Alien to marry U.S. citizen

So I’m getting married. Not for the first time. But for the last. It’s a great transition to marry a U.S. citizen – even if he is was once Swiss; you have to give up your alien status (yes, you are always referred to as the alien in this process) and become a permanent resident of the United States of America. I met someone from Eritrea while I was in Kassala in Sudan who paid a lot of money for the privilege – even though it was a scam and he never got there. So I’m supposed to be grateful. Which I am. Of course.

However, I might be more comfortable with a permanent alien identity than that of a permanent resident of the U.S. I’ve been a permanent resident in Kenya, UK and Portugal – in how many countries can I be permanent resident in a lifetime?

Could I have a permanent computer residence do you suppose? I mean, I feel strange and non-resident in places where I don’t have my computer. Mind you, being a Mac owner isn’t much help. Too bad if you live in more than one country they remind me. You may only belong to one iTunes store, with one matching credit card. And you can only send music to people in the same country. I know Steve Jobs doesn’t listen to customers, but – I mean – whatever happened to globalization?

And films? Forget watching films from different regions of the world. I can now only watch movies from the U.S. because I’ve switched regions (on my computer) five times. Lucky I’m marrying someone who has his set on movies from regions outside the U.S. We are a perfect match.

Google, on the other hand, goes the other way. Every time you travel they change your google interface language and prioritize sites from that country. Do you think I care what they say in Amharic about cheap flights from Lisbon to Vienna as I reside – on my computer – at Addis airport between Tanzania and Thailand? No, Google, no!! Neither in Thai nor Swahili. Please could you make it less complicated to get back to a language I understand.

Anyway, all this to announce the very great news that we are getting married. Hopefully I got through all my health checks here in Lisbon yesterday – although I wasn’t clear if I should emphasize illnesses or not. I can only imagine the physical health check to enter the U.S. is a secret mental health check. After all, who in their right mind would go to the U.S. if they knew they had a health problem?

So – Etienne Wenger and I are pleased to announce our marriage in September. We have a blog with the announcement here: http://etiennebev.com

Love and happiness to all – from an alien, a legal alien… wishing happiness on all aliens squeezed into national boxes everywhere!