Passport Please ...

For nearly 8 years, I have lived with an amended passport; my married name typed neatly inside the back cover.

This has caused countless headaches whenever and wherever we travel. Even though the US government made the amendment, it looks like I did it myself.

Supervisors have to be called over. Extra time is spent verifying it - I'm the one that tries to check in for her flight and suddenly stops the line from moving for the next half hour. Sometimes people say they understand, but it turns out they don't, and then they tell me with grave certainty that they can't find any reservation under Downing (my maiden name). And then the process begins again.

So today marks the day that all the confusion and uncertainty all comes to an end. Today I have a new passport. The picture is hilarious. I was wearing a tube top on the day it was taken, so it looks like I'm wearing, well, nothing (a little eye candy for passport control).

But I also find myself a little sad. My old passport now has holes punched through it, making the UK resident permit and Swiss resident permit inside no longer valid (it's not like I'm going back to either place anytime soon, but it was sure nice to have them in there - you know, just in case). My old passport will now sit and collect dust, while the new, shiny passport awaits a Chinese resident stamp. I won't forget the times we had, old passport.

(Whoa, I need some sleep, I just realized I'm talking to my passports)