Such a nice Story from the journal online

Irish grandmother gets green card

THE PLIGHT OF Irish people currently living in the US without a green card is a long-running issue but one nonegenarian woman living in Chicago could hardly have believed that it would be of concern to her life.

Josephine Stout, who only knew that she had arrived in Chicago from Ireland as a small baby in the 1920s, always believed herself to be an American citizen. However, her astonishing case has been highlighted by the Chicago Tribune – the paper ran a lengthy feature on her story on Christmas Day.  In it, author Dawn Turner Trice recounts how Stout only realised that she was in citizenship limbo when her daughter was murdered and Stout became responsible for her young grandchildren.

What followed was a 12-year battle to establish that Stout was a rightful long-term resident of the USA and entitled to the supports and help needed to care for her grandchildren. She had a Social Security card from her time working at a fur company from the age of 17 until her own children were born – but as it turned out, no proof that she was actually a US citizen.

The whole odyssey is worth reading here - it traces the journey needed to establish where Josephine had come from, how she had arrived in the US and whether her parents ever even became US citizens themselves. In the course of the investigation, Josephine discovers she was born in March 1922 in a poorhouse in Limerick but her parents managed to bring her on board with them on a ship bound for Chicago 18 months after her birth, set for a new life.

There is good news for Josephine – she was finally issued with a green card in September of last year, and on 13 December this year, had her application to become a full US citizen kickstarted. She should become a citizen within a few months.

Stout’s reaction? “I just can’t see how a piece of paper will make me feel more American than I already do.”

The last Few Months!

Ok so it has been a while since we posted, and while I could go into all excuses,  I think we just need to move on and start new !!

We like anyone reading this have just celebrated Christmas, this was my second Christmas here in New Jersey, it was still difficult, I’m not sure if you really ever get use to be away from your family ns Friends at Christmas, but and I know it sounds strange but you do take some comfort form the fact that you are not the only one that position.

Since the last post we have had to endure super storm Sandy, it was a really horrific time, and we where extremely lucky as we escaped with no damaged we just had power outages, but to look at images of homes floating out into the ocean and boats on the highways, you really are thankful.  I think for me never experiencing a storm of this magnitude (we have had flooding etc.. back in Ireland but nothing like this), I think that most heartwarming, and hopeful stories are of the donations, the volunteers and the togetherness that everyone one in New Jersey / New York showed, I have never seen anything quite like, and to still witness it 2 months after the storm, it quite remarkable. There where still people in the worst hit areas with not heat and yet volunteers were out in force on Christmas morning to make sure everyone had a hot meal and that all the Kids had a Santa visit.

We are heading to Boston for the New Year celebrations, and am really looking forward to it…  

Sport

I am a huge Liverpool fan and was worried I would miss out on games and coverage when we moved
here. I needn’t have been! I am able to watch most of the Premiership matches on either Fox soccer
or ESPN. I also joined the supporters club LFC Boston and received a T shirt and membership card
so that I can get discounts. A lot of the matches are shown in various pubs around the city but the
supporters club go to “The Phoenix Landing” in Cambridge and it is a lot of fun! It almost feels like
home……a lot of singing! We got tickets to see our beloved Reds when they came to Fenway Park in
July to play against Roma. Due to the small venue, it was really exciting seeing our favourite players
up close. The LFC Boston supporters also have “Thirsty Fridays” – usually a once a month meeting
for drinks and chat! I have also been to the TD Garden to watch the Celtics play basketball which
was unbelievable fun and I went to Fenway to watch the Red Sox play. I plan to go watch the Bruins
ice hockey team and also hope to get to see The Patriots at Gillette Stadium this winter! If you love
sport, there is plenty to do!

Noreen

Shopping

Now I am a self confessed shopaholic, I love everything about high street shopping, and yes of course I love designer (but only to look at I'm afraid!!), so of course when we moved to New Jersey I relished the opportunity to tackle New York shopping.  From spending the day shopping at an 8 floor store - the world largest dept store - yes you guessed Macy's, to finding  real bargains in the outlet malls, I quickly got over my sadness at missing River Island....
There is definitely something for everyone here.. even my Husband who has to be the worst shopper I have ever met, can even manage to spend a couple of hours in the Mall without getting into bad form.. and has even managed to shop by himself... My 4 year daughter's wardrobe had dramatically increased.!!
The best and by far the easiest place to shop for a bargain are the the discount dept. stores -Marshall and TJ Maxx (yes this is TK Maxx), you can get anything from Gucci Shoes (yes i did!!) to Levi Jeans and everything in between, heavily discounted...
Here is New Jersey/New York you have Century 21 which would be the most popular Discount store in New York, the flag ship store is located at 22 Cortlandt St, New York.  This is a fantastic store (in my opinion), but beware this stores gets very very busy...
It not just Clothing that is cheap.. you can get a real bargain on Furniture and home furnishing, now don't get me wrong there are very high end luxurious stores but, you can if you are prepared find a real bargain. 
Even after a year here I still feel like a kid in a candy store when I get to go into New York Shopping..

I am at the moment getting ready for the Winter, and so I bought myself a new winter coat last week.  This is a Michael Kors Puffa Coat 3/4 length, original priced was $385.00 I got it for $70.00, I was chuffed with myself and, I will definitly be warm standing on the sideline and the sunday soccer game.




 

Working

When we left Ireland last November, the plan was not to work for a while.My major concern was to settle our two teenagers in school. I had been telling everyone that I was going to enjoy being a lady of leisure, and after working full time as a secondary school teacher, I really meant it! My two teenagers started school on December 6th and my heart was in my mouth for them. Both are extroverts, but you wouldn't have thought it that morning......both were green to the gills with nerves! I needn't have worried.....when I collected them both later that day, both were happy and have not looked back since that day. I decided in January that I would apply for work authorisation. Under my husband's visa, I am entitled to work but the work authorisation process is not immediate. You have to apply, by post or online, by filling out a I-765 Form and pay 380 dollars. You then receive a letter about 10 days later. The letter confirms your application. I had to then attend a biometrics appointment (not always required). It basically meant that I had to turn up at Citizen and Immigration Services where I was photographed (again!) and fingerprinted (yet again!). The whole process takes about 3 months and ends when you receive a letter and an ID card, both of which you show to an employer. I received mine in early April, by which time I was crawling the walls!! There is only so much cleaning and walking the dog that one can do! Plus, while my husband and kids were well settled and meeting people, I was finding it harder. I had already decided that I would take a break from teaching...as much as I loved it, I did not want to have to go through certification here and I wanted to try something new. I applied for a Real Estate Course (40 hours long and can be done in two weekends or over weeks or months). Then, you do two exams in one session....a General exam and a Massachusetts Law exam. I was licensed at the end of August and am now working for Coldwell Banker in Newton. I am in the training phase at the moment, which is really fantastic. I am now meeting so many people, having a great time going to open houses and able to schedule being home most of the time when the kids come home from school. If anyone is relocating anywhere in the U.S., whether to buy or rent, contact me by email at noreen.boyce@nemoves.com and I will refer you to a Coldwell Banker realtor anywhere in the country..

Noreen xx

Settling the Kids...

So we arrived safely in JFK, and before we were off the plane, my first thought went to the Kids.  How will they settle, will they be homesick, living in an apartment for a month and them moving again will this upset them more, I am telling you all the emotions that I went through was unbelievable.   If I am being honest I also said to myself if Dylon (he is my eldest and was nine when we moved) didn’t settle and he hated it then we would be packing up and going home!!, but it was incredible how they coped.  Everyone all says to you, that Kids adapt quicker and they cope better especially when they are young.. and I can say that it is so true..

We actually left Ireland the day before my daughter’s 3^rd birthday, so we agreed that after we arrived we would have a big day out in New York for her.  Now you have to keep in mind that we were jet lagged,  it was over 10 years since I was in New York last, and we have only a suitcase of clothes for 1 month (for me this is not nearly enough.. I am a shopaholic!!), but we kept our word, and we spend the day in New York – going to Toy r Us in Times Square, having hotdogs from the vendors on the street and riding the subway – which by the way was her favorite thing of the day!!!   I think the key thing for me to ensure that Kids felt settled and for them to feel comfortable that this was their home was to make sure that for the month we were in the temp accommodation we kept busy.  Every day we did something, walked to the Hudson, went into the city, even just going to the farmers market, it made them feel  normal, and by doing this New Jersey felt more like home than just a holiday.

I was aware that we would them have the chaos of moving again when all our furniture arrived, but I have to say because we became familiar with our surrounding as quickly as we could the kids had  no issues when we moved to the house, which was a huge relief to us. I suppose a good sign that your kids have settled is that your still unpacking the van, and Dylon is out playing football (sorry Soccer) with his new best friends ….

Jenny xx