The Fingerprinting
Monday night we drove over to Jacksonville for a Valentine's Day getaway. Also, we wanted to be close to the Immigration office for our fingerprint appt. Tues morning. We found the place fairly easily. You approach a locked set of doors. After proving to the guards that we had a legitimate reason to be there, they searched us and sent us back to the car not once, but twice. First to put our cell phones away and then for me to put my gum in the car. What a threat to homeland security I must have been with my jumbo gumballs. While I was gone the second time, Andrew chatted with the guards. They said they hadn't seen too many families adopting from Korea--mostly China and Guatamala. They were very friendly (despite being armed) and wished us luck.
The wait was not as bad as we'd anticipated. We sat for about 45 minutes with a diverse crowd. Behind us, an Indian family was prepping for an interview. The husband ran through a practice test with questions like "How many states are in the United States?" The wife would think for a few seconds and excitedly say "50!" We also overheard British, Russians, Latinos, and Sri Lankans who were extending visas, applying for citizenship, and getting fingerprinted.
The fingerprint machine is like a scanner. Andrew went first. Apparently his fingers weren't cooperating, because the woman, at one point, threatened to cut them off. My fingerprinting went more smoothly except for a vigourous scrubbing with the technicians rag to remove all traces of lotion. As I waited for my proof of fingerprinting form, the two technicians started complaining in Spanish about all the applicants who'd filled out their paperwork incorrectly. Only at an American Immigration office would the employees start chatting in a foreign language. Our child will fit right in.
The weather was pretty dreary, so we scrapped our plans to walk around the gardens at the Art Museum. We checked out the Avenues mall and purchased a few things, including a very cute pair of baby overalls on clearance for a whopping dollar and 75 cents. Afterwards, we drove down to St. Augustine to see our friends Anthony and Teresa. After almost a year of planning and permitting, their coffee shop had just opened for business the day before. Having seen the building in it's prior state, we were amazed at the transformation. It's a great place with an outside deck and several computers inside for internet access. They clearly put a ton of work into the place and we could not be more excited for them! If any of you are ever in St. Augustine--Jasmine's Coffeeshop on San Marco (between the old jail and the fountain of youth)
So, now we wait for our immigration approval (the coveted I-171H form). After that, we can officially join the waiting list.
The wait was not as bad as we'd anticipated. We sat for about 45 minutes with a diverse crowd. Behind us, an Indian family was prepping for an interview. The husband ran through a practice test with questions like "How many states are in the United States?" The wife would think for a few seconds and excitedly say "50!" We also overheard British, Russians, Latinos, and Sri Lankans who were extending visas, applying for citizenship, and getting fingerprinted.
The fingerprint machine is like a scanner. Andrew went first. Apparently his fingers weren't cooperating, because the woman, at one point, threatened to cut them off. My fingerprinting went more smoothly except for a vigourous scrubbing with the technicians rag to remove all traces of lotion. As I waited for my proof of fingerprinting form, the two technicians started complaining in Spanish about all the applicants who'd filled out their paperwork incorrectly. Only at an American Immigration office would the employees start chatting in a foreign language. Our child will fit right in.
The weather was pretty dreary, so we scrapped our plans to walk around the gardens at the Art Museum. We checked out the Avenues mall and purchased a few things, including a very cute pair of baby overalls on clearance for a whopping dollar and 75 cents. Afterwards, we drove down to St. Augustine to see our friends Anthony and Teresa. After almost a year of planning and permitting, their coffee shop had just opened for business the day before. Having seen the building in it's prior state, we were amazed at the transformation. It's a great place with an outside deck and several computers inside for internet access. They clearly put a ton of work into the place and we could not be more excited for them! If any of you are ever in St. Augustine--Jasmine's Coffeeshop on San Marco (between the old jail and the fountain of youth)
So, now we wait for our immigration approval (the coveted I-171H form). After that, we can officially join the waiting list.
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