In the Mail Bag
We spent nearly the entire day yesterday reading mail and relaxing after the 42-hour drive from Ursulo Glavan to west of Pueblo, Colorado. All the offers to go to seminars or spend two nights at a timeshare where they grill you between tasteless group meals have long since expires – what a relief that I didn’t have to decide whether to go or not. There was a lovely invitation from Donald Trump to attend a wealth-building seminar in Denver (expired, gosh).
I think someone could make a LOT of money developing a list of addresses and people that are simply a waste of time and money to send expensive mailings trying to attract them to things they would NEVER attend, spend money on, or respond to. I mean the huge box of mail mostly became trash in a matter of moving from the mailbox to the trash box – MANY dollars worth of printing and mailing fees.
We do have a lot of tax information, bank statements, property tax notices, insurance bills, Department of Agriculture inquires etc. – and checks to offset some of the aforementioned. I have been sorely irresponsible relating to the ongoing life that occurs here in the States while we are gone. Whether we do sell the house and reduce our US footprint or not this time here in the States I plan on getting online banking, auto deposits and the like setup and operating. You should come here to learn how that is done – once I know myself.
We captured our first mouse this morning. They do have some fun when we have vacated the place for six months. I have worked on mouse proofing the place – but obviously there is still some work needed. This is the first year that they haven’t taken residence in the squirrel fan of our Dodge car – yes! Seems like they should call those caged fans mouse cages?
The land seems to have been beaten up a bit from all the snow. Manny our neighbor came over to bring me a power supply for the Hughes modem and to pickup a kilo of Coatepec coffee. He reported the snow was about six feet (cumulative I think).
Oh I should mention Manny is dying his hair now. He had an embarrassed story about how his teenage girls more less did this when he wasn’t looking 
I could do a blog or two on how I feel about this male hair-coloring thing that seems to be an obsession of most 45 to 70 year old men (if they still have any). I wonder how women feel about this? Don’t even get me started on the hair pieces – yikes!
I am amazed at how many things we own that I didn’t even miss. We have our work cut out for us to get rid of MANY things before heading back to Mexico. We have four TV’s and three sound systems as well as two desktop computers, test equipment, LOTS of tools, two boats, four cars, a motorcycle, two trailers, two refrigerators, two stoves, a new house worth of new windows in stored outbuildings, enough tile to cover 1000 square feet, long boxes of real walnut tongue and groove wood, a tractor, a huge Onan propane generator, solar panels, two new in the box 4000 watt inverters that weight 120 lbs (each), 8 new Rolls batteries, a commercial espresso cart, about 15 hand guns and rifles, lots of furniture and well you get the idea I think I will stop here.
We plan on leaving the double door refrig, the stove, the washer and drier stack, my vibrating lounge chair and probably a whole bunch more – so if you need a good Earthship or any of the stuff listed above – email me. I have to go now and relearn how to write Ebay ads. Stay Tuned!
The Humming Birds Have Landed
We arrived in Colorado about 1 AM Mexican time (I think it was two here until Sunday when Mexico goes on daylight savings).
We had a successful trip with no problems. The roads in Mexico were the best they have been in all the trips back and forth so they are improving.
We drove straight through Mexico leaving at 7:30 AM and crossing into the US about 10:30 PM.
We went through 8 inspection stations and were thoroughly searched in 4 of them – three in Mexico and 1 in the US.
The 6 Mexican inspections (almost one for every 100 miles) were ostensible looking for drugs. In one of the three we were stopped at they actually lifted the water caps on a battery I had in the back of the truck. What – I guess people are smuggling drugs in the cells of a car battery?
At one checkpoint one of the youngsters going through our stuff had dripping oil on his boots. This got on my truck steps, floor and seat covers – fortunately Anita puts towels on the seats when we make a long drive – aside from this sorry detail the fellows were polite and efficient at all three Mexican inspection where they took our stuff apart.
I don’t know that perhaps it is my ponytail or the fact Anita is Latino that they seem to single us out. We noticed a lot of buses being inspected. All the people out of the buses and all the luggage out being inspected. We saw people being patted down.
Anita remarked to one or two of the soldiers that perhaps with the military pay increase and new El Presidente they are getting more serious.
We are careful to watch them when they are going through our things. We split up and watch as usually two or three can be rifling through your stuff. I believe they are very honest and as mentioned very polite.
There is a new process and a new building at our regular Mexican point of crossing. In the past we had to go into the regular building where all the auto and immigrations business is handled to return our car sticker which in this case was used up until the last 15 days of the 6-month pass.
Now they have a newly constructed small drive-up building where you don’t even need to leave the car. The attendant hands you a razor blade and asks you to removed the window sticker – all of it. Then he gives you the receipt showing you have removed the vehicle from the Country. As mentioned by Billie in the comments, it is important to hang on to this document because their computer accuracy can be problematic – be prepared to show your returned vehicle receipt when re-entering.
I should mention that we crossover into the border inspections area in the middle of town. We do not use the old or new International bridges. These are nothing more than a way of the US to get about $7.00 from you. The middle crossing point has no such bridge – but is really hard to find. For seven bucks I drive around until I find it.
It bothers me that unlike the Mexican inspections where you can watch the invading hoard, the US inspectors three to four in this case demand that you go and sit away from the vehicle. They tap on body panels and look underneath and in the past have run a dog around our truck – but this time it was just four humans going through things.
We declared two bottles of tequila and 10 kilos of roasted coffee (no green beans allowed ;-( ). The State of Texas wanted sales tax for the two bottles of alcohol. We were advised after the inspection was complete that we needed to carry the two bottles over to another small booth where a fellow assessed us $2.50 US for less then $10.00 US total spent on the tequila. The tax seemed really high to me. But I was tired and wanting to get out of all the red tape by this point after driving 15 hours and going through all the rigmarole.
We had sticker shock at the gas pump. I continue to be dismayed as to WHY diesel fuel is higher than premium in the United States where as it is the least expensive fuel in Mexico as it should be in that it is refined the least. This seems to be a matter of the fact that commercial vehicles are primarily diesel and the rest of us can barely afford to drive anymore. It is amazing how little traffic other than commercial is on the roads now a days.
The weather was good all the way – BUT my friend Tony Sheck emailed me to tell that the weather in Colorado should be similar to Xico. Well it was 26 degrees F. on our arrival and 22 F this morning at dawn. We haven’t experienced cold like this for more than a year and certainly in the last 6 months we never saw it below 45 F. But, when we got to Rancho Calypso I stood out and looked at the stars and smelled the cool crisp air with great satisfaction.
Our casa was perfectly intact, everything worked and I even started Anita’s Dodge Spirit right up . This morning I fired up the satellite modem after making the location latitude and longitude entries.
It is a beautiful morning here. We are reading mail, drinking coffee and while a little road weary it is good to be back in Colorado right now.
More soon so STAY TUNED!
On the Road Again
I love that Willie Nelson tune. We will be on the road starting tomorrow morning. I do not like to cross into the US on a Friday-Saturday-Sunday or holidays. So we will try and make quick work of getting back across the border – perhaps driving straight through.
While it is only 650 miles to the border – you have to virtually double the mileage to reflect the road conditions in Mexico. It is about 16 hours of driving to make that 650 miles. I have done this a couple times before.
We were able to get in touch with Mindy after many days of no communication. We will leave their new computer with Jim and Esther so they can get it at their convenience.
Probably we will be out of contact until the 31st or April fools day – what a way to get back on the web . Of course that is if all goes according to plan – Lord willing and the damn don’t break sort of speak.
Please come back as our trips always have some interesting aspects. Then of course the taxman cometh and I will be jamming to provide the report and some dough. Stay Tuned!
The Final Hours
Monday March 26th 2007, 6:58 am
Filed under:
Mexico
We are in the final hours before heading back to the States. I still have to get the oil changed in the truck. We have to make a trip up to the Campo to shut things down and hopefully meet up with Jim and Mindy to turn over our laptop to them; it will be good to see Jim and Mindy on the web again.
I am kind of looking forward to the drive, as it is always an adventure. We will miss Mexico but also look forward to bringing some things to completion in the States. It is almost as if we have been on vacation for the last six months and now must return to working life even though we have had no shortage of work projects here – a current fad vacation is a working one. This was one of those.
With two places and lots of stuff to leave behind or better thought of as lots of stuff to return to we don’t just throw our clothes in a bag and head to Colorado. If we are suddenly out of contact you can assume we have given over the laptop and are on our way to Colorado where you will next hear from us – Stay Tuned!
Relationships in Mexico
And Otherwise
Sunday March 25th 2007, 10:44 am
Filed under:
Mexico
I am the first to admit I am not the easiest person with which to get along. I tend to speak my mind and have opinions on almost any subject. Oh and I have a maddening habit of using sequential logic. By that I mean I manage to logically keep track of events and circumstances that can come to bite my argumentative opponent(s).
As I have aged I believe I have become a kinder wiser person. I tend to dismiss different or bad behavior more easily. Additionally I have this sensitive and mostly logical friend and wife who very often keeps me out of trouble these days – but not totally.
“Feelings” recently won as the most annoying love song – so come on I am in good company wanting to deal in a state of logic rather than emotion – at least so I would logically reason from all that.
Each six-month visit we have made some new friends, more than new acquaintances, and lost a few new friends along the way as well. This trip has been no exception. But, this time we had a couple of friendships that fell into both categories in the one trip. So even though I have described writing a Blog as cathartic I won’t belabor this character analysis – This is about relationships, not me.
We have found loaning money or entering financial relationships of any sort to be problematic. I find myself saying all I want for this outcome is for both parties to do what was agreed upon when we entered the situation – the end result never seems to follow that format.
Even though we have been involved in these situations over many years; I must admit I haven’t learned to complete satisfaction. We even had some friends ask how we handle these situations as if we actually have good advice?
Here is the good advice: do not under any circumstance loan money to your new Mexican or expatriate friends – it simply has disaster written ALL over it. By not loaning money as a blanket policy life will become more simple and pleasant – I guarantee it.
I keep reading about expatriates that have found a niche here in Mexico wherein they make some income either by a collaborative investment or an out and out venture like Don Gringo’s ‘elixir.’ Gringos are writing travel books about how they made the move to Mexico or they are selling bread that is more American or French or German. There is a gringo here that has a small well drilling business. Business is tough and business in Mexico is tougher. You will need to learn about the way the Mexicans do business – it is different (could be a book there
It has been written herein that our lives in Colorado are mostly reclusive, less so here. But at the end of the day separating the wheat from the chafe we are very private people.
We do have good friends, Veronica and Miguel, Vicente and Lydia, Harvey and Mati, and Marvin come to mind immediately.
We are more popular here because we are different and come from a place that would indicate we have more money than most of the commoners – this is certainly debatable. But, we do have a little more than many in the circles we travel here in Mexico.
You should not be surprised and should even bear in mind that people will want to meet you because you may help them in some way. They will even go to great lengths to become friendly with an agenda relating to some gain – a simple truth.
Like water and other fluid like material that seek their own level, your Mexican relationships will settle out and become more defined as they progress. If you are fair, giving, considerate, calm and yes logical you will probably make it through it all mostly unscathed; but don’t think for a minute that it will all come naturally, you will have to work at it to have successful relationships.
Is it true that you shouldn’t discuss politics or religion in order to maintain civil relationships? Maybe. I add money to that for sure. There isn’t enough space in this Blog entry to go into the intricacies of the social differences between first world and third world cultures. A number of people on the Forum have suggested I don’t totally get it and I don’t doubt the veracity of that.
We have a friend that is a lawyer here – this person has a Mexican law degree and no money or job. This person is getting ready to head to the United States with the help of a coyote to work as a dishwasher in Las Vegas – why? The simple answer is if you come from poor roots here in Mexico your chance of opportunity is less based on education than family ties. This seems so incongruous to us until you get to know the familia systems.
In the United States we see people from simple backgrounds like Bill Clinton’s that go on to become lawyers and then Presidents –there is much less chance of that kind of a success story here in Mexico – quite a different set of social circumstances.
I will say that when social behaviors conflict with my logical mind, especially when I perceive something as being blatantly obvious I get confused, frustrated and dare I write it even unreasonable. A couple of my friends have Peace Corp roots and have suggested I am out in left field on this – hmmm. The jury is still out.
The bottom line is it ain’t easy to keep your nose clean – again you have to work at it. Learn as much as you can about the culture(s) you are joining and then sit back and watch and learn still more before jumping in with both feet. I am going to explore this more and more especially when I return to Colorado where I will be back in my reclusive environment to sort some of this out. That is today’s thousand words – Stay Tuned!
It is Cool to be Green
A Pen and Ink drawing of our VERY GREEN Earthship
This Earthship is FOR SALE
http://www.ranchocalypso.com/
http://www.ranchocalypso.com/Earthship/
Last night we watched Al Gore’s environmental movie – my first question to Al would be why didn’t you bring this up and do more when you were vice president for 8 years?
Then this week the Today show has been featuring “the new green movement” including “new” compact fluorescent light bulbs and some lightweight being “green” information. Our solar panels and compact fluorescent lights are more than 12 years old.
I do appreciate that Al Gore invented the Internet and now has started the Green Movement.
I am not complaining that green is getting attention – this I am happy about – but having been waving the green flag for 20 years and now seeing it as being in does bother me in the sense that it has taken soooo long. Let’s hope it isn’t a short-lived fad or the earth will be.
We had quite the debate going on the Forum about trash, clean water and air as well as compost toilets.
We didn’t shop at Walmart the entire time we were here and none of our sewage made it to the rivers that run by our properties. Four families that we know of have adopted compost toilets. We have challenged them to each get four families to follow suit before we return and then have those four take on the challenge. One small step for the rivers and one giant step for the local populace.
Oddly we could only persuade Mexicans and no gringos. I suppose in part because managing ones waste is closer to home for the Mexicans. Americans, Canadians and Europeans are far too civilized to have to adopt such processes. I guess it makes more sense to them to foul clean water??? Most of the squeamish assure us one day they will do something about it – hmmmm.
Our solar power systems worked great. We used less than 10.00 US a month for electricity wit the help of our solar panels. We went to pay ahead our electric bills for the Campo and the Casita. Our average monthly usage is less than $10.00 in both locations.
The hombre at the collection window always gets a grin on his face when we want to pay ahead – apparently it isn’t done often. That said, Harvey reported that more than once they have removed his electric meter when he was late on a payment. (Please understand this is from traveling – Harvey pays his bills
There has been no more garbage thrown in the rio and cascada across the way from us – hopefully this will hold true while we are gone.
The use of firewood remains high – even more so as the cost of propane is simply out of reach for many of the natives.
We have had great weather. This is good as we are doing mescala projects. I am finally learning to mix and place this stucco surface. We are almost secure here at the Casita.
Mescala is 5 buckets of sand to one bag of Cal (lime) and a quarter bag of Portland. We are doing small batches of 2 buckets sand between a quarter and a third of a bag of lime and a shovel full of Portland – This gets us through small jobs – half days work. I like working with the stuff except the lime dust on initial mixing.
Soon we will be selling our VERY GREEN Earthship house in Colorado. I’m happy that the current camp condition of being green may offset the financial problems with the housing market as this all relates to our place. We have a lot of interest in our house – maybe I will send Al Gore our Earthship For Sale flyer. Stay Tuned!
Busy Fish Markets and Us
Tuesday March 20th 2007, 8:10 am
Filed under:
Mexico
Lately the Mercado fish vendors are very busy. I think it is part of Lent. Sunday was a holiday of some sort – I believe part of Holy Week or “Semana Santa”. Monday was a holiday because whatever holiday it was that fell on Sunday, the people needed to be given time off on Monday – a three day weekend.
We bought some excellent large shrimp for $9.00 US a kilo. Anita made shrimp cocktails that were excellent. We Googled recipes. Then finally ended up creating our own sauce – picante and scrumptious!
Then tomorrow March 21st is a National Holiday because it is the birthday of Benito Juárez (March 21, 1806- July 18, 1872), the Zapotec Indian President of Mexico born in Guelatao. Also the namesake of our street here in Poor Man’s Shangri La as well as many other streets, colonias and buildings throughout Mexico.
I have mentioned before even though you will not celebrate President’s Day, July 4th or Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and I may be missing one or two, there is no shortage of holidays here.
It is kind of funny in that there seems to be some celebration going on weekly. I think maybe they have a day off for Emilio Zapata’s horse’s birthday. We can’t complain as every day is a holiday for us except perhaps for the week leading up to April 15th.
I am going to do some research on reporting your taxes to the IRS when you are out of the Country for 6 months – I think things like not having to report until August or ??? are applicable – more on this soon.
We had a pleasant get together first meeting with Manolo and Eli yesterday at El Meson. Marvin arrived at our place just short of when we were to leave. I asked him to join us. The three of us met Manolo, Eli, Alhondra (Eli’s sister) and her son Oscar.
Manolo is an Englishman who has been married to Eli for 25 years or so. They have homes in England and Xalapa, Eli’s hometown. They are environmentalists working on a small plot of land to be developed to include compost toilet, catch water system and solar power as well as organic gardening – very cool.
Manolo showed a photo he had taken the day before from their property. It was very much like the shots of Pico de Orizaba that w get up at the Campo. We hope to get out to see their places in Xalapa before we leave.
Speaking of leaving we are really under the gun now to finish a few things, Yesterday Vicente, Lydia’s husband, came and installed a security grate we had made for the north facing window of the casita. Today he will come again and mescal the other side of the surround for that opening (it is still without window at this point. He will help me secure one last piece of lamina on the roof of the banos.
We want to get one more trip up to the Campo. We have about seven days left and lots to do. Stay Tuned!
Woody Sang It
America Listened
Some with short histories or memories think all these illegal immigrant border problems are a new issue – not so. In 1967 Woody Guthrie was silenced by Huntington’s chorea, a hereditary brain-wasting disease, leaving a hole in the heart of American music.
I have always liked Woody Guthrie’s Deportees (AKA Plane Wreck at Los Gatos). It dates from the late forties and is said to have been written after Woody read a news report about a plane crash over California’s Los Gatos canyon where the deaths were dismissed as unimportant because they were all (excepting the pilot) “deportees”.
Even their names were not known. It’s not hard to envision how this could have caught Woody’s imagination. This was probably Woody’s last great song.
I’m not sure songs like this ever get sung the same twice. It is probably best known to people of my generation from the version recorded by the Byrds available on the Easy Rider soundtrack (two songs on that album were part of my music career btw). And most recently sung by Joan Baez. Here are the lyrics:
Plane Wreck At Los Gatos (Deportee) lyrics
Words by Woody Guthrie, music by Martin Hoffman
The crops are all in and the peaches are rotting
The oranges are packed in the creosote dumps
They’re flying you back to the Mexico border
To pay all your money to wade back again
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria
You won’t have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be deportees
My father’s own father, he waded that river
They took all the money he made in his life
My brothers and sisters come working the fruit trees
They rode the big trucks till they lay down and die
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria
You won’t have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be deportees
The skyplane caught fire over Los Gatos Canyon
A fireball of lightning, and it shook all the hills
Who are these comrades that died like the dry leaves
The radio tells me they’re just deportees
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria
You won’t have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be deportees
We died in your hills and we died in your deserts
We died in your valleys we died on your plains
We died ‘neath your trees and we died in your bushes
Both sides of the river we died just the same
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria
You won’t have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be deportees
Some of us are illegal, and others not wanted
Our work contract’s out and we have to move on
But it’s six hundred miles to that Mexican border
They chase us like outlaws, like rustlers, like thieves.
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria
You won’t have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be deportees
Is this the best way we can grow our big orchards
Is this the best way we can grow our good fruit
To fall like dry leaves and rot on the top soil
and be called by no name except deportee
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria
You won’t have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be deportees
Stay Tuned!
Count down from 10 days
We are wrapping up details getting ready to head back to Colorado.
We always have mixed emotions as these transitions near. We will be happy to see our Earthship and friends in Colorado.
We will miss our friends here in Mexico as well as our houses.
I KNOW we are going to miss the food here – especially the prices.
I wonder how good this change is for us? Lots of planning is required. Closing down houses is sad and perhaps an indication of over abundance – this does not come without some guilt attached.
We do plan on scaling back. The housing market is distressed but we have had a LOT of interest in our Earthship even though we have yet to let people know it will be for sale save one small place on the web – the Internet is amazing.
The Blog readership suffers when we are gone from Mexico clarifying why people come here.
I am looking forward to going to the Pueblo library – a wonderful place with people that always say they missed seeing us and “Where have you been?”
I like drinking coffee with our neighbor Manny. He is a real character and a great friend. Why won’t he come to Mexico?
I will probably hear from John Paul more even though it is by the same connections as here – he is estranged from us when we are here. Why won’t Ann and John come to Mexico?
I think I am going to get a new camera in the States and I know I will get a new computer – the thought of setting up a new computer does nothing for me.
We will miss Marvin who faithfully comes to visit us so often.
I will have to deal with allergy problems that mysteriously in all this green I do not have here.
I’m very excited about the things I will get that I want here and to reacquaint ourselves with the wildlife we love at Rancho Calypso. Of course I am most excited about the prospect of seeing my son after more than a year! Stay Tuned!
So who is at fault here?
I normally just complain about the red tape as it relates to gringos in Mexico.
I have alluded to the problems that Mexican National face when attempting to enter the United States, in particular as it relates to mixed nationality couples trying to get from one side to the other of a border.
Today I read the following and print here with permission:
Subject: Immigration
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2007 11:33:50 EDT
I was just listening to Good Morning America and the turmoil between
USA and Mexico Presidents expected today in their “talks” while
President Bush is in Mexico.
Nicolas [who works with the author] is a perfect example of how
the “Immigration System isn’t working.”
Nicolas made an appointment with the US Consulate in Tijuana for
himself, his wife and three children ages 1, 7 and 9. Nicolas paid
$1,250.00 DOLLARS to the USA to be “interviewed” by the US Consulate
Representative. He arrived with his family for the interview with a
file that was 6 inches think to present to the Interviewer.
This file included:
His Escritura (deed to his house which has no mortgage against it)
Utility bills that match his Escritura
Mexican Passport
Two cars (years 2000 and 2001) paid in full with Mexican Tags
His Mexican Bank Account statement
Mexican Visa Credit Card with a good line of credit that has a zero
balance
Mexican Tax ID
Mexican Voter ID Card
Mexican Driver’s License
Mexican IRS tax return (filed monthly)
Letter from Employer (me) verifying 4 years of employment
Letter from his 2nd Employer verifying 6 years of employment (he has
two jobs)
Baja Times Newspaper with his photo in the company ad
Baja Traveler Magazine with his photo in the company ad
Distinctive Homes Magazine with his photo in the company ad
Letters from US Citizens living in Mexico as character witness
The US Consulate person opened the file cover & “thumbed through”
(didn’t READ ANYTHING) and asked why Nicolas wanted a visa to go to
the USA. Nicolas explained (in perfect English) that his family had
never been to the USA and he’d like to take them to Disneyland
occasionally.
The US Consulate person closed the file “briskly” and said, “I’m not
sure what your real intentions are to secure a USA Visa. I deny this
application.” This young family lost the $1,250.00 for the 3 minutes
the representative gave them. To top it off, the man was RUDE!
Here is a young family who SAVED $1,250.00 DOLLARS and spent lots of
time to compile a file so totally complete that it should not have
been denied. Bottom line was: They were rudely treated, denied the
VISA and LOST the $1,250.00
The interesting thing here is the United States takes your money before making a decision as to your worthiness to enter – pay on application where as in Mexico you go to a bank and pay when you are ready to receive approval – as far as I can tell you can get denied for free in Mexico. Now this may not be true when applying for citizenship – but for visas of any sort this seems to be the norm.
I have had any number of people suggest that the difficulties experienced attempting to get visas here in Mexico by a gringo are in part a response to the poor treatment of Mexicans in the United States process.
We have had some problems with Mexican Immigration personally as told herein (somewhere amongst all these words). But, these problems have been minimal thus far. We have also reported that we have had greater success with getting visas for Mexico at the Denver Consulate than here in Mexico.
The author has indicated in other communications that there is interest in this story. I have no idea if anyone will do anything about it or if we will hear more about this situation – but the story as you read it here is pretty bad.
You should bear in mind that Nicholas was attempting to get five visas, so the large dollar amount must certainly relate in part to the number of applicants. Perhaps it would have been better for he and his wife to make an attempt before spending the money on the kids?
Obviously the problems are a two way street. Which came first is really not important other than if either side became more reasonable about this then we might know the truth of that matter. Both sides becoming difficult and dogmatic only give ammunition to one side accusing the other to be the bad guy and one being a response to said bad behavior.
This is like an evil for evil scenario. I say nonsense this is no excuse to be the same bad clam. If the side that is following rather than leading believes they are only being miserable in retaliation – how stupid is that?
I say from both sides of the border LET OUR PEOPLE GO! Stay Tuned!
