Passport Process for Willow

Monday morning Steph and I left before 8:00 to get to Izcuchaca when RENIEC opened. That’s where we have to get Willow’s ID card, her DNI.

I dropped Steph off near the building then took the truck to find a parking space, not an easy feat. While walking over, Steph called me to say we cannot enter without plastic face shields; ours were back in the truck. I do not know how many of those things we’ve purchased over the past year, but now we have two more.

They didn’t want to let me in, but I thought we both had to sign, so they let me pass. Turns out, only the mom needs to sign, but I was glad to be there outside the office door because Steph was struggling to understand what they were asking her. I shouted translations at her from the doorway.

The man wanted a photocopy of Steph’s carnet. I ran to do that, grabbing the truck on the way back because that was supposed to be the last thing we needed. Surprisingly, it wasn’t.

We had brought along a photo for the DNI as required, but the man didn’t like it because the baby’s shoulders weren’t turned completely straight toward the camera. So, Steph took the baby to get another photo taken while I found another place to park the truck.

I was just beginning to feel anxious about the time because it was nearly 9:00, and we had an appointment at 11:00 at the Embassy office in Cusco for Willow’s U.S. passport. The Consular had told me that there were no other appointments open until August, so I really didn’t want to miss this one.

But, hallelujah, Steph finally came out. Success! The DNI process is complete. We will need to wait a few weeks before we can get the physical card, which we will need to get Willow’s Peruvian passport.

We drove up to the plaza to make some photocopies of various documents needed for the U.S. passport, then we were on the way to Cusco. We parked at a nearby garage around 10:30, and found a street bench to finish filling out the forms.

The U.S. process was a breeze. Everything clicked into place without a hitch, and we didn’t even have to wear plastic face shields! The only hiccup was that the photo was too small as it was cut to Peruvian passport size. That was my fault.

But the Consular said it was no problem. She would enter the paperwork as complete, we could pay, it would be in the system, then we could get another photo and drop it off later.

That’s what we did. We walked a block away, got a photo–Willow puked violently at the first snap of the camera–then I dropped off the photo while Steph went back to the truck to change the baby’s diaper.

We were near the post office, so I checked for mail. Sorry, Ang, but your package is still out in the great wide yonder. However, we had a box from some friends from Canada that we met through the blog.

We couldn’t open it until we got home, so we quickly got lunch and some things from the supermercado, and we headed home. That is the first time in a long time that I made it back from Cusco before dark.

We are rejoicing greatly to have these steps of Willow’s process done. We cannot buy tickets for our trip to the States until Willow’s passport is actually in hand, but now we know it’s at least getting worked on. The Consular said she was going to look into speeding it up, if possible.

It felt perfectly timed to have a package to open. What a celebration! Thank you, Jason and Monique and family. May God bless you for sharing.

The children were thrilled to find candy, especially the gum, but the scented markers were a big hit, too. China and I made a game out of trying to guess the scents, but my ability to smell has not yet gotten back to normal since Covid. I lost spectacularly.

The girls thought the little dresses for Willow from Monique were just too cute. They can’t wait to try them on her. Steph thought the hairbrush was the best thing in the box and claimed it as her own on the spot. Each little thoughtful gift will be appreciated.

Caleb and Belinda are also waiting on their little girl’s passport. They sent off the form and are now expecting the passport to come in the mail. Won’t they be in for an adventure when we start paperwork for their carnets once they get here! 😁