MeaganClem.com

Visa update, because you may or may not have heard, and I need prayers:

It’s very stupid, really. How did I, Meagan from Hiawassee, get stuck between the Thai Embassy and the CDC? It’s quite simple and quite absurd, really. There is a rule that if you are going from a country with yellow fever to Thailand (or anywhere else, really) that you must have the yellow fever vaccine. I went to Peru a year ago, and there’s yellow fever in their jungles. I went to the desert though, which is why I don’t have the shot. I’m not going from Peru though, I’m going from America, so according to the CDC (the freaking epicenter of the world’s medicine), I’m fine and healthy. The Thai Embassy, however, has decided that I need one anyway, since I’ve been to Peru since 1991. There’s no lying about this; it’s on my passport. So, I must get the shot right? It comes with this yellow certificate that has stamps on it and says something like International Yellow Fever Clearance or something. No problem, right? It’s just expensive ($80-$300). So I go to the GT health center to get one ($150). They tell me that it must be prescribed by the doctor to get it. Before that, however, they got all mad that I did not make an immunization appointment weeks ago about this. Well, seeing as I just found out the day before that the Thai Embassy is making up their own rules, what was I supposed to do? So they’re upset about it until they look at their forms and realize that I’ve had every vaccine on their list for Thailand, and that Yellow Fever isn’t on there. At this point they think I’m crazy. The doctor is on his way when the CDC calls and says that I should not be given the vaccine because of potential side effects and that the Embassy has their information wrong, is being ridiculous and knows nothing about medicine, and needs to accept a waiver. So we get the Embassy on the phone and they will not accept a waiver. At this point the doctors and nurses realize what a mess I am in and that I did not cause it. The nurses are like ‘what the hell?!?” and I’m in tears after 2 hours of this. 2 hours! Ask Kerry if you don’t believe me. We try everything we can with the embassy and they just won’t budge. The doctors are saying that it’s a bad idea to just give me the vaccine because some embassy says so, and that they’re the medical experts, not the embassy. “This is not black and white” they say, “this is grey and the embassy is refusing to think in anything but black and white. You can’t do that with medicine.” Well, great. Of course, no one will just stamp to form and fake that I got the vaccine, either (even though the nurse begged the doctor to do it). Furthermore, it is impossible to get the consulate on the phone. She’s a lawyer in Atlanta, and very busy.
So the summary? I can’t get the shot because doctors won’t give me something I don’t actually “need,” especially when the CDC tells them not to. The CDC wants the Embassy to change their mind, but they won’t. So, until someone gives me a shot or the embassy changes their mind, I won’t have a visa.

Can I just get to Thailand and apply for a student visa later, you ask? No. They’ll scan my passport upon entry, see “Peru” and ask to see my non-existant yellow fever card. According to the embassy in Washington, whom I’ve already called, they won’t admit me without it. It’s like freaking Terminal.

I “leave” for Thailand in 15 days. I don’t have time for this crap.

In other news:

Today at church the pastor said “we have to stop treating Jesus like the big Google in the sky. What do I do? I’m so worried! I don’t know, Jesus it.” He was discussing worry and trust. Of the few people that found that reference funny, I laughed SO loud.

Yesterday was Road Atlanta. I only stayed for a few hours because I was so worn out from this week’s “activities.” It was great though, and pictures are posted on my Flickr page.

Here are some highlights:

The Maserati Driving Experience - $3,000 for the weekend… bored rich people…

The interior of the Maserati

The racetrack

Chris’s Dad’s red Camaro

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