Authenticism

The day I learned of my naturalization was four days after it had actually happened. (I suspect sloth on the part of the Bureau of Legal Affairs guy in charge of my case. I could be wrong.) It was also two days before I was scheduled to leave on a trip to Indonesia to perform a mock FDA inspection of a medical device factory. Becoming a citizen was very good news. It also meant that I was a citizen without a passport. That meant I could not legally leave the country. I had to cancel the trip. Expensive airfares and hotel fees went to waste. I promised the client that I’d go as soon as possible, paying my own expenses to make up for the wasted ones. I got my passport quickly. Two weeks, three max, after applying for it. I am impressed with the Tachikawa passport office at the very least. Great service and efficiency. With that, the trip happened a month later than planned, this past week.As always, it was exhilarating to be in a new-to-me country. I had notions of exploration. Of…