So say that this has been the most worrisome and stressful weekend of my life would be an understatement. It would have and could have been the most joyous of my life...but no....things never seem to work out like that.
So as of Thursday at 11:30 I had my green card....as of Friday at 7:30 when I checked my messages, it was questionable. It seems that the agent was reviewing my file and was missing a document. The way my lawyer described the form on the message, I knew I was screwed. It was a renewal form that I KNEW I did not have because I was advised by him, the school AND INS that I NOT get it done or it would nullify my green card app. SO all of Thursday night, I was a wreck....a complete wreck. I am surprised I got any sleep.
So I wake up at 9 am and call the lawyer, and leave a message. He calls me back...turns out he was not referring to that but ANOTHER form....which I ALSO do not have. But this time, as it turns out, it is something I could never have gotten. The agent was looking for a "form of action" that officially noted my change from a visitor to a student....however, when I came into the country in 1990, the form was not even around. All they did then was stamp a little port-of-entry card for you. I am guessing she did not realize how long I have been here for. What strikes me as odd is that ALL my I-20's are signed by INS...which pretty much says that I am legally a student. I won;t go into the obvious head-slap on that one.
In any case, I was made to wait ALL day Friday with nary a word from anyone while I ran around on the phone getting info on the form and the proof and what not. I talked to everyone from USF to records in my old high school to the original person who signed my very first I-20....all to find out that the form does not even exist. Now....it's 4:30 and I have heard NOTHING from the lawyer, so I call over...and no one is there...they have gone home...and I am left wondering what in the hell my status is. So I take the initiative, get ballsy, and call INS in Washington. I was not expecting to get a hold of anyone, but luckily I got to talk to an officer. I explained the entire situation to her and from what I gathered: Yes, the form did NOT exist then. Yes, the stamp is the ONLY thing they need for verification. No, they can NOT take away my green card.
So I have to wait out the entire weekend trying not to think about it and just getting reassuring hugs from all the people in my life that I am loving and latching onto like never before. I am trying to soak up as much of them in case something horrible should happen. I feel like a co-dependant leech. I found out that the reason I did not hear anything on Friday was because the agent who handled my case was not in the office that day. I REALLY HOPE she is in tomorrow because I don;t know how much longer I can be patient.
I am trying not to be too fatalistic or optimistic about it. If everything I have been told is true, then I should be fine. However, I am leaving a little bit of room for doubt JUST IN CASE. You just never know how these things will turn out and people constantly telling me "It will be alright. Don;t worry," actually makes it worse for me. You had better believe that at 9 am tomorrow morning, my ass is getting on that phone and not stopping until someone gives me a friggin answer. I just can;t believe that this is happening, but on the flip side. I CAN believe it.
Nothing in my life has ever been attained through an easy route. I have had to learn to be patient and deal with the twists and turns and ups and downs. So this is just one more thing. I waited 13 years, I can wait another 24 hours to get a final answer....it;s just that aggravated anticipation of wanting to feel 100% free. I feel like someone untied one string off my wing, but left the other one on, so I am flapping around banging into the cage and spilling birdseed everywhere. No, Polly does not want a cracker. Polly wants his friggin' Green Card. Does the government know about the No Takesies Backsies rule?
Much thanks to the Elf for the love, hugs, and laughs. And to Sara for keeping me grounded and offering to lay a Wiccan curse on "their" asses.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, September 22, 2002 at 8:50 PM.
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