In less than 12 hours I will officially begin my internship with the local school district's Foster Youth Services. I am a bundle of nerves. A minute ago I caught myself rocking back and forth every so slightly. I haven't done that in ages. With the perfect timing the universe usually bestows upon me my cat decided to ingest a large amount of plastic that she's been slowly but surely vomiting up and pooping out. Instead of reading over my notes for tomorrow I'm obsessively prodding her belly, checking her stool, feeling her gums, and figuring out her respiratory rate. All seems well but I can't relax.
My first challenge tomorrow is getting up at 3AM to take Felix to work. We're sharing one car and I still haven't figured out if I need it for my internship or not. I'll probably come back home around 4:15, pass out for a couple of hours, then start getting ready. I'll have to shove breakfast down my throat just delicately enough to make it stay down. I may take a caffeine pill in lieu of coffee then throw lunch into a bag and be off. The next big mental hurdle I've created is driving there. I hate the freeway. I especially hate 99. Thankfully I'll be going the opposite direction of the morning traffic. I hope I remember how to get there - I should look it up.
Third is figuring out what I'm supposed to even do tomorrow at my internship. I know I have Mandated Reporter training from 2PM-4PM. What about from 9AM-2PM, though? I hope they have a plan for me because I don't sit still well. No matter what I will remind myself of one key idea: "This is what I'm supposed to be doing... FINALLY." I decided on social work a good 2 or 3 years ago and this is the first time I'll really get to start. It's only 9 months... then 2 more years in grad school.
Emmi just jumped on my laptop seeking attention. That's a good sign. I'm going to play with her for a while then crawl into bed next to my amazing husband and try to sleep. 9 hours and 23 minutes!
Showing posts with label Challenges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Challenges. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
It's official!
As of two days ago when we held Felix's Permanent Resident ID in our hands it was and is finally official! We can both breathe easily knowing that the biggest hurdles have been overcome. In two years we apply to remove the conditional status then after that it's time for full-fledge citizenship.
We've both been feeling kind of overcome with all the possibilities and it put us in overdrive for trying to make a lot of things happen at once.
First on our list, Felix contacted Sac State to change his residency status since he was admitted for the fall. Guess what? The CSU system goes off the entire year prior to Sept 20th when establishing residency. After further doing our research and lots of vague responses from both Sac State and FAFSA we've figured this out to mean he is NOT eligible for financial aid until next Fall semester. Further digging on my part though has shown that community colleges are much more lenient with their residency standards which takes us to the second item on our list.
Felix can finally do CRC's EMT program like he's been wanting to. He's all signed up to do the American Red Cross' CPR Certification for the Professional Rescuer since it's a prerequisite for the EMT program. He's pretty stoked though I can't get that excited about 9 hours of anything let alone learning how to resuscitate people. He'll probably do the EMT class instead of going to Sac State since we'd be on our own for funding either expenditure. 6 units at $36/unit ($216 total) beats 6 units at $1769 total. Fo'get you, CSU system.
Third... we're working on replacing Felix's Mazda, may it rest in peace. We're buying my niece's Civic which Felix is excited about. Lemme tell you, I am excited too, but spending $3000 was not in my summer plans as I wanted to move to a bigger apartment! Still, it's a fantastic deal and we love the thought of getting a car from a well-known owner. Plus it's nice enough to last for a good long while. The thought of paying for both our auto insurance makes me wanna hit my head on something hard. Felix went and got his permit at DMV this past week and his driving test is coming up. May I please point out that the BEST part of him driving is I can get drunk when we go out and just make him drive? Yep.
Going back to that apartment idea is our number four. I threw the biggest PMS-fueled fit today about how much I hate our tiny apartment and with the anticipation of our huge monthly insurance payments it's looking like we won't be able to afford a better place. Mom has stepped in saying she'll help but I have to quit my job in August to do my senior internship so I still have to look at the money stuff. Big sigh. How much longer until Fall financial aid disbursements, again?
Five although it's probably the biggest is Felix's big job hunt. He's planning on sticking with Crepe for a bit but it would make 1-4 so much easier if he had a better-paying job. We're working on his resume right now. He's applying pretty much everywhere, full time only. Cross your fingers!
So that's where we are for now. Lots going on with only four weeks left in the semester. I'm aiming for those A's again. Gotta get into grad school so all these challenges will just be a strange time to look back on and laugh about.
We've both been feeling kind of overcome with all the possibilities and it put us in overdrive for trying to make a lot of things happen at once.
First on our list, Felix contacted Sac State to change his residency status since he was admitted for the fall. Guess what? The CSU system goes off the entire year prior to Sept 20th when establishing residency. After further doing our research and lots of vague responses from both Sac State and FAFSA we've figured this out to mean he is NOT eligible for financial aid until next Fall semester. Further digging on my part though has shown that community colleges are much more lenient with their residency standards which takes us to the second item on our list.
Felix can finally do CRC's EMT program like he's been wanting to. He's all signed up to do the American Red Cross' CPR Certification for the Professional Rescuer since it's a prerequisite for the EMT program. He's pretty stoked though I can't get that excited about 9 hours of anything let alone learning how to resuscitate people. He'll probably do the EMT class instead of going to Sac State since we'd be on our own for funding either expenditure. 6 units at $36/unit ($216 total) beats 6 units at $1769 total. Fo'get you, CSU system.
Third... we're working on replacing Felix's Mazda, may it rest in peace. We're buying my niece's Civic which Felix is excited about. Lemme tell you, I am excited too, but spending $3000 was not in my summer plans as I wanted to move to a bigger apartment! Still, it's a fantastic deal and we love the thought of getting a car from a well-known owner. Plus it's nice enough to last for a good long while. The thought of paying for both our auto insurance makes me wanna hit my head on something hard. Felix went and got his permit at DMV this past week and his driving test is coming up. May I please point out that the BEST part of him driving is I can get drunk when we go out and just make him drive? Yep.
Going back to that apartment idea is our number four. I threw the biggest PMS-fueled fit today about how much I hate our tiny apartment and with the anticipation of our huge monthly insurance payments it's looking like we won't be able to afford a better place. Mom has stepped in saying she'll help but I have to quit my job in August to do my senior internship so I still have to look at the money stuff. Big sigh. How much longer until Fall financial aid disbursements, again?
Five although it's probably the biggest is Felix's big job hunt. He's planning on sticking with Crepe for a bit but it would make 1-4 so much easier if he had a better-paying job. We're working on his resume right now. He's applying pretty much everywhere, full time only. Cross your fingers!
So that's where we are for now. Lots going on with only four weeks left in the semester. I'm aiming for those A's again. Gotta get into grad school so all these challenges will just be a strange time to look back on and laugh about.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Social Security Administration
We spent our Cesar Chavez holiday at the Social Security Card Office. Felix was applying for his brand spanking new card and I needed a replacement since I hadn't seen mine since I was 16. Before we even left the house I warned Felix to stay calm if he was put into a tough situation. We parked out front then had to walk around the back of the building to where the card office was.
The security guard checked my bag at the door then we went on in and each took a number from the computer. It was completely empty that day - we were the only ones in the waiting area for quite some time. The SSA office is reminiscent of a DMV except with comfier chairs and significantly less people.
I got called up to my window first and the guy behind the counter was personable and kind of silly. Turned out he lived pretty close to us. We talked about how nice the weather was and how he was making a trip to McKinley Park later. He had me confirm my information then gave me a reciept saying my card would arrive in about two weeks.
Felix had an entirely different experience. He presented his Employment Authorization Document and his passport and the guy asked (in a thick accent drenched in "I'm not from here") if he had an extension. Felix said, "Excuse me?"
The guy replied, "Yeah, do you have an extension on your passport? This is expired. I'm not going to be able to help you."
Felix responded that the whole point of his legal process was to fix that issue but "I can go ahead and leave the country and come back in 10 years to apply for a SSN." He ended on the note that his lawyer informed him he only needed his EAD.
The guy asked for any other ID such as a birth certificate and Felix said, "Sure I've had that on me all along" and handed it over. The guy ran off to get his manager who said that it was ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM and to go ahead and finish up Felix's application.
"I am going to be able to help you after all," he said. Yeah, no shit jackass. At this point Felix felt bad for being kind of a dick so he made an attempt at small talk. The dude ran through a questionnaire with him and to the question, "Have you ever received government assistance?" Felix replied jokingly, "I wish! School is expensive!"
The guy put down his piece of paper and looked at Felix. "Look, I'm not asking this for any benefit of mine. I don't want to know, it's just the questions I have to ask."
Felix apologized and said he was just trying to make conversation then went on with the questions. When we finally left Felix told me the whole story described above. That dude was lucky I was already outside.
The thing that got to us was not the fact that he was rude - that guy was just doing his job, albeit he should have asked for further identification BEFORE saying he couldn't help Felix. No, the problem is that it was so blatantly obvious that he too had been through the immigration process. Now that he has a cushy government job he can't remember what it was like to be unsure and fearful?
Hmph. Whatevs, the card is in the mail.
The security guard checked my bag at the door then we went on in and each took a number from the computer. It was completely empty that day - we were the only ones in the waiting area for quite some time. The SSA office is reminiscent of a DMV except with comfier chairs and significantly less people.
I got called up to my window first and the guy behind the counter was personable and kind of silly. Turned out he lived pretty close to us. We talked about how nice the weather was and how he was making a trip to McKinley Park later. He had me confirm my information then gave me a reciept saying my card would arrive in about two weeks.
Felix had an entirely different experience. He presented his Employment Authorization Document and his passport and the guy asked (in a thick accent drenched in "I'm not from here") if he had an extension. Felix said, "Excuse me?"
The guy replied, "Yeah, do you have an extension on your passport? This is expired. I'm not going to be able to help you."
Felix responded that the whole point of his legal process was to fix that issue but "I can go ahead and leave the country and come back in 10 years to apply for a SSN." He ended on the note that his lawyer informed him he only needed his EAD.
The guy asked for any other ID such as a birth certificate and Felix said, "Sure I've had that on me all along" and handed it over. The guy ran off to get his manager who said that it was ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM and to go ahead and finish up Felix's application.
"I am going to be able to help you after all," he said. Yeah, no shit jackass. At this point Felix felt bad for being kind of a dick so he made an attempt at small talk. The dude ran through a questionnaire with him and to the question, "Have you ever received government assistance?" Felix replied jokingly, "I wish! School is expensive!"
The guy put down his piece of paper and looked at Felix. "Look, I'm not asking this for any benefit of mine. I don't want to know, it's just the questions I have to ask."
Felix apologized and said he was just trying to make conversation then went on with the questions. When we finally left Felix told me the whole story described above. That dude was lucky I was already outside.
The thing that got to us was not the fact that he was rude - that guy was just doing his job, albeit he should have asked for further identification BEFORE saying he couldn't help Felix. No, the problem is that it was so blatantly obvious that he too had been through the immigration process. Now that he has a cushy government job he can't remember what it was like to be unsure and fearful?
Hmph. Whatevs, the card is in the mail.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Turning everything in just to wait
Well we finally dropped off all our documents.
Getting the medical done was a nightmare - the cost skyrocketed from the $175 we were quoted to $315 thanks to some missing shots on his shot record. I gotta wonder if a tetanus shot is really worth how much they charged us. At least he has his updated varicella vaccine now. Poor guy has never had chicken pox so what a nightmare it'd be if he got that or shingles now... Eek. He tested positive for TB on his arm so he had to spend another $50 to get an x-ray of his lungs. No TB there. Then the idiot at the front desk kept saying his payment didn't go through. We printed out bank statements and got confirmation numbers from the bank and they still wouldn't buy it. They got in touch with the vendor who processes all their payments and almost two weeks after the exam we finally got our sealed I-693.
I had a hell of a time getting University Enterprises to write my confirmation of employment letter. I contacted the same person twice by e-mail then finally called her and got her machine. I left a professional yet nasty voicemail saying it was my third attempt to reach her within 10 days and as she had no vacation notice up I assumed she was in the office. I ended up going to the office to demand a letter and the woman at the front desk didn't seem surprised that the other lady was such a nightmare to deal with. She typed it right up for me and sent me off within 5 minutes of getting there.
We spend another $60ish on passport photos since he needed 4 and I needed 2 but got extra so I could eventually get a new passport. I'm thinking we should have just done them at home. We have a white wall and pretty nifty camera. Ah well.
We headed over to Golden1 to add him to my bank account and after making us squirm for a while they eventually told us they couldn't add him since his ID was expired. I could tell he got upset but we still had to get $1366 worth of money orders so we just handled that then took off.
We dropped off the docs in the afternoon and the lawyer's office was locked. We had to call to get let in and the intern was rude about Felix's difficulty understanding the bizarre buzzing/locking system on the door.
It was a crappy, crappy few weeks and especially the last day. At least now our documents are in. Now we wait until the lawyer asks us to come in and sign them (I think?) before they get sent off to the big bad immigration office. We're really getting tired of all this and it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
It'll be over soon.
Getting the medical done was a nightmare - the cost skyrocketed from the $175 we were quoted to $315 thanks to some missing shots on his shot record. I gotta wonder if a tetanus shot is really worth how much they charged us. At least he has his updated varicella vaccine now. Poor guy has never had chicken pox so what a nightmare it'd be if he got that or shingles now... Eek. He tested positive for TB on his arm so he had to spend another $50 to get an x-ray of his lungs. No TB there. Then the idiot at the front desk kept saying his payment didn't go through. We printed out bank statements and got confirmation numbers from the bank and they still wouldn't buy it. They got in touch with the vendor who processes all their payments and almost two weeks after the exam we finally got our sealed I-693.
I had a hell of a time getting University Enterprises to write my confirmation of employment letter. I contacted the same person twice by e-mail then finally called her and got her machine. I left a professional yet nasty voicemail saying it was my third attempt to reach her within 10 days and as she had no vacation notice up I assumed she was in the office. I ended up going to the office to demand a letter and the woman at the front desk didn't seem surprised that the other lady was such a nightmare to deal with. She typed it right up for me and sent me off within 5 minutes of getting there.
We spend another $60ish on passport photos since he needed 4 and I needed 2 but got extra so I could eventually get a new passport. I'm thinking we should have just done them at home. We have a white wall and pretty nifty camera. Ah well.
We headed over to Golden1 to add him to my bank account and after making us squirm for a while they eventually told us they couldn't add him since his ID was expired. I could tell he got upset but we still had to get $1366 worth of money orders so we just handled that then took off.
We dropped off the docs in the afternoon and the lawyer's office was locked. We had to call to get let in and the intern was rude about Felix's difficulty understanding the bizarre buzzing/locking system on the door.
It was a crappy, crappy few weeks and especially the last day. At least now our documents are in. Now we wait until the lawyer asks us to come in and sign them (I think?) before they get sent off to the big bad immigration office. We're really getting tired of all this and it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
It'll be over soon.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Jumping through another hoop
We arrived at the County Clerk and Recorder around 9, signed in then sat in the waiting area. I looked around the room and noticed postings about payment types and asked the lady at the counter if they accepted debit cards or credit cards. Lo and behold - they took everything except Visa which I had four of in my wallet.
Felix and I run to an ATM a few blocks away and withdraw $100 - the license is $82. We rush back and the clerk takes us into the back to go over our marriage license. She asks for our IDs and we hand them over, I had my CA ID and Felix had his Panamanian passport. She gets up to copy them then comes back and says to Felix, "This is expired." Our hearts sank. That's everything we were afraid of. We explained to her that he was unable to get a government ID. After some painful moments she told us we could have two people with government-issued IDs come in and certify that they know who Felix is. We told her we could have people there ASAP. We ran outside and called Keegan and Erica, waking them both up. They said they'd be there right away.
Felix and I sat in the hallway for a while waiting for our friends to get there. Feeling yet again the frustration of his situation my eyes started watering. He noticed and asked me what was wrong and I started crying. An eyelash landed on my cheek and he put it on the tip of his finger and he said to me, "Make a wish, baby." If anyone were put in our place wouldn't we all wish for the same thing? I blew the eyelash and we had to go outside for a little bit so we wouldn't draw attention.
Keegan and Erica arrived and the four of us ran back inside and they made Keegan and Erica sign papers saying they can attest to Felix's identity. While they did that Felix and I settled our balance which had grown to a whopping $98 - it's $16 extra to have people confirm your identity with signatures.
When it was all done, we got up and walked out with our marriage license at last.
Now our next obstacle is how do we accommodate all the people we want to be at our wedding? We thought the room could hold more but the lady who gave us our license said 20 was the absolute maximum. She also said the Fair Oaks office could hold 27, maybe 30 tops. I just want to do the cute backyard wedding thing but since this is all such a rush I don't know how to make that happen.
Felix and I run to an ATM a few blocks away and withdraw $100 - the license is $82. We rush back and the clerk takes us into the back to go over our marriage license. She asks for our IDs and we hand them over, I had my CA ID and Felix had his Panamanian passport. She gets up to copy them then comes back and says to Felix, "This is expired." Our hearts sank. That's everything we were afraid of. We explained to her that he was unable to get a government ID. After some painful moments she told us we could have two people with government-issued IDs come in and certify that they know who Felix is. We told her we could have people there ASAP. We ran outside and called Keegan and Erica, waking them both up. They said they'd be there right away.
Felix and I sat in the hallway for a while waiting for our friends to get there. Feeling yet again the frustration of his situation my eyes started watering. He noticed and asked me what was wrong and I started crying. An eyelash landed on my cheek and he put it on the tip of his finger and he said to me, "Make a wish, baby." If anyone were put in our place wouldn't we all wish for the same thing? I blew the eyelash and we had to go outside for a little bit so we wouldn't draw attention.
Keegan and Erica arrived and the four of us ran back inside and they made Keegan and Erica sign papers saying they can attest to Felix's identity. While they did that Felix and I settled our balance which had grown to a whopping $98 - it's $16 extra to have people confirm your identity with signatures.
When it was all done, we got up and walked out with our marriage license at last.
Now our next obstacle is how do we accommodate all the people we want to be at our wedding? We thought the room could hold more but the lady who gave us our license said 20 was the absolute maximum. She also said the Fair Oaks office could hold 27, maybe 30 tops. I just want to do the cute backyard wedding thing but since this is all such a rush I don't know how to make that happen.
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