Let’s Meet at the Bar

 

“Let’s meet at the bar.” It has been years since I have heard that welcome invitation. Nor have I extended that suggestion for a long time. And I miss it. It is not that I spent that much time there. But on occasion it was wonderful to meet colleagues at the bar or to just go with my wife, or as a rare event to just quietly sit there alone. But that has not happened for a long time and in the last few weeks, for some reason or other, I have missed it. I was kind of hoping someone would say to me, “Mel, let’s just meet at the bar.”

The thought was further stimulated by a very interesting book I have just finished reading. It is “Crossing the Bar” by James Johnson, a man who was a Lutheran pastor for some 20 years and then spent the next years owning and operating a bar in Red Lodge, Montana.

In his book he has an interesting list of characteristics. He asks the reader to identify each description with either the church or a favorite bar. The list includes such items as “This is a safe place to be,” “Here you meet new friends.” “Here you are not judged,” “Strangers feel welcome and you find new friends here.” There are actually 40 items on the list and each item makes for thoughtful reflection.

When I accepted the invitation to “Let’s meet at the bar” I often found myself there with colleagues with whom I could complain or brag or commiserate. At other times it was a place where I could share my anger, hopes, latest joke or reason for celebration. Or maybe it just provided the space to not have to be “on duty,” not have to worry about the next assignment, not feel pushed for what has to be done next.

I wonder what it says about me and my current life situation - that I have trouble thinking of a person living close enough to me to whom I could easily extend that invitation. But whether it might come from near-by or from some unexpected friend far away, I want to say that I am ready to respond “Yes!” to the next person who invites: “Let’s meet at the bar”.

USA Immigration

Even in these tempestuous political times there is one thing all political parties agree upon: The USA Immigration Policy is a mess. This has hit our family directly in the last couple months and I just feel like telling the story.

For more than 15 years our youngest son John, a USA citizen, has been married to Regina who is a Spanish citizen. Their two children are USA citizens. A few months ago John accepted a wonderful position on the faculty of Stanford University. Of course, his wife and children want to join him. No problem for John and the kids, but for Regina it has been a nightmare from which she has still not awakened.

For the past couple semesters John has been teaching at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Regina has been living and doing academic work in Madrid. First she was told that if she wanted to come here and stay with her family she would need to get a visa (of course) and then apply for citizenship. Then she was told that to get the visa she would really need to have proof that she had a job. It was insufficient that her husband had been granted permanent tenure. So Stanford offered her a part-time position (she has her Ph.D. from Harvard) and so notified the authorities. The authorities said, “No, it must be full-time.” Stanford and Regina obliged. Next she was told that if the visa were granted she could not enter the country more than 10 days before she started teaching! She asked about entering on a “visa waiver” which permits any European citizen to be in the USA without a visa for up to 6 weeks. “No,” she was told. “You are NOT a tourist. And if you come in under a tourist visa and then apply for a visa as an employee you may not leave the country while the visa is processed. If you leave you will be denied re-entry into the USA." Regina’s mother lives in Madrid. (Note: a colleague who is a Department head here at Cal Sate San Diego told me that this is exactly what happened to a colleague of his last year when she returned for her mother’s funeral while her work visa was pending and now she has been denied entry or visa into the USA.)

Son John and Regina have followed all the rules, paid the $3,000.00 up front legal fees to an immigration attorney. John and kids moved to Stanford. Regina is in Madrid in regular contact with the USA Embassy. The Embassy promised her an interview for yesterday (August 17). However, the official told her ”This appointment time is not fixed. You need to call regularly to ensure the proper day; AND remember that every time you call the Embassy we will add 10 Euros to the cost of your visa and if you call by cell phone we will add 15 Euros”

Yesterday she met with the Embassy official. It went like this: “Is your name, in fact, Regina Llamas?” Answer, “Yes.” Next question, “Do you, in fact, have a PHD From Harvard?” Answer, “Yes.” “Do you, in fact, have a full-time job at Stanford University?” “Yes.” “What will you be teaching?” “One course in the History of Chinese Drama and a second on “Chinese Opera.”

Then came the answer: “Come back next week and we will issue you a visa.”

So now she can buy her ticket and hopefully the interviewing officer at Immigration will allow her in and this “potential threat to American security and financial viability” will finally be able to join her family and be teaching at the university.