trapped in a Kafka story

I've spent all but two mornings and early afternoons the past two weeks at the various govt offices waiting for papers to be processed and signed. What's really maddening is that it's almost never a question of them needing new information--I've filled out different variations of the same form with my contact, education info and reason for application maybe half a dozen times to be signed and stamped by different bureaucrats. Yesterday when I asked them to expedite the process the guy at the passport office said I could come before a special commission that would determine whether I could go abroad (he didn't care that I already had a letter in my ever-thickening application packet signed by the foreign ministry, police, and the passport office across town saying that I had permission), and that I should bring all pertinent documents proving that I'm studying in the US, etc. I sat waiting for over 3 hours--8:30 until noon--along with a dozen other people (though most of them showed up at 11:00, when I suspect was the actual scheduled time of the commission) for the members of the special commission to arrive. When it was my turn I went into an office where 2 men were sitting. One asked what happened to my passport. I said it got wet. And you're a resident of America? Yes. That was it. They both signed my application (which contained answers to both of those questions several times over). Then back to the guy who'd invited me to go before the special commission, who signed it again and told me I'd get the new passport in the mail in maybe 2 days. I stayed and made a loud fuss (last year when I got my passport the actual processing took 2 days and I picked it up directly from the office) until finally he said I could go to the other passport office in 3-4 and ask them for special consideration. I won't make my flight home tomorrow, who knows when they'll actually process this. Maybe I should be trying to pass bribes, but I'm never alone in an office with anyone who seemed to be in charge.