31 May 2019.
Visit to Botswana 30 April until 19 May. In the bus from Johannesburg to Gaborone in Botswan I met two ladies, one the mother of a student who I had taught, the other was an aunt of another student. We still are in touch as the ladies want to set up a pre school. Together with the student who was to stay with us this year to visit the pre schools in The Netherlands I went to the Dutch Embassy in Pretoia, South Africa, fo the visa application. In The Netherlands it had taken already a lot of time to obtain the required documents. These have been sent by email and postal service to the student. (By postal service I sent them in the middle of October 2018, according to the student they arrived in the middle of July 2019.) Due to contradictory and wrong information from our council, Dutch Ministery of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Embassy in Pretoria, I decided to take the documents with me to Botswana and, together with the student, go to the Embassy for the visa application. The usual maximum waiting time for a visa application was 15 days, which made it uncertain the visa would be ready before our journey to The Netherlands on 19 May. Luckely there was a quicker procedure taking 2 - 4 days. The documents have been handed in 6 May at 8.30 am at the Embassy. 8 May I found a missed call on my telephone from an unknown South African telephone number. When I answered it there was an announcement that the number did not exist. We would have liked to go to the Embassy, but because of the national elections all public buildings were closed. Early 9 May the student found an email on her phone from the Embassy, wich was sent 7 May at 7.02 am, to let her know that the passport was ready. But why took it such a long time to arrive? At the Customs at Schiphol Airport the student had to show the document which proved that we were financial capable to take care of her during her stay with us. Nowhere had this been mentioned and she did not have it. But she was allowed to continue her way. I still do not understand why the application for a Schengen visa by Botswanen cannot be done in the building of the EU Delegation in Botswana. The student enjoyed her visits to the pre schools.