US visa
Mrs Julie A. Eadeh
Consul general
US Consulate, Istanbul
January 21, 2024
Subject: US visa
Dear Consul General,
Once upon a time, the American Consulate was located in a building next to Pera Palace in Beyoğlu. I went to the consulate building. I knocked on the door. Someone opened the door and took me to the visa section. The officer in the visa section took my passport and said, “Come back tomorrow.” The next day I went, and my visa was issued. It was like a dream. I wonder if I remember it wrong?
I knocked on the door of the consulate. Someone opened the door. I went through a small, stone-paved garden. The young officer in the visa section took my passport and said, “Come back tomorrow.” That’s all. No phone, no appointment, no visa form, no visa fee. The next day, a visa worthy of the glory of America, a visa without a time limit, a visa for life.
I never used this visa. Later I went to America with a 10-year visa. On my first visit, they didn’t ask me anything, they just looked at the visa page. On my second visit, they asked for a hotel reservation. On my third visit, they asked me everything. What is the purpose of your arrival, why did you come. How long will you stay. Have you been here before. How long did you stay on your first visit… I can’t keep up with the questions, one is asking before the other is finished.
I said “one minute” to the police. I had my book in my bag. I took out the book, showed my name on the cover. There is a photo of me with astronaut James Irwin in the book. I opened that page and said, “This is astronaut James Irwin and this is me.”
Do you know astronaut James Irwin?
He said he didn’t know, jumped up from his chair, and backed away.
A dark-skinned, short man, probably of Indian origin. He returned to his seat, didn’t ask or say anything else, stamped the entry stamp on my passport and gave it to me.
When I went outside, my suitcase was the only one on the conveyor belt where the suitcases came (I didn’t have to bother looking for my suitcase).
Abraham Lincoln says I make enemies into friends. The hawks of America declare friends as enemies.
What is the new status you are talking about? Could it be positive? Let me come for a meeting.
Sincerely,
Mustafa Bilgili
Note.
I am sending you one of my books. The title of the page 216 of the book is A Voice from the Unknown. This is the story of James Irwin. A short story.
Steven Spielberg came to mind last. I wrote to his agency. Could the life of an astronaut who heard a voice on the moon and searched for Noah’s Ark on Mount Ararat for 10 years be a movie? I don’t think such a thing would work with writing, we need to meet face to face.
It is said that it costs 100 million dollars to make a replica of Noah’s Ark. If I have an address in America, maybe I can find a sponsor. I don’t know what to do or how to do it.
The right guide is Astronaut James Benson Irwin. Period.
