New Passport

I spent all day today at the US Embassy applying for a renewal on my passport. It's a huge concrete and glass mega structure that could easily house several smaller countries inside and it's laid out in a vast labyrinth of security checkpoints and windows and lines. I found it a bit odd that all of the security was done by Chinese nationals as well as most of the secretarial work. I gave my application and the application fee to two very nice Chinese ladies. (for the added touch of home, the workers spoke heavily accented English)

The only American I talked to who worked there was the one who told me that my passport would be ready in seventotenbusinessdayspickupatwindowfourthankyouNEXT!