From last post you know that I went to Ghana last week for Spring break. While the trip was not planned initially it turned out well. However the journey to getting there was filled with disappointment, frustration and tomfoolery at the Embassy.

In order to get a visa to Ghana you have to drop your passport off along with 2 copies of the application, passport photos, proof of accommodation and money in the bank to support your trip. When I dropped off the application and my passport on a Friday I was given a slip for a week later to come back and pick up my passport between 3 and 4pm. On that day I called the embassy to see if I could pick up my passport early because I had a webinar at 3pm and a training at 4 pm. Non one answered but I decided to get there early so I could do the webinar in the waiting room or in the taxi. However when I arrived the embassy was closed 🤬. I inquired with the security guard and he was totally unbothered as he told me that it was a holiday in Ghana. I asked if he could call someone because I had a flight that Sunday. He just kept repeating that the embassy was closed. I was pissed. I participated in the webinar while standing outside the embassy.

I rescheduled my flight and that Monday morning I showed up to embassy thinking I would pick up my passport with the visa. However I was wrong and was again met with another unbothered person who told me that the Consular was out of the office and my visa was not ready. She didn’t acknowledge my frustration that I showed up on friday to find the embassy closed despite being told to come back that day. She said she didn’t know when the Consular would be back in the office. And when I told her that my covid test would expire, her only response was that I could get a refund 😡🤬. I went home and arranged for a covid test because it needed to be done 3 days before my flight. I left the embassy and called at 3pm to see if the Consular came into the office, he didn’t. The next day I called at 10 am and was given the same response, the visa had not been processed yet. Again I called after 2pm and was told it was approved but not ready for pick up. I told her I had a flight for the next day and would come by in the morning. The next morning I got up and got dressed for the airport and made my way to the embassy. When I arrived at minutes to 10 am and was told my passport was still not ready for pick up because the stamp was not there and the women who completed this process was not there yet. Again she offered no apology or acknowledgment that the embassy was 3 days late with my visa. I told her that I would wait because I was not coming back later. I went to the waiting room and I checked back with her 30 minutes, an hour and an hour and a half later and each time her only response was she’s not here yet. All in all I waited almost two hours and then I said to her that I would take my passport and my refund. At this point she asked me to wait for 5 minutes. She went into an office and came back with my passport with a visa in it. She gave me a receipt and said her boss finished my visa because I had a flight today.

Y’all at this point I was so annoyed because she could have done this an hour before. But she didn’t, instead she choose to make me wait because she was unbothered by my dilemma of missing flights and accommodations. But I took my passport, said thank you and left. This has been the worst experience. When I told my co workers about my horrible experience, they said they weren’t surprised. It appears that this embassy is notorious for this type of tomfoolery. I wish I had known this beforehand, it would have saved me a lot of frustration and time. But I’m grateful that I never have to visit that embassy again. Not because I won’t go to Ghana again but because in 2 months I will be leaving the Ivory Coast forever. Yes I’m counting down #woosah #BlackExpat #notthisembassy #thetomfoolery