This past Monday I made my first move in solidifying the second half of my trip. I went to the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington with my visa application. All went amazingly smoothly. I was applying with my Irish passport, which the embassy's website says is not exempt from needing a letter of invitation (basically a $30 piece of paper from a tour company that says they want you to come). The embassy didn't seem to mind and let me apply without the letter. Saving $30 and more importantly a fair bit of time and headaches I should be on my way to securing my first of 5 visas. They told me it would take 2 weeks to process which seemed slow, but after already waiting for 30 minutes before anyone talked to me at the consulate I wasn't about to complain.
The other visas I need to get are for Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, and India. I've prioritized them in the order of Uz, China, India, Pak, Kyrgyz as to which I want to get in the US. I figure the Krygyz and Pakistan visas would be fairly easy to obtain in Tashkent, but whatever I can do before I leave makes life easier. Extra special thanks to my dad for volunteering to run around DC with my passport over this next month.
So, since getting this visa (assuming I don't get rejected) I really feel like I've cemented my path. This is definitely a step I needed to take because I've been waffling way too much lately. Now I can reallly focus on the trip at hand and make it as memorable and valuable as possible. I've been doing all sorts of research on all fronts to maximize my learning and enjoyment.
All I can think about is getting on that plane and heading to Ireland. I've got just over one month to go. Its been hard these last few months. So much anticipation of graduating college, traveling the world, and of course reuniting with Emily. I honestly can't imagine a more perfect way to spend the next chapter of my life.
