Border Control

FYI - I wrote this about a week ago when it happened but am now just posting it. So it sounds like it happened today but it didn't. Just letting you know.

Today was a travel day over to the UK because I will be playing in the 10k that is being held in Bath. So I took a flight from Amsterdam to Bristol and when I got to customs I thought they weren’t going to let me in. For starters, I was last in line for those people without a UK/EU passport. Then I get to the counter and hand the officer my passport and flight information. He looks at it, and then asks me why I am coming to England. I say I’m here for a tennis tournament and that’s when it all does downhill. Well let me just say this, I always get nervous while at a customs/immigration counter. The whole man/woman sitting in the little box, no smiles, no hello, no welcome, just an evil stare like they either hate their job or simply just want to intimidate the heck out of you. That really gets my heart pumping and palms sweating. Not sure why. It’s like when your teacher calls you up to their desk and the whole time you’re walking up there you’re thinking of all the things you could have done that might get you into trouble, even though you really didn’t do anything wrong. You just assume the worst. Well that’s the feeling I get walking up to the officer. And no enthusiastic smile and hello on my part will lighten up the mood. I should just have the "Cold As Ice" song by Foreigner playing in my head from here on out when going through customs. But anyway I say I’m here for tennis. He says as pro or amateur? Pro. Where are you coming from? Amsterdam. Why are you there? Training. What city? Apeldoorn. Have you been to England before? Yes. When? November. How long did you stay? Two weeks. Where are you going during this stay? Bath. For how long? 1 week. (At this point I thought to myself if you just read my information I wrote on the customs declaration form we could bypass all this small talk but no, that’s not how it works.) Then he repeats a few questions and I can start to feel my face get hot and probably red like I’m lying to him, but I’m not. Then he asks to see my return ticket but I don’t have one because I wanted to take the train back. Then he asks how I am paying for my stay as well as how much money I have on me. So I tell him however much I had, and now I think I’m going to have to pay for my ticket back to Amsterdam because I am not getting through customs. Oh and I forgot, all of my answers he was writing down on a piece of paper causing more anxiety. I was also the only passenger left in the border control room, and the questioning at the counter went on for about 20 minutes it seemed like. Then he says he has to talk to his colleague so I have to take a seat. I sit there for another 10 minutes until his colleague comes up to me and asks me more of the same questions. Is this a pro tournament? Yes, or you can sign in as an amateur. Are you a pro? Yes. Will you take money? I first thought I won’t take the money if I can just get out of here, but I said yes. How much money is involved? 10,000 US dollars, but the winner gets about $1,000. The 10,000 is spread throughout, so 1^st round loss is like 20 bucks. I told her this isn’t Wimbledon, it’s a measly little 10k, the bottom of the barrel. She said ok and walked away. Now I’m panicking, I think I’m in trouble. I’ve seen the TV show Border Control and when multiple officers are involved it is never a good sign. A few more minutes go by am I’m still the only one in this big room, waiting and waiting. I’m trying to keep calm, thinking I’m no terrorist, maybe because I came from Amsterdam that put up a red flag. But I thought I’m an American for goodness sake, England’s greatest ally, and partner in crime. Just let me in! Another 5 minutes pass and the man comes back, motions me up to him and says I can go. No thank you, no enjoy your stay, no nothing. So I quickly took my papers and passport and left before he could change his mind. Then I was free. But that was an extremely nerve-racking experience, and I hope I never have that experience again. But I made it to Bath in one piece and I’m far from that customs officer so I couldn’t be happier. Now to play some tennis!