Sebastien Jean-Paul (at least for now.) Only 2 short weeks after being born, Diana told us this was the name they chose for their baby boy. Then she casually mentioned that by law in Peru, you have 90 days to name your baby. Which made me wonder if this name is really definite. Whatever his name is, he is so cute and we were happy to get to spend some more time with him.
With big sister, Alex:
The Saturday night before we were supposed to leave, Luis' aunt came to visit and brought a birthday cake for Luis. It was almost two weeks before his birthday (he does like to drag out the attention, you know him "me, me, me") but they didn't think he would still be here on his actual birthday. It was a really thoughtful idea. Darius was already asleep when they brought the cake out, but Taye was very helpful.
On Luis' actual birthday, the boys and I picked out a nice cake for him. He invited his aunt and cousins back over, and we had a nice little party at the house. We made sure Darius was awake for this one. :o) The cake was yummy, and everyone had a nice time.
Taye decided Luis was just not fast enough at cutting the cake, so he helped him out.
He also figured the whole cake belonged to him. He apparently stole the cake right off of Luis' little cousin's plate! He also helped himself to Mamitita's cake (she didn't mind at all).
Just in time for Daddy's birthday, Darius learned this little song:
When Emma was visiting, the kids all liked to play what Taye called, "The Screaming Game." Its pretty self-explanatory. If you use your imagination, I'm sure you can figure out how to play. The other day, Darius introduced it to his cousins here, and it has been a big hit.
(Penny, you may not want to watch...)
The last few days have been full of ups and downs. We thought we had everything settled, but really we've come no further than we were when they sent us back on Sunday. Monday we were planning on going to the embassy, thinking we'd get it all taken care of just by going there. We called first to make sure we didn't need an appointment, and learned that the Immigration Services are only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 1:30-3:30pm. So it was a good thing we didn't waste a trip.
There was nothing left for us to do Monday but call the airline a couple of times to try and find out what was going on with our luggage. Every time we called they told us they had no idea where our things were. I can't even begin to tell you what a bunch of incompetents work at that airline. I will put this in bold, and just trust me - DO NOT EVER FLY ON COPA AIRLINES! EVER! I have flown from Boston to Lima 9 times, on pretty much every airline there is, and have never seen such a mess. I'm not just talking about the last few days either. Every step of every leg of this trip they have made a mess. I cannot believe they are even still in business. End of that rant, for now.
Tuesday afternoon we went to the Embassy. We got there about an hour early, and asked where to go. They told us the office opens at 1:30, and the line usually doesn't start until about 1:15, so we had some time to kill. There was a McDonalds down the street, so we decided to bring the boys for lunch. Let me tell you, I have never been so happy to feed that crap to my kids in my life. You would have thought from the look on Taye's face that we were at the finest restaurant around. He was so excited, and ate every bite of his burger (plus what little was left of Darius',) his fries, and drink. It was nice to feel almost like we were home for a little while. We got back and there were just a few people ahead of us, by the time we all got through security into the waiting room we were #5. When the man called our number, Luis went up alone at first and I stayed with the boys. Luis started to explain the situation and almost immediately the man pulled out some pre-made letter and started filling out the top as Luis talked. Luis said he was looking at it, and it was a rejection letter. I was too curious and anxious to stay in my seat, so I ended up going to the window and talking to the guy too. He basically gave us no help, and told us it was all our fault for leaving in the first place. He did rip up the letter, and in the end he gave us a form to fill out, and said they would take that information to look up the status of his case (which I can do myself online in about 2-3 minutes) and to come back in a week. A week!
We went to sit back down and fill out the form, and a young couple started talking to us because they had overheard and were in the same situation. The girl was Swiss, but had married an American, and they were in Lima visiting her sister and couldn't go home because her green card had expired as well. It turns out they both live on the North Shore of Boston too - small world. They had been into the office earlier and been told it would take a week, they were back to see if anything had been done even though it had been less than a week. The girl told me they had called and spoken to a woman in Kennedy's office, and gave us her name and number. She also said that when they had been in the first time, she started crying and the man ended up giving them a number to call which he said might help them expedite their case. She gave us that number too. We finished the form and left with phone numbers in hand. On the way out we also copied down the US Citizen Emergency Services number, figuring we'd give them a call too.
When we got home I had to call each number a few times before getting anyone to answer. I left a message with the "Emergency Services" and still have not received a call back (Its Thursday afternoon - so much for "emergency").
I spoke to the woman in Kennedy's office first, and she told me we should have received a receipt notice when we filed Luis' I-751 back in July. She said if we had that we would be all set, and that it says on it that it extends the validity of his green card for one year past the date on the card, and that this extension is good for work and travel. She said since we don't have that we would have to wait for them to look it up in the system, but that should not take a week. She suggested waiting a couple of days and calling the office to see if they had found the information they needed. The man at the Embassy had told us that even if they found out we filed the form, that would not be good enough. He said that they would need to see the petition was approved in order to let Luis back in. This was what worried me the most because that could take years. The woman in Kennedy's office told me that is not correct, that the form should be good enough.
Next, I called the USCIS number that the girl had given me. I started to explain our situation to the guy who answered, and he cut me off saying, "weren't you just here?" It was the same jerk from the Embassy. I told him someone had given me the number and said we might be able to get some help this way, but apparently I was misled. He said, "What do you mean you were misled? You don't think I'm helping you?" AAAARRRGGGHHH!! I told him that wasn't what I meant, I was told the people at this number might be able to help expedite the process. He asked how fast I would like it to go. I told him that since my 2 year old keeps crying that he wants to go home, I would like it done as soon as possible. He told me they try to get people home as soon as possible, and to take a deep breath and just relax (thanks). We ended the call at that point, but I called him back a minute later with a question. I asked about the receipt letter, and if that would be good enough. He said it would, and I told him ok I would have my mom overnight it to us. He said, "Look, save yourself some money, we're going to be able to find that out in the system, so just let us do that and wait it out." Yeah, no.
So I called Mom, and told her where she could (hopefully) find the form, and she was able to find it. She sent it through FedEx, but they apparently laughed in her face when she asked about overnighting it. They said they best they could do was say probably by 9pm Friday night. She also scanned it and emailed us a copy. We called the airline that night and asked if the original of that document would be good enough to fly out of here. The guy basically said he is sure its good enough, but he doesn't have the power to tell us for sure, so we would need to talk to a supervisor. We asked if we could bring in the copy to show the supervisor, and if they would be able to tell us for sure that the original would be enough, so that we could book our flights ASAP. He said that would be fine, and there is always a supervisor on duty so we could come in any time the next day (Wednesday).
I know that seems like a long enough day, but we weren't nearly done yet. While we were making all these calls, Darius started getting feverish. He had thrown up on the plane on Sunday, and had a fever that day, but had been fine all day Monday and until Tuesday evening. When we took his temperature it was 39.8C (about 104F), and we decided to take him to the ER since he has also had diarrhea for almost the entire time we've been here. When we got to the ER it was such a mess. They weren't talking to anyone, and when Luis tried to talk to someone about Darius, she had such an attitude and told him we shouldn't have even been there, this was not an emergency, etc. I got pissed off and told Luis we should just leave and take him to the clinic in the morning. I was literally at the end of my rope and lost it. As we walked out, I was saying "I hate this place, get me out of this place..." For effect as I stormed away, I (stupidly) went to punch the doorframe. Of course, I missed, and punched the window instead, smashing it and cutting a gash in my arm which needed 5 stitches. At least it got them to pay attention to us.
Luis called his mom to bring money, and worked out a deal with the guy in charge to pay for the window to be fixed so he wouldn't call the police. None of this seems real to me still. They checked Darius and told us to bring him back the next day for blood, urine, and stool tests. Then they stitched me up. The entire time, Taye was in the waiting room with Luis' mom. He had been fine for a long time, and literally as they were about to start the stitches, he started screaming and hurling himself against the door. I was crying, thinking about the mess I had caused. I felt terrible for him, and all of us. The nurse let them into the room, but Taye wouldn't stay. He just ran right back out and kept screaming and throwing himself against the door. Apparently some very helpful old woman in the waiting room told Luis' mom to rush him to the church because he was clearly possessed. When they finally finished and let me go, I ran out to Taye who was in a corner of the room. He wouldn't come to me, but when I got close he practically threw himself at me and started crying to me, "I spilled the water, I spilled the water. I don't want that water, that water is yucky!" I told him it was ok, it was all ok. He slowly started to calm down, and a minute later a woman came over and tried to give me a bottled water for him, but I declined. I assume they tried to give him some, and he didn't want it, which is what he was telling me. I knew it would just upset him again. We paid for everything and went 'home'. I still can't believe that night, I keep reliving it and still it doesn't feel real. I definitely was out of my mind, but I think I'm back now :o)
The hospital was nasty, and there was no way I was going to bring Darius back and let them poke him. I called Jean on Wednesday and asked her to call Dr. Mele and see if she thought it could wait until we get home (assuming we will be home in a few days). She said we should definitely get the urine and stool done, but that as long as we feel he is getting enough fluids, the blood tests aren't necessary. So Wednesday we had to find somewhere better to bring him. We ended up finding a private clinic with an awesome doctor. She checked both boys and said they have a bronchial infection. Other than that Taye is fine, and we need to use an inhaler for both of them. Darius also has an ear infection, which she said is causing the diarrhea. She gave us antibiotics for Darius in addition to the inhaler, and wants to see them both in 10 days for a follow-up. Like I said, she was awesome, and for the first time here I left feeling like he is getting good treatment. But I REALLY hope we don't have to see her again! If we're still here in 10 days...
On Wednesday we also went to the airport to talk to the supervisor of Copa. It took at least a half hour to find the guy. First they wasted our time having us talk to some girl who just went around in circles and wouldn't give us any answers. We finally insisted (again) that we were not leaving without talking to the supervisor, and she tried to tell us he wouldn't be in until 4:30 (this was about 1pm). We told her we had been told there was always a supervisor on duty, and she finally told us he was down in the check-in area and gave us his name. When we got down there they tried to tell us he wasn't down there and we should go ask up at the office. We told that lady to just call the supervisor already, we knew she knew how to reach him. Turns out he was right there the whole time (what the hell is wrong with the people at this airline?!?!)
The man seemed very helpful, and looked over the copy we had brought in. He said it should be good enough, but that he would call immigration to double check anyway while we waited for the original (the girl upstairs had told us this is the procedure, they have to check with immigration). The rest of the discussion centered on flights out of here. We told him we needed to ultimately get to Boston, but that we want to be out of here ASAP, so if it was difficult for them to get a ticket for us on another airline (they don't fly to Boston) then we'd be happy if they just got us to NYC, and we could get home from there. We also told him they could give us just three seats instead of the four we paid for - just get us out of here! We left the airport feeling pretty good. While we were there a man told us that our bags were supposed to come in at 3pm that afternoon. We decided to bring the boys for lunch and to get some things at the grocery store to kill time and then come back for the bags. We were done by about 3:30 and decided to call the airline and make sure our bags were really there. The woman who answered said she had no idea where our bags were, so we took the hour-plus ride home. When we got back Luis called again about the luggage, and they told him the bags had just arrived. Finally.
Later last night, the supervisor called back and told Luis that immigration had told him that letter is not good enough. They claim we should have received an approval letter about a month later (bull) and that is what we need. The form we have says, "Your conditional resident status is extended for a period of one year from date of expiration on your Form I-551, conditional resident card. During the one-year extension you are authorized employment and travel." It seems pretty clear to me, I honestly can't see any loophole that could mean we can't go home. But someone apparently told him its not enough. Luis argued this with the guy, and he said he could see our point, and would look into it further. He also tried to tell Luis the airline would only be covering his flight home, not mine or the boys'. Luis argued that too, and with good reason. Since we left Panama, every conversation has been about 4 tickets (or at least 3) and not just one. A woman in Panama (whose name we did not, unfortunately, get) told us the four of us would be flown home. If they had not planned to send us all home, why would they have sent us all back here? Not only that, but I saw a woman take our boarding passes, and assign our seats to 4 other people in Panama that night. So the airline got their money, and they owe us our seats. I just cannot believe this situation.
So now we're just left waiting. Waiting for the original copy to get here, and waiting to talk to the guy at the embassy again (most likely not until Tuesday at this point). I'm terrified we'll go and the man will tell us we can't come home. I cannot for the life of me figure out how that's possible, but I never expected any of this, so I just don't know anything at this point. If the Embassy doesn't help us, we have no more options that I can think of.
Guess what? We're still in Peru! In case you didn't know, that was not the plan. We were supposed to be home by now, enjoying our nice hot shower, and cozy bed while the boys played with their new toys and we all just generally relaxed. Sounds nice, doesn't it? Well I guess it wasn't meant to be.
We left yesterday afternoon around 2:30pm to fly to Panama. We only had an hour layover there before our connecting flight to Washington DC. About an hour and a half into the first flight, Darius threw up all over himself and Luis. Literally, all over. I have never seen so much come out of such a little kid. At the time I started dreading the rest of the trip. I assumed that with the luck we've been having, they would both be sick by the end of the day, and we'd all be covered. As it turned out, that would have been the preferable option.
When we tried to board in Panama, the woman told us Luis couldn't get on the plane because his green card had expired. It never occurred to us to check it since we are up to date with all his papers. The INS should have sent us a new one by now, but since they take forever to process everything it hasn't come yet. We tried explaining this to the woman, and she said we should have asked them for a letter stating that its ok for Luis to come back into the US. We asked what we were supposed to do and she said the airline would put us in a hotel in Panama and he'd have to go to the embassy to get a letter, and once we had the letter they would get us a new flight. Other people joined the conversation at this point, and there was a lot of back and forth. We were really unhappy with the solution offered, especially once someone told us today is a holiday in Panama so nothing would be open. Not to mention that we don't know anyone or anything in Panama, and we had $9 in our pockets. The woman we were dealing with was not helpful at all, she said it was our fault and basically our problem. She even said that they would only pay for Luis' flight back since the boys and I could have gone on the flight without him, and we chose not to.
Finally after a lot of talking in circles, and talking to another, more reasonable, woman we came to a decent solution. This woman recognized that it was not entirely our faults. The airline employees checked his green card in Miami and Panama on our way down, and in Lima on our way home. No one else pointed out to us that it had expired, if they had we would have been better off left in Miami or Lima where at least we know people and know where we're going. So they sent us back on a flight to Lima last night. At the airport (where they lost our bags again) they had someone waiting to drive us to the house. We called the embassy today and they told us to come in tomorrow afternoon with Luis' passport, green card, and three passport pictures and as long as his papers are all in order they will give him a travel card that will allow us to leave. As soon as we have that we have to call the airline and arrange for a flight. We asked the man when we would be able to get a flight out, and its looking like Saturday at the earliest.
I feel so terrible for the kids. Taye has been asking to go home for a few days now, and I told him yesterday that we would be taking a long plane ride then a ride in the car and we would be home. I thought he would lose it when we came back to Mamita's house last night, but he seemed excited. He is asking to go home again now though. Its hard for us to be here still, I can't imagine how it is for him, and I hate that I can't fix it for him.
This whole thing is almost surreal, I think I'm in denial or something because I'm actually feeling ok. If you had told me the other day we'd be stuck here for another week I would have lost my mind, but I have been ok with it since we left Panama. I believe we have all our bases covered now, and it should just be a few more days before we are home for real. Hopefully.
Friday we got to go and see another one of my (our) good friends. There used to be a group of them that were always together. Jen and I just called them "the guys". They were our best friends here. The group was Luis, Renzo, Danny, Victor, Eddy, and Yanina. Danny and Victor both live in Spain now (plus Danny is a jerk) so we didn't see them. We did stop by Eddy's house for a little while, but didn't stay long, and I didn't have my camera. I have already told you about Yanina, and so that leaves Renzo. He and Yanina are my 2 closest friends, so I am so glad that I got to see them both.
We couldn't get Renzo's number, so we just stopped by on Friday afternoon. His sister told us he had just left, but invited us in and called him on his cell phone. He talked to Luis and told him when he would be home, and we planned to come back and visit. The boys had so much fun with his sister, and she and I chatted (in Spanish!) while Luis and Renzo sat and talked about me and how I just pretend not to know Spanish. I hate them. They do that every time we are all together. Anyway...
His sister's name is Bertha, and she was so sweet. She chased the kids all over the house.
She made us lunch, including Jell-o for Taye:
And she found some toy cars for them:
While all of this was going on, Luis and Renzo just chatted away. We had a very nice visit, I'm glad we were able to catch him before we left.
The obligatory group shot:
