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Showing posts with label daughter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label daughter. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
American Birth Certificate Sent to Romania
I sent my American birth certificate to my lawyer in Romania to re-start the citizenship process. Here's hoping that 2016 will finally be the year it happens! 2016 will bring a lot of changes. I'll finally be moving in with my husband, starting a new job, and my daughter will start a new school. Lots of stress, but it'll be over soon.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Tried the Chicago consulate again
I figure I had to try. I started there years ago and wanted to know if anything had changed. I've written about all the troubles I had with the Chicago consulate before. As luck would have it, the same consul who was there in 2005 was there then. There were lots of people waiting when we got there. We handed over all our info and they said they'd get back to me 20 minutes later.
A little over an hour and a half later they said that in order for me to get my CNP and my passport, my mother would first need her CNP, to register her marriage with Romania, and to get a temporary passport. She could either travel to Romania and do it herself or get a lawyer. I asked how long it would take if she went and they said, it's easy, maybe two weeks. I don't see that happening. Since my mom doesn't speak enough Romanian to deal with legalities, we're looking for another lawyer. Hopefully someone can help us out.
On the positive side, it was a lively place to be. There were about 6 people waiting when we go there. All of them easily switching between English and Romanian. One couple was complaining about the long wait, another complaining about the wrong information the consulate had given them about American citizenship. Later on a family of Roma came in. Their dresses were beautiful and their kids' hair was a pretty reddish brown. The kids weren't wearing shoes. My daughter was jealous. They weren't speaking Romanian at all. It's nice to see diversity.
The person we spoke to was very nice. He asked if I wanted to speak in Romanian or English. I said English. He wasn't condescending at all.
All in all, it feels good to get closure. If I can make this work, great. If not, no one can say I didn't try. From the USA, to Peru, to Romania, to Korea I've definitely tried. Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
A little over an hour and a half later they said that in order for me to get my CNP and my passport, my mother would first need her CNP, to register her marriage with Romania, and to get a temporary passport. She could either travel to Romania and do it herself or get a lawyer. I asked how long it would take if she went and they said, it's easy, maybe two weeks. I don't see that happening. Since my mom doesn't speak enough Romanian to deal with legalities, we're looking for another lawyer. Hopefully someone can help us out.
On the positive side, it was a lively place to be. There were about 6 people waiting when we go there. All of them easily switching between English and Romanian. One couple was complaining about the long wait, another complaining about the wrong information the consulate had given them about American citizenship. Later on a family of Roma came in. Their dresses were beautiful and their kids' hair was a pretty reddish brown. The kids weren't wearing shoes. My daughter was jealous. They weren't speaking Romanian at all. It's nice to see diversity.
The person we spoke to was very nice. He asked if I wanted to speak in Romanian or English. I said English. He wasn't condescending at all.
All in all, it feels good to get closure. If I can make this work, great. If not, no one can say I didn't try. From the USA, to Peru, to Romania, to Korea I've definitely tried. Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
- University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course
Friday, 7 February 2014
My work plans for Romania
If things fall into place and I do get my Romanian passport I'd probably move to Romania so that my daughter and I could learn Romania and we could get EU residency. It's been about 14 years since I started trying to get citizenship, but I think I'm really close this time!
Moving anywhere scares me. Personally I'd rather move to another country than move back home to the US because I left in January 2002. I've never really lived there as an adult and had to deal with rent, insurance, or a job. So better the devil you know than the devil you don't, which is why I'd probably stay abroad.
I'll be honest, education in Korea isn't that good. My daughter speaks Korean and her daycare is absolutely fantastic! But I wouldn't stick her in a Korean school where memorisation and quantity are more important than quality and the ability to think outside the box. Job security isn't very good here either. You usually sign yearly contracts and many places will get rid of you after 1, 3, or 5 years simply because they don't want to pay more into the pension scheme. Or because they can get rid of you, so they do.
Being not married to a Korean means that things are harder for me. I don't have a Korean husband to rely on and some jobs only hire those married to Korean. Expats make it hard for us as well. I get told that if I don't like it I should go home. Yet these same people complain about their mother-in-laws, but according to them, it's ok that they complain since they're married to a Korean.
Another thing is that I'll never fit in here in Korea. Even if I'm fluent in Korean, I will always look different. My daughter already gets special treatment, sweets on the subway, and can get away with a lot. I don't think that's good.
So as it stands I'm contemplating either moving to China, the Middle East, or Romania. Of those places, Romania is the place where I could actually blend in. Not only would I be Romanian by blood, so I'd also look Romanian. But I would also have citizenship, thus giving me the right to live, work, and study there. In addition, the school system seems much better than Asia. In the Middle East, my daughter would have to go to an international school, which are horrendously expensive. One of the reasons for living abroad is for her to learn languages and I don't see any sense paying $20-$25k usd for an American school when they're free back home. No matter where we go, I'd like to hire a tutor for her to keep up her Korean and for her to learn a couple more languages as well.
Jobs are an issue. I can live decently and still save in Korea. In China I might be able to save more since the cost of living is lower. In the Middle East you can save, but as a teacher I'd be pretty low on the ladder amongst the oil expats. In Romania I could probably make about $1500 usd a month teaching at a bilingual school. I'm not sure if I could get into international schools even though I have taught at that level. To be honest, having taught at an international school, my experience wasn't the best so I don't know if I'd go back to one. Teachers at my school were not treated well at all and the parents ran the school. Teachers were treated like household help and the parents seemed to know everything even though they weren't teachers by trade. There was also a lot of useless paperwork and focus on unimportant things like perfect handwriting and underlining titles twice with a ruler. Not an environment I want to be in.
$1500 usd a month isn't much in Bucharest when you consider that to rent a place you'd probably need about 400 euro, about $600 usd. Working more than one job would help and luckily I've been doing that for a while now. I could teach private lessons, but having done that I don't think I'd like to do that. One or two, maybe, but not too many because you lose a lot of travel time.
I became a childbirth educator earlier this year and I must say I really, really enjoy the work. I like teaching highly motivated people and as an English teacher I don't run into people like that too often. More often than not they're in the class because it's a required class. I'm hoping to continue teaching childbirth classes no matter where I go. I enjoy organising info, helping people out, and giving them the tools they need to get the birth they want. I also have lots of useful info on my website (Tender Embrace Birthing) such as doulas, breastfeeding counselors, hospitals, and clinics in Korea that people can access. So while this is a very long winded post, I hope it gives a bit more info about what I'd do if I went to Romania.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Moving anywhere scares me. Personally I'd rather move to another country than move back home to the US because I left in January 2002. I've never really lived there as an adult and had to deal with rent, insurance, or a job. So better the devil you know than the devil you don't, which is why I'd probably stay abroad.
I'll be honest, education in Korea isn't that good. My daughter speaks Korean and her daycare is absolutely fantastic! But I wouldn't stick her in a Korean school where memorisation and quantity are more important than quality and the ability to think outside the box. Job security isn't very good here either. You usually sign yearly contracts and many places will get rid of you after 1, 3, or 5 years simply because they don't want to pay more into the pension scheme. Or because they can get rid of you, so they do.
Being not married to a Korean means that things are harder for me. I don't have a Korean husband to rely on and some jobs only hire those married to Korean. Expats make it hard for us as well. I get told that if I don't like it I should go home. Yet these same people complain about their mother-in-laws, but according to them, it's ok that they complain since they're married to a Korean.
Another thing is that I'll never fit in here in Korea. Even if I'm fluent in Korean, I will always look different. My daughter already gets special treatment, sweets on the subway, and can get away with a lot. I don't think that's good.
So as it stands I'm contemplating either moving to China, the Middle East, or Romania. Of those places, Romania is the place where I could actually blend in. Not only would I be Romanian by blood, so I'd also look Romanian. But I would also have citizenship, thus giving me the right to live, work, and study there. In addition, the school system seems much better than Asia. In the Middle East, my daughter would have to go to an international school, which are horrendously expensive. One of the reasons for living abroad is for her to learn languages and I don't see any sense paying $20-$25k usd for an American school when they're free back home. No matter where we go, I'd like to hire a tutor for her to keep up her Korean and for her to learn a couple more languages as well.
Jobs are an issue. I can live decently and still save in Korea. In China I might be able to save more since the cost of living is lower. In the Middle East you can save, but as a teacher I'd be pretty low on the ladder amongst the oil expats. In Romania I could probably make about $1500 usd a month teaching at a bilingual school. I'm not sure if I could get into international schools even though I have taught at that level. To be honest, having taught at an international school, my experience wasn't the best so I don't know if I'd go back to one. Teachers at my school were not treated well at all and the parents ran the school. Teachers were treated like household help and the parents seemed to know everything even though they weren't teachers by trade. There was also a lot of useless paperwork and focus on unimportant things like perfect handwriting and underlining titles twice with a ruler. Not an environment I want to be in.
$1500 usd a month isn't much in Bucharest when you consider that to rent a place you'd probably need about 400 euro, about $600 usd. Working more than one job would help and luckily I've been doing that for a while now. I could teach private lessons, but having done that I don't think I'd like to do that. One or two, maybe, but not too many because you lose a lot of travel time.
I became a childbirth educator earlier this year and I must say I really, really enjoy the work. I like teaching highly motivated people and as an English teacher I don't run into people like that too often. More often than not they're in the class because it's a required class. I'm hoping to continue teaching childbirth classes no matter where I go. I enjoy organising info, helping people out, and giving them the tools they need to get the birth they want. I also have lots of useful info on my website (Tender Embrace Birthing) such as doulas, breastfeeding counselors, hospitals, and clinics in Korea that people can access. So while this is a very long winded post, I hope it gives a bit more info about what I'd do if I went to Romania.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
- University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
Why I'm Still Trying to Get Romanian Citizenship
Last year I wrote a couple of reasons that explained why I still want to get Romanian citizenship. Here are the four reasons I wrote about in January 2012.
I still believe in reasons 1 and 2. My mother's citizenship was re-instated back in the 1990s. Both her parents have passed away now and would not be able to see me get citizenship, something I believe our family is owed. However, it's never too late to say sorry and this act would make up for a lot of things.
On to the 3rd reason. I do still believe that there is potential in Romania. I could teach English, educate expats about giving birth in Romania, possibly even buy property and rent it out. The language shouldn't be too much of a struggle since I can already read a great deal and it's similar to Spanish.To be honest though, this is the weakest reason I have for continuing.
Reason 4 is what is really urging me on. I think that if my mom had known what I know now, she might have gotten a Romanian passport, thus making it much easier for me. But, alas, internet wasn't available when she was growing up and misinformation abound. For example, she believed that she could only be an American citizen and couldn't hold dual nationality. I know that if I give up now, it'll be all but impossible for my daughter to become Romanian through my mother. (Though I suppose there's nothing stopping her from moving to Romania and getting it through marriage or residency.)
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
- First, I honestly feel that it's owed to our family. I think it would be a form of retribution and vindication for what was done.
- Second, we've been at it so long, it would be horrible to give up now.
- Third, I believe there's real potential for myself and my husband in Romania.
- Fourth, it would give our daughter the chance to live, work, or study in Europe if she wanted to.
I still believe in reasons 1 and 2. My mother's citizenship was re-instated back in the 1990s. Both her parents have passed away now and would not be able to see me get citizenship, something I believe our family is owed. However, it's never too late to say sorry and this act would make up for a lot of things.
On to the 3rd reason. I do still believe that there is potential in Romania. I could teach English, educate expats about giving birth in Romania, possibly even buy property and rent it out. The language shouldn't be too much of a struggle since I can already read a great deal and it's similar to Spanish.To be honest though, this is the weakest reason I have for continuing.
Reason 4 is what is really urging me on. I think that if my mom had known what I know now, she might have gotten a Romanian passport, thus making it much easier for me. But, alas, internet wasn't available when she was growing up and misinformation abound. For example, she believed that she could only be an American citizen and couldn't hold dual nationality. I know that if I give up now, it'll be all but impossible for my daughter to become Romanian through my mother. (Though I suppose there's nothing stopping her from moving to Romania and getting it through marriage or residency.)
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
- University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course
Friday, 23 August 2013
Helpful People at the Romanian Embassy in Seoul
I had problems with the Romanian embassy's email. Their email is now embassy@romania.ollehoffice.net
The man I spoke to on the phone was very nice and polite. He told me to send him copies of my documents and he would see what he could do. I sent him a scan of my Romanian birth cert, my mother's Romanian birth cert, and the letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that my mother is Romanian. Neither my mother's nor my birth certificates have CNPs.
I just went to the embassy today with my daughter. The woman I spoke to was so incredibly nice. Very polite and wonderful English. She also didn't tell me that I had to speak Romanian in order to get a passport (which is what people usually tell us, though since I'm applying to become Romanian due to birth rights it shouldn't matter. I'm not asking to be naturalised, I'm simply asking to get citizenship through my mother). She said that I need my CNP and that it usually takes 3 months. I told her that I'd been trying to get citizenship since 1999, so another three months isn't that much.
She copied my Romanian birth cert and my mother's Romanian birth cert. As well as my mother's proof of citizenship from the Ministry of the Interior. She says she will contact Sector 1 in Bucharest. After I get my CNP I have to register my marriage and that can either be done in Peru or Romania, so it looks like I might be going back to Romania. After that then I can get my passport. I'm excited, but I know that I've been so close before so I'm trying not to get my hopes up.
Fingers crossed it will work! Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
The man I spoke to on the phone was very nice and polite. He told me to send him copies of my documents and he would see what he could do. I sent him a scan of my Romanian birth cert, my mother's Romanian birth cert, and the letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs stating that my mother is Romanian. Neither my mother's nor my birth certificates have CNPs.
I just went to the embassy today with my daughter. The woman I spoke to was so incredibly nice. Very polite and wonderful English. She also didn't tell me that I had to speak Romanian in order to get a passport (which is what people usually tell us, though since I'm applying to become Romanian due to birth rights it shouldn't matter. I'm not asking to be naturalised, I'm simply asking to get citizenship through my mother). She said that I need my CNP and that it usually takes 3 months. I told her that I'd been trying to get citizenship since 1999, so another three months isn't that much.
She copied my Romanian birth cert and my mother's Romanian birth cert. As well as my mother's proof of citizenship from the Ministry of the Interior. She says she will contact Sector 1 in Bucharest. After I get my CNP I have to register my marriage and that can either be done in Peru or Romania, so it looks like I might be going back to Romania. After that then I can get my passport. I'm excited, but I know that I've been so close before so I'm trying not to get my hopes up.
Fingers crossed it will work! Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
- University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course
Monday, 17 October 2011
Welcome to the world TMI
Our daughter, TMI, was born this morning at 6:31am after 52 hours of labour. She came 3 weeks early. weighing 2.73 kgs and 47 cms long. Natural childbirth and we were home 8 hours after she was born.
Be sure to read about what has happened so far. You can find everything in the quick summary of dates.
Disclaimer:
- Please join my Patreon page
- University of Toronto's Online TEFL Course
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