A message to my fellow Americans...

Just because you are an American and are at the US Embassy does not mean you are entitled to special treatment...nor does it allow you to act like a jerk...or not follow the rules...and people...come prepared!

I just returned from dropping my passport off at the US Embassy here in Singapore.  For me, it has been a relatively quick and easy experience thus far.  Before going, I went online and completed the proper form, printed it, and signed it - the US government actually has a pretty nice website when it comes to completing forms.  When arriving at the embassy we do actually get a bit of special treatment as US citizens...we don't have to wait in a long line outside like the people seeking visas for entry into the US...there had to be about 30 people waiting in that line.  You walk through security where they took my phone and headphones...no problems from me.  You then enter the main building and a nice lady directs you to the proper room where just outside the door is a GIGANTIC sign that asks you to take a number and be seated until said number is called...which I did.

As I'm sitting and waiting for my number to be called I witness 2 people ignore the instructions and try and jump the line.  Next, I see a woman ignore the nice embassy worker calling her number 3...yes THREE times and then getting upset when I tell her that she missed it.  She was apparently still filling out her paperwork and her son was somewhere getting a photo taken.  I let her go ahead of me and sat down and overheard her conversation.

She is renewing the passport for her son...who is off getting his photo taken...she told this fact to the embassy official numerous times.  She also was trying to figure out how to get her son to register for the draft.  Let me just say that I had no idea that you still had to register for the draft.  Guys out there in blogland...did you have to do this?  Back to annoying mommy...she was complaining to the official that she couldn't get the form completed online...she had tried numerous times and needed their help (as a side note - she wasn't being very polite and was actually pretty demanding).  The nice gal on the other side of the desk went and checked on it for her and said they weren't allowed to print forms for her and she'd have to do it online.  Annoying mommy proceeds to complain, quite loudly, that if she can't get it done she's going to need an affidavit from a senior person to document that they tried...multiple times...to do the right thing.  The official was very polite and told annoying mommy that she was looking at the website as they were speaking and that they didn't have any problem accessing it and hadn't ever heard of this issue from any other Americans living in Singers.  Annoying mommy huffed and puffed a little bit...quite loudly...and went off to complete her form and wait for her son...who was off getting his photo taken...btw.

It is now my turn and I walk in, say hello, and hand her my pre-completed form and passport.  She smiles at me, tells me it looks great and to come back the next day to pick it up.  It took all of 60 seconds...since I came prepared...

Why, why, why...is this day in age would you head to the US Embassy to do passport things without having completed the forms before arriving?  Why would you show up without the appropriate pictures in hand?  Why would you be a pain in the ass the people who are a) just doing their jobs and b) can't make up for your incompetence?

I know that we see lots of this sort of behavior back home and I'm sure it happens to other nationalities as well.  I guess I just haven't experienced it in awhile or I'm getting desensitized to it since most people in Asian countries are so polite.  It'll be interesting what I see tomorrow afternoon when I head back to pick-up my passport.