Posted on 01/07/2007 1:51:52 PM PST by Hostage
I married 14 years ago and just had my firstborn, a son, this past September.
I met my wife in medical school. She was originally from Lithuania and when I met her she was on a H1-B visa working as an adjunct professor of internal medicine.
She had made significant contributions to medical science and had been asked to lecture at med school for the year. That was 16 years ago in the afterglow of the world of Ronald Reagan. She became a naturalized US citizen in 1996.
We've had a real love affair ever since but children did not come easy for us and we had given up hope the year before last when suddenly our prayers were answered with a 'miracle'. There were no fertility treatments, nothing artificial, just natural in its occurance but unexpected.
The birth of our son has been a joy without limit and it continues to be so. But prior to knowing of the miracle to come we had lived for years in despair (most couples with fertility problems will know exactly what I am talking about).
During those years of despair there was one other person whose despair seemed greater than our own, that was my wife's mother who still lives with her family in Lithuania. She wanted so badly to be a grandmother. She prayed and prayed and prayed. When my wife would call her on Sundays, her mother would always cry and it always fell to my wife to calm her down. This constant weeping, in addition to our own despair, was more than we could take and as a result my wife began to look for excuses not to call her mother.
News of the coming arrival of our son made my wife's mother a changed person. She wanted to come immediately but my wife's father has a herniated disc and cannot move unless heavily dosed with painkillers. We are trying to save money to get for him an operation that we hope will give him many years of freedom to move his body. He would also like to see his grandson.
But grandmother was able to get her sister and her son to look after grandfather while she travels to the US to see her blessed treasure, her grandson.
So we bought her a roundtrip ticket on Scandinavian Airlines and she connected in Copenhagen before setting foot in Seattle last night.
Her son had taken her to the US consulate last week to make sure her visa was in order. As she does not speak English, he wrote her a note (he is fluent in English and works as an IT professional throughout Europe) to present to customs that she was traveling to see her grandson and numbers to call if there were any problems. On the note he wrote our names, address, telephone numbers. He also gave her a cell phone and called me the day before she left to make sure I had her cell number.
Last night grandmother was making her way through customs and we were outside waiting for her with our 3 month old son. We were waiting a longtime when suddenly my cell phone rang and it was a customs official telling me that they needed to contact the daughter of a person they were holding. Knowing they were referring to my wife's mother I said "no problem, her daughter is right here waiting with me" and I handed the phone to my wife.
The customs official asked my wife to talk to her mother and to tell her to answer the questions they were asking her. My wife said she does not speak English and asked what questions did they have for her. They said to ask her if she had any cigars, weapons and so on in her possession. My wife was then put on the phone with her mother and repeated what the customs official had asked. They then let grandmother go.
Grandmother came up an escalator into the international baggage claim area with tears in her eyes and she at once saw me, then my wife and the baby. I thought the tears were of joy but my wife later told me they were tears of fear, fear that customs was going to send her back to Lithuania. But there were also tears and smiles of joy as grandmother and grandson immediately fell in love.
Here's the story and the reason we are "fed up".
Customs had asked grandmother a series of questions and she could not answer. She kept telling them "no English, no English" but they took her out of line and then called for a detail to escort her to a retention room, a room that was according to grandmother a long long way through many doors and up and down many floors. In this room they made her strip to her bra and panties and would not allow her to make any phone calls. She was left in this room crying when the customs lady called us on my cell phone.
She was let go out of the retention room but no one escorted her back to the customs line. She had no idea where she was and how to get back to where she was, in other words she was lost. I haven't asked yet how she found her way out because she is bonding with her long awaited grandchild and I don't want to spoil the happiness we all have now by pressing her for details.
Today she is doting on her grandson and both are all smiles. But her impression of America or at least Seattle SeaTac airport is forever a memory of fear.
I asked her if things went well when connecting in Copenhagen and she said "Copenhagen good, Seattle no good".
This is a horrible experience for an old lady, that I would not want my own dear (now deceased) gramma to face.
But these are the days and times we live in. Get over it,
It seems unlikely that it could be policy to strip search liitle old ladies to their underwear, and leave them bewildered and alone in a room.
It seems more likely that it was some mean-spirited employee throwing his/her weight around. Sometimes there's nothing better than throwing a little public scrunity on these people. Remember what just happened with the holiday trees there ?
Anyway, please express my condolences to her, what a scary and awful thing to have to go through.
If this is true (which I doubt)
Call
KING5 - television station
KIRO7 - television station
KOMO4 - television station
KIRONEWS.com - radio station
KOMONEWS.com - radio station
You can get all of their phone numbers online.
Ditto that.. I would also recommend your Senator and State Legislator. A phone call to the local News Station and News Paper might not hurt either.
Hug your mother-in-law for me, and tell her congratulations on the birth of her new grandbaby.
Do a full-blown press release detailing the abuse your Mother-inLaw endured at the heavy hands of bureaucratic incompetents.
Paulat you need to READ. Try reading this taken from the story please.........Customs had asked grandmother a series of questions and she could not answer. She kept telling them "no English, no English" but they took her out of line and then called for a detail to escort her to a retention room, a room that was according to grandmother a long long way through many doors and up and down many floors. In this room they made her strip to her bra and panties and would not allow her to make any phone calls. She was left in this room crying when the customs lady called us on my cell phone.
DO YOU SEE the part where it says .....In this room they made her strip to her bra and panties and would not allow her to make any phone calls?????????
THAT WAS SOMETHING AND IF IT WAS YOUR MOTHER YOU WOULD BE FURIOUS AND YOU KNOW IT !! JEEZ RIGHT BACK AT YOU
Grandmas here,relax,this is life post 911.
Considering how often they seem to be pulling this on the elderly, infirmed, and children... I wonder if on an individual basis the agents have to pull out x number of people without "racial profiling", and choose those they think are least likely to fight it enough to get them in trouble. They get all kinds of associations publicly leaning on them for giving muslims and non-white races extra attention - who claims discrimination against old white folks? Maybe the AARP ought to be focusing on things like this instead of trying to socialize health care.
Great point.
Writing President Bush is a foolish idea. Complain to the appropriate parties. Good luch!
I've always had good experiences with customs officials. I do know the anger associated with dealing with govt officials who could care less about helping you though (dealt with a small town police dept. trying to dispute a ridiculous parking ticket I once received).
At one time these questions were printed on forms given to each arriving visitor in the language of their home country. Is this no longer done? Seems like that would avoid the situation you described.
excellent point.
I don't know how any FReeper would not know to go to the media if there is an injustice...unless....
I remember my young cousins calling my grandmother that! You brought back a pleasant image to my mind ;-)
Paulat, sorry for screaming at you....I saw your other post after mine went in . ~~Pandora~~
Luv ya, Pandora!!
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