AutoVisa

There are around 10,000 students at the University of Kara. The campus is roughly the size of the College of St. Benedict (where there are 4,000 students who split time between SJU and CSB). Class sizes generally fill an auditorium (500+), and that goes for each of the 4 grades (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Terminal). Tuition is 25,000 CFA = $50 or a tank of gas for a Suburban. At around 6h30 there is a flood of students of all ages walking to school. At the university it is the same situation as the overcrowded public schools. If you come early you’ll get a seat, if you’re late – it’s going to be a long day. For those students who have money, they can leave later and take a moto to School. Those with a little less money can cram (and I mean cram, think of a Tokyo subway picture) into one of the 7 university busses that pick up students as far as 20 km away. And for those with even less money…as mom would put it, “that’s why God gave you legs.”

Of the 10,000+ university students in Kara, all are placed in a lottery system for an Automatic Visa to the United States. Of them, a small percentage is chosen for an interview at the embassy and of those, the ones who are deemed worthy are placed into yet another lottery. When all is said and done, 5 are selected. Christian’s sister Judith happened to be one of them. She leaves sometime around the new year and is going to Washington DC. She told me that she wanted to see snow while she was in the United States. I told her to wear about 5 coats when she gets off the plane because chances are good that it’ll be on the ground by the time she lands. I am sure there is a perfectly good explanation as to why the AutoVisa begins with the new year, but it must be good if they are they are throwing students, who have never seen a day below 50, into the dead of winter on the Patomac.