A date for the prom

It's wonderful to have the visa for my Brazilian guitarist.

That big obstacle is finally out of the way.  I can now move past that blockage.  I ask for the posters and flyers to be reprinted, with the new show dates.

Excitedly, I start to tell people about the visa.  Some share my excitement, but with others, I watch as a shadow of disbelief crosses their face.

"I didn't think you'd ever get it".

"Met him on Facebook?  Really?"

I'm like the teenage girl who tells her friends she has a boyfriend, but they have never seen him and don't think he exists.  She insists that he will accompany her to the school formal, but they have their doubts.

It is true.  He is coming to Australia.  He tells me he is creating some special musical arrangements that he thinks I will like.  My travel agent is finding a hotel room for him.

A couple of weeks before Christmas, the Brazilian language school has an end of year party, outdoors at the primary school where our lessons are held.  We have all been asked to write a poem, and now we are to read it aloud on video.  I've written one that would go inside a graduation card.

I get to my feet and record my piece in one single take.  The teacher looks a bit surprised.  She listens to the recording, and declares my pronunciation to be good.

Later, they ask me to sing something.  Someone has printed out the Portuguese words to A Felicidade (Happiness).  I've never performed this song, but I want to include it in the show, so this is a good chance to give it a run, even though I don't have a backing track.

After a couple of false starts, I manage to sing it right through to the end.  I've sung along to recordings of this song many times, and have worked on it at home.  I have a general idea of its meaning, but now as I sing, words and phrases snap into focus.  I'm understanding the lyrics.

This past year has provided a great opportunity to learn the language in a logical way.

I'm really happy with my progress.  When I started a year ago, I could not recognise any words on the page.  I could not understand any of the spoken language.  And while I'm not yet conversing very easily, I think that will come soon.

I'm very excited about the show, but first it will be nice to have a few weeks' holiday, to gather energy for the big event.

My date will be there with me.  You'll see.

Best Christmas present

12th December.  Still no visa for the Brazilian guitarist.

They've had our completed application for nearly three months.  What on earth can they be doing with it?

As time drags on, I begin to assume that no news is good news.  Each day that I don't hear of a problem should take us nearer to success.  But it would be nice to know what progress is being made.

I email the Immigration case manager once again, this time beseechingly.  I need to promote the show, which is in two months.  I must print posters, and most printers close for two weeks at Christmas.  We will lose a lot of promotion time.  Does he think we will get a visa soon?

Half an hour later, we have a visa.  An email arrives, attaching notification of my successful Nomination Application.  The visa grant has been sent to his migration agent in Brazil.

At my desk, I breathe a long sigh of relief.  I had imagined shouting this news from the rooftops; immediately telling everyone I know.  But who could be as excited about this as I am?  Plus I can hardly believe it's true.  Better tread carefully.  I contact Eneias the guitarist to tell him the good news, and that he should contact his agent to get the formal notification.

We exchange a few messages, expressing our happiness and relief.

That night I receive an email from his migration agent, confirming the grant of the visa.

So it's really true.  Now we can work on the show.

I began this Entertainment Visa process in March, after cancelling the show because a tourist visa would not permit him to come to Australia to perform.  It has tested my skills, my patience and my resolve.

But at last my perseverence has paid off.

Nine months.  It's been a bit like hatching a baby.

This is the best Christmas present I could wish for this year.

Somewhere over the rainbow...

In mid-November, I send an email to Australian Immigration.  They've had our visa application for two months.  I politely inquire: are you able to offer any indication of when we can expect a decision?  My case manager writes that the application could possibly be finalised in the first week of December.  "Thank you for your patience", he adds.  He is always responsive and courteous.

I forward this email to the Brazilian guitarist and his migration agent, to give them a bit of encouragement.  I want to make sure he keeps the dates free, and doesn't assume that it's all too hard.

And now it is the first week of December.  Every day I check my email feverishly and frequently, sometimes keying the letters "ENT" into the search box to check that I haven't somehow missed an email from EntertainmentVisas.  Each morning I awake with the thought "This could be the day".  As the day progresses, I conclude "Not today, I guess".  But at home in the evenings I check email again, in case the notification has been sent to the agent in Brazil and forwarded to me in their time zone.

Friday afternoon passes.  Not this week, I guess.

6 December.  All I can do is hope that there will be good news next week.

The show is in mid-February, but I can't do any publicity for it, until I know for sure that he is coming.

I've booked the venues and his flights.  If I wait for the visa to come through, I might not be able to get the dates for which the visa is granted.  What a nightmare that would be.

The man from the Fringe Festival contacts me, reassuring me "Not to worry", as he is still waiting on 100 visas for foreign artists.  This is the irony.  The Fringe Festival can act as Sponsor for visiting artists, and will arrange their visas.  However sponsorship wasn't the difficult bit - my application was approved straight away.  The hard part has been assembling all the documentation and contending with a language barrier.

They've had our application for nearly three months.  That's the length of time indicated on the Australian Immigration web site, although I never believed it could take so long.

This surely is the longest wait of my life.  I am powerless to accelerate or influence the process in any way.

All I can do is wait.