After many calls to the South African consulate between yesterday and today, I finally got through to a real person and not just another voicemail. My study permit application is still under review but should be approved and mailed out Friday, meaning I'll receive it Monday. I leave Wednesday.
Moral of the story is that if you're planning on studying abroad during the spring semester, get your visa application in before the holidays (Christmas, New Years, even Thanksgiving if possible). Trust me, you'll prevent yourself from a few sleepless nights, many phone calls (I now have the number to the New York consulate memorized) and many many many unnecessary tears.
*UPDATE 1/24/13: MY VISA ARRIVED TODAY!!! Either someone didn't update my information in the consulate's computer or my many phone calls caused the person who was processing my application to go into overdrive and ship it out yesterday afternoon. Either way, I'm over the moon. Also after talking to Devin from SIT I found out that the consulate has been processing visas not in the order that they come in, but in the order that the applicants depart for South Africa. How frustrating. I fortunately wasn't alone in my visa stress as four other girls in my program received their study permits today too.
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