Are you, or have you ever been...

So then back to London, to the US Embassy on Monday, and down again the following day for what was ostensibly the purpose of my trip, to go the the Japanese Embassy to interview for the Monbusho scholarship.

The US Embassy in London is in very classy surroundings just off Grosvenor Square. It's a large if undistinguished building, somewhat redolent of 60s style architecture (the kind that, if rumour is to be believed, inspired one of my friends' fathers to write a book entitled Kiss my Arch). To my surprise, while guarded by armed police (and for USAians, I should point out that when UK police are armed, they don't mess around with poncy handguns like American cops - see above), it was nowhere near as heavily fortified as was the US Embassy in Tokyo. Mostly it was cordoned off by the same sort of barriers that construction sites use to keep people out, and several concrete blocks likely designed (somewhat presciently, as it turned out) to prevent car bombs.

Security was very tight, as one would expect, but once inside there is little to do but wait. The drill is much the same as it was in Tokyo - you are given a number and called up twice, firstly to ensure that all your documents are in order, and then again around an hour later to have your actual consular interview.

I'm pretty sure that this isn't how it's meant to be, but the second interview was shorter than the first. It went like this, and was over in less than 30 seconds:

Consular Guy: So, Mr. Tuck, what are you studying at Columbia?
Me: Modern Japanese Literature. I've got my transcript here if you want to see it...
CG: No, you're in grad school, it's going to be all As anyway.
Me: Well, there's an A minus in there somewhere...
CG: Right, you're approved. Off you go.

And that was about it. The only remaining concern was, again, a matter of time - I was supposed to be flying out on the 2nd July, a Monday, and the Embassy recommends around five working days to process and return your passport, visa (which is attached to the passport) and I-20. An anxious few days could lie ahead, though the people running the courier firm desk at the Embassy seemed fairly confident it would be delivered by Friday. In the event, it was back in my possession by 9:55 a.m. on Thursday, which is frankly phenomenal. I suppose there are certain advantages to living so close to London.

I met Karen for lunch before my interview, and joined Matt and Nina for drinks and dinner that evening. All in good health and as charming as ever.