There is something very American/Patriotic about having a Passport. I just decided this as I was asking my sister today if one was needed to get into Mexico (not needed until the first of the year apparently). I am traveling to Mexico over Christmas (via San Diego) and it made me want to come home and dig around for my Passport. Well, the digging wasn’t all that hard – there was my passport, along with two expired ones (where is the third?), in the “travel” pouch of my accordion file. That was a good place to put it! The question was… had it expired yet? I didn’t think so – nope, a quick glance told me I have two more years! I had to chuckle at the photo – it doesn’t look anything like me – totally short hair! Why am I smiling? Isn’t any kind of photo ID supposed to be of you scowling or frowning?
Anyway, it just made me think about when I got my first passport. I was 11 and we were headed off as a family to go live in Egypt for a few years. That first one is the missing expired passport – must be in my box of “treasures”… that one is full of cool stamps from England, Greece, Italy, Cypress, Egypt (duh), Israel, Germany, and Switzerland.
I got my second passport before the German exchange program in High School – again with the smiling! Not to mention the spiked hair (refer to Junior year photo my fellow highschoolers)! No, the rat tail was not showing (but suddenly I feel like posting new old photos!)… that passport only has a Visa from Hamburg that allowed me to go to Egypt and then stamps from Egypt. The whole “Mom I want to go on the German exchange program” action was solely to return to Egypt to see my friends and x- boyfriend (Gus was recently found on our very own myspace!). How’s this for weird – I didn’t speak much German (so I thought) in Germany but when I went to visit Egypt, I tried to remember my Arabic and all that kept coming to me was German! Weird!
The next passport was from the married days – the only thing in that one is a stamp from the Bahamas (the “honeymoon”). I was all Grunged out with my flannel shirt – and this time a fake closed-mouth smile. Hmm…
My current passport is stampless – I need to focus!
Rosarito, Mexico here I come!!
