13 ...."treat 'em mean"

Today marks the 13th anniversary of my setting foot, to remain permanently, on American soil. A few years ago, when marking my 9th year in the USA, I quoted from something on
a Brtish-Ex-Pats' forum:
"YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN IN THE USA TOO LONG WHEN......"
The relevant thread stretched over nearly 100 pages, occasionally descending into ribaldry as Brits, thrown together, are wont do. Here, again, are a round dozen fairly inoffensive examples of ideas, repeated in honour of my current USA anniversary, with updated observations from me, in italics, in square brackets.


YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN IN THE USA TOO LONG....

If you start buying into this 'freedom' crap [gets less and less likely by the day]

When British Tories look quite sensible [Still applies - though PM May is pushing it!]

If you believe USA is the 'leader of the free world' and the only place with rags-to-riches stories ["rags to riches" ? That's a joke, with many here having to choose between adequate food on the table and keeping warm during winter]

When you start to fantasise about what you could do to get deported...[or start spelling fantasise as fantasize]

When your first thought on being approached by a police officer is "don't do anything to startle him and make him shoot you" [You actually do not have to be here for long, for this thought to occur!]

When you see nothing wrong with the fact a lot of police officers are too fat to get out of their cruisers, let alone chase down a suspect. Luckily they can just shoot first and ask questions after. Not having a problem with this is also a sign you've been here too long [Yep! Still a problem.]

When you stop trying to convert $ to £ every time you buy something [I've been here too long by this yardstick!]

When your fork lives in your RIGHT hand, left hand for lefties! [Moi: the uncouth US mode is good for spaghetti only!]

When you start eating that Kosher Dill spear they serve with a sandwich, something you originally thought was repulsive [I've been here too long - the tartness of the dill detracts from the sweetness of much bread used in sandwiches in the USA]

When you think taking home over half your dinner in a to-go box is perfectly normal [If I don't eat it there, I will certainly not eat it at home!]

If you start saying "different than ..." instead of "different from ..."
[PS: on this one: not me - not ever!]

If you drive a Suburban and have a concealed weapons permit [PS: ditto].

Engraved on My Heart!

The other day, I left a brief comment at Common Dreams in response to another person's comment mentioning a British politician. The original commenter had said that he/she was not British. I expanded on what the original commenter had written, and mentioned that "I am British, UK/US dual citizen". I was then asked by original commenter "How can one be a dual citizen?" (On first reading I feel certain that "one" was "you", edited later, but cannot be certain on this). My trek through convoluted and expensive US immigration and citizenship procedures, endured over some 5 years years, meant that this comment rankled. My raised hackles might have remained at ease, had original commenter not then quoted chapter and verse of the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America: "I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;".....etc.etc.etc.

Sighing, I responded with : "UK is one of the countries where dual citizenship with US is possible. Here's an explanation from a British Ex-pats forum"...

What it comes down to is that the US naturalization oath does contain a statement of renunciation of prior allegiances. That being said, British law does not view that statement as having any effect upon British citizenship. Britain has specific defined procedures for
renouncing citizenship, and making a statement of renunciation to foreign (in this case American) officials does not meet the British definition of renunciation. So, even if one becomes a US citizen, one will still be a British citizen,

The US State Department, which is the the part of the government that is responsibile for determining whether a person is or is not a US citizen, has acknowledged that US citizens can and do hold dual
nationality, for a number of reasons (because they were born with both US and another citizenship, because they acquired another citizenship
after receiving their US citizenship, and because a person who naturalizes in the US may not lose his original citizenship.
http://travel.state.gov/travel...

So, if you become a US citizen, you will not have to do anything to hold dual nationality. You will have it simply because Britain will insist that you are still British. And Britain will have no problem with the fact that you are also a US citizen.

Details of my journey through the thorny wasteland of US immigration requirements came rushing back!

Once upon a time, my now husband (US-born) came over to stay with me in England. Initially he travelled on a tourist visa - easy enough. He returned to the US before the allowed 90 days were up. We had decided we'd like more time together, possibly to arrange to be married. This would entail his obtaining a "Fiancé Visa" in order to return to the UK for a longer period. He applied for this, and I, as his UK fiancée, had to provide evidence of my identity by sending in my original passport and/or birth certificate; and a Police Certificate, to ensure I hadn't ever been a naughty girl. He obtained the visa and entry clearance; I think it was good for a year. He then returned to England. We decided to marry, gave notice to the Registrar in the town where I then lived.

We married.

Husband had then to apply for "Further Leave to Remain" in the UK. A visit, in person, to the Immigration Office in Liverpool was required. He enjoyed our visit to the hometown of the Beatles! His passport was duly stamped with the required "Further Leave to Remain", as my husband.

I sent off my passport for surname change. On the same day, 11 May 2004, I mailed my immigration Petition, plus the many required documents, to US Embassy, London, applying for DCF I-130 (= Direct Consular Filing), which was when a US citizen Immediate Relative (spouse in this case) filed petition I-130 for their foreign family member, and the family member applied for an Immigrant Visa. I'm not certain this convoluted method still exists. This stage sounds straightforward enough, but it entailed all manner of paperwork - reams of it: photocopies, originals, reasons for this, reasons for that.........on and on and on! Oh - and a cheque, of course!

We then waited for an interview appointment at the US Embassy in London. This happened in late August, it went without a hitch, including a medical examination (of me), with chest x-ray and extra required immunisations, at a different location. We stayed in London overnight. Next morning my passport was returned to me at our hotel with the necessary Immigrant Visa attached.

I could now set house-selling in motion - something I'd been afraid to do earlier in case my petition had been thrown out or delayed for any reason.

House sold, stuff given away to charity stores, all but what could fit into two large cartons which travelled very, very slowly after us, by sea and land, to Oklahoma.

This was not the end though - far from it! Hardly mentioned thus far - the cost! It cost plenty, even up to this stage.

After two years in the USA I had to apply to be officially designated as a Permanent Legal Resident. This was the least frustrating part of the journey. As I recall it was mainly a matter of finger prints, photo, more forms, etc. and more $$$, of course.

Still not the end.

I decided to apply for US citizenship, which, as wife of a US citizen I was able to do after having spent 4 years in the USA with no significant break. This turned out to be the most frustrating exercise of all, due to a log-jam of applications at that time. A flurry applicants all no doubt trying to avoid a fee increase due shortly after. What would normally have taken a couple of months or so, took almost a year, and more $$$$! There were hiccups aplenty along the way too. My finger prints wouldn't take in sufficient clarity for the authorities, which meant that, as an alternative I was required to to obtain legal affidavits from our local sheriff and our state officials, confirming that I had not been in trouble while in the USA. I was not made aware of this requirement until the day before my citizenship interview. If it hadn't been for husband's daughter-in-law knowing someone who knew someone useful, I'd never have been able to get hold of my affidavits in time. I did, and I also passed the citizenship test easily enough.

Then - final stage - The Citizenship Ceremony in late August 2008 - described in my archived post HERE

The whole journey was an obstacle course of many stages, many hurdles, many expenses, many frustrations and anxieties. It had to be negotiated in order for me to claim my precious dual citizenship: US/UK. Queen Mary (Tudor) of England famously said that when she died, "Calais" would be found engraved on her heart. When I die they might well find "US Immigration" engraved on mine!

"Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me....."(?)

I was way out of date in my understanding of the current crop of news on the immigration situation in the USA. I was still of the mindset that the immigration problems the President, Rick Perry and some of our Oklahoma politicians have been talking about were the usual problems concerned with Mexican nationals crossing the US border illegally, then finding work and remaining, undocumented, in the USA. I was wrong on this. That's what comes of not watching TV news, ever, and eschewing local newspapers due to their heavily Republican leanings - blood pressure can only stand so much!

I'm up to date now. Husband read aloud a few lines from a piece in a local newspaper yesterday, about the facility recently set up to house around 1,100 young illegal immigrants at Fort Sill, Lawton (a half hour's drive from where we live). My response - "But I thought the flow of Mexicans coming into the US to find work had declined a lot recently - so what's happening?"

It turns out that the recent influx, of thousands of mainly young to teenage children, and some with their mothers, from South American countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador are fleeing dangerous and inhumane conditions in their homelands, and are hoping for some kind of asylum in the USA.

Reading around the net I was sickened by some commentary on this issue. It seems a good proportion of our God-fearing, church-going, US-loving citizens would rather kick out these kids, no questions asked, no aid provided. Yeah, these Americans love the unborn fetus so much it hurts, yet once a child is out in the wide and unkind world they don't give a damn about 'em or their needs.

There are at least three large government facilities set up to temporarily house this new influx of immigrant youngsters: one in California, one in Texas and that at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, much to the chagrin of Governor Mary Fallin, Sen. James Inhofe, and Rep. Tom Cole. Compassion is, of course, an unknown emotion to Oklahoma's ruling body.

I realise that there will have to be limits to what can be done for these young would-be immigrants, but a compassionate approach to investigating possibilities costs little or nothing - and money spent on this issue trumps any amount spent on sending drones to attack suspected would-be terrorists, while in the process murdering many innocents abroad - including women and children

It's quite hard to find a fair and sane assessment of the situation as a whole. I eventually found a piece by a lawyer in California, where there has been a two-fold reaction to the new immigration situation there, half in favour of giving all help possible, half in favour of immediate deportation.

Here is the opening paragraph from his piece at Andrew Nietor's Blog

First, Remember Why They Came
There are many reasons people have come to this country over the centuries. Sometimes it is the pull of what our nation has to offer, and sometimes it is the push of war or violence or famine in the home country. Make no mistake about the current crisis: it is not just a quantitative increase in the number of undocumented aliens coming to this country for work or for "a better life." The unspeakable horrors of violence sweeping Central America recently, including widespread violence against women and children, is unlike anything that has been seen there in decades. When the capital of Honduras is second only to Aleppo, Syria in the list of most murders, and when our own State Department declares that violence against women in Guatemala and across Central America has reached war-time levels, you can understand why people are fleeing, or sending their children abroad. Would you do less for your child if she were statistically more likely to be sexually assaulted than find employment? We can at least be aware of what conditions are behind the crisis as we formulate a response. And we can remember that our own law compels us to listen to a refugee's plight before a decision is made as to whether to allow her to remain here or return.

Mr Nietor goes on to contrast, in detail, the differing reactions of California residents.

“I take issue with many people's description of people being "Illegal" Immigrants. There aren't any illegal Human Beings as far as I'm concerned.”
― Dennis Kucinich

9 -UP

Today/tomorrow marks the 9th anniversary of my journey and setting foot, to remain permanently, on American soil. Coincidentally, while searching on a Brtish-Ex-Pats' forum for information on the wisdom or otherwise of renewing a British Passport, I spotted a thread titled "YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN IN THE USA TOO LONG WHEN......"
That thread stretches over nearly 100 pages, occasionally descending into ribaldry as Brits, thrown together, are wont do. I've picked out a round dozen fairly inoffensive examples of ideas put forward, in honour of my US anniversary.


YOU KNOW YOU'VE BEEN IN THE USA TOO LONG......

If you start buying into this 'freedom' crap

When British Tories look quite sensible

If you believe USA is the 'leader of the free world' and the only place with rags-to-riches stories

When you start to fantasise about what you could do to get deported....(or start spelling fantasise as fantasize)

When your first thought on being approached by a police officer is "don't do anything to startle him and make him shoot you"

When you see nothing wrong with the fact a lot of police officers are too fat to get out of their cruisers, let alone chase down a suspect. Luckily they can just shoot first and ask questions after. Not having a problem with this is also a sign you've been here too long

When you stop trying to convert $ to £ every time you buy something

When your fork lives in your RIGHT hand (left hand for lefties!)

When you start eating that Kosher Dill spear they serve with a sandwich, something you originally thought was repulsive

When you think taking home over half your dinner in a to-go box is perfectly normal

If you start saying "different than ..." instead of "different from ..."
(PS: on this one: not me - not ever!)

If you drive a Suburban and have a concealed weapons permit (PS: ditto).

Words (again!) ~ "Illegal Immigrant"

The Associated Press revised its stylebook recently, deleted the term "illegal immigrant," reversing a decision from six months earlier. The AP did not offer an exact replacement, instead recommending that writers fully describe a person's immigration status. (See LA Times article)

Words again! Personally I don't see the term "illegal immigrant" as degrading, as long as used in full, but using "illegal" as a descriptive noun does tend that way: as in: "he's an illegal".

What replacement of the term illegal immigrant could possibly be any better? Non-visa immigrant? Ad lib immigrant? Elusive immigrant? Undocumented immigrant is used sometimes, I guess that'll be favourite among replacement possibilities.

I used to feel unhappy myself about being termed an "alien" during my early years here, so I can sympathise to some extent with the offended. I had covered all my bases though and was "legal" to the hilt. The USA's immigration laws do not make it easy to become "legal", believe me! You cannot simply apply for a visa because you feel it'd be nice to live in the US for a change, or to find work because your native land doesn't offer what you wish for. Visa's are strictly controlled, and available only under these headings:

Immediate Relative and Family Sponsored
Family Immigration
Marriage to a Foreign National
Spouse or Fiancé(e) of U.S. Citizen
Spouse of Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) in U.S.
Adopting a Child
Employment-Based
Employment Visas - requires sponsorship
Investor Visas
Special Immigrants
Employment: Iraqi or Afghan Translators/Interpreters
Employment: Iraqis - Worked for/on behalf of U.S. Government
Employment: Afghans - Worked for/on behalf of U.S. Government
Employment: Religious Workers
Diversity Visa Program - Visas provided are drawn from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.

For more detail see HERE.

Even when a visa is obtained (can be a long-drawn out process - and expensive) that's not the end of the road, unless the visa-holder intended to return to their home country after a given length of time.

It's easy to see why so many immigrants, from Mexico in particular, are here without visas: few, if any of them, would ever have been given opportunity to obtain visas. Who knows how many of them had indeed tried?

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...."

Kidding - weren't ya??

You think that I don't even mean
A single word I say
It's only words and words are all I have
To take your heart away. (Bee Gees)

(No astrology).SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT ~ Remembering a life change.....

It's exactly 5 years since I arrived in the USA to live here permanently. Looking back, I realise that it was one of those situations where I'd had to switch to mental auto-pilot. I do a similar thing sometimes at the dentist's or doctor's office, a useful habit of blocking out peripheral stuff, and thoughts in the subjunctive, about things that could possibly go wrong; retaining focus on a time in the near future with awkwardness gone. I stayed that way for a while, then, one day the enormity of the move hit me. I was worried. My husband was worried. Adding even more chaos to an already daunting situation, we decided to move house from my husband's home of many years. That occupied my mind and blocked out the nerves for a while. I took two brief visits back to the UK in the spring and fall of the next year, which helped a lot. I haven't been back to England since.

I've now got the hang of light switches being "up" for "on"; it's the opposite in the UK. I no longer go to the driver's door to get to the passenger seat, because for my hardwiring, in the US the driver sits on the "wrong" side. I'm still, even now, finding it difficult to use American terms for things like taps (faucets), car boot (trunk), footpath (sidewalk) and so on. American spelling comes and goes in my writing, depending on where, when and to whom it's directed. I'm not going to worry about stuff like that - I kid myself that it'll all add to my (ahem) old world..... charm.

Much cursing and complaining accompanied a four-year, very frustrating, trek through the US immigration process to citizenship. I'm thankful the trek is behind me now. If I'd known in 2004 what I know now, would I have tried to persuade my husband to stay in England with me? I often think I should have done. I'd have missed such a lot by so doing though, even if I could have succeeeded. The USA is a vast and beautiful land - can't help but love it. I've left my shadow among the petroglyphs in Arizona's Painted Desert, stood inside The Alamo, explored the Anasazi dwellings at Mesa Verde, explored the wonderful Rocky Mountains National Park, beautiful Santa Fe, travelled in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming. Who'd have thunk it? And there's still more adventuring to be done.



Some attitudes here continue to rankle though, and I still have to perfect a way to ignore what irritates me most. "Take the rough with the smooth"....is the best advice for me I guess.

Emigration from my homeland was probably my destiny - my fate. A fortune teller told my mother, when I was still in early teenage, that I'd marry a foreigner and end my life abroad. I remembered it, but didn't ever really believe the last part. Marrying a foreigner wasn't difficult - I did it twice! I'd toyed with the idea of spending my retirement in Spain, but deep down knew that was not much more than a pipe dream.

If I could, would I go back to England? I ask myself this sometimes, then realise it's all hypothetical and hypothetical questions can be dangerous and misleading. There's nothing there for me, my family and loved ones are all gone. My family is here now. I can't go back, and that's good.




Scuffling through an old purse the other day I came across a card bought just before I left England. It bears this piece of prose by Vicki Silvers; I read it over and over then, and again in my early days here in the US. I'll copy it. Perhaps a passing reader who is also on the brink of a big life change might find it helpful:

"There comes a time in your life when you realise that if you stand still, you will remain at this point forever. You realize that if you fall and stay down, life will pass you by. Life's circumstances are not always what you might wish them to be. The pattern of life does not necessarily go as you plan...

Beyond any understanding, you may at times be led in different directions that you never imagined, dreamed, or designed. Yet if you had never put any effort into choosing a path or trying to carry out your dream, then perhaps you would have no direction at all.

Rather than wondering about or questioning the direction your life has taken, accept the fact that there is a path before you now. Shake off the "why's" and "what if's", and rid yourself of confusion. Whatever was - is in the past. Whatever is - is what's important. The past is a brief reflection. The future is yet to be realized. Today is here.

Walk your path one step at a time - with courage, faith and determination. Keep your head up and cast your dreams to the stars. Soon your steps will become firm and your footing will be solid again. A path that you never imagined will become the most comfortable direction you could ever have hoped to follow.

Keep your belief in yourself and walk into your new journey. You will find it magnificent, spectacular, and beyond your wildest imaginings."

A Ceremony & An Aquarian Vision

On Friday the Naturalization Ceremony proceeded as planned, though with much unexpected waiting time.

After staying just south of the city center overnight Thursday, we set off downtown around 8am, Friday and found a carpark close to our venue. We listened to the car radio until 9, then wandered up to the Courthouse. A few people had already arrived and were going through the usual "take off your shoes and walk through the archway, empty your pockets, take off your belt, and put your bags here to go through the scanner" routine. We joined them, duly passed through, having been proved pure and without sin.

The Ceremonial Courtroom is on the 3rd floor. Already in the corridor a group of people had gathered and were being informed by an official of proceedings to come. She said that the actual ceremony would not start until 12 noon, there would be a large number of applicants. Paperwork must first be processed. Meanwhile family and friends could wait in an adjoining courtroom, or visit a snack bar on the ground floor.

After a while I moved into the designated courtroom to await arrival of INS officials, my husband waited in the courtroom nextdoor. The paperwork, I eventually found out, entailed waiting to be called up to INS officials at a bank of desks, hand in our greencards, check and sign our Naturalization Certificates, and be handed a form to make the change in our Social Security status. We were also given a seat number for the ceremony. A separate bank of seats for the 140 applicants was arranged to the right of the judges' bench. Paperwork processing seemed interminable, it was well over an hour before my own name was called.

At 11.30 applicants were told to take their seats, according to the number they'd been given (mine was 69 - no sly grins please!) By this time my husband had managed to slide into a seat towards the back of the Ceremonial Courtroom, now filling rapidly with families and friends of applicants. The overflow, and there was a large one, was accommodated in another court equipped with a large screen for viewing the ceremony.

At exactly noon, five judges filed in. Everyone rose as the judges took their places on the bench. The chief judge, a female, welcomed us, said a few words then handed over to a designated INS official to "present" the 140 applicants who came, we were told, from 42 different countries. The official spoke briefly then named, in alphapbetical order, the native countries of all the applicants, asking each to stand when their country was called. I was the only one of the 140 from the UK. Every continent was represented. This, of course, was just one of many similar ceremonies, held monthly in three areas of Oklahoma, and regularly in every one of the other 49 states. I find this a mind-boggling proposition!

Next, we, the applicants, were asked to stand, raise our right hands, and repeat after the Clerk of the Court the words of the Oath of Allegiance. Each of the five judges then spoke briefly, after which the Pledge of Allegiance was recited by all present. The judges then left and a video of President G.W. Bush, welcoming us as new citizens, was shown, followed by another video of scenes of American life, a patriotic song playing in the background.

I hadn't expected to feel as emotional as I did. I joked later that it was the sight of G.W. Bush that made my cry, but I lied. I had an overwhelming sense of the nobility of the original vision for the United States, as I sat there in the midst of 140 people, born in so many different countries. Many of my companions had experienced a far greater struggle than I'd had to reach this point. The thought passed through my mind then that the USA is truly an Aquarian country. Whatever chart is used by astrologers cannot change the fact that, in essence the vision was, and is, pure Aquarius. There have been broken dreams and wrong turnings, but beneath it all, I'm confident that vision remains intact.

Applicants were then asked to file out in seat number order to officially receive their Certificates of Naturalization, and some other paperwork, along with a small US flag - I can be seen waving mine in the photograph immediately below. The second photo, taken in our hotel room, shows the end result of the journey I embarked upon back in 2004 - my Certificate of Naturalization.





Reunited with my husband, I was happy to see that his son, daughter-in-law and grandson had also been present in the adjoining room watching the ceremony. We all went off to enjoy a celebration lunch, by-passing a huge and very slow-moving line of folks waiting to process their Social Security amendments at a desk out in the corridor. We decided to deal with this little matter at our local office early next week, rather than wait for what could be a further hour or two at the court.

A remark of one of the judges has stayed with me. His words: "The United States of America is no longer just your home, now it is your country."

Almost there!

Tomorrow, 25 July 2008, will mark the climax of my immigration journey, UK to USA. After the Oath Ceremony I'll be a fully-fledged naturalized US citizen. It has been a long and winding road, frustrating too - no blood was shed but a lot of sweat and more than a few tears!

I notice that 25 July is the day the Incas dedicated to Illapa, their god of thunder and lightning - their weather god. He was said to keep the Milky Way in a jug and use it to create rain. I hope Illapa doesn't decide to treat us to a display of his prowess, thunder and lightning could lend a somewhat menacing air to the proceedings! According to the weather forecast, however, rain and storms are not on the agenda for Oklahoma City, but remnants of Hurricane Dolly are dumping rain on Texas.

Astrologically the outer planets have been either whipping me on throughout this journey, or holding the carrot - not sure which. Uranus conjoined my natal Jupiter at 6 Pisces for much of the early stages, and Pluto conjoined natal Venus in Sagittarius. These two planets seem to have orchestrated or choreographed the whole show!

It all began at the end of 2003, when my now husband visited me in the UK from the USA. We decided that our future was together, and would need to be in the USA, because I had no remaining close family ties and he had many, back in the United States.

After much research and reading of immigration message boards, I came to the conclusion that, of the 3 methods available to us, one had the potential to be less painful than the other two. This method would involve himself coming to live in the UK, with me, for a while, so that we could qualify to apply for a marriage visa for me via the US Embassy in London. Both the other methods would have involved long spells apart, and having to rely on notoriously slow-moving USCIS Service Centers on the other side of the pond. The route we chose was more expensive, but we considered it worth the extra outlay.

First the husband-to-be had to return home to the USA, from whence he had to apply for a UK Fiance Visa. With this in hand, in the spring of 2004 he returned, and we were wed at the end of April. The husband then had to apply at the nearest immigration office (Liverpool) for an extension to his visa, for what's called "Further Leave To Remain". This stage proceeded rapidly and painlessly.

Next step: the husband had to petition for permission for me, as his wife, to emigrate to the USA. Then I, potential immigrant, was required to apply for a visa on the ground of marriage to a US citizen.

An incredible amount of information and documentation was called for at this stage. The photocopies we had to provide must have caused the downing of large areas of rain forest somewhere in Brazil.

Once submitted there was a long wait for the US Embassy to process our petition and application. During this interval I put my house on the market. I was called for interview and medical examination in London at the end of August 2004. By then we were on tenterhooks, waiting to give a buyer for my house in Yorkshire the go ahead. We dare not risk doing so until I had visa in hand, which I did, on 1st September, (below, left, in front of the US embassy in London).

Next stop Oklahoma, after disposing of most of my worldly goods, packing the rest in several large boxes and shipping 'em to the USA, then finally selling the house.

Once in Oklahoma my visa remained conditional on the marriage remaining intact for 2years, at which point, in the summer of 2006, I had to apply to have conditions removed, and prove that the marriage was, indeed, intact by providing financial and other proof. This was done relatively quickly, my Permanent Resident's Card ("green card") was then made good for a further 10 years.

Another year had to pass before I became eligible to apply for US citizenship, thus ridding myself of the USCIS for ever, becoming eligible to vote and hold a US passport. As it happened, I became eligible to make my citizenship application on 26 July just a few days before a fee increase was to be implemented. A huge frontlog of applications was the result of this, and caused the process to take around twice as long as normal.

After a variety of delays, obstacles and long postponements, I attended my citizenship interview on 19 June 2008, passed muster, passed the civics test and have waited a mercifully brief time for the next available Oath Ceremony to finish the job. That will be tomorrow, 25 July, at 9.30am, just a year after applying for citizenship, and almost 4 years since I obtained my first visa.

I dare not add up the cost in either $$$$ or nervous tension. I'd like to say the process has been fun....but it hasn't! We are near the end of the road now though. We'll spend the night in The City so as to be sure to be at the Federal Courthouse on time in the morning - in "proper attire", as instructed. Perhaps we'll be joined later by some family members for the ceremony, that will help make it even more special.

See y'all later!

An Alien's Zodiac

When I first arrived in the USA with my new husband, in late 2004, I wasn't immediately overwhelmed with enthusiasm for the American way of life. For moral support I used to contribute to a couple of immigration message boards where new immigrants in similar situations would share their experiences. Someone there once helpfully posted details of a pattern of experience which had been found to apply to new immigrants in any country, and had adapted it specifically for aliens in the USA. I dutifully copied this to my Document File for future reference. I came across it the other day when doing a housekeeping purge. The pattern does, indeed, fit my own experience, I recognise it easily from this vantage point.

As I read and re-read the five stages it struck me that they are akin to the progression of the zodiac signs - not precisely, but broadly. Here's that list with the addition of a few smileys to liven it up, and my astrological comments:

1. The honeymoon period when all seems new and interesting. It is a very exciting time for all. (ARIES/TAURUS/GEMINI ~ enthusiasm for the new, new material things, open to be sociable with new acquaintances)




2. Period of weariness from the adaptation to a new environment. During this phase you start to understand, that you must work to adapt to a new life. You feel pressure, isolation, irritation, disorientation, and depression or apathy. You can start to eat and sleep too much. You can become upset over trifles. You, at times, feel ill. (CANCER ~ become tired, moody and easily emotional, sorry for oneself)

3. Period of non-acceptance of the culture of the host country. In this period you suddenly feel animosity to the USA and are surprised, how Americans can live how they live. You begin to question why you have come to America. (LE0/VIRGO/LIBRA/SCORPIO~ an arrogance emerges -my country's better than your country. Criticism of just about everthing. Trying to be more fair-minded but become indecisive and flip-flop from day to day. More emotion and bitterness emerge)

4. New culture starts to make sense. You start to acquire new knowledge and skills. As you gain confidence, you become more sociable. You start to feel satisfaction that you begin to understand the American culture.
(SAGITTARIUS/CAPRICORN ~ a wiser more philosophical stage begins. Common sense and a practical frame of mind emerges.)

5. Adaptation to new the culture. There is a feeling of comfort. You begin to feel and seek interaction with the new cultural environment. You accept life and conditions of American culture and take pleasure in making the distinctions between your new culture and the old. (AQUARIUS/PISCES ~ One begins to embrace the new and feel spiritually more in tune with surroundings).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What the person who posted the above list didn't say, however, is that the immigrant can experience re-runs of some of the stages at any time, rather like going through a retrograde period. Although I consider that I completed the 5-stage cycle some time ago, I do still return to stages 2 and 3 on occasion. I'm experiencing a retrograde right now! Retrogrades are always temporary, of course, and for this The Husband is thankful.

A Stately Astro-Mnemonic

I need a mnemonic to help me remember the 13 original states of the USA. This for my civics test, coming up in relation to US citizenship. For luck, I'm going to use astrology in the mnemonic. This astrology is highly suspect, but it might help me remember the first letter of each state, which should kickstart my memory banks.




Venus Mercury & Mars Retrograde Carry No News of Saturn, Neptune's Nervous, Pluto Dominates Gemini

Virginia
Massachusetts
Maryland
Rhode Island
Connecticut
New Hampshire
North Carolina
South Carolina
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Delaware
GeorgiaNow....how to remember the mnemonic?

From a list of 96 questions applicants are asked 10 and must give correct answers to at least 6 of them. Most are straightforward, it's the few where the answer involves lists I hesitate over. EG: "Name the amendments(to the Constitution) that guarantee or address voting rights". My American husband couldn't answer that one - even HeWhoKnows didn't know! (Answer: 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th amendments. They relate to women's right to vote, the right of all races to vote, making it illegal to prevent someone from voting for not paying poll tax, and lowering voting age to 18.)

No more civics lessons - I promise!

Craig Ferguson, US Citizen.

On his "Late Late Show" this week, Scottish-born Craig Ferguson announced that on Friday 1 February he finally became a US citizen. A short film clip showed him taking the Oath of Allegiance, hand on heart. ("Oh, when will it be my turn?" she whines.) Also this week it was announced that he will host the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and be seated next to President Bush at the top table. Isn't this a classic example of being quick to "get your feet under the table"! (Article here).

John Townley's interpretation of Craig's natal chart can be found HERE. I decided to take a quick look at a sidereal version. This is one case (the first so far) where the tropical chart seems clearly to be a much better match, and there are no good planetary "compensations" here to muddy the water. Mars and Venus are in sidereal Taurus, with the Sun, which remains in Taurus in both zodiac versions, but in sidereal it's earlier, at just 1 degree.

We watch Craig's monlogue, though not his interviews, regularly. He displays strong Gemini traits. Before I knew his birthdate I'd earmarked him as Gemini Sun or ascendant. His tropical Sun is in Taurus, but Mercury and Venus are in Gemini. I just don't see him as triple Taurus with no Gemini present at all.

As an experiment, I used my software to relocate Craig's natal chart (17 May 1962), which is calculated for Glasgow, Scotland, to California where he's lived for many years. If my software is correct his relocated ascendant falls in Cancer, which doesn't strike me as very appropriate. I'm curious as to the source of his birth time. We Brits tend not to be in possession of this important information, unless our parents are astrologers or of a stangely meticulous strain. Both Astrotheme and John Townley have a time of 6.10pm though, so I assume it's valid. His Scorpio Moon and Neptune have moved out of first, into fourth house, better for a more serene inner personality, but troublesome for homelife. He often mentions that he's been divorced twice, but I don't know whether that was in the USA or UK. Relocated Sun, Mercury and Venus are in 11th house, a communicative Air house - excellent position for his profession of comedian, presenter and occasional author. His talent definitely seems to have blossomed since moving to the USA, there's no denying that.

On 1st February, when Craig attended the Oath Ceremony in Pomona, California, Mars was transiting conjunct his natal Venus, Saturn hovered over natal Pluto, and Moon in Sagittarius transited his relocated Vertex - a Moon of destiny!

More interesting though, transiting Uranus, planet of change, in Pisces has been shuffling back and forth over his natal Jupiter (laws and legal matters) since April 2007 - he almost certainly sent in his application for citizenship within that timespan. Craig's natal Jupiter at 9 Pisces is just 3 degrees from my own at 6 Pisces, meaning that transiting Uranus has hovered over both my natal Jupiter and his during the same recent period, and we are two British born individuals who have been, or are still, engaged in applying for US citizenship. Coincidence?

Craig is unlikely to ever cast his eyes over this blog, he has said, more than once, that he has no interest in astrology. I'll add my congratulations anyway, for his managing to successfully navigate the murky waters of USCIS, and come out the other side smiling. No doubt he had a lawyer at the wheel, expertly steering him around and beyond the obstacles and consequent frustrations which are still part of my own trip to the same destination.

Saturnalia - Immigrant Style

Coming up tomorrow -17th December - The Lord of Misrule


The first day of the Roman festival Saturnalia.
It was a period of great feasting and festivity, with a lot of
drinking and eating. Slaves would become masters for the
festival, and everything was turned upside down. This part
of the Roman festival survived into the 17th Century.

Saturnalia in our world will not look quite like this, not unless the finger printing staff at the Immigration and Citizenship Office in Oklahoma City are having an off day (or on-day?) Or unless HeWhoKnows decides to let his hair down.




This'll be our version of it.
Good old Saturn - gotta love him!

Tomorrow, 17 December, Saturnalia for us will be spent acknowledging a different side of Saturn - laws, government, red tape. It's the date I've been summoned for fingerprinting at the "local" office of the Immigration and Citizenship Service, 80 miles distant. There'll be a gaggle of planets in Sagittarius quite close to my natal Venus (19.59 Sagittarius), so I'm thinking that I'll adopt Sagittarius as "the immigrant's sign".

This will be the third, or maybe fourth time they've taken my prints. This time, I understand they are to assist in a background check to be carried out by the FBI. Yet another background check. (All very Saturnian!) They've done it all before, too, when they first allowed me into these shores, as Mrs.HeWhoKnows. They are insatiable!

I'm told, also, that notification of a date for my main interview and test on civics may be expected "within 365 days". No voting for me in 2008 then. Yet more Saturnian limitations.

Due to wintery weather here, lots of ice, we're going off to the City later today and hope to find a nice warm motel where the power has been restored after last week's ice storm. Blogging will probably be suspended until Tuesday. Brrrrrr!

A Triple Sagittarian Good Guy

Thousands of legal immigrants to America, would-be US citizens (myself included) are stuck in the quagmire that is USCIS. We now have a champion - New York Senator Charles (Chuck) Schumer.

A press release last week revealed that he is to introduce legislation making it easier for USCIS to re-hire retirees to help deal with the backlogs.

"Schumer said immigrants who have followed the law and waited their turn should not have to sit in bureaucratic limbo because Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Homeland Security Department, was not prepared for the spike in applications before fees increased."

"For waves of would-be citizens, bureaucratic incompetence is turning the American Dream into a dream deferred," Schumer said in a news release."

"Indeed, believes Schumer, it could work so satisfactorily that he wants a CIS commitment to get the applications processed by July 4, just in time for national swearing-in ceremonies. That's eight months from now, not 18 - and he has called upon director Gonzalez to show cause why this goal cannot be met."

Extracts from HERE and HERE

I hope something comes of this, then I might be in with a chance of voting in 2008 after all!

I've taken a look at the Senator's natal chart. I'd like to know more about the man we immigrants have to thank for his support.

Senator Charles Schumer was born in Brooklyn, New York on 23 November 1950. (No time of birth available, so below is a 12 noon chart for his day of birth)


I should've known! A triple Sagittarius!!! Sagittarius understands immigrants - it being the vagabond of the zodiac.

Saturn at 00 Libra exactly sextiles Sun at 00 Sagittarius, and and Venus at 3 Sagittarius. Saturn relates to the law - which makes up a large part of the Senator's life's work, and it is here closely connected with his Sun(essence of self).

Mars in Capricorn semi-sextiles Mercury, Capricorn links back to Saturn (its ruling sign). The semi-sextile is a semi-harmonious connection to planet of communication, Mercury. Capricorn and Sagittarius are not highly compatible, but because of the link between Saturn and Sun, I suspect in this case it works rather well, Mars adding energy and drive to all his legal doings.

Jupiter, natal Sun's ruler lies in Aquarius, in the last degree, not making a close aspect with anything as far as I can tell, without time of birth. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find humanitarian and foward-looking Aquarius rising, having looked quickly at a few articles about the Senator's work.

I should add that Hillary Clinton has also come out on our side. She has written to Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, telling him to "get his finger out" (as we used to say in Yorkshire). Report is on her website.

Our two champions will not see this blog, but it's in the nature of a loud yell into the ethers:
"Thank you Senators!"

Things are lookin' up!

Astro-sleuthing

I'm going to try a little astrological
Sherlock Holmes-ing.

The past week has been a case of "first the good news, then the bad news", for me. I was relieved on Monday to find that the authorities had, after more than 16 weeks, cashed the cheque which accompanied my US citizenship application. Later in the week came an announcement that processing times for the applications of people in the citizenship backlog will be 15 to 18 months(the norm is 7 months or less). This means it will be too late for new citizens to vote in the 2008 presidential election. I was half-expecting something of the sort, but seeing it in print was like a slap in the face.

The press have latched onto the situation. Washington Post, Boston Globe, Fox News and others have carried articles about the citizenship backlog which is likely to deny would-be new citizens the right to vote in 2008. Even the BBC picked it up.

Hints of political fingers twiddling the knobs have been put forward, most clearly in The Daily Kos, here.

This debacle might well be nothing more than evidence of incompetence and bad organisation, of which those currently in power are able to take advantage. On the other hand, was there some sinister planning going on long before the fee increase? It seems to have been timed "just right" to eliminate millions of new voters from the coming election.

A good astrologer could ferret out the answer. I'm not an astrologer, let alone a good one - but I'm closely involved in the situation, so I'll wade in and take a look.

Government proposals for increased fees were made public in February 2007 and the new fee structure announced in May, to take effect from 30 July 2007. The fee increase was the catalyst which brought forth a huge surge of citizenship applications. It's reported that the majority of these came from Mexicans and other Latinos. How was that information accessed ? It is probably a guess. Action organisations targeting those groups, were encouraging them to become citizens and vote. This, probably with an eye to getting fair outcome to the illegal immigrant situation here in the US.

The slower moving planets are involved in matters such as this, which affect large groups of people. The situation has developed with the following background: Pluto and Jupiter in Sagittarius. Sagittarius is connected with travel and foreign lands, so it figures that immigration will also come under its "umbrella". Jupiter relates to expansion (increase of fees). Pluto relates to transformation - the timelines for all kinds of immigration visas, and citizenship applications have certainly been transformed ! The astrological background fits!

Saturn (planet of rules, restrictions, limitations) was in the last third of Leo until the beginning of September. When it then moved into Virgo, the effects of the huge backlog, and restrictions it would impose upon applicants, started to become apparent.

BUT - had there been any political manipulation?

Neptune, planet of the hidden and mysterious, was in Aquarius throughout, and in sextile (harmony) with Saturn (limitation, restriction). Could this facilitate hidden agendas, and an atmosphere conducive to manipulation?

Proposals for fee increases -
February 2007 - Neptune 19 Aquarius. Saturn 22/21 Leo retro (SEXTILE)

Announcement of new fee structure -
May 2007 Neptune 21-22 Aquarius. Saturn 18-19 Leo (SEXTILE)

Increases implemented July 30 2007 -
Neptune 21 Aquarius. Saturn 25 Leo. (SEXTILE)

It would seem to be an easy matter for the government to allocate extra money to the department's budget to ensure processing in, at most, 12 months. After all, the fee increases were supposed to be for the purpose of improving or maintaining levels of service. There's no hint that help will be forthcoming. An opportunity to eliminate millions of potential Democratic votes from the equation in November 2008 must present a temptation to a Republican government whose popularity appears to be declining rapidly.

We must draw our own conclusions.

No end in sight, but a scenic horizon.

The saga of my application for US citizenship trundles on.....and on....and... Venus retrograde, Mercury retrograde periods have both come and gone, still no progress, now it's the turn of Mars!

My cheque sent on 26 July has still not been cashed, in common with those of many others who applied via the Texas Service Center around the same few weeks in July/August. Eventually, even after they've condescended to cash my cheque and enter my application into their systems, there'll still be a series of long waits, as frontlogs turn to backlogs. Compared to the obstacles and difficulties some people have to live with, this is very minor stuff - but frustrating nevertheless.

Transiting Jupiter is, as I type, conjoining my natal Venus in Sagittarius (bring on the wanderlust!)

Something nice is in order - as an antidote to frustration. We're taking ourselves off, right now (just for a couple of days), to see the fall foliage on Talimena Scenic Drive, which follows the tops of the Kiamichi Mountains in the Ouachita National Forest, between Oklahoma and Arkansas. The name Talimena Drive comes from the towns nearest each end of the 54-mile stretch of road. On the Oklahoma side is Talihina. On the Arkansas side is Mena, the purported hub of the Arkansas mafia’s drug flights, I'm told. (Arkansas has a mafia!!??)

Maybe I'll have a chance to upload posts from the road - maybe not. It'll depend on how civilised is the motel where we hole up.

Saturn in Virgo Heralding New Rules -

Saturn in the early degrees of Virgo is making a showing already.

Three news items this week, from the USA, UK, and New Zealand seem to me to be Saturn in Virgo related. Some of the things astrology connects with Saturn are rules, laws, discipline, restrictions and teaching. In the zodiac sign of Virgo this strait-laced planet will feel quite at home. It's not Saturn's home sign (that's Capricorn) but it is another Earth sign, and friendly to anything connected with service, health, wellbeing, and attention to detail. So we can easily detect the connection in the following, soon to be implemented, new rules:

In the USA: "Could You Pass the New Citizenship Test?" - exam for would-be citizens re-designed for the first time since since 1986.

In the UK, a new updated and expanded version of "The Highway Code", first in 8 years.

My personal interest in the first item leads me to wonder, would it be impolite to suggest that those who administer immigration and citizenship matters in the US should take a new test of competence themselves? I'm waiting very impatiently for the Citizenship and Immigration Service to get their act together and open the packet I sent to them in July, containing my own application for US citizenship. I'd be overjoyed to take their test tomorrow ! But it looks like an extremely long wait is ahead for me, and many like me. Can you tell I'm seething with annoyance? It probably doesn't help that Saturn is at present coming up to be quincunx my natal Sun, with Tr Uranus sextile natal Uranus feeding feelings of rebellion.

I can't comment much about the UK's Highway Code. I've forgotten what it's like to sit in the passenger seat on the other side of the car and travel on the other side of the road. I don't drive, by the way. In the UK I didn't need to - plenty of public transport and sidewalks. For at least a year after I first came here I'd routinely go to the driver's side to get into the car - much to the amusement of HeWhoKnows. One thing I discovered here, which is different (I think) from driving in the UK: when an ambulance or fire fighting vehicle is approaching, or behind, one is obliged to pull over. HWK always does this even if the road is completely clear. It's a caring and courteous requirement (Saturn was probably in Virgo when someone implemented the rule!)

And - the third news item:

In New Zealand: The New Zealand police have launched a wiki open to anyone wanting to edit and make suggestions to the Police Act as part of a wider revamp. New Zealand's current Police Act is nearly 50 years old.

NZ Police Superintendent Hamish McCardle, the officer in charge of developing the new act, said the initiative had already been described as a "new frontier of democracy".

"People are calling it 'extreme democracy' and perhaps it is. It's a novel move but when it comes to the principles that go into policing, the person on the street has a good idea ... as they are a customer. They've got the best idea about how they want to be policed."

Now THAT's what I call democracy! Good for the NZ police!

Impatient

Astrologer C.E.O. Carter says in his Encyclopedia of Psychological Astrology, "Patience is a Saturn virtue. If this planet is afflicted by Mars or Uranus, or indeed, if these are more prominent than Saturn, there is usually impatience. Mercury can also be considered in this respect."

I'm impatient by nature, and have always put this down to natal Moon in Aries (ruled by Mars). My natal Saturn is in Aries too, 12 degrees from Moon, this probably adds to the problem. Natal Mercury is in Saturn's home sign of Capricorn, not an impatient Mercury, but with Capricorn's ruler in Aries - who knows?

I'm needing to curb my impatience currently. To date the cheque which accompanied my application for US citizenship, sent to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service on 26 July, almost 8 weeks ago, has still not been cashed. USCIS has issued notices on-line indicating that they have what they call a "front-log" of cases. In normal circumstances cheques are cashed and applications get underway within a week to 10 days of receipt. We've now been told that it's taking up to 90 days to issue receipts due to this front-log.

It'll be interesting to see whether things start to move around the time when Venus reaches 2* Virgo again, the point at which the recent retrograde started, but I shall not hold my breath - even that is far too optimistic an expectation as things are turning out. I must also bear in mind that Mercury will turn retrograde on 12 October, almost dovetailing Venus. Nice! Citizenship in time for the 2008 presidential election is looking ever more unlikely. I'm beginning to wonder why I bothered to apply in the first place. Grumble....grumble.

A man watches his pear tree day after day, impatient for the ripening of the fruit. Let him attempt to force the process, and he may spoil both fruit and tree. But let him patiently wait, and the ripe fruit at length falls into his lap. Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865.

That was easy for you to say, Abe - you had Aquarian Sun like me, but you didn't have my impatient Moon in Aries - in fact, Moon would have been in much more patient Capricorn if you were born before noon. Your Mercury lay in Pisces, with Saturn/Neptune in Sagittarius trining Venus in Aries. That lineup delivered some amazing things, but it seems that impatience wasn't among them.

IMMIGRATION

I guess there will be fur and feathers flying this week in the debate on the US Senate's immigration bill.

Where does astrology come in to it? See "Astrological Law and Order" - at the Starcats site, there's a comprehensive rundown of how mundane astrology connects to various strands of law. Immigration law could encompass almost all the planets and signs in one way or another - as, indeed, does life. Saturn and Capricorn are probably the most involved in present problems.

"Saturn creates the necessary order, structure, form and functions to mitigate the chaotic factors inherent in the negotiations of group enterprises. Saturn is associated with institutions representing the legal system, civil service, and all restraining/restricting forces in society. Saturn is rules, procedures, and guidelines. Saturn is associated with the administration of justice and has its affilations with police (law enforcement) and also the regimentation of military life and discipline. The attitude of a nation toward law, order, taboos, old practices, the old guard in politics, etc., are also associated with Saturn."

What in astrology represents immigration? Sagittarius and Jupiter I guess, for they are connected with travel and expansion, also, in some ways, with law. Saturn is in trine with Jupiter just now, both in dynamic fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius - Jupiter being strong in its own sign. It's an appropriate time for the problem of illegal immigration to come under a spotlight.

This is such a complex matter, grown more complex over time because successive US administrations have failed to competently address it. At least 12 million illegal immigrants are present in the USA we are told. Can you imagine 12 million people standing side by side? I can't. The problem is huge, the difficulty in solving the problem will, inevitably, be enormous.

I've been a legal immigrant in the US since 2004. In a couple of months I'll be eligible to apply for US citizenship, a process which will probably take from 6 months to a year (if I'm lucky). The path I had to follow in order to live here legally with my American husband was time consuming, convoluted, expensive and frustrating. It's an administrative quagmire.

I reckon that what is being proposed at present is reasonable in theory - how practical it would turn out to be, in action, is another matter. The administrative underpinnings of the current plan may well be too complex to be practical, at least without years of preparation, years in which the illegal population could increase by several more millions!

This editorial from The Washington Post is one of the most logical I've read so far.

It's sad that our world cannot be an open world, with no barriers. The human race isn't yet wise enough to deal with a scenario like that. I doubt that it ever will be.