Intelligence Has Departed

(I was born in Singapore but grew up in Australia and became a citizen. I fly to Singapore for a holiday and I am getting my passport checked out. In Australia, you don’t require a departure stamp in your Australian passport; instead, it has a chip that gets scanned. I did not know this at the time.)

Me: *walks up to the booth* “Hello.”

Clerk #1: *says nothing and starts looking through my passport* “Where is your stamp?”

Me: “Sorry?”

Clerk #1: “Were you born here?”

Me: “Yes, but I—”

Clerk #1: “Then where is the departure stamp? You’re supposed to have a departure stamp”

Me: “… I don’t know?”

Clerk #1: “You’re Asian right? Why don’t you have a departure stamp in your passport?”

Me: “What does that have anything to do—”

Clerk #1: “Why is there no stamp?”

(At this point, another clerk walks over, looks at my passport and notices the problem.)

Clerk #2: “[Clerk #1], in Australia, they don’t have departure stamps. They just scan because there’s a chip.”

Clerk #1: “But she’s Asian! She’s supposed to have a departure stamp when she comes back to Singapore!”

Me: “But I’m from Australia! My passport is Australian! It’s blue, not red!”

Clerk #2: “She doesn’t NEED one! Just stamp her in and let her through!” *walks away*

(Clerk #1 groans and stamps my card and slams it on the counter without saying anything.)

Me: “Am I okay to go now?”

Clerk #1: *throws his hands up and snaps at me* “What more do you want me to do?!”

Me: *losing my patience and yelling* “Well you could’ve F****** TOLD ME you were F****** DONE!”