Page 5 - Panama Review

“THE AGONY OF DEFEAT”
We are next up to the counter to check in. My wife steps up first with passport in hand. She hands the Air France counter representative her credentials. A very friendly and affable representative, the young lady greeted us with a smile. She began typing into her terminal with her gaze fixated on the task at hand. Several minutes went by before she asked my wife if she had a Green Card. My wife said yes. My wife retrieves the card from her Jimmy Hoffa purse (I believe Jimmy Hoffa is buried in there she has so much stuff in there). The attendant looks at the Green Card and says, “Oh, your from Jamaica.” My wife said yes I am. The attendant returns to her terminal where now she is frantically typing and searching for information. Right away, my wife and I look at each other and began to wonder what in the hell is going on. Honestly, I must admit that for a split second I started thinking about Donald Trump and his travel bands. Had he added Jamaica to the list? By that time, the attendant says she will return shortly. Two minutes later, she returns with a supervisor. The supervisor introduces herself and begins to look at the computer terminal and agrees with the conclusion that the attendant had discovered. My wife was not eligible to travel to Spain on her Jamaican Visa without permission from the Spanish Embassy. Our hearts dropped into our shoes. Words to express the level of disappointment we experienced at the point could not be found or uttered.
Ten minutes later, after the supervisor explained our options, which included contacting the Spanish Embassy in Los Angeles, receiving a credit for the airfare, or committing suicide (no, not really), we found ourselves sitting in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, in stunned disbelief. Through all of our research, nothing mentioned or stated that special dispensation was needed from certain countries to enter Spain and other countries in Europe. The visa is called the “Schengen Visa.” So, word to the wise, and fat kids eating in Twinkie factories, if you are not from the United States or have a visa from the United States and you want to travel to Europe, check to make sure that you do not need a Schengen Visa. We were so low we could play handball against the airport curb.
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