elizabeth&hisham

Hopefully things will straighten out soon... enjoy some time away in the meanwhile!

Best wishes,

E & H

Many thanks!

E

Queen Elizabeth Needs the Fashion Police!

Back when the site underwent a massive move/upgrade/whatever you call it, for a while I'd be coded as anonymous when I logged in. That was nice; I liked the anonymity. But then it went away... why? I'd prefer to be a stealth member again, if possible. It felt cozy and safe, like a well-worn VJ blanket. Was it an accident, my anonymous status before? Might I earn it back again... please...? Or is it just a button I need to click somewhere? Do advise!

E

Tamper-proof...? Good luck.

Digital tattoos, perhaps?

E

Excellent topic. I found it late I guess, but I look forward to reading everybody's comments and ideas. This is a possibility that H and I have tossed around from time to time for the last couple of years but don't know many practical details about. I've talked to a few teachers at universities there and wonder if it might be feasible... thanks to the OP for raising this issue.

E

Our AOS interview, originally scheduled for mid-April, was cancelled. We're still waiting for a new letter. H has been introduced to the sublime nightmare that is the NVC Customer (dis)Service hotline... he couldn't believe there was nothing we could do to reschedule for ourselves, so I told him to call for himself. Hah. Over a year in the US and he still can't get a driver's license... talk about grrrr.

Has anyone had an interview scheduled (or rescheduled) in the NYC area this spring?

E

More tips:

1. Get her into yogurt... start while you're here. The fruit-flavored drinkable variety would probably appeal; she could try strawberry or peach or something. Eating (or drinking) yogurt there at least once per day will help keep her digestive system happy. (And they have even more flavors there than we do here...!)

2. Come on... McDonalds? It doesn't even taste the same there anyway; she might taste the difference and be negative about it. (The last thing you want is to have to comfort her when the McNuggets aren't exactly like the ones here.)

3. I hope your daughter likes bread!

4. Take her to a pastry shop or two. The gorgeous displays of cookies and cakes will totally get her attention.

5. What about couscous? Any meat or veggie she likes, plus it would be very well-cooked, and also fun to eat.

6. Practice eating without silverware at home. Make it silly and fun, like special "practice" meals with the foods she likes best. Use fingers, bread, etc, so that she won't be shocked (or embarrassed to try) if she sees it happen there.

7. There are always nuts, seeds, popcorn, etc. Toasty and well-salted, a bag of almonds is like a mini-meal.

Best of luck!

E

More advice:

1. Figure out where your region's nearest city or county workforce development and employment counseling offices are. Explain his situation and see if they can give him an appointment. They might know about programs and local employers you weren't aware of.

2. Job fairs. (The folks at #1 might know about upcoming ones in your region.)

3. If you know anyone who attends classes or works at a local college or university, check out the job-search resources there. Maybe there's an office that offers info about local businesses, or info about seasonal or temporary positions. Keep an eye open for bulletin boards where employers are permitted to post info for students. You're likely to find postings aimed at people of all ages, education levels, and disciplinary backgrounds.

4. And, while you're there, check the college or university's Human Resources office for jobs on-campus. Even a job on a landscaping crew or as a janitor would beat Wal-Mart hands down because at least there, working on a campus, he'd be 100 times more likely to see and hear about work and school-related opportunities.

Good luck!

E

Any meet-up news for May...?

E

It's been a bit of a nightmare for us. H finally got his EAD this month (we applied last summer... and the card's exp date is this October) and we had an AOS interview date set for April 12, but then they cancelled and haven't sent a new date yet. I can't offer much advice, but you can PM me if you want to trade horror stories. Hang in there,

E

Sorry about the suckiness... but I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Hopefully something will work out.

E

Congratulations! Best wishes for the rest of the journey,

E & H

There's an Algerian teenager in the US who blogs as "The Moor Next Door." I just thought the name was kind of clever...

E

Congratulations to you both!

E

Thanks for the advice, kc456. I'll figure out which office is considered our "local" office for EAD applications and look into it. I agree that it's a good idea to pursue the EAD even though the AOS interview is on the horizon... who knows, better safe than sorry.

E

Take care and good luck!

Elizabeth & Hisham

I am sure his EAD was approved a long time ago but never sent out as he never did the biometrics for it. You could have done an infopass appointment to see if they would have given you a pass to go for the fingerprints. You still could do that. It all depends on how stir crazy Hisham is getting. Have you found creative things for him to do in his time? I know my Hicham just about went crazy sitting at home until he got the card.

Twila

PS Congrats on the interview date. When is it in April so we can add you to the ME/NA reunification cheerleading thread?

I'm wondering the same -- did he have his EAD biometrics taken? My EAD application was so-called "approved" by MSC in early Nov, but I did not get the card until mid-Dec, after having biometrics taken. 5 months is a long time to wait. I suggest you schedule an INFOPASS appt asap to get an interim EAD or EAD biometrics.

When we went to have his AOS prints taken in November, we asked if he could have the EAD prints done at the same time (as others here have done) but we were told that with no appointment letter we couldn't do EAD prints, just AOS, and to just wait for news on the EAD. So H had his AOS prints done in November and we kept waiting for the EAD biometrics appointment letter, but none ever came, and we've had no letters or online touches for the EAD since last August. Who knows what's been going on. It's so frustrating. The guy we spoke to at the AOS prints appointment last year basically said, "well, once you get the AOS done you won't need an EAD, so don't worry about the EAD prints." (Which made me want to say thanks, we didn't REALLY need that money we paid for the fees or anything.... Grrr.) So it's like we're supposed to forget about applying for the EAD and just be thankful when his permanent resident card finally comes. At this point, we're looking into vaccination supplement doctor's appointments and fees. It's annoying, but at least we're together. That part alone makes it bearable. That said, I shouldn't complain.

E

Hi all!

Sorry I haven't been posting lately; the word is "insanelyoverworked." Anyway, I just wanted to post a quick note about Hisham's AOS progress -- we had been waiting for action on either the AOS or EAD for ages (see signature below for details) when the AOS interview letter finally came last week on Valentine's Day. It was a pleasant surprise, but we're still wondering what took so long. His AP had been approved and mailed way back, and he did his AOS fingerprint appointment last November, but there's been no action at all on the EAD since we sent the application last August (except for a NOA1 and our check being cashed). We called USCIS at the beginning of this month to ask for info and try to light a fire under their butts, but I'm not sure if that phone call had anything to do with the AOS interview letter arriving last week. We asked the USCIS rep we spoke with to run a check on the progress of both the AOS and the EAD since they're so overdue, but we've yet to get any news. (The rep said we should get something in the mail within 2 weeks to a month. Wonder if that was misinformation? We'll see, I suppose...)

It'd be kind of a bummer, having wasted the EAD application fee if AOS gets approved first, but oh well. Any action is good action, I guess. We're not complaining, now that we have an AOS interview to look forward to in April. I'll post an update if anything else happens before then.

Hoping everybody's well!

Elizabeth