I live in small community in Iowa. I pay taxes and mortgage. I have a cat, which I took from local animal shelter. I go to restaurants often and shop locally. Even if it only means local Walmart sometimes. I do participate in aero club activities. I am a scientist with flourishing carrier, who achieved a lot in last 5 years, published many papers, attended some national conferences and got to know a lot of people. I am established here.
I am going to loose all of what I achieved, soon.
But for all the people of different stages of my immigration process, I am just a name on the paperwork. They make a subjective decision, yes or no, without giving a minute of thought of who I really am. Or worse, my paperwork is being pushed back to the next day, for months, without being looked at.
With all the compassion and support I receive from people around me, I find it hard to believe that employees of HHS, Department of State or USCIS do not know somebody going through the process right this minute. They might be your neighbors, or members of same club. People you chit-chat every day. Give them a thought.
I am a person. There is a story behind the name.

I already complained on this blog about magazines bugging you all the time to renew subscription. Unfortunately, my favorite National Geographic is among them. The moment I pay additional year, the letters start coming to add yet another. Clearly, in this country subscribing to a magazine generates additional cost to the magazine owner, as a subscriber pays more for his renewal then if he started a new subscription. After all, if I renew in due time about 2 months before my subscription expires, they need to send me 11-12 renewal notices! My theory proved right, when I got this letter from National Geographic.

I am trying to understand, if people are too lazy to just look at the address label to see when their subscription expires? If they did, the obnoxious spamming would stop. My money are better saved on my account, then on magazine’s.