Waiting In-Between Systems

Letters on the Road No. 34 — In-person visa extension at the Immigration Offices in Battaramulla, Colombo, Sri Lanka

The immigration office in Battaramulla is confusing from the moment you walk in. There’s a big room for visas on the third floor, with numerous offices and different areas, but nothing is really clear. People stand in one line, then leave it, then try another one. Some ask questions, some don’t. You just see movement all the time. Voices, names being called, people going back and forth. You look around and you’re not sure what you’re supposed to do.

The moment I thought everything was solved online

I applied online for a visa extension, but didn’t receive any answer. My visa expired two days ago, so I had to come back to Colombo and extend it in person. I’ve been waiting for a few hours already for my passport with the new visa. At some point, an officer calls my name. I go with a smile on my face to receive my passport.

— You have to go and pay for the visa, the officer tells me, and doesn’t give me the passport.

— But I have already paid, I reply, confused. Look!, and I show him the copy of my payment. I gave you the original one hour ago.

— Ah, ok, says the officer while looking at it, and takes the passport back again.

I step aside. I wait again. One more hour.

Sitting there, I reflect on how this whole trip through Sri Lanka has been going. I wanted to travel slowly through the island, as usual. At least, that was the original plan. I even booked my flight out later, thinking I would just extend the visa online. But that didn’t happen, and I had to change everything. Move faster. Stay less in places. Keep an eye on the days in the calendar all the time. Still, I didn’t want to give up the places that mattered to me. So I kept those and adjusted the rest.

The result — after hours of waiting and going back and forth

Travel always brings new challenges along the way. Things don’t go as planned, even if you think you’ve figured it out before. You can’t really control all of it. Something always shows up. A rule, a delay, something you didn’t think about. What matters is being able to adjust and not get stuck. To find solutions along the way and try a new strategy each time. Know what you want, what’s less important and what’s a non-negotiable for you.

When things don’t go as planned, unpredictable situations don’t require perfect plans. They require the ability to adapt, adjust, and keep moving forward without losing what is essential.