gc_dedo
12-04 11:52 PM
I dont know what humanity you talk about ronhira.
Why do we have borders. People are dying in Africa and want to come to US.
Let US Immigration stop checking and let everyone in.
We are humane and want to help everyone. How about that.
Writing big paragraphs wont help you.
And those supporting illegals you may know they have never supported legal immigrants.
They never let any bills that help legal immigrants pass.
ANyways the whole story is baseless, These illegals always try to blame something on Sherrif whos just doing his job.
Why do we have borders. People are dying in Africa and want to come to US.
Let US Immigration stop checking and let everyone in.
We are humane and want to help everyone. How about that.
Writing big paragraphs wont help you.
And those supporting illegals you may know they have never supported legal immigrants.
They never let any bills that help legal immigrants pass.
ANyways the whole story is baseless, These illegals always try to blame something on Sherrif whos just doing his job.
wallpaper 2011 BMW Alpina B7 xDrive
sweet_jungle
09-05 04:26 PM
All people affected by USCIS blocking approvals for current people, lets get organized.
This time USCIS is hiding by not making official announcements.
We need to act as we did last July.
Lets send letters to congressman like zoe lofgren.
NSC is issuing frivolous RFEs as delaying tactics.
I am not seeing similar outrage as we saw last year.
The time to act is now.
This time USCIS is hiding by not making official announcements.
We need to act as we did last July.
Lets send letters to congressman like zoe lofgren.
NSC is issuing frivolous RFEs as delaying tactics.
I am not seeing similar outrage as we saw last year.
The time to act is now.
sabhayk
04-18 11:09 AM
Guys,
I have a question. I am a MS student who graduates late May and would not have my diploma till then. I asked my lawyer about the advanced quota and they told me that I would be needing the letter of completion from the school (which is not possible until I finish with this semester).
What are the odds of the Master's Cap still staying open in and around end of Apr and First week if May.
Anyone has the latest count. Please post it.
Thanks
Sabhay
I have a question. I am a MS student who graduates late May and would not have my diploma till then. I asked my lawyer about the advanced quota and they told me that I would be needing the letter of completion from the school (which is not possible until I finish with this semester).
What are the odds of the Master's Cap still staying open in and around end of Apr and First week if May.
Anyone has the latest count. Please post it.
Thanks
Sabhay
2011 2011 BMW Alpina B7
neerajs
07-17 07:01 PM
Its really nice to see that Genuine cause can make Government rethink.
Good Efforts core IV team. Thanks & congrats.
Good Efforts core IV team. Thanks & congrats.
more...
qvadis
07-11 05:56 AM
Hi Paskal,
but the categories and priorities were created to be based on the jobs too. and there are people in EB3 with bachelors degrees only. so what? it's meant for jobs that need a bachelors degree. it is indeed your misfortune to be in EB3.
It's very interesting to see the fight between EB2 and EB3. You don't seem to be concerned too much that EB3 is in a disadvantage. Well, the original topic was the 'disadvantage' of oversubscribed v. other countries. What if we apply the same principal of equality of EB2 and EB3 applicants and remove these categories completely. That would mean that EB2-I wouldn't get any GCs for the next two or three years until EB3-I has caught up. Fair?
I don't want to get into the discussion if country ceilings are fair or not. If, however, it was suddenly removed, ROW filers who are only a few months away wouldn't get any GCs for the next few years. I haven't seen any opposing comment, suggesting that the meaning of the I in IV has changed.
Anyway, in my opinion, the best bet would be to try to recapture Visas and increase country ceilings or set a portion aside for heavily retrogressed countries.
but the categories and priorities were created to be based on the jobs too. and there are people in EB3 with bachelors degrees only. so what? it's meant for jobs that need a bachelors degree. it is indeed your misfortune to be in EB3.
It's very interesting to see the fight between EB2 and EB3. You don't seem to be concerned too much that EB3 is in a disadvantage. Well, the original topic was the 'disadvantage' of oversubscribed v. other countries. What if we apply the same principal of equality of EB2 and EB3 applicants and remove these categories completely. That would mean that EB2-I wouldn't get any GCs for the next two or three years until EB3-I has caught up. Fair?
I don't want to get into the discussion if country ceilings are fair or not. If, however, it was suddenly removed, ROW filers who are only a few months away wouldn't get any GCs for the next few years. I haven't seen any opposing comment, suggesting that the meaning of the I in IV has changed.
Anyway, in my opinion, the best bet would be to try to recapture Visas and increase country ceilings or set a portion aside for heavily retrogressed countries.
snhn
12-03 04:03 PM
Addendum:
I remember the IO asking my spouse about being a member of a job-related professional association. My spouse used to be a member of such an organization and mentioned so. The IO then remarked that such membership is a requirement for such kind of a job. She then just let it go, however.
You say that she asked you wife about being a member of some orog. Did the IO already knew that per her own investigation or di you guys mentioned that to her prior to her asking abou it.
I remember the IO asking my spouse about being a member of a job-related professional association. My spouse used to be a member of such an organization and mentioned so. The IO then remarked that such membership is a requirement for such kind of a job. She then just let it go, however.
You say that she asked you wife about being a member of some orog. Did the IO already knew that per her own investigation or di you guys mentioned that to her prior to her asking abou it.
more...
newuser
02-26 02:51 PM
I don't think you have waited for 6 years after your PD to be able to file for EAD/AOS Benefits... the whole thing is messed up... There are people who filed during July Bulletin Fiasco and there are who could not even though their PDs are before yours. So do you ask them to SHUT UP ?
Didn't you read what was said by realizeit in his intital post?
�A journey of a thousand miles begins with a small step.�
All I said was not to mix all the issues into one and sell it. We all know what happened with CIR.
Didn't you read what was said by realizeit in his intital post?
�A journey of a thousand miles begins with a small step.�
All I said was not to mix all the issues into one and sell it. We all know what happened with CIR.
2010 2011 Bmw Alpina B7 Wheel
ItIsNotFunny
03-06 10:29 AM
Guys,
Please DO NOT vote "Yes" if you are not intending to contribute $25 for this cause. Whoever enters yes, I will pursue and make sure we get contribution before 31st March. Please make sure you send me PM with your contact information if not paying withing a week.
Please please please, do not put junk on this forum. Keep bumping up anyways.
Core, no offense meant, but please don't shy voting on this. I usually don't see core voting, understandable but keep this as an exception.
P.S.
How to donate:
1. Look at top of the thread. There is a donation bar with green progress bar.
2. Click on a link "Donate Now"
3. This will redirect you to donation selection page. Please select type of your contribution. You may choose recurring subscription for multiple months or if you want to make one time contribution, please select subscription for 1 month.
4. Click Donate. This will redirect you to pay pal secured page. You may choose your pay pal account or pay by credit card over here. You may see your name as user on pay pal page.
5. Submit payment.
6. Page will show you reference number. Please copy and paste of this thread - Optional but recommended.
7. You will receive an email from IV about payment confirmation. Your status will be changed to "Donor" from Junior / Senior member. You will not status as donor if you are IV Admin - kidding :).
Update from Pappu:
As everyone is aware of the FOIA letters we have received from USCIS. We requested everyone to fax/email us the USCIS letter.
Here is an update on IV plans and what we know till now:
On Friday, during the discussions with USCIS, we came to know that that there is a backlog of FOIA requests and currently they are clearing FOIA requests they received in 2007. We also know from the letter that the report wll not have 'country of chargeability' info. This is a critical info that we ought to have. Even after paying 5K to USCIS, over one year wait time to get the FOIA request completed will be unacceptable to the community.
In light of these developments we have explored other options to get this data and use the copies of replies we get as an example how badly we need this data to get accurate picture of the size and breakdown of the current backlog, so that we can all know how long we need to wait in the current system, if nothing changes. We would also ideally like such data to be always available and updated for public periodically.
Our first option is that we put in effort to get this data without having to pay $5K to USCIS. We will also try to get the data much sooner rather than all of us wait for more than a year.This could be possible via advocacy effort and our initial discussions on this subject have been promising. We will pursue this and if we do not make much progress until the deadline then we may pay 5K and still pursue the advocacy option to get the data faster. Thus we need more than 5K to proceed with these parallel options. The advocacy effort will also be an ongoing task beyond the first month. Thus we request members to sign up for recurring payment option to support this initiative and any other initiative we undertake for the community.
We have added a paypal module on the top of each page with a target amount. Members can use this fresh tool added to IV website to contribute. We prefer if members contributing to the effort on recurring monthly basis for a long term support of IV efforts. All members who contribute through this system will also have access to special 'Contributor's Forum' on the IV website.
Thank You for your effort and contribution for building a stronger community.
Please DO NOT vote "Yes" if you are not intending to contribute $25 for this cause. Whoever enters yes, I will pursue and make sure we get contribution before 31st March. Please make sure you send me PM with your contact information if not paying withing a week.
Please please please, do not put junk on this forum. Keep bumping up anyways.
Core, no offense meant, but please don't shy voting on this. I usually don't see core voting, understandable but keep this as an exception.
P.S.
How to donate:
1. Look at top of the thread. There is a donation bar with green progress bar.
2. Click on a link "Donate Now"
3. This will redirect you to donation selection page. Please select type of your contribution. You may choose recurring subscription for multiple months or if you want to make one time contribution, please select subscription for 1 month.
4. Click Donate. This will redirect you to pay pal secured page. You may choose your pay pal account or pay by credit card over here. You may see your name as user on pay pal page.
5. Submit payment.
6. Page will show you reference number. Please copy and paste of this thread - Optional but recommended.
7. You will receive an email from IV about payment confirmation. Your status will be changed to "Donor" from Junior / Senior member. You will not status as donor if you are IV Admin - kidding :).
Update from Pappu:
As everyone is aware of the FOIA letters we have received from USCIS. We requested everyone to fax/email us the USCIS letter.
Here is an update on IV plans and what we know till now:
On Friday, during the discussions with USCIS, we came to know that that there is a backlog of FOIA requests and currently they are clearing FOIA requests they received in 2007. We also know from the letter that the report wll not have 'country of chargeability' info. This is a critical info that we ought to have. Even after paying 5K to USCIS, over one year wait time to get the FOIA request completed will be unacceptable to the community.
In light of these developments we have explored other options to get this data and use the copies of replies we get as an example how badly we need this data to get accurate picture of the size and breakdown of the current backlog, so that we can all know how long we need to wait in the current system, if nothing changes. We would also ideally like such data to be always available and updated for public periodically.
Our first option is that we put in effort to get this data without having to pay $5K to USCIS. We will also try to get the data much sooner rather than all of us wait for more than a year.This could be possible via advocacy effort and our initial discussions on this subject have been promising. We will pursue this and if we do not make much progress until the deadline then we may pay 5K and still pursue the advocacy option to get the data faster. Thus we need more than 5K to proceed with these parallel options. The advocacy effort will also be an ongoing task beyond the first month. Thus we request members to sign up for recurring payment option to support this initiative and any other initiative we undertake for the community.
We have added a paypal module on the top of each page with a target amount. Members can use this fresh tool added to IV website to contribute. We prefer if members contributing to the effort on recurring monthly basis for a long term support of IV efforts. All members who contribute through this system will also have access to special 'Contributor's Forum' on the IV website.
Thank You for your effort and contribution for building a stronger community.
more...
apahilaj
08-14 12:44 PM
Does LUD on I 140 necessarily tie to 485 receipt generation? I don't think so - why would they touch the already approved I 140 case to begin processing 485? Unless I am missing something...
My I 140 has been approved in Feb 07 from TSC and 485 application was mailed to NSC on July 2nd. No LUD on 140 and no 485 receipts yet...
My I 140 has been approved in Feb 07 from TSC and 485 application was mailed to NSC on July 2nd. No LUD on 140 and no 485 receipts yet...
hair BMW-ALPINA- B7-BiTurbo-
pr02
07-17 08:25 PM
Thank you to the IV core, thank you to the members of this board.
Thank you to all the people who took the initiative, and also to the people who had the foresight to support those initiatives.
Thank you to all that contributed money( I myself have contributed only once; I pledge more in the future), time, and effort.
Finally thanks to every one who lent us a sympathetic ear, to every one who doubted IV, to all the nay sayers who strengthened our resolve.
Finally once more to IV for uniting us all.
Thank you to all the people who took the initiative, and also to the people who had the foresight to support those initiatives.
Thank you to all that contributed money( I myself have contributed only once; I pledge more in the future), time, and effort.
Finally thanks to every one who lent us a sympathetic ear, to every one who doubted IV, to all the nay sayers who strengthened our resolve.
Finally once more to IV for uniting us all.
more...
realizeit
03-04 08:40 PM
I will be there at 8CST/9EST
Just a reminder folks for those who are planning on attending the conf call
conf call details : Dial in number 218 339 2626
Access code: 245906
Time: 9:00 PM EST 3/4/2009 Wednesday
Thanks
Just a reminder folks for those who are planning on attending the conf call
conf call details : Dial in number 218 339 2626
Access code: 245906
Time: 9:00 PM EST 3/4/2009 Wednesday
Thanks
hot hair Drive: 2011 BMW Alpina B7
kdprasad
08-14 01:36 PM
I am starting to see a trend in the receipt notices.
Some of the people reporting getting recepit notices this week (yesterday and today) have LUDs of 07/28/07. My thinking is that This week will see receipt notices for everyone with an LUD of 07/28/07
HOPEFULLY next week will see receipt notices for 08/05/2008. This is just my observation.
People please post your LUDs for your I-140, the service center AND how your receipt numbers start (SRC vs LIN) each time you post a receipt notice.
NOT TURE MY LUD IS NOT UPDATED. Rcvd receipts yesterday see below.....
ote: Checks got cashed after 2 days of Receipts.
I-140 Approved (NSC) 11/2006
485 -- July 2nd 11:30a.m
Receipt rcvd -- Aug 10th (Rcvd copy of receipts Aug 13th).
LUD Not updated.
I have seen some one else like me had the same process. Checks got cashed after 2 days of receipts.
Thanks
Some of the people reporting getting recepit notices this week (yesterday and today) have LUDs of 07/28/07. My thinking is that This week will see receipt notices for everyone with an LUD of 07/28/07
HOPEFULLY next week will see receipt notices for 08/05/2008. This is just my observation.
People please post your LUDs for your I-140, the service center AND how your receipt numbers start (SRC vs LIN) each time you post a receipt notice.
NOT TURE MY LUD IS NOT UPDATED. Rcvd receipts yesterday see below.....
ote: Checks got cashed after 2 days of Receipts.
I-140 Approved (NSC) 11/2006
485 -- July 2nd 11:30a.m
Receipt rcvd -- Aug 10th (Rcvd copy of receipts Aug 13th).
LUD Not updated.
I have seen some one else like me had the same process. Checks got cashed after 2 days of receipts.
Thanks
more...
house Alpina wheels that carry a
gbof
02-26 10:14 AM
If First/Last name in all immigration related applications/docs match with entries in corrected passport, I don't think you need anything else. Green Card, when received, should have entries as in passport.
Thanks, jsb
But, how are they going to verify and match entries in passport now. Entry in their system, now may be 'LNU'
Thanks, jsb
But, how are they going to verify and match entries in passport now. Entry in their system, now may be 'LNU'
tattoo mw-alpina-b7-allrad
ragz4u
04-24 10:25 PM
RAGZ,
Are we still compiling or the stories have started going out to the right people. It was amazing to watch Sen FIenstein talk about a poor hardworking undocumented worker in the US. She was so eloquent. Every passing day makes u feel more like a 2nd class citizen. Anyways, let us chug on. I had sent my story. Pls let me know If you would any further action from the story senders like myself.
Guys,
Just because there is not much happening in front of the media circus, do not for a moment believe nothing is happening behind the scenes.
The IV core members are still working and talking to senators and congressmen. In fact one of the core members of IV met with his congressmen today and it was a very productive meeting
The media team has also got some very important leads. Thanks to all the contributors of stories, we were able to immediately capitalize on an opportunity from a world renowned publication. We are hoping that this will be out soon.
Another US top-3 publication's article is in the works too.
As I had mentioned earlier, we have received quite a few stories and its encouraging to see people now willing to speak publicly and realizing that maybe it won't help, revealing one's story will not hurt for sure. Plus, we will never be able to conduct rallies like illegals. Approaching media with our stories is the only way to get ourselves heard.
Someone had asked a question that how many stories have we received. The answer is about 20. That might seem a lot but let me give you a very recent example of how this was too little.
We were approached by a award-winning reporter to provide her two members of IV that fit two criteria
1) Should be non-IT
2) EB1 or EB2
Given the 20 stories we had only 2 such folks that fit the criteria and they who were gracious and spoke to the reporter. The reporter then wanted to speak to one more person and we did not have any readily available person. So we had to do a crazy search for a person that fits this criteria. We were able to find someone at the last moment and we did not squander our chance. But chances are pretty high that such a thing can happen in future!
We might have a reporter who wants to write an article but is looking for an EB2 from the state of Texas. Currently we do not have anyone that fits the criteria. We would lose this chance which anyways are not easy to come by.
Also, when our IV core member met with the congressman today, he asked for someone who was suffering in his district. Fortunately our core member was from his dictrict and hence we were okay, else it would not have been a productive meeting!
So please please send us your stories......we will not reveal your info to anyone without your expressed permission. We promise....
Are we still compiling or the stories have started going out to the right people. It was amazing to watch Sen FIenstein talk about a poor hardworking undocumented worker in the US. She was so eloquent. Every passing day makes u feel more like a 2nd class citizen. Anyways, let us chug on. I had sent my story. Pls let me know If you would any further action from the story senders like myself.
Guys,
Just because there is not much happening in front of the media circus, do not for a moment believe nothing is happening behind the scenes.
The IV core members are still working and talking to senators and congressmen. In fact one of the core members of IV met with his congressmen today and it was a very productive meeting
The media team has also got some very important leads. Thanks to all the contributors of stories, we were able to immediately capitalize on an opportunity from a world renowned publication. We are hoping that this will be out soon.
Another US top-3 publication's article is in the works too.
As I had mentioned earlier, we have received quite a few stories and its encouraging to see people now willing to speak publicly and realizing that maybe it won't help, revealing one's story will not hurt for sure. Plus, we will never be able to conduct rallies like illegals. Approaching media with our stories is the only way to get ourselves heard.
Someone had asked a question that how many stories have we received. The answer is about 20. That might seem a lot but let me give you a very recent example of how this was too little.
We were approached by a award-winning reporter to provide her two members of IV that fit two criteria
1) Should be non-IT
2) EB1 or EB2
Given the 20 stories we had only 2 such folks that fit the criteria and they who were gracious and spoke to the reporter. The reporter then wanted to speak to one more person and we did not have any readily available person. So we had to do a crazy search for a person that fits this criteria. We were able to find someone at the last moment and we did not squander our chance. But chances are pretty high that such a thing can happen in future!
We might have a reporter who wants to write an article but is looking for an EB2 from the state of Texas. Currently we do not have anyone that fits the criteria. We would lose this chance which anyways are not easy to come by.
Also, when our IV core member met with the congressman today, he asked for someone who was suffering in his district. Fortunately our core member was from his dictrict and hence we were okay, else it would not have been a productive meeting!
So please please send us your stories......we will not reveal your info to anyone without your expressed permission. We promise....
more...
pictures 500 Horsepower 2011 BMW Alpina
gccovet
03-09 09:04 AM
ItsNotFunny,
I am pledging $25.00. Let me know where to send the cheque
GCCovet
I am pledging $25.00. Let me know where to send the cheque
GCCovet
dresses the BMW ALPINA ROADSTER S
jayjawan
05-06 10:08 PM
Hi,
As you know cap reached on 30thApril for Masters, can we assume applications that reached on Sat and Sunday(28th,29th)non working(non business) days are safe? or will the be considered to be reached on Monday and hence come under lottory?
Jay
As you know cap reached on 30thApril for Masters, can we assume applications that reached on Sat and Sunday(28th,29th)non working(non business) days are safe? or will the be considered to be reached on Monday and hence come under lottory?
Jay
more...
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calgirl
08-25 03:37 PM
No..Only a few need to go for an interview.
most of the times I see fellow IVians posting about card production ordered..do they also need to go for interview?
most of the times I see fellow IVians posting about card production ordered..do they also need to go for interview?
girlfriend 2011 BMW Alpina B7 steering
bigboy007
05-11 11:06 AM
I am in the same boat as you are ... There is injustice everywhere? As explained, I feel unjustice becoz EB3 can port to EB2 , I feel unjustice becoz L1,L2 get it quickly .. list continues. FYI... I came well before most of you guys in queue. PPL who came after me got Labor very quickly and are ahead of me.. So is that not Injustice to me? Shouldnt USCIS be notified and Shouldnt IV followup on adminFix ? when ppl jump or port dates from EB3 to EB2 dates will no go beyond ( just with 3k numbers) shouldnt IV followup and do adminfix so that some set of ppl will stop discussing this issue ? We can keep discussing things that will never happen.
When USCIS stopped Labor SUBS it filed in federal register and many processes. As per Law it allowed to port dates as it does now between Eb3 to Eb2. how can they go back hich is non existing and change the dates just becoz some ppl feel injustice? look at practicality?
As i said just google it and you wil know whether USCIS alredy know about it. again why 2007 is that becoz you call could apply then? When USCIS did admin fix did it change the validity of existing EAD's or said will apply for new ones only?
Those who came between 2000 and 2005 are not getting GC approved , because of some loop holes , those who came in 2007 are getting 485 approved. Is it not unjustince to people who applied earlier? This issue is not similar from EB3 to EB2 etc.
I hope IV will bring this to the notice of USCIS ASAP.
When USCIS stopped Labor SUBS it filed in federal register and many processes. As per Law it allowed to port dates as it does now between Eb3 to Eb2. how can they go back hich is non existing and change the dates just becoz some ppl feel injustice? look at practicality?
As i said just google it and you wil know whether USCIS alredy know about it. again why 2007 is that becoz you call could apply then? When USCIS did admin fix did it change the validity of existing EAD's or said will apply for new ones only?
Those who came between 2000 and 2005 are not getting GC approved , because of some loop holes , those who came in 2007 are getting 485 approved. Is it not unjustince to people who applied earlier? This issue is not similar from EB3 to EB2 etc.
I hope IV will bring this to the notice of USCIS ASAP.
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spicy_guy
06-10 12:42 AM
Excellent!!! very well put out! :)
I am not on estrogen therapy, but I decided to write about the feelings that I underwent during the 3 days of the event. If you do not want to read the entire post, skip to the last paragraph.
1. Anxiety: On Sunday, as I was making my way towards Hyatt Regency on the Capitol Hill (a beautiful and an expensive hotel) I was a little anxious about meeting new people (I am a closet introvert :D ). I was not sure if the people would just continue the non-productive conversations about Eb3 vs EB2 or India vs ROW or just be plain annoying. Boy, was I wrong!!! That anxiety disappeared in a matter of minutes after walking in the situation room. The folks were dedicated and meant business. The leadership of the core group was evident, they made sure that we didn't go off message, relatively an easy task for them since most of us there realized the importance of keeping on message.
2.Excitement: As we started the training, people started pouring great ideas (and few not so great IMHO).The trainer in chief chased each of these ideas to its logical conclusion and without saying whether they had merit or not made it obvious for us to decide. How classy and what a phenomenal coaching style!. The talking points that we discussed were articulated meticulously and question/comments were dealt with insight, experience and facts (this one is very important, we all know what opinions are like...). This was the one feeling (excitement) that lasted through the 3 days and I still cant shake it off (not that I am trying, but I don't want people to confuse me for the energizer bunny!! - we have some one else for that ;))
3.Nervousness: The first meeting. No, no not with the folks from Congress, but the mock meeting at the training session. The veterans gave us a demonstration of their insights/ knowledge and quick wit. So of course I was nervous coming in after that performance. I volunteered to be on the first ones of these mock sessions and felt all eyes in the room on me. I tried to focus on the task at hand (which was at that time, to stop my legs from shaking ;)). Perhaps, the mock session was the toughest of all the meetings that I had on the hill (remember that the hotel was 'on the hill' too :)).
4.Awesomeness: This is what it was all about. For me as a first timer, entering the hallowed halls of congress and participating in the democratic process up close and personal is an awesome feeling. Just walking down those corridors and noticing the closed doors with signs that say 'Appropriations Committee', or 'Democratic Caucus' and knowing that laws that affect lives of more than 300 million people are being crafted, debated and being voted on right there....what a rush. I think this too will be with me for a long long time.
5.Camaraderie: This is a fun bunch of serious people on a mission. I think mostly everyone hit off well with everyone else. I made a whole bunch of acquaintances that I feel could mature into strong friendships. Even though we worked our collective butts off, there was always light hearted humor floating around. It was great.
6.Gratitude: Looking at the hard work put in by the countless tireless volunteers was a humbling experience. These very kind souls put in hour after hour of work during the event but they put in even more before the event started. I don't know, if the rest of you know, organizing an event at such a scale is a massive undertaking and despite hiccups we came out the other end in great shape. My gratitude goes to all the people that put their hearts, minds and souls in allowing our community to participate in the democratic process at the highest level. Thanks for making this happen.
Why am I writing this you wonder (or may be not). This event changed me. I felt myself grow in these 3 days. I rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous and powerful men and women in the nation and conveyed our message. I also saw first hand the resource constraints that IV has and how they figure something out and make it happen. Trust me folks, it is not easy to work thanklessly for days on end for 18 hours and still keep a cheerful demeanor but they did. My sincere thanks to IV leadership, all the fellow volunteers and all monetary contributers for allowing me such a great opportunity. Part of me hopes that we never have to do this again, but that hope also makes me sad that I probably wont get to experience a full gamut of feelings again.
I am not on estrogen therapy, but I decided to write about the feelings that I underwent during the 3 days of the event. If you do not want to read the entire post, skip to the last paragraph.
1. Anxiety: On Sunday, as I was making my way towards Hyatt Regency on the Capitol Hill (a beautiful and an expensive hotel) I was a little anxious about meeting new people (I am a closet introvert :D ). I was not sure if the people would just continue the non-productive conversations about Eb3 vs EB2 or India vs ROW or just be plain annoying. Boy, was I wrong!!! That anxiety disappeared in a matter of minutes after walking in the situation room. The folks were dedicated and meant business. The leadership of the core group was evident, they made sure that we didn't go off message, relatively an easy task for them since most of us there realized the importance of keeping on message.
2.Excitement: As we started the training, people started pouring great ideas (and few not so great IMHO).The trainer in chief chased each of these ideas to its logical conclusion and without saying whether they had merit or not made it obvious for us to decide. How classy and what a phenomenal coaching style!. The talking points that we discussed were articulated meticulously and question/comments were dealt with insight, experience and facts (this one is very important, we all know what opinions are like...). This was the one feeling (excitement) that lasted through the 3 days and I still cant shake it off (not that I am trying, but I don't want people to confuse me for the energizer bunny!! - we have some one else for that ;))
3.Nervousness: The first meeting. No, no not with the folks from Congress, but the mock meeting at the training session. The veterans gave us a demonstration of their insights/ knowledge and quick wit. So of course I was nervous coming in after that performance. I volunteered to be on the first ones of these mock sessions and felt all eyes in the room on me. I tried to focus on the task at hand (which was at that time, to stop my legs from shaking ;)). Perhaps, the mock session was the toughest of all the meetings that I had on the hill (remember that the hotel was 'on the hill' too :)).
4.Awesomeness: This is what it was all about. For me as a first timer, entering the hallowed halls of congress and participating in the democratic process up close and personal is an awesome feeling. Just walking down those corridors and noticing the closed doors with signs that say 'Appropriations Committee', or 'Democratic Caucus' and knowing that laws that affect lives of more than 300 million people are being crafted, debated and being voted on right there....what a rush. I think this too will be with me for a long long time.
5.Camaraderie: This is a fun bunch of serious people on a mission. I think mostly everyone hit off well with everyone else. I made a whole bunch of acquaintances that I feel could mature into strong friendships. Even though we worked our collective butts off, there was always light hearted humor floating around. It was great.
6.Gratitude: Looking at the hard work put in by the countless tireless volunteers was a humbling experience. These very kind souls put in hour after hour of work during the event but they put in even more before the event started. I don't know, if the rest of you know, organizing an event at such a scale is a massive undertaking and despite hiccups we came out the other end in great shape. My gratitude goes to all the people that put their hearts, minds and souls in allowing our community to participate in the democratic process at the highest level. Thanks for making this happen.
Why am I writing this you wonder (or may be not). This event changed me. I felt myself grow in these 3 days. I rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous and powerful men and women in the nation and conveyed our message. I also saw first hand the resource constraints that IV has and how they figure something out and make it happen. Trust me folks, it is not easy to work thanklessly for days on end for 18 hours and still keep a cheerful demeanor but they did. My sincere thanks to IV leadership, all the fellow volunteers and all monetary contributers for allowing me such a great opportunity. Part of me hopes that we never have to do this again, but that hope also makes me sad that I probably wont get to experience a full gamut of feelings again.
pa_arora
08-22 03:51 PM
where is vldrao and 22K visas??
i think v r f'ed up big time; part of the problem was setting our hopes higher.
on another note, if some ppl call this a rumor, I would say this is US and "almost all" rumors in US are true.
I just hope its not true.
i think v r f'ed up big time; part of the problem was setting our hopes higher.
on another note, if some ppl call this a rumor, I would say this is US and "almost all" rumors in US are true.
I just hope its not true.
swamy
11-25 01:57 PM
!@#$%^&*(())- thats 'bump' in Michiganese - I mean waht we yell when we hit one