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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