Pumpkin Carving 101

Nicolas's two-year immigratiaversary may be just around the corner, but there are plenty of American traditions left for him to explore. This past weekend was no exception. Despite temperatures in the Bay Area in the 90s Fahrenheit (> 32C), the very non-Gallic Halloween is nearly upon us. Though I mainly outgrew my affinity for the holiday when I aged out of trick-or-treating, we're lucky enough to have a friend who feels otherwise. He was enthusiastic enough to pack a trunk full of pumpkins ready for carving, so on Saturday our socially-distanced outdoor gathering got to work. I'd forgotten how familiar it was to smell a freshly sliced pumpkin or feel its sticky, stringy, seedy guts oozing between my fingers. My familiarity made Nicolas's novelty all the more striking. It's easy to forget you didn't grow up in the same world as the person with whom you share your world. Then, next thing you know, you're discovering a "quintessential childhood experience" on a random Saturday afternoon well past your childhood years.

Nicolas's first jack-o-lantern

Nicolas's final project for Pumpkin Carving 101 earned him a solid A. In the midst of a year that hasn't been the greatest for a foreigner to America, I'm glad he got to discover one positive American tradition.

Green card renewal submitted!

 549 pages later, we have survived the completion Nicolas's green card renewal application. Technically, it's the "removal of conditions" since his first green card was conditional: only valid for 2 years. That's the sort of green card issued to anyone sponsored by a spouse to whom they've been married for less than two years at the time of application. Since we'd been married for just 10 months back when we submitted his first green card application, that put us squarely in the conditional green card category. Nicolas's right to continue to reside in the US is now contingent on the strength of our proof of a sustained relationship.

In short, we had to spend the last several months digging through every single shared bank statement, bill, vacation photo, and so on, to demonstrate to the federal government that we're the real deal. I have to admit that there's something that feels a little icky about having to prove your marital life to a national government. We had friends and family write affadavits as to our relationship, and we put my organizational skills to the test. (Yes, we braved this all sans immigration lawyers once again.) At last it's out of our hands. Here's to hoping there won't be any more family separations in our timeline!

Mailing off Nicolas's green card (I-751) application at downtown Oakland's fancy old-time post office.