Travelling to The US Is Like a Marathon Race

The boy from Piiri in the newly created Nandom District of the Upper West Region of Ghana, has never in his adulthood thought of travelling to the West or America except to wish that if it ever happens, he perhaps would be going for further studies or attending a conference on any of his areas of interest which he regularly reports on as a journalist.

Whilst working with FIILA FM 89.3 MHz, a local radio station in Tamale in 2008 as news reporter, I had my first taste of internet scam from one Jennifer in the US.

It all happened when one day I checked my email and found out that this young lady who I’ve never met or talked to before, had sent me an email proposing friendship to me. I quickly showed much interest because in those days if anyone had an internet pal from America or UK, the person was sure of counting some few dollars or pound sterling every month. Besides, it was a prestige then to have an internet pal from any of the aforementioned super rich countries.

The friendship grew stronger, and to make matters worse, I suddenly became the envy of some friends when I informed them that I would be attending an international youth conference in New York City and an African version of the same conference in Senegal West Africa through the invitation of my friend Jennifer. In fact, I can still recall that the invitation letter emailed to me from a supposed International Youth Organisation through the recommendation of Sister Jennifer said: “You are to represent Ghana at this conference where you will have the platform to tell fellow participants about how the youth have contributed towards the positive development of your country.”

Folks, when the Nandom boy read the above slanted paragraph, he said to himself; “So, since I will be representing Ghana, I would have to inform the President of the republic (President J.A. Kufour) when the date of departure is close. This is because my president would have to tell me what to say over there, so that I don’t end up destroying my country’s reputation.” In fact, I remember my mind was full of thoughts on how I would chat with the president when the time comes for me to go and brief him about my trip to the US and Senegal, and what he (Mr. President) would want me to say. Fantasising, isn’t it?  

But I did not have a passport and had no idea how it looked like. So how do I get one since the conference was just about a month away and I needed to submit my passport details towards visa acquisition. Indeed, that was the first time I also heard about visa.

I remember I closed from work one day and mustered courage to call the then Northern Regional Minister Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris asking for his assistance to acquire a passport within the shortest possible time. “Puuuuuuu. Puu puu, I rang the minister with a Motorola c330 mobile phone I inherited from my dad. Hello, Good evening sir! Yes, who is this? The minister asked. Please sir, my name is Joseph Ziem, a news reporter of Fiila FM. Aha, what is the problem my brother? Sir, I have got an invitation to travel to the US for an international conference but I don’t have a passport and wanted your assistance to get one. Ok. Come and see me in my office tomorrow morning, I will give you a letter to see the director of passport in Accra”, the minister replied.

After more than a decade since I left the land of my birth (Accra), I was going back there just for a passport. My father also contacted his cousins in Accra and told them about my coming and asked them to assist me. I still remember I left Tamale on a Friday morning after seeking permission from my employer to go to Accra and see my ailing uncle. What a damn lie I told?

My uncle (my dad’s cousin) told me to hire a taxi and tell the driver I would alight in front of 37 Military Hospital, the hospital where I was born 27 years ago. I arrived in Accra Friday evening through an Intercity STC Bus. Uncle Boniface picked me up in front of the hospital where the taxi driver left me and took me to a drinking spot and later to the house of his elder brother (Uncle Casmir). 

        

On Monday morning the following week, I set off to the passport office and lo and behold, I met a long winding queue of potential passport seekers outside the gate of the passport office and I nearly gave up. But upon a second thought I said to myself that I couldn’t let my coming to Accra be a waste of time and resources. I approached the security at the gate and told them my mission there. “Good morning sir! I greeted one of them. Good morning my brother; how may I help you? Please sir, I’ve been asked by the Northern Regional Minister to see the Director of Passport. This is a letter the minister gave me to be handed over to him personally”, I told the security. 

Whilst I was thinking that the process would be smooth for me since I was carrying an “Executive Letter” to enable me gain access to the director of passport. But the security officials denied me entry. “Sorry boss, you will have to wait when the man (director of passport) is going out then you can see him” the security official said it courageously without caring a hoot about the fact that a minister of state had sent me to see his boss. The usual Ghanaian bureaucracy started playing in my face and my patience began to diminish. 

Finally, I was able to submit the letters and asked to come back the next day. When I went back the following day, I was told that I needed to renew my old birth certificate. I quickly dashed to the Births and Deaths Registry but had to go and come the following day for it. The next day, I went for it and I was asked to go to the Immigration Office to process some documents. This is where I nearly cried in the presence of a female immigration officer who wanted me to go back to Tamale and bring the original copy of my academic certificate. In fact, that was when I understood why many Ghanaians would offer bribe in circumstances such as mine in order to get what they want.       

Sadly, I had to leave Accra still without my passport being ready after spending one week there. An official there told me to go and come back in few days time for my passport because it would take time to complete the process or that I could go back to Tamale but ask a relative to pick it up when it is completed. I had no option than to agree with that arrangement. By the time I got the passport, my trip to the US and Senegal had expired, but I was happy I also had a passport and wished that in future, a more credible opportunity could come my way.   

So, after keeping my passport for four good years which I have never used to even cross my second country Burkina Faso, opportunity finally came my way to travel to Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America. 

One mid-morning in the first week of October 2012, my boss Mr. Ben Ephson Jnr. and Managing Editor of The Daily Dispatch called me and when I answered, he said: “Joseph congratulations! But there was deafening silence at my end and so, he quickly asked if I was not aware of me being invited to the US. Sir, I saw it but I thought it was a scam, I replied. Hey! Joseph this is not a scam ooh, please check again.”

Indeed, the first email I received came from a lady called Zelda Sharp, whom I did not know from anywhere and decided to treat it with contempt by deleting it. So I told my boss I was going to check my mail again since what he received was from a known official at the US Embassy in Accra. I did check and this time round the same message was emailed to me by this embassy official.

The invitation was from the United States of America Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) asking me to join a delegation of government officials and media from Ghana to participate in an educational mission to tour American poultry farms, hatcheries, feed mills, processing facilities, restaurants and retail stores. The focus is to learn more about the quality and wholesomeness of U.S. poultry products.

At this point, I decided to relax thinking that everything would be done by the organization sponsoring my trip to the US. Little did I know that I would have to fill a US visa form online and book for an interview. It took me four days to fill the online visa form and another three days to get money to pay for my visa fee. This is because the ATM Machine at my bank –Access Bank, denied me money when I went to withdraw GH¢320.00 to pay for the visa fee and also book for an interview. I inserted my VISA ATM Card, made the request and the money refused to come out even though I heard the machine counted the money to my hearing. If I were an unbeliever, I would have thought that some evil forces were at work considering the frustration I was going through. But as a Christian I said to myself “Lord, may your will be done.” 

I knew I was late for booking for interview considering the fact that one needs to book for an interview at least two weeks or more ahead of travelling date, but in my case it was just left with 14 days to November 1, 2012 when I was supposed to leave for US if only I had a visa. 

Eventually I was able to pay for my visa after officials at the bank were able to rectify the technical problem as they called it and paid me my money. However, booking for an interview was another headache for me as my US Embassy online account refused to admit that they have my records in their data. My GH¢320.00 would have gone down the drain for nothing if an official I knew at the embassy had not worked out things for me. Within six days I travelled to and fro Accra three times for visa interview, picking up my visa and departing Kotoka International Airport. Folks I’m currently in Atlanta, Georgia.

So, why is travelling to the US likened to a marathon race? If I was well informed on what to expect when travelling to the US, conversant with how to fill a visa form and the anxiety associated with facing a consular officer for a visa interview, I wouldn’t have been bothered at all. What compounded my problem was the naïve reasoning that the US Embassy or USAPEEC would do everything on my behalf since they nominated me for the trip, and that they would only call me to come for my visa when the time was due without going through any form filling, interview session and other difficulties. Indeed, if this whole journey was a marathon race I would have finished without even a hug as prize for me. This is because those who emerge as champions at marathon races normally prepare in advance to receive the gold medals. Good Day Ghana and I hope to see you soon.