Ah yes, the glorified passport. Just to keep my procrastinator cred, I looked at the expiration date on my passport: December 4, 2011. GREAT! Tanzania requires that your passport is valid for at least six months beyond the date of your entry. There was no skirting this issue; I had to renew.
http://travel.state.gov/passport/renew/renew_833.html became my favorite website for approximately an hour. Was my last passport undamaged, issued when I was 16+ years old, issued within the last fifteen years and issued in my current name? Check, check, check and check. I felt so privileged to be able to use form DS-82.
Then there was the whole timing thing. Routine service was approximately 4 to 6 weeks. That wasn't going to work. Expedited service was 2-3 weeks, door-to-door. That would work. Of course I had to pay $60 extra dollars for the privilege. Lame. Then of course they recommend that you use overnight delivery there and back, so that was an extra $12.82. Bogus!
I sadly amassed all the requisite materials ('sadly' because I had to send back my passport, and I had a good photo and good stamps in that passport!). On Halloween (this past Monday), I visited my little town's post office and wished Bon Voyage to my package. I trust that it got there safely.
(Note: I just checked my application status online and it stated that it is currently being processed...whatever that means).
P.S.- It's a good thing that I can buy my Tanzanian visa in Tanzania. Per U.S. passport law, if my passport had been needed within 4 weeks to obtain the Tanzanian visa, I would have had to visit a Regional Passport Agency. Guess where the nearest Regional Passport Agency is located. Detroit, MI. A good ol' 174 miles from where I currently live.
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