WOES OF CARRYING A THIRD WORLD PASSPORT

I found a roundtrip Manila-Sydney flight for less than SGD200. It would’ve been perfect coz I’m taking the whole May off and I’ve got nothing scheduled for the last week, but, I carry a third world passport which requires me to get an Australian visa. It would’ve been fine if I had all the time in the world to leave my passport at the embassy (side note: to be honest, getting visas in Singapore is so much more faster so I shouldn’t be complaining) but the thing is, I don’t have enough time, even if it’s “just” 10 working days. I saw the promo on the 15th, first interview schedule is on the 17th, I’m leaving Singapore on the 30th. Getting it after my NY trip is not an option because I’ll be flying to Manila shortly after, and visa processing in Manila, according to their website, takes 30 days. So yes, I’m not going to Australia even if the fare was really really really cheap and it perfectly fits my schedule.

For a time, I thought that regardless of where you’re from, certain countries require mandatory visas for all travellers. Turns out it pretty much depends on your country’s status and alliances. Didn’t really put further thought into it because hey, how different can it be? Having stayed in Singapore for almost 3 years, however, opened my eyes on what I’ve been missing out. Spontaneous trips? Sudden, time-limited promotions? No problem! Aside from being able to grab opportunities without thinking, they also save themselves time and energy from filling up forms, queuing, going for interviews; not to mention save money on visa fees. Carrying a third world passport sucks!!!

I was almost sulking because of losing out on a real good deal but then I realized, third world passport or not, I was fussing over #firstworldproblems. You can’t take up the SGD170 fare because your visa will not arrive before your NY trip? Boo-freakin’-hoo. You’re lucky that not only do you have a passport, you have means to travel, and you actually do travel! If you don’t see that as being  #blessed, then you’re a gone case, Regina.

The biggest woe of carrying a third world passport lies not in the requirements for travel but in the mentality that the so-called “hassle” breeds. The problem arises from entitlement and thinking that you deserve more, and this normally begins when you start comparing. Yes, you can be better and you can do better, but if you feel that the world owes you the comforts and luxury, you’ll never get better.

Instead of thinking that you’re on the losing end of the spectrum, see it for what it really is – that you’re actually in the normal slash base zone of the situation and those that are having it better are just that, having it better. These inconveniences weren’t imposed because of our passport, it’s SOP. It’s just that other nations have leveraged their passports to get less hassles when entering certain countries. Rather than seeing first world passports as the standard and your passport as substandard, place it in a wider context and realize that it actually falls on the average and there are those that are above and below average. You’re not doing worse, you’re doing okay. You can find ways to “add power” (multiple entry visas, baby!) to it, and you can even change your citizenship, but unless you stop wallowing over what you don’t have (there’s always gonna be something! Even non-ASEANs need to apply visa for most ASEAN countries), you will never appreciate what you have, and quite frankly, you will never be happy.

Here’s to finding the good in the bigger picture and learning to appreciate the silver linings. Blessed are the optimists, their glass will be forever half-full. 😛