Saturday, January 19, 2019

Passport Anxiety

Does anyone else get mildly anxious after they've sent their previous passport in and have to wait for their new and old one to come again.
This is my 3rd passport and for whatever reason my new arrived and my old took another 9 agonizing days.  My daughters new and old arrived same day.
I love my old passports.  They tell a 10 year story of travel.  Those stamps are my favorite souvenir of a trip.

My first passport holds my first time to Europe when I was 17, it was stamped in Hungary, Austria and Germany.  I arrived in Hungary in June of 1995 while the Bosnian Serbian War was still going on.  We were unloaded on the tarmac, placed in a bus with armed guards.  I was 17 and had never been out of the country (with the exception of Canada), and just entered one that was rather close to a war torn country.  As well as being in a country that had only received it's independence from the Soviet Union 4 years prior.
This same passport would also go on to represent my time with United Airlines.  This one held a work visa for both France and China, as well as entries into Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and Japan.
My second passport is very much a representation of a time as a single mom traveling with my children.  The stamps in this one gave me courage, and a true sense of independence.  I have 3 stamps to Iceland, once with both my kids and the other 2 with just my son, multiple stamps to Costa Rica, a country I unexpectedly fell in love with and made me want to learn Spanish.  There's the UK, my son and I arrived in London the day after a terrorist attack, and experienced the unwavering love and unity.  We happened to be in front of Theresa Mays residence as she left to Parliament to deliver article 50, the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union.
All these memories are stored in that little booklet I waited anxiously to be returned.

2 comments:

Kristen said...

I'm always so happy to see a post from you! Loved reading your thoughts. We are heading to Europe in a few months - it's been 20 years since I was there. So excited to share it with my kids. :)

Jenni said...

Good to hear from you! I am trying to get back into more regular posts, life has just gotten in the way!
Have so much fun in Europe, when I travel abroad I always come back with a spark for more and a realization at all there is to see in this world!