The Immigration Process, my wife is a Costa Rican citizen

5/28/20 22:11

My wife and I have been using ZOOM at night.  We start with WhatsApp, and soon switch to Zoom.  It gives us the ability to work and see one another.  The last time we were together was on March 7.  Covid was starting to take hold in different parts of the world.  I wore a mask at the airport in Mexico City, and yet it seemed the virus was a distant threat.  The same attitude some world leaders regrettably took.  I have permission to work in Mexico City, to be with my wife, but the hospitals in Mexico are not prepared for this crisis.  It may not be a good time to travel there.   Do I want to risk it? There are travel restrictions, essential personal is allowed entry, not tourists.  After checking more details on-line, the restrictions are meant to curtail land entry, but not air.  Maybe in a couple of weeks?  I’ll talk with Meli about this tonight.

The visa process has been on-hold.  Due in part to the government agencies had been closed. 

But honestly, it has been difficult to dedicate time to this process.  One factor may be the way we have led our long distant relationship for these past two years. Things are not that different, although we are married.  It’s the same.  Each day, we wait; it’s another day longer in the process.  It’s that simple. 

Last night, Meli and I discussed structuring our time more effectively.  Which includes making time for the visa process.

Taking action has been my theme for the last few weeks.  Whatever action that may include, family, work, visa, exercise, program, meditation.  I need to take the time.  If I take the time and accomplish my tasks, I will meet my goals.  Sounds simple. 

So, how about it?  I am going to keep a record of what we need to do to accomplish this.  The first task has been completed, contacting Catholic Charities in Allentown who are assisting in the process, check.  Completed.  They asked if I obtained the necessary documents. No check there.  Not yet.  So we are back to square one.

Order my birth certificate from the town, which I was told is easy enough.  I will do this today.

Order proof of my divorce, I tried to go through Suffolk Country offices web site, but the offices were closed and there was not a link to process this request.  In the past, I needed to go to office in Riverhead, which is at the end of Long Island.  I needed the same official paperwork to get married in Costa Rica, and last November I drove out to the offices. I obtained and submitted – all originals to the lawyer who conducted our civil ceremony, my paperwork – our paperwork is stored in a government office in Costa Rica.  I am not getting them back.

Take a passport photo with a blue background?  I will double check on the blue.  I will take care of it this weekend at the local CVS. 

Both my wife and I have been busy at work and we are blessed to have our jobs.  We are both hard workers and now with this blog entry, it will serve as a record keeper, I will record our progress.  And this includes the effects of the Covid-19 virus.

Thank you for reading this.

Jet Blue takes me back to Mexico City

11/21/19 15:13 Flying over the Gulf of Mexico

Thank you turbulence, although you are slight, but now that I am writing you’re kicking in.  Mother fucker.  It will pass and I tell myself this when we hit some pockets.  A gay couple next to me on the flight to Mexico, held hands on the take off and I wanted to get my hands in there, but they don’t know who I am, so I sat alone, next to the window.  All of a sudden we are bouncing.  It has been smooth for the last hour and a half and now over the deep waters in the Gulf.  It’s not too deep.  I remember feeling like I could walk through the shallow bay all the way to Mexico from Florida, and we are leveling out for a moment or two but not.  Where’s the map?  The tirade from the gringo tourist who had too much white wine, but it was delicious and with the cheese platter and crackers, joy in the skies let me tell you sisters and brothers.  I can see water.  The sky is clear and as long as I can see through the clouds and see land, I am alright.  I am OK. The flight is landing more than a half hour early and I know my love will not be able to meet when I get kicked out of Mexican immigration.  Get the fuck into our country.  There’s a form I need to complete before we arrive.  I have completed this form a few times.  In an hour or two we will land and in four hours.  I hope I have a pen to complete this form, and if I don’t I will complete it in Mexico City.

Thank you for reading this.

Flying back from San Diego in the night and I can see lightning in the distance!

6/22/14 23:00

Taking the red eye back from San Diego was supposed to be fairly easy.  On the way to the airport I saw a flight attendant and asked her, what’s it like there?  She thought I meant Dallas, where she comes from.  No, I meant, what’s it like 35,000 feet above this glorious country of ours.  She looked at me like I had two heads.  I have to admit, the in-flight turbulence is not making my flying experiences any better.  I know what you’re thinking (it’s safe up there) but let me explain what happened.  In this blog I wrote about flying back from Tampa a few years ago when I made a connection.  The flight had so much turbulence, the pilot asked the flight attendants to stay seated for their safety.  That flight wrecked my nerves so since then, I have not been the smooth operator, passenger.  Let me share this.  I was in San Diego for a trade show. One of my colleagues tells me when she flew to New York the President was landing at JFK and all the incoming traffic was diverted up North and while they were diverted the jet hit some serious turbulence and they dropped, you know (she tells me) like when you drop in an elevator and your stomach heaves up?  You know?  I felt like sticking my fingers in my ears and telling her, “I don’t hear you….I can’t hear you…you can’t make me listen…”  shit…stop.  Then a client tells me, “Once I flew back to Philly and all the way over, it was so, smooth… smooth as it can be…that was till we hit the tri-state area and bam! A hail storm, the plane in front of us was hit so hard by hail a panel in their windshield cracked open.  Imagine that?”  No. I don’t imagine that or want to.  Then he tells me, he’s flying back the day after me and the area is supposed to be hit with thunder storms.  So, what do I do?  I check the weather.  New York is supposed to get hit with a storm on Friday – I land on Thursday morning.   I’m safe.  Right? I check in and take my seat and chat to the guy next to me who also exhibited at the same conference.  Yeah, great….then I hear the metallic voice crack over head from the speaker, I felt like telling the guy next to me to shut up. The captain is speaking… the one voice who I really want to hear who will tell us what we can expect on this passage through the skies.  “This is the red eye as some travelers call this flight, so I expect most of you will be resting for most of the flight. “  I thought, you’re not going to sleep?  Right captain?  You can't sleep, so what's keeping you awake? “We expect a smooth flight till we get close to Chicago which might give us some bumps, and I might make an announcement to fasten the seat-belts.”  What do you mean, I might?  That was all I needed to hear.  I knew it meant we are going to hit rough weather. I calculated two hours into the flight which should put us over ORD.  It will be 03:00 in New York and I hoped I was sleeping.  I was jacked up with nerves.  Dear friends, let me tell you what happened.  There was no sleep.  My slimy and greasy nose was pressed against the cool plastic window.  Sweat dripped down my back.  My legs shook as we approached…Chicago.  I kid you not.  This is what I saw.  Thick, chaotic and violent bolts of lightning burst from huge dark clouds.  I said a prayer as we began to rock and roll and shake and slide.  That was a storm.  That was more than just bumps you lying captain.  I was pissed.  You cannot fool me.  So I get up.  I am too nervous to sit and I am panicking.  I walk back to the jet and ask the attendant who was sitting there…I ask for water.  The bottles are small and I downed it.  Can I have another?  I confided to the woman who was playing a game on her computer before I came and disturbed her and who - may I add- was oblivious to the turbulence or the storm.  Like a small child, I whined to her.  I did.  I admit it.  “There’s lightening - out there.”  Really?  Well, it’s not dangerous to fly in it.  I think.  That’s what she says to me.  It hurt my nerves when she said, I think. It meant she did not know.  The water I drank quickly became sweat on my back and I walked down the aisle and used the bathroom on the other end.  The flight attendant, an African American male who announced earlier before take-off what we need to do in case of an emergency looked like he was nervous.  There, I told you.  This shit is real.  Right?  No, he plays it off.  “We’re on schedule and will be in New York in an hour and a half.”  I take my seat with my trembling legs and look outside at the darkness.  Above the clouds, the stars are present in their places in heaven.  We fly on.  Eventually, like some bad times in our lives – we get passed the storms and past the distractions and the nerves are drained and we learn how to cope.  Breathe.  I seep into a sleep… till the shakes woke me again.

 Thank you for reading this.

Long Island has a new airline, Pen Air flying to Boston - all aboard!

Monday September 9, 2013 19:33 10,000 feet or more above Connecticut

Flying Pen Air for the first time from Islip to Boston.  We took off from the old terminal, B 17 to be exact.  I recalled bringing Phil there when he was in the Navy and watching the red lights of his US Air prop fly away into the night.  That was when you can wait at the gate seeing the passengers off or waiting for their arrival, that was before 9/11 and the necessary security measures. I’m sitting in the last row.  The seat does not recline, yet there is a woman in front of me and she is stretched out like a beached whale and asking for more to drink.  There is a steward, an older gentleman who speaks gently.  I watched his pre-flight routine unlike the other flights I’ve taken just because he asked me to pay attention and there was only him, not a line of attendants.  Behind the steward are the pilots who are behind a locked door.  It’s a smooth flight thus far.  I was thrilled with the prospect of taking a prop and felt a rush when we pulled away from the gate, passing the dark green National Guard helicopters, a row of Cessna’s and I remember the lessons I took at Mid-Island all those years and moneys in the past.  Up to Boston to see Mo Cheeks tonight and then driving to Wooster to spend the night and to meet Todd King.  If feels as if we are descending….and we are.  19:41 the steward made an announcement we have started the decent.  It will take at least another ten minutes before wheels are down, and I can feel the wind on the narrow plane as we move into the area.  Amazing.  Time to shut her off.

September 10, 2013 17:56 10,000 feet above Connecticut

Last night Amanda met me at the baggage claim at the airport, holding a sign she made: DAD…it makes me smile thinking about it.  We took a shuttle bus to the Enterprise terminal and I was struck how subtle she was as she flirted with the young man helping us.  She was sweet, but as I looked down they were giving each other the eye perhaps since I was in my jovial good mood.  I was with my daughter.  Had meetings today with Todd up in Boston, the first was out of the way and will remain nameless.  I think it’s best to keep a distance from writing about work and my blog.  That’s all.  It’s overcast up in the clouds, which is different from what we had last night.  A clear flight up to Boston, a little rocky, but not too bad. I plan on using this airlines more often since it’s easy.  You walk on and can sit wherever you’d like.  I chose the same seat as last night.  Like a train commuter we like our seats and keep returning to them.   We’re rocking a little more and I imagine we’re getting ready to land soon.   Airport to airport 45 minutes, but if I drove…five hours at least in traffic…so the flight is much better.  I can see the Long Island Sound or perhaps that is the ocean….the sun is setting.  We were told it’s a gusty on the ground…but it looks as if the clouds are clearing up.  I will be home for dinner and will need to write more of my novel.  I can’t believe I didn’t call Katie or Ben, but this was a pure business trip, except for seeing Mo Cheeks.  I should add we bought some ice cream down the block from her school; I had pumpkin since I’m off the beer.  What route are we flying?  I’m closing up since I’m expecting to feel…and there it goes…the decent…and Long Island is below.