Bad Blogger Am I!
I'm a bad blogger. It's been over a month, and I've had nothing interesting to show for that time! Let's see....
I waited in long lines. Again. This time it was to apply for a Social Security Number.
Attempt #1:
I went downtown to the Federal Building, where I knew I could apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) once I had permission to work. I'd tried before getting my Employment Authorization Document (EAD). (A ridiculous looking card with my photo and fingerprint on it! Like the average government worker looking at the card would be able to see if the card print would match someone's fingers!) But the guy at the SSN office downtown said that I had to wait until I got my EAD. The card finally arrived at the end of May.
Attempt #2:
Back downtown I went to apply for my SSN. I brought the EAD with me. I hadn't brought my passport, thinking that, since I needed the passport and temporary visa to get the EAD, it wouldn't be a necessary document. But I thought wrong. Luckily, the guy working at the downtown SSN office was kind enough to tell me that there were other offices on Manhattan, and that I might have one closer to where I lived.
Attempt #3:
I went to the 125th Street office, which sounded like it would be closer to us than it actually was. Took me nearly 45 minutes to walk there (granted, I was slow since it was rather hot and humid outside).
The office was inside a swanky apartment building, I think. Anyway, I had to show I.D. and get a 'pass'. This pass was a sticker, kind of like those "Hello My Name Is" ones you get at meetings, except this one said "Visitor" and had the date stamped on the bottom of it.
I got up to the office and, thanks to previous experiences, knew to look for a machine which spits out numbers sequentially. My number was 472. They were currently serving number 422. There were at least 100 people in the waiting room, which was set up with all chairs facing the doorway, and away from the window! People were loud, grumpy, and hot. From previous experiences, I hadn't brought water or snacks or anything entertaining to do, just in case they would be confiscated. This office, however, had obviously much less security.
I waited about 15 minutes in the stuffy, hot, unpleasant room. They were serving 425. They had gone through THREE people in FIFTEEN minutes. I had to wait FIFTY people. There was no way I had the patience for that! So I got up to leave. Being polite in general, I offered to tell the security guard that when they got to my number, I wouldn't be there. This turned into an argument over whether or not I should leave! Yes, that's right; the security guard was arguing with me about my wanting to come back another day. It was ludicrous!
Attempt #4:
This time, I brought water, lunch, knitting, my passport, and my EAD to the office. It was less stuffy, and I only had to wait for 30 people. During my nearly 3-hr wait, I met some interesting people.
There was this one poor woman with her friend (sister?) and three kids who had been waiting since 10am for a 10:30am appointment; it was nearly 2pm when she was finally called! (Couldn't they schedule appointments more sensibly? It isn't like they don't do this every day; surely they know on average how long these interviews and appointments take!) The poor family had no food, the little kids were getting restless (though remarkably still well-behaved considering their circumstances), and were just miserable.
There was also a group of about a dozen Egyptian young college men. They had just arrived for a work-travel-abroad program the previous day. That day, they were all getting their SSN, then departing the following day to various parts of the States to work for one month. After that, they would travel around the States, and then head back to Egypt for their next academic year. They were going to all sorts of places (Florida (the one guy I mainly spoke to), Alabama and Alaska), all doing silly retail jobs (working at Subway making submarines) and hoping to find American girlfriends! From what the one guy was saying, things are fairly strict in Egypt, so one usually doesn't get any alone-time with their betrothed until after the marriage has taken place. He was also saying that most men go to college to get a good degree so they can get a high-paying job so they can get a nice wife!
Anyway, after 3hrs, I got a letter saying that I'd applied for my SSN on June 16th and that it should take about 30 days to arrive. It's day 27 and we still haven't seen that particular piece of mail yet!
Other than waiting in lines in poorly-designed waiting rooms, I was also having fun with Andre and Deb who were in town for a week. We explored the Met Museum, MoMA, wandered around Harlem, walked down Fifth Avenue and through Central Park... It was fun times! They had unfortunately flight issues, resulting in an extra day with us - yay for us though! (= There was, of course, lots of yummy food consumed and many photos taken too!
Just before Deb and Andre arrived, I had sent out a whole slew of resumes to colleges and universities in the city. I've been hearing back from them during the past week, and have already had 3 interviews. I have promising feedback, and will hopefully soon have a job lined up for the fall.
Now, there will be more blog delays, as we're heading to Nova Scotia for a bit of a vacation. (Unfortunate coincidence with colleges finally responding to my job inquiries.) We're very much looking forward to getting away from the metropolis atmosphere, not to mention that it's supposed to get even more hot and humid over the next week! Eep! I hope our plants will survive our absence!
I waited in long lines. Again. This time it was to apply for a Social Security Number.
Attempt #1:
I went downtown to the Federal Building, where I knew I could apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) once I had permission to work. I'd tried before getting my Employment Authorization Document (EAD). (A ridiculous looking card with my photo and fingerprint on it! Like the average government worker looking at the card would be able to see if the card print would match someone's fingers!) But the guy at the SSN office downtown said that I had to wait until I got my EAD. The card finally arrived at the end of May.
Attempt #2:
Back downtown I went to apply for my SSN. I brought the EAD with me. I hadn't brought my passport, thinking that, since I needed the passport and temporary visa to get the EAD, it wouldn't be a necessary document. But I thought wrong. Luckily, the guy working at the downtown SSN office was kind enough to tell me that there were other offices on Manhattan, and that I might have one closer to where I lived.
Attempt #3:
I went to the 125th Street office, which sounded like it would be closer to us than it actually was. Took me nearly 45 minutes to walk there (granted, I was slow since it was rather hot and humid outside).
The office was inside a swanky apartment building, I think. Anyway, I had to show I.D. and get a 'pass'. This pass was a sticker, kind of like those "Hello My Name Is" ones you get at meetings, except this one said "Visitor" and had the date stamped on the bottom of it.
I got up to the office and, thanks to previous experiences, knew to look for a machine which spits out numbers sequentially. My number was 472. They were currently serving number 422. There were at least 100 people in the waiting room, which was set up with all chairs facing the doorway, and away from the window! People were loud, grumpy, and hot. From previous experiences, I hadn't brought water or snacks or anything entertaining to do, just in case they would be confiscated. This office, however, had obviously much less security.
I waited about 15 minutes in the stuffy, hot, unpleasant room. They were serving 425. They had gone through THREE people in FIFTEEN minutes. I had to wait FIFTY people. There was no way I had the patience for that! So I got up to leave. Being polite in general, I offered to tell the security guard that when they got to my number, I wouldn't be there. This turned into an argument over whether or not I should leave! Yes, that's right; the security guard was arguing with me about my wanting to come back another day. It was ludicrous!
Attempt #4:
This time, I brought water, lunch, knitting, my passport, and my EAD to the office. It was less stuffy, and I only had to wait for 30 people. During my nearly 3-hr wait, I met some interesting people.
There was this one poor woman with her friend (sister?) and three kids who had been waiting since 10am for a 10:30am appointment; it was nearly 2pm when she was finally called! (Couldn't they schedule appointments more sensibly? It isn't like they don't do this every day; surely they know on average how long these interviews and appointments take!) The poor family had no food, the little kids were getting restless (though remarkably still well-behaved considering their circumstances), and were just miserable.
There was also a group of about a dozen Egyptian young college men. They had just arrived for a work-travel-abroad program the previous day. That day, they were all getting their SSN, then departing the following day to various parts of the States to work for one month. After that, they would travel around the States, and then head back to Egypt for their next academic year. They were going to all sorts of places (Florida (the one guy I mainly spoke to), Alabama and Alaska), all doing silly retail jobs (working at Subway making submarines) and hoping to find American girlfriends! From what the one guy was saying, things are fairly strict in Egypt, so one usually doesn't get any alone-time with their betrothed until after the marriage has taken place. He was also saying that most men go to college to get a good degree so they can get a high-paying job so they can get a nice wife!
Anyway, after 3hrs, I got a letter saying that I'd applied for my SSN on June 16th and that it should take about 30 days to arrive. It's day 27 and we still haven't seen that particular piece of mail yet!
Other than waiting in lines in poorly-designed waiting rooms, I was also having fun with Andre and Deb who were in town for a week. We explored the Met Museum, MoMA, wandered around Harlem, walked down Fifth Avenue and through Central Park... It was fun times! They had unfortunately flight issues, resulting in an extra day with us - yay for us though! (= There was, of course, lots of yummy food consumed and many photos taken too!
Just before Deb and Andre arrived, I had sent out a whole slew of resumes to colleges and universities in the city. I've been hearing back from them during the past week, and have already had 3 interviews. I have promising feedback, and will hopefully soon have a job lined up for the fall.
Now, there will be more blog delays, as we're heading to Nova Scotia for a bit of a vacation. (Unfortunate coincidence with colleges finally responding to my job inquiries.) We're very much looking forward to getting away from the metropolis atmosphere, not to mention that it's supposed to get even more hot and humid over the next week! Eep! I hope our plants will survive our absence!
posted by blumaroo at
7:45 PM
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