diputhomas1
10-24 07:20 PM
Hi Friend,
When you corrected your surname in the passport,did they issue a new passport with a new number?
Thanks
When you corrected your surname in the passport,did they issue a new passport with a new number?
Thanks
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Dhundhun
11-22 01:13 PM
Based on experience from India:
Errors in Passport and Visa entries are problem getting fixed, and if not fixed, can become cause of problem anytime.
The passport issuing office generally can fix typo error in passport as "observation", which they will write in any other page of passport. Getting fixed in any other passport office (which has not issued it) is a lengthy process.
Myself, family of four had got couple of times Passport entries fixed and Visa entries fixed (between 1992 when I was frequent traveller). Typo errors are common. In case of passport errors they fix as "Observation" on the same passport (passport is not changed). In case of Visa errors, they cancel it and give new.
Obviously, once "observation" is noted in passport, you need to show everywhere that the entries are modified
Errors in Passport and Visa entries are problem getting fixed, and if not fixed, can become cause of problem anytime.
The passport issuing office generally can fix typo error in passport as "observation", which they will write in any other page of passport. Getting fixed in any other passport office (which has not issued it) is a lengthy process.
Myself, family of four had got couple of times Passport entries fixed and Visa entries fixed (between 1992 when I was frequent traveller). Typo errors are common. In case of passport errors they fix as "Observation" on the same passport (passport is not changed). In case of Visa errors, they cancel it and give new.
Obviously, once "observation" is noted in passport, you need to show everywhere that the entries are modified
mmanurker
04-14 05:41 PM
Can we propose a bill which would give us - the honest, sincere, law abiding aliens - a time bound path to Green Card and Citizenship?
Political parties only talk and seem to be interested in giving illegals a time bound path to citizenship? They even introduced a "Dream Act" in favour their children. Why should we / our children be sidelined?
Can we request for a bill which would:
1.Grant GC to all EB 2 / 3 class pimary applicants who have completed 8 years of continuous stay in the USA without any criminal record.
2. Provide Citizeship to all EB primary applicants who have completed 12 years of continuous stay without any criminal record
Note:
When the primary applicant is issued a GC / Citizenship, the dependents (spouse and kids) should get the same benefit.
The current system is designed to favour ONLY the employers and the law firms, not the humble, hard working EB class slave who toils.
I think we shud first understand the difference between legislation and amending constitution. What you are suggesting requires amending or re-writing part of fourteenth Amendment of constitution to grant citizenship based on the x number of years of legal stay without going through the process of first getting the permanent resident status. And any attempt to amend the constitution is highly unlikely. Similarly the process of getting GC also falls under this category instead in contrast you can fix the issues more justly through legislation/congressional action which is more realistic to fix the broken immigration system like the visa recapture or removing per country quota or allowing someone to file 485 without thier dates being current etc etc., and that is what IV is working on and is more doable. Pappu or someone from IV, pls correct me if I am wrong.
when getting this through mere legislation itself is such a big task with so much of time, resources, money involved for lobbying imagine asking them to amend the constitution is highly unrealistic.
bottom line work with IV and or come up with ideas that can be resolved via legislation instead of repealing 14th amendment of the constitution. Unless someone here thinks that this can be just implemented via legislation then pls enlighten me....
Political parties only talk and seem to be interested in giving illegals a time bound path to citizenship? They even introduced a "Dream Act" in favour their children. Why should we / our children be sidelined?
Can we request for a bill which would:
1.Grant GC to all EB 2 / 3 class pimary applicants who have completed 8 years of continuous stay in the USA without any criminal record.
2. Provide Citizeship to all EB primary applicants who have completed 12 years of continuous stay without any criminal record
Note:
When the primary applicant is issued a GC / Citizenship, the dependents (spouse and kids) should get the same benefit.
The current system is designed to favour ONLY the employers and the law firms, not the humble, hard working EB class slave who toils.
I think we shud first understand the difference between legislation and amending constitution. What you are suggesting requires amending or re-writing part of fourteenth Amendment of constitution to grant citizenship based on the x number of years of legal stay without going through the process of first getting the permanent resident status. And any attempt to amend the constitution is highly unlikely. Similarly the process of getting GC also falls under this category instead in contrast you can fix the issues more justly through legislation/congressional action which is more realistic to fix the broken immigration system like the visa recapture or removing per country quota or allowing someone to file 485 without thier dates being current etc etc., and that is what IV is working on and is more doable. Pappu or someone from IV, pls correct me if I am wrong.
when getting this through mere legislation itself is such a big task with so much of time, resources, money involved for lobbying imagine asking them to amend the constitution is highly unrealistic.
bottom line work with IV and or come up with ideas that can be resolved via legislation instead of repealing 14th amendment of the constitution. Unless someone here thinks that this can be just implemented via legislation then pls enlighten me....
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uma001
08-14 03:43 PM
Your public profile says that you are at I-485 stage. You might want to correct it.
jsb, Thanks for pointing out, I do not know how it got there may be typo error.
jsb, Thanks for pointing out, I do not know how it got there may be typo error.
more...
suriajay12
04-11 11:19 AM
Hi PotatoEater !!
What you said may be true for case like some who really applied in Nov 01 is waiting and someone who applied in Jul 07 with a substituted labor of Sep 01 got it. It ends there.
Those are a few lucky fellows, but did it legally.
That doesnt solve much of the backlogs problem even if that didnt happen. Analyze the situation in May 07. It was horrible, right.
It was luck AILA and other groups including IV could contribute to keep the dates current for that month, for our benefit
What you said may be true for case like some who really applied in Nov 01 is waiting and someone who applied in Jul 07 with a substituted labor of Sep 01 got it. It ends there.
Those are a few lucky fellows, but did it legally.
That doesnt solve much of the backlogs problem even if that didnt happen. Analyze the situation in May 07. It was horrible, right.
It was luck AILA and other groups including IV could contribute to keep the dates current for that month, for our benefit
immigration1111
07-17 07:52 PM
IV
You are our light! Thanks for all your help and effort! A part of my and our success in life is definitely attributed to YOU!
Thanks for all you did for each one of us!!!
You are our light! Thanks for all your help and effort! A part of my and our success in life is definitely attributed to YOU!
Thanks for all you did for each one of us!!!
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longq
02-04 06:28 PM
I'll take that as the final word on this issue.
And I expect people here to have enough integrity to let us (ROW) know if they intend to pursue the interests of the oversubscribed countries only, at the expense of the interests of the ROW.
No one here takes advantage of any group. We are talking here is what law says and how it is implemented by various agencies. The problem is there is doubt that DOS has not understood the law. No one is against ROW and loves India and China. US immigration simply based on preference catagories. For example, wife of U.S citzen will be given first preference in immigration (FB1) compare to brothers and sisters of US permanent residents (FB4or5). This is the law.
Similar thing in employment catagories too. Before 2000, there is a verical spill over of EB visas. Becase of this, a high skilled workers from India/China has to wait more compare to low skilled workers from ROW. This practice will not put US in technological edge. Thats why AC21 law implemented.
After 2000, congress removed country quota in all EB catagoires. The simple reason is to make US competiveness in 21st century. The intend is simple.
The simple meaning of AC21 law is, for example, let us assume following hypothitical situation. There are 40,000 noble prize winners from Mexico. All of them applying EB1 visas in a FY. In same FY, no one from other countries applied EB1 visa. As per AC21 rule, entire 40,000 visas (100%) goes to Mexico in EB1 irrsepective of how EB2 or EB3 or FE catagories are retrogressed or howmany mexians in EB/FB are waiting. This is what congress intend to promote high skilled immigrants to USA. This is what american competivness in 21 century. The intent here is noble prize winners should not wait even if they are from oversubscribed countries like mexico.
If you read word by word of AC21 rule ..you will understand what I am saying.
INA 202 (a) (5) (A)
EMPLOYMENT-BASED IMMIGRANTS NOT SUBJECT TO PER COUNTRY LIMITATION IF ADDITIONAL VISAS AVAILABLE- If the total number of visas available under paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) of section 203(b) for a calendar quarter exceeds the number of qualified immigrants who may otherwise be issued such visas, the visas made available under that paragraph shall be issued without regard to the numerical limitation under paragraph (2) of this subsection during the remainder of the calendar quarter
My intension is simple.
Even if SKIL/CIR bill passed in near future, if DOS or USCIS does not implement the law accordingly, it will be disaster for oversubscribed countries like India and China.
And I expect people here to have enough integrity to let us (ROW) know if they intend to pursue the interests of the oversubscribed countries only, at the expense of the interests of the ROW.
No one here takes advantage of any group. We are talking here is what law says and how it is implemented by various agencies. The problem is there is doubt that DOS has not understood the law. No one is against ROW and loves India and China. US immigration simply based on preference catagories. For example, wife of U.S citzen will be given first preference in immigration (FB1) compare to brothers and sisters of US permanent residents (FB4or5). This is the law.
Similar thing in employment catagories too. Before 2000, there is a verical spill over of EB visas. Becase of this, a high skilled workers from India/China has to wait more compare to low skilled workers from ROW. This practice will not put US in technological edge. Thats why AC21 law implemented.
After 2000, congress removed country quota in all EB catagoires. The simple reason is to make US competiveness in 21st century. The intend is simple.
The simple meaning of AC21 law is, for example, let us assume following hypothitical situation. There are 40,000 noble prize winners from Mexico. All of them applying EB1 visas in a FY. In same FY, no one from other countries applied EB1 visa. As per AC21 rule, entire 40,000 visas (100%) goes to Mexico in EB1 irrsepective of how EB2 or EB3 or FE catagories are retrogressed or howmany mexians in EB/FB are waiting. This is what congress intend to promote high skilled immigrants to USA. This is what american competivness in 21 century. The intent here is noble prize winners should not wait even if they are from oversubscribed countries like mexico.
If you read word by word of AC21 rule ..you will understand what I am saying.
INA 202 (a) (5) (A)
EMPLOYMENT-BASED IMMIGRANTS NOT SUBJECT TO PER COUNTRY LIMITATION IF ADDITIONAL VISAS AVAILABLE- If the total number of visas available under paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) of section 203(b) for a calendar quarter exceeds the number of qualified immigrants who may otherwise be issued such visas, the visas made available under that paragraph shall be issued without regard to the numerical limitation under paragraph (2) of this subsection during the remainder of the calendar quarter
My intension is simple.
Even if SKIL/CIR bill passed in near future, if DOS or USCIS does not implement the law accordingly, it will be disaster for oversubscribed countries like India and China.
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adGurkha
12-19 10:08 AM
Contributed $50 via Paypal
more...
rajuram
09-14 08:13 AM
I didnot started this thread not blame anyone. Everyone knows IV is our only hope....sorry if it hurt someone.
All I wanted convey is that the current visa bulletin is an opportunity (just like jul 07), IV should try to take advantage of it. They made a mistake by putting in writing that USCIS can not estimate, lets use it to our full advantage.
Lesser mortals like myself can not do much...but surely IV core can.
All I wanted convey is that the current visa bulletin is an opportunity (just like jul 07), IV should try to take advantage of it. They made a mistake by putting in writing that USCIS can not estimate, lets use it to our full advantage.
Lesser mortals like myself can not do much...but surely IV core can.
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radhagd
04-11 09:52 AM
I'm not sure if I'm eligible to apply for Master's quota. I'm done with all my degree requirements and I've scheduled my thesis defence on MAy 20th. Is it still possible that I can apply in Master's quota. I've a letter from my schools which states that I'm done with all my degree requirements and I'll be finishing thesis on May 20th. Is this letter enough to apply for MAsters??
since master's quota is still available, you can apply now. some lawyers say you can apply with that letter from school.Later if you get RFE you can submit your masters degree at that time. Anyways talk to your lawyer
since master's quota is still available, you can apply now. some lawyers say you can apply with that letter from school.Later if you get RFE you can submit your masters degree at that time. Anyways talk to your lawyer
more...
thomachan72
12-08 12:55 PM
To summarize this discussion.
The overwhelming majority of posters sympathized with the women and were uncomfortable with what the sheriff did.
A few members support the sheriff.
In democracy we have to learn to tolerate the minority opinion too, however, it stops at the level of toleration and does not become the law.
The overwhelming majority of posters sympathized with the women and were uncomfortable with what the sheriff did.
A few members support the sheriff.
In democracy we have to learn to tolerate the minority opinion too, however, it stops at the level of toleration and does not become the law.
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reedandbamboo
09-14 10:09 AM
Whats your PD?
I filed my I-485 last July (PD March 2005). It was transferred from the TSC to the NSC and since Dec 2007 it has been untouched too.
This is really depressing. My hopes were raised so high when the cut-off dates for EB2-I jumped forward over two years .. only to be dashed when they moved back to 2003!!
Thats when I decided to write to these incompetents.
I filed my I-485 last July (PD March 2005). It was transferred from the TSC to the NSC and since Dec 2007 it has been untouched too.
This is really depressing. My hopes were raised so high when the cut-off dates for EB2-I jumped forward over two years .. only to be dashed when they moved back to 2003!!
Thats when I decided to write to these incompetents.
more...
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soni7007
11-11 12:47 PM
I would suggest two things:
1) Fire her and let her know the reason. If possible show her the video, that will definitely scare and embarrass her. You cannot undo what she did to your child but that will teach her a lesson and hopefully prevent her from doing that to another child.
2) I would highly recommend sending your child to a reputed daycare. Ofcourse your child will not get personal attention like home, but that ensures the safety of the child. There are other benefits of a daycare like - social interactions, personality development, fixed routines, curriculums, and above all they are trained professionals.
Give it a thought.
Good luck.
Hello guys,
Sorry for this non-immigration related post. We have this sudden, tragic situation that I wanted all of your advice on. Thank you for your time in reading this long post.
We had hired an Indian nanny in NJ who, we learnt after hiring her, is here on a tourist visa. We were paying her $350 per week cash, which is the standard rate around here for nannies (incl. citizens and people on GC). We had liked her when we met her in response to an ad on Sulekha, and we thought an Indian nanny would be good for our first child. She has been with us for about 3 months, and we were intermittently not getting a good feeling with her for some reason. We finally bought a small security camera and installed it yesterday. On the very first day with the camera, we came home and saw the recorded video to find that she is violently hitting the baby on two separate occasions. Needless to say, it has shocked, angered and extremely saddened us. I showed the video to a couple of friends and even they say it is unbearable to watch. This was just the first day of recording and it pains us tremendously to think what all may have happened previously.
She is of course not going to stay with the baby alone anymore, but I want to know what legal options I have to penalize her to the fullest extent, so that she does not do this to anybody else�s small babies. She it seems had come here last year and taken care of someone else�s baby in Hoboken, and I can imagine that their baby also went through this. (This woman and her husband are a ~ 35 year old couple, who have a multiple entry ten year tourist visa; both come here for 6 months every year and work odd jobs like this. They apparently got a (unsponsored) tourist visa after showing a lot of landed property in India).
I specifically want to know if I will have potential problems if I go to law enforcement about this- regarding have employed her (both of us are on H1B visas). I know we have made mistakes and should have done better due diligence in this, and there cannot be any more punishment for us than seeing our 8 month old � who cannot tell us about it when we come home- being beaten on the tapes. We saw this yesterday and have not told her yet. We want to weigh all options before we proceed, but from today onwards one of us is home all the time till Friday. Any advice or opinion is sincerely appreciated. Thanks for reading this long post. And, to all who are thinking of nannies or have one, please learn from our mistakes and closely monitor your child�s safety every day.
1) Fire her and let her know the reason. If possible show her the video, that will definitely scare and embarrass her. You cannot undo what she did to your child but that will teach her a lesson and hopefully prevent her from doing that to another child.
2) I would highly recommend sending your child to a reputed daycare. Ofcourse your child will not get personal attention like home, but that ensures the safety of the child. There are other benefits of a daycare like - social interactions, personality development, fixed routines, curriculums, and above all they are trained professionals.
Give it a thought.
Good luck.
Hello guys,
Sorry for this non-immigration related post. We have this sudden, tragic situation that I wanted all of your advice on. Thank you for your time in reading this long post.
We had hired an Indian nanny in NJ who, we learnt after hiring her, is here on a tourist visa. We were paying her $350 per week cash, which is the standard rate around here for nannies (incl. citizens and people on GC). We had liked her when we met her in response to an ad on Sulekha, and we thought an Indian nanny would be good for our first child. She has been with us for about 3 months, and we were intermittently not getting a good feeling with her for some reason. We finally bought a small security camera and installed it yesterday. On the very first day with the camera, we came home and saw the recorded video to find that she is violently hitting the baby on two separate occasions. Needless to say, it has shocked, angered and extremely saddened us. I showed the video to a couple of friends and even they say it is unbearable to watch. This was just the first day of recording and it pains us tremendously to think what all may have happened previously.
She is of course not going to stay with the baby alone anymore, but I want to know what legal options I have to penalize her to the fullest extent, so that she does not do this to anybody else�s small babies. She it seems had come here last year and taken care of someone else�s baby in Hoboken, and I can imagine that their baby also went through this. (This woman and her husband are a ~ 35 year old couple, who have a multiple entry ten year tourist visa; both come here for 6 months every year and work odd jobs like this. They apparently got a (unsponsored) tourist visa after showing a lot of landed property in India).
I specifically want to know if I will have potential problems if I go to law enforcement about this- regarding have employed her (both of us are on H1B visas). I know we have made mistakes and should have done better due diligence in this, and there cannot be any more punishment for us than seeing our 8 month old � who cannot tell us about it when we come home- being beaten on the tapes. We saw this yesterday and have not told her yet. We want to weigh all options before we proceed, but from today onwards one of us is home all the time till Friday. Any advice or opinion is sincerely appreciated. Thanks for reading this long post. And, to all who are thinking of nannies or have one, please learn from our mistakes and closely monitor your child�s safety every day.
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immiusa
11-11 05:15 PM
Hello Mr Thunderbold,
I can imagine your situation. Feel sorry to know that your 8 month old baby was beaten badly. Going to cops will definitely help you. She will be punished. Probably, she will be deported back to india and ban to USA. But, it may lead to put into you troubles for hiring illegal immigrant, for paying cash and not reporting to IRS. They may even review your tax returns for the past 3 years.
I can imagine your situation. Feel sorry to know that your 8 month old baby was beaten badly. Going to cops will definitely help you. She will be punished. Probably, she will be deported back to india and ban to USA. But, it may lead to put into you troubles for hiring illegal immigrant, for paying cash and not reporting to IRS. They may even review your tax returns for the past 3 years.
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daibosa
05-04 05:43 PM
Hi,
I read a posts by you all on immigration voice which said U.S newspapers can easily publish a name change Ad for $70!! But I hear that they need some kind of a court order to do that...Can I ask you which paper did you advertize in India and in U.S. I have the same problem as many others -- I have only one name on my passport "Kritee" and U.S. embassy when they gave me visa made it FNU (as first name) Kritee (last name). Now I want to add a first name to my passport and all documents in U.S...and am wondering if I need to go to a U.S. court or not? All and any help will be appreciated!
Thanks.
Kritee
I read a posts by you all on immigration voice which said U.S newspapers can easily publish a name change Ad for $70!! But I hear that they need some kind of a court order to do that...Can I ask you which paper did you advertize in India and in U.S. I have the same problem as many others -- I have only one name on my passport "Kritee" and U.S. embassy when they gave me visa made it FNU (as first name) Kritee (last name). Now I want to add a first name to my passport and all documents in U.S...and am wondering if I need to go to a U.S. court or not? All and any help will be appreciated!
Thanks.
Kritee
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freedom2007
03-26 11:09 AM
Bump
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needhelp!
11-16 03:52 PM
Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life. --A.J. Cronin
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gc28262
04-13 01:56 PM
Sad, but true, the substitution labor are utilizing the visa numbers a lot.. Not sure if any thing can be done @ this time.... There were lots of new people filed I-140/I-485 utilizing substitution labor in July / Aug 07 as the LC substitution was sunset after wards... Though it is legal :confused: they could have made the PD, they day I-140 was filed, since they allow to retain original PD, now people who really waited are forced to wait even longer.... Now that the program is sunset and also many people already jumped the line, do not see any advantage in complaining about it and expect no administrative reaction to this as labor sub no longer exist... Only solution to retro... is unused visa recapture / increase visa number / exclude dependent / etc... none of these can happen without intervention from congress.... which required very intense lobbying... which in turn requires $$$$ ... and more participation and contribution from the members seems to be the only option that could help all... If you don't help yourself.. no one would !!!
Do you or anyone who thinks that backlogs are due to labor substitution have any proof to claim so ?
Even if there were some, they definitely won't be in large numbers. First of all to use a sub labor, one labor had to become available. Do you think there were so many labors floating around to grab one ? I don't think so.
How come EB3 ROW went "U" if all the backlog was due to labor subs ?
Do you or anyone who thinks that backlogs are due to labor substitution have any proof to claim so ?
Even if there were some, they definitely won't be in large numbers. First of all to use a sub labor, one labor had to become available. Do you think there were so many labors floating around to grab one ? I don't think so.
How come EB3 ROW went "U" if all the backlog was due to labor subs ?
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bikram_das_in
02-25 07:16 AM
This is a very good idea.
kkarun
03-06 03:05 PM
I'll contribute $50 by end of March'09.
spicy_guy
06-10 12:42 AM
Excellent!!! very well put out! :)
I am not on estrogen therapy, but I decided to write about the feelings that I underwent during the 3 days of the event. If you do not want to read the entire post, skip to the last paragraph.
1. Anxiety: On Sunday, as I was making my way towards Hyatt Regency on the Capitol Hill (a beautiful and an expensive hotel) I was a little anxious about meeting new people (I am a closet introvert :D ). I was not sure if the people would just continue the non-productive conversations about Eb3 vs EB2 or India vs ROW or just be plain annoying. Boy, was I wrong!!! That anxiety disappeared in a matter of minutes after walking in the situation room. The folks were dedicated and meant business. The leadership of the core group was evident, they made sure that we didn't go off message, relatively an easy task for them since most of us there realized the importance of keeping on message.
2.Excitement: As we started the training, people started pouring great ideas (and few not so great IMHO).The trainer in chief chased each of these ideas to its logical conclusion and without saying whether they had merit or not made it obvious for us to decide. How classy and what a phenomenal coaching style!. The talking points that we discussed were articulated meticulously and question/comments were dealt with insight, experience and facts (this one is very important, we all know what opinions are like...). This was the one feeling (excitement) that lasted through the 3 days and I still cant shake it off (not that I am trying, but I don't want people to confuse me for the energizer bunny!! - we have some one else for that ;))
3.Nervousness: The first meeting. No, no not with the folks from Congress, but the mock meeting at the training session. The veterans gave us a demonstration of their insights/ knowledge and quick wit. So of course I was nervous coming in after that performance. I volunteered to be on the first ones of these mock sessions and felt all eyes in the room on me. I tried to focus on the task at hand (which was at that time, to stop my legs from shaking ;)). Perhaps, the mock session was the toughest of all the meetings that I had on the hill (remember that the hotel was 'on the hill' too :)).
4.Awesomeness: This is what it was all about. For me as a first timer, entering the hallowed halls of congress and participating in the democratic process up close and personal is an awesome feeling. Just walking down those corridors and noticing the closed doors with signs that say 'Appropriations Committee', or 'Democratic Caucus' and knowing that laws that affect lives of more than 300 million people are being crafted, debated and being voted on right there....what a rush. I think this too will be with me for a long long time.
5.Camaraderie: This is a fun bunch of serious people on a mission. I think mostly everyone hit off well with everyone else. I made a whole bunch of acquaintances that I feel could mature into strong friendships. Even though we worked our collective butts off, there was always light hearted humor floating around. It was great.
6.Gratitude: Looking at the hard work put in by the countless tireless volunteers was a humbling experience. These very kind souls put in hour after hour of work during the event but they put in even more before the event started. I don't know, if the rest of you know, organizing an event at such a scale is a massive undertaking and despite hiccups we came out the other end in great shape. My gratitude goes to all the people that put their hearts, minds and souls in allowing our community to participate in the democratic process at the highest level. Thanks for making this happen.
Why am I writing this you wonder (or may be not). This event changed me. I felt myself grow in these 3 days. I rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous and powerful men and women in the nation and conveyed our message. I also saw first hand the resource constraints that IV has and how they figure something out and make it happen. Trust me folks, it is not easy to work thanklessly for days on end for 18 hours and still keep a cheerful demeanor but they did. My sincere thanks to IV leadership, all the fellow volunteers and all monetary contributers for allowing me such a great opportunity. Part of me hopes that we never have to do this again, but that hope also makes me sad that I probably wont get to experience a full gamut of feelings again.
I am not on estrogen therapy, but I decided to write about the feelings that I underwent during the 3 days of the event. If you do not want to read the entire post, skip to the last paragraph.
1. Anxiety: On Sunday, as I was making my way towards Hyatt Regency on the Capitol Hill (a beautiful and an expensive hotel) I was a little anxious about meeting new people (I am a closet introvert :D ). I was not sure if the people would just continue the non-productive conversations about Eb3 vs EB2 or India vs ROW or just be plain annoying. Boy, was I wrong!!! That anxiety disappeared in a matter of minutes after walking in the situation room. The folks were dedicated and meant business. The leadership of the core group was evident, they made sure that we didn't go off message, relatively an easy task for them since most of us there realized the importance of keeping on message.
2.Excitement: As we started the training, people started pouring great ideas (and few not so great IMHO).The trainer in chief chased each of these ideas to its logical conclusion and without saying whether they had merit or not made it obvious for us to decide. How classy and what a phenomenal coaching style!. The talking points that we discussed were articulated meticulously and question/comments were dealt with insight, experience and facts (this one is very important, we all know what opinions are like...). This was the one feeling (excitement) that lasted through the 3 days and I still cant shake it off (not that I am trying, but I don't want people to confuse me for the energizer bunny!! - we have some one else for that ;))
3.Nervousness: The first meeting. No, no not with the folks from Congress, but the mock meeting at the training session. The veterans gave us a demonstration of their insights/ knowledge and quick wit. So of course I was nervous coming in after that performance. I volunteered to be on the first ones of these mock sessions and felt all eyes in the room on me. I tried to focus on the task at hand (which was at that time, to stop my legs from shaking ;)). Perhaps, the mock session was the toughest of all the meetings that I had on the hill (remember that the hotel was 'on the hill' too :)).
4.Awesomeness: This is what it was all about. For me as a first timer, entering the hallowed halls of congress and participating in the democratic process up close and personal is an awesome feeling. Just walking down those corridors and noticing the closed doors with signs that say 'Appropriations Committee', or 'Democratic Caucus' and knowing that laws that affect lives of more than 300 million people are being crafted, debated and being voted on right there....what a rush. I think this too will be with me for a long long time.
5.Camaraderie: This is a fun bunch of serious people on a mission. I think mostly everyone hit off well with everyone else. I made a whole bunch of acquaintances that I feel could mature into strong friendships. Even though we worked our collective butts off, there was always light hearted humor floating around. It was great.
6.Gratitude: Looking at the hard work put in by the countless tireless volunteers was a humbling experience. These very kind souls put in hour after hour of work during the event but they put in even more before the event started. I don't know, if the rest of you know, organizing an event at such a scale is a massive undertaking and despite hiccups we came out the other end in great shape. My gratitude goes to all the people that put their hearts, minds and souls in allowing our community to participate in the democratic process at the highest level. Thanks for making this happen.
Why am I writing this you wonder (or may be not). This event changed me. I felt myself grow in these 3 days. I rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous and powerful men and women in the nation and conveyed our message. I also saw first hand the resource constraints that IV has and how they figure something out and make it happen. Trust me folks, it is not easy to work thanklessly for days on end for 18 hours and still keep a cheerful demeanor but they did. My sincere thanks to IV leadership, all the fellow volunteers and all monetary contributers for allowing me such a great opportunity. Part of me hopes that we never have to do this again, but that hope also makes me sad that I probably wont get to experience a full gamut of feelings again.
