I love telling people that I’m off to run a hotel in Montana. It’s so random, they always end up looking dumbfounded. Unfortunately, so do the US custom officials. It turns out hopping from one place to the next and doing all sorts of different things, without a plan or a care in the world, makes me look very suspicious to the US government.
“Why do you have a visa?”
(They always start with this one. I won’t go into the details of the US visa I have, but basically it’s enabled me to go between Canada and the USA with ease this year).
“I spent this year in Canada on exchange and I wanted to be able to cross the border a few times.”
“When were you last in the states?”
“March. No, wait, May. Yeah April/May.”
“Where did you go?”
“Chicago”
“What were you doing there?”
“Just looking”
“You have family there?”
“No, I met my family over there though”
“Why?”
“Ummmm…. ” she was starting to freak me out. “I like Chicago?”
The woman was not a smiler. She looked over my passport.
“You were in America in March. Why?”
“Ummmm I went home for a couple of weeks and had a stopover in LA. Oh yeah, and I went to Boston.”
“How long did you spend in Boston?”
“ Only a few days”
“What were you doing in Boston?”
“I was in band and we had a performance there.”
“What kind of band?”
“A marching band”
She raised an eyebrow.
“You went to Boston with a marching band and then you went to Australia?”
“Yes”
Wow. That does sound kind of strange.
“You said you were on exchange? At a university?”
“Yes”
“So how did you manage to get so much time off?”
She had me there. I was starting to look very guilty.
“And where are you going now?”
“Montana”
“Montana?” she repeated. Her eyebrow now seemed to be floating above her head. “What are you going to do in Montana?”
Bugger. Hadn’t thought this one through, I can’t legally work in America. Quick. Lie.
“Ummmmm… I have family there.”
“When are you flying back to Australia?”
“Hmmmmm a couple of weeks, I guess” I said vaguely. Not a good response.
“Do you have a ticket book?”
Lie.
“Yes.”
“Can I see it?”
“Ummmm I don’t have it with me.”
“Why not?”
“Ahhhhhh, well, it’s… it’s on the computer! It’s an eticket”
Ha! Take that!
“What date?”
I froze. My brain stopped. I couldn’t for the life of me think of a date.
“You know, 3 weeks from now”
AGGGGHHH! Pick a date, any date!!!
“I need an exact date”
“Oh yeah, ummm October…..”
“October?”
“October 1st”
She looked unconvinced. Rightfully so. She then lectured me on all the horrible things that will happen if I stay in the country for too long. Some people just don’t appreciate spontaneity.
Sounds similar to when I entered Ireland:
ReplyDeleteCustoms: "Do you have a return ticket booked?"
Me: "Yes."
Customs: "Can I see it?"
Me: "Well, I don't have it with me."
Customs: "Do you have the means to support yourself while here?"
Me: "Yes."
Customs: "Do you have any proof of that?"
Me: "Not with me."
Customs: "Well, it's not looking too good for you, is it?"
Haha. Love it. Still got through though eh?
ReplyDelete