Semana Santa and the Importance of Goals 2 and 3

Holy Week in Paraguay, and most of Latin America, is the most important holiday of the year. School and businesses are closed Wednesday-Sunday and it is a time to spend with family and friends. Each day Elvio and I went out to his house and were met by a mob of various family members that I had trouble keeping track of. On Wednesday we baked chipa to eat on Good Friday in place on meat. On Thursday we had a huge feast of chicken, pig, cow and goose in preparation for fasting on Friday. Sunday, of course, was more feasting.

Most of the talk centered around mine and Elvio's upcoming travel to the US. We were talking about the plane ride and the topic of security came up. I told them about how after 9/11 security measures increased and you can't take things like pocketknives or nail clipper on the plane with you, you have to put it in checked baggage. Someone then said, "Why would anyone want to attack the US? Americans are good people."

This isn't the first time someone has shared this sentiment. I'm not sure why Paraguayans love Americans and the US so much but I think Peace Corps can take some credit for it. As volunteers we have 3 main goals:
1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2. To help promote a better understanding of the American people on the part of the peoples served.
3. To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

The first goal encompasses all the work I did as a Health Volunteer. Lessons in the school, building brick ovens, cooking healthy recipes with neighbors, exercise groups, etc. The other two goals are everything else I do while I'm here. Sharing about my life in the US and about our culture. Participating in events here are sharing them with people back home. These two goals are extremely important. There aren't a lot of countries in the world that have such fond feelings towards Americans and many Americans are pretty naive when it comes to other cultures but Peace Corps does its part to change that.

On that note I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog over the past 2 years. Two weeks from today I will be going to Asuncion for my swearing-out ceremony and I will complete my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Thank you, friends and family, for all your support and love. I couldn't have made it through this journey without you all. You have no idea how much the random letter, Facebook message or phone call means to someone who is thousands of miles from home. I love you all and will see you soon!

An Immigration Story

My dad once told me that I usually do things the hard way. I chose to play the harp when there were numerous instruments that didn't require a station wagon or minivan to transport. I decided to join the Peace Corps rather than getting a job domestically or going to Grad School like normal people. I fell in love with and married a man who requires a green card to enter my country because, well, that's just how it happened.

Thus began our immigration journey. What? You mean that when a foreigner marries an American they don't automatically get US Citizenship? Nope. But they automatically get a green card, right? Wrong again. The only thing marrying an American does is give the foreigner the right to be petitioned for by the American for a green card. And it's a LONG process.

Step 1:

I sent a petition to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on January 6, 2012. It included our marriage certificate and other proof of our relationship (photos, sworn affidavits from friends, etc) and a fee. After turning in the petition I heard about a wonderful website called visajourney.com. There, people from all over the world going through the immigration process can share there stories and get helpful information. I read that this step could take between 5 and 7 months and immediately started freaking out and thinking I would have to stay in Paraguay until October or November. Luckily, since I am living abroad with my husband, my petition was automatically expedited and was approved in only 10 days! Que suerte!

Step 2:

The petition was then forwarded to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire. In this step the beneficiary (Elvio) actually "applies" for the visa. I also sent in an "Affidavit of Support" stating that if for some reason Elvio receives financial support from the state or federal government, I will be responsible for paying it back. Yikes. Both of these parts have a fee attached to them too. After the fees are paid and the documents are received, the National Visa Center completes the case. Our case was completed on February 12.

Step 3:

Next is an interview at the Consulate in the beneficiary's country. We just received our interview letter yesterday and the interview is scheduled for May 1. Before going to the interview Elvio has to have a medical checkup and receive all the vaccinations required to enter the US. At the interview they will ask him (and maybe me) questions about our relationship to make sure that it is real and that he is not just using me for a green card (unfortunately it does happen sometimes). After he passes the interview, he will return a few days later to pick up his passport with the visa in it!

Step 4:

Port-of-Entry. This is whatever point that Elvio enters the US for the first time. In our case, it'll be Dallas on May 10! Here they go over all of Elvio's documents for the last time and stamp his passport with a temporary green card until his actual one arrives in the mail. Then, finally, we go home :).

But wait, there's more!

Because we have been married for fewer than 2 years, Elvio gets a Conditional 2-Year Green Card. At the end of 2 years we have to send in yet another petition to remove the conditions at which point they send his 10-Year Green Card.

Whew. Got all that? It's a long, tedious, expensive process and most people going through it are separated from their spouses for most of it. Elvio and I have been so blessed to be together the entire time and to complete the entire process in about 4 months, when it normally takes 8-10. We've also been blessed to have extremely supportive families who have helped us so much along the way. I could easily go on a several page long rant about the hundreds of thousands of people that are separated from their families or spouses while Immigration takes their sweet time adjudicating cases, but that is a rant for another blog. The system sucks but that's the way it is. What matters now is we are almost done!