Brazil visa

The best visa interview ever.........  The Brazil consulate in SF is awesome.  Very colorful and very pleasant people working at the consulate.  I had completed the online application form and was prepared with every document possible.  The consular officer did not ask me for  anything more than what they had advertised for on their website!!! how often does that happen??? The consular officers were having a strike when I submitted my passport. So it took 5 extra days for them to complete the process.

Crazy incident when trying to get the visa back. I landed there at 3pm and the consulate was closed.  Found this other lady who was screaming and yelling that she needed her passport back as she was leaving for Brazil the next day.  The consulate was closed the next day, as it was their independence day. Somebody generously offered to look into the passports.  They opened the door and took our receipts and went inside to look for our passports(it was now 3.10pm...beyond their closing time).

Next  thing I know, this lady turns to me and starts dissing the Brazilian consulate!!! complaining about their work ethic, blah blah blah.  It doesn't stop there.  Now she is dissing Rio and how she does not want to go there and she is going only because her class is going there.  She does not feel safe going there etc. etc..  This is freaking me out on the inside.  Woman... did you not read on their website that aggressive behavior at the consulate can get your visa app revoked??? I, in no way want to be a part of this drama. I calmly reply to her that I live in Oakland, and have had my car broken into a few times, and that traveling has its own risks, and we all do it knowing about these risks. The funny thing was, she was doing it right in front of the intercom where anyone on the other side could have easily heard her.   Anyway, they could not get our passports back(the passport people had left for the day)  and returned our receipts. I thanked them for the effort, and picked up my receipt.  As I was walking back, I heard the consulate officer threatening to call the police if the lady did not calm down....

Nicole picked up the passport for me the following week....