Analysis to the story "The American Embassy" from the book "The thing around your neck"

This story is about a lady in the line to apply for an American visa, trying to get political asylum in USA because her husband was a Nigerian journalist who apparently the government was looking for to take him to the jail due to his denounces in the newspaper where he was working. 

Basically the story was developed outside the American Embassy in Lagos (Nigeria) under a strong sunny and hot day and the narrator says all the details about the atmosphere around, what is happening with people outside in a regular day and what is happening in the line with the main character and someone else who is behind trying to have a conversation and giving some advice about how to talk with the person who gives the visas, but this woman has a lot of things on her mind, like the persecution of her husband, the death of her son and how to be safe after some violent circunstances.

There are four main characters in this story: Ugonna (son), husband: who had to run away out of the country, the man in the line: a talkative person who talks all the time and is being persistent even knowing that the women is showing attitude and the main character: a worried woman looking for protection but without proofs. 

This story reminds me of the situation of many people around the world, specially those who live in poor countries and want to try to have a better life as inmigrants traveling to America, “the country of the opportunities”.

In this case, the character was not looking for a better life but she was looking for political protection... of course, she had a lot of things against her, like being black and probably her culture. I guess many of us have applied for visas and everybody maybe feel the same uncertainty about if they will be approved or not, she was having that feeling and you as a reader can understand it. Although the end was a bit confusing to me, I could make the comparison about that story and our reality as Colombians and immigrants in general and how the press and journalists all over the world are pursued to be banned. 

As a Colombian who visited the embassy one day, I can say: I know how disconcerted she was in that line! I understand perfectly her feeling. 

I liked the story because I could see reflected some of realities, because it shows me that others have a life more difficult than us but we thought all the time that our problems are serious and  it is not really like that.