The Red Tape

This past week has been quite challenging from the Red Tape perspective.  I thought going around the world would throw up a few nuggets to work with, but i haven't even left yet and i seem to be drowning in them.  For starters, my current UK visa expired in October, so i submitted my application to have it extended until my departure date 1 March 2010.  I was kind of hoping that it would take as long as it did last year, but they seem to be a bit more organised this year, and so last week i received their decision to deny me a visa.  So, my options at the moment are to either appeal their decision or to fly back to SA and apply for all my travel visas from there, because at the moment the likelihood of other embassy's granting me a visa are looking pretty slim...
This has brought up a lot of emotion for me, as you can imagine, and a great opportunity to practice remaining still amongst the chaos.  As i say, i am still practicing!
Oh, and in amongst all that is going on i am meant to be writing case studies as well as a dissertation, oh, and i am leaving my job... and moving... Breathe!!
And on some level, i have brought this upon myself... why?  I suppose somehow i didn't expect the level of unreasonableness that i am currently facing, can't they just see that i really just want to take a year out and see the world - that is it, no strings, really!!  I think what most frustrates me is the lack of trust, and i find myself feeling like a criminal when i have done nothing wrong.
Those sunny shores of South Africa are seeming all the more welcoming at the moment...