teachla
12-19 12:54 PM
My second $ 100 contribution in the past 3 months. The check is in the mail addressed to the P.O Box on the web site
wallpaper how stunning Nina Dobrev
santb1975
12-02 12:51 PM
Thanks a lot
Details of Paypal Transaction
Transaction ID: 7KC41497SM8816707
Item Price: $500.00 USD
Details of Paypal Transaction
Transaction ID: 7KC41497SM8816707
Item Price: $500.00 USD
unitednations
02-04 11:53 PM
I came to the conclusion just based on section INA 202 (a) (5) (A). Nothing more nothing less. You came to funny conclusion of "quaterly basis".
EMPLOYMENT-BASED IMMIGRANTS NOT SUBJECT TO PER COUNTRY LIMITATION IF ADDITIONAL VISAS AVAILABLE- If the total number of visas available under paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) of section 203(b) for a calendar quarter exceeds the number of qualified immigrants who may otherwise be issued such visas, the visas made available under that paragraph shall be issued without regard to the numerical limitation under paragraph (2) of this subsection during the remainder of the calendar quarter.
You are critizising H1B indians and their employer screwing the system which is not relevent to what we are talking here. If you feel so, then attack who ever spoiling the system and regulate those. Instead you are trying to justify your interperataion is right and what DOS is doing is right. I will be the happiest person if they ban labor subsitution and ban desi consulting companies or H1B dependent employer participating in GC sponsering. Then this mess might have not happened.
Because this discussion has happened so much. That is this exact discussion when everyone was trying to determine whether they should go for eb2 or eb3; the common prevailing attitude was horiziontal rather then vertical.
What made everyone shut up including me was what was written in november 2005 visa bulletin. It was there for everyone to see how it was going to be interpreted. Anothe law firm had reported chines usage year to date and it was concluded that they may fall short of the 11,000 visas (ie., 7% cap). With all this available; not one lawyer has decided to sue department of state or uscis over this. Why is that? Maybe what they are saying is correct and you are reading into it what you want to read into it.
Any time someone gets around to explaining the system; they are automatically branded anti-indian. Funny but everyone I know through immigration is Indian. Therefore, whenever someone brands me anti indian or even comes close to it; I get a very good chuckle out of it and so do the people who know me that frequent these boards and immigration.com
How the visas are being allocated actually is pretty relevant because it helps everyone to understand how it all works and comes together. I had been on the record that maybe people shouldn't get too worked up about this. The louder one becomes the more scrutiny starts happening. Once the scrutiny gets wratched up a few notches; are you ready to counter it.
What is this scrutiny that you may ask?
Newspaper in Maine did very thorough investigation of companies who sponsored labors through Maine. It was very hard hitting whcih asked for comments from Department of labor and USCIS. Both are investigating it. Essentially it said that companies rented out a cube and filed 60 labors and 100 h-1b's when their real offices were in other states that were taking a long time to get labors approved.
Backlog reduction centers are challenging companies to prove that their headquarters were where they said they were? They are questioning whether there is a permanent job. Companies are not responding and letting the labors go. Don't you think department of labor will start going into the approved labors and start scrutinizing them.
California service center denied many cases for two companies that I know of who had revenues of over $20 million. Reason for denial was that they are temp. agency and no permanent job. No permanent job; no I-140 approval. Companies have gotten a good dose of H-1b RFE's from california service center regarding this. Many have gotten the h-1b's denied because they can't even substantitate they have a job for the person. If they don't have a temp. job then how can they have a permanent job. Chennai consulate is giving very difficult time to staffing/consulates. It has gotten so bad that back in early december; consulates in india said if you are good in english you can go to ther consulaes in india. Guess what? Chennai it only takes two days to get an interview now because everyone refuses to go there. Just a matter of time before new delhi and mumbai catch up. if consulates are refusing visa stamping for temp. jobs what do you think will happen when they start ratcheting it up a notch to the permanent jobs.
Main reason they haven't gotten into the permanent jobs yet is because nurses which are really in demand also get greencards through staffing companies and are outsourced. Since, nurses are needed; uscis doesn't want to give a hard time to the staffing agencies; therefore, they don't want to be accused of double standards. We will see how this will change if at all as retrogression and increasing visas and studies are performed how people are getting greencards come to light.
btw; I have been on record that as long as country cap of 7% is maintained; it would have disasterous consequences for India/China to allow 485 filing without priority date. Since the 7% cap applies then that means someone who enters usa today from ROW and files an eb2 labor will get priority over you. Anyone can file a 485 as long as they have a labor, 140 and they are in non immigrant status. I know of three people through other forum who were from ROW; came on visitor visa found someone to file perm labor get approved in a couple of weeks and then go straight to 140/485. Since they can file 485 right away they get precedence over india/china. Anyone on visitor visa would be eligible. This would number in the millions. It would be quite possible that there would be never ending retrogression for India and China.
EMPLOYMENT-BASED IMMIGRANTS NOT SUBJECT TO PER COUNTRY LIMITATION IF ADDITIONAL VISAS AVAILABLE- If the total number of visas available under paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4), or (5) of section 203(b) for a calendar quarter exceeds the number of qualified immigrants who may otherwise be issued such visas, the visas made available under that paragraph shall be issued without regard to the numerical limitation under paragraph (2) of this subsection during the remainder of the calendar quarter.
You are critizising H1B indians and their employer screwing the system which is not relevent to what we are talking here. If you feel so, then attack who ever spoiling the system and regulate those. Instead you are trying to justify your interperataion is right and what DOS is doing is right. I will be the happiest person if they ban labor subsitution and ban desi consulting companies or H1B dependent employer participating in GC sponsering. Then this mess might have not happened.
Because this discussion has happened so much. That is this exact discussion when everyone was trying to determine whether they should go for eb2 or eb3; the common prevailing attitude was horiziontal rather then vertical.
What made everyone shut up including me was what was written in november 2005 visa bulletin. It was there for everyone to see how it was going to be interpreted. Anothe law firm had reported chines usage year to date and it was concluded that they may fall short of the 11,000 visas (ie., 7% cap). With all this available; not one lawyer has decided to sue department of state or uscis over this. Why is that? Maybe what they are saying is correct and you are reading into it what you want to read into it.
Any time someone gets around to explaining the system; they are automatically branded anti-indian. Funny but everyone I know through immigration is Indian. Therefore, whenever someone brands me anti indian or even comes close to it; I get a very good chuckle out of it and so do the people who know me that frequent these boards and immigration.com
How the visas are being allocated actually is pretty relevant because it helps everyone to understand how it all works and comes together. I had been on the record that maybe people shouldn't get too worked up about this. The louder one becomes the more scrutiny starts happening. Once the scrutiny gets wratched up a few notches; are you ready to counter it.
What is this scrutiny that you may ask?
Newspaper in Maine did very thorough investigation of companies who sponsored labors through Maine. It was very hard hitting whcih asked for comments from Department of labor and USCIS. Both are investigating it. Essentially it said that companies rented out a cube and filed 60 labors and 100 h-1b's when their real offices were in other states that were taking a long time to get labors approved.
Backlog reduction centers are challenging companies to prove that their headquarters were where they said they were? They are questioning whether there is a permanent job. Companies are not responding and letting the labors go. Don't you think department of labor will start going into the approved labors and start scrutinizing them.
California service center denied many cases for two companies that I know of who had revenues of over $20 million. Reason for denial was that they are temp. agency and no permanent job. No permanent job; no I-140 approval. Companies have gotten a good dose of H-1b RFE's from california service center regarding this. Many have gotten the h-1b's denied because they can't even substantitate they have a job for the person. If they don't have a temp. job then how can they have a permanent job. Chennai consulate is giving very difficult time to staffing/consulates. It has gotten so bad that back in early december; consulates in india said if you are good in english you can go to ther consulaes in india. Guess what? Chennai it only takes two days to get an interview now because everyone refuses to go there. Just a matter of time before new delhi and mumbai catch up. if consulates are refusing visa stamping for temp. jobs what do you think will happen when they start ratcheting it up a notch to the permanent jobs.
Main reason they haven't gotten into the permanent jobs yet is because nurses which are really in demand also get greencards through staffing companies and are outsourced. Since, nurses are needed; uscis doesn't want to give a hard time to the staffing agencies; therefore, they don't want to be accused of double standards. We will see how this will change if at all as retrogression and increasing visas and studies are performed how people are getting greencards come to light.
btw; I have been on record that as long as country cap of 7% is maintained; it would have disasterous consequences for India/China to allow 485 filing without priority date. Since the 7% cap applies then that means someone who enters usa today from ROW and files an eb2 labor will get priority over you. Anyone can file a 485 as long as they have a labor, 140 and they are in non immigrant status. I know of three people through other forum who were from ROW; came on visitor visa found someone to file perm labor get approved in a couple of weeks and then go straight to 140/485. Since they can file 485 right away they get precedence over india/china. Anyone on visitor visa would be eligible. This would number in the millions. It would be quite possible that there would be never ending retrogression for India and China.
2011 ninadobrev: Taylor Kinney and
mpadapa
09-18 12:14 PM
Admin, please close this thread.
What value does this discussion add to solving the retrogression problem?
What value does this discussion add to solving the retrogression problem?
more...
saraiks
07-05 06:21 PM
ORDER ID:
EGONZA0EGB88
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECIPIENT INFORMATION:
Name: Emilio Gonzalez
Company: US Citizenship and Immigration Service
Address: 20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20529
Card Message: All the best for future Employment Based
visa estimates!
The current one screwed my life up but
who cares.. Have fun!!
Day Phone: 202-307-1565
Evening Phone:
E-mail:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DELIVERY DATE:
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DELIVERY TYPE:
Express Delivery
EGONZA0EGB88
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECIPIENT INFORMATION:
Name: Emilio Gonzalez
Company: US Citizenship and Immigration Service
Address: 20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20529
Card Message: All the best for future Employment Based
visa estimates!
The current one screwed my life up but
who cares.. Have fun!!
Day Phone: 202-307-1565
Evening Phone:
E-mail:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DELIVERY DATE:
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DELIVERY TYPE:
Express Delivery
newuser
02-26 10:34 AM
ALLOW EVERYONE TO FILE I485 SHOULD BE OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
You people already have filed 485 and have EAD. EAD gives you so much freedom . It is as good as a green card.
What about people who are less fortunate and cannot file II485. We need to allow everyone to be on the same page first and enjoy EAD freedom.
That should be our priority before any country limits or this thread action item
Everybody waited for a fair time before they got there EAD's. None of us got the EAD on day one. So don't try to mix all the issues into one.
I support this initivative.
You people already have filed 485 and have EAD. EAD gives you so much freedom . It is as good as a green card.
What about people who are less fortunate and cannot file II485. We need to allow everyone to be on the same page first and enjoy EAD freedom.
That should be our priority before any country limits or this thread action item
Everybody waited for a fair time before they got there EAD's. None of us got the EAD on day one. So don't try to mix all the issues into one.
I support this initivative.
more...
unitednations
02-05 09:34 AM
While what you say is from a very neutral perspective as you see things from the other side of the wall, it may not be 100% true in what you think it is. These agencies or companies are a creation of the system, tons of people come from India to fill job positions and systems have been designed to accommodate that. Companies like Wipro, Infosys, etc... have HR people stamp their own H1b visa and send people in a bunch to the consulate for verification.
Indian companies do not 'FAVOUR" Indian workers, but take advantage and try to "EXPLOIT" Indian workers to cater to businesses.
The way the system works is, there is always available pool of talent for American businessess, these happen with rules being framed to accmomdate skilled workers.
Just like how Jewish people good in Financial stuff, Indians have been immigrating in skilled worker category.
While from your perspective you seem to think that it is some sort of Mafia trying to break rules and taking law in its own hands, favouring thier countrymen, it is because you don't have such a big infrastructure in China or Philippines etc... it is again the same Indian companies that are opening up branches in Singapore, Malaysia, Shangai, etc.. and reqruiting people from there too. Chinese consulting companies are now operating in full fledged manner these days and there seem to be companies that cater to Chinese Canadians looking for jobs in USA by providing them a TN visa letter and bringing them to US and place them in Client locations.
I have nothing against the staffing agencies whatsoever. I actually like the business model. The laws are generally being followed. There is nothing wrong with it. However, I do ask many of the companies why they only have indian or south asians. Especially if they have indians coming from Germany or Singapore, etc. Common answer I get is that other people have too much restriction. Expectation would be they would have their own corporate apartment, no bench time; selection of projects and no travel. As you know this is a little difficult to accomodate for these companies.
It generally is being clogged because it is getting around family base immigration. Although there is nothing wrong with that legally; it does hurt the people who cannot have the same accomodation. I know many, many people who have u.s. citizen brother; sponsors parents for greencards, rest of siblings come through staffing agency and then cousins get invited through h-1b and then spouse want to work and then another h-1b gets used. Eventully whole extended family base is here going through employment base when perhaps they should be going through family base. Other country people do not have such luxuries or companies looking to sponsor them specifically. Other country people generally went to school here and then went to h-1b and even then they have a difficult time getting it because they don't have the connection.
Because of all these workarounds; it is going to cause a lot of people to be here from just certain countries. I firmly believe that lawmakers, uscis know this pretty well (i've actually seen it in an i-140 denial where brother was ceo and sponsoring his brother for greencard) and this is why they don't want to lift country caps. They understand why the visas are being dominated. Pretty tough to get them to change this, if this is the way they feel.
Indian companies do not 'FAVOUR" Indian workers, but take advantage and try to "EXPLOIT" Indian workers to cater to businesses.
The way the system works is, there is always available pool of talent for American businessess, these happen with rules being framed to accmomdate skilled workers.
Just like how Jewish people good in Financial stuff, Indians have been immigrating in skilled worker category.
While from your perspective you seem to think that it is some sort of Mafia trying to break rules and taking law in its own hands, favouring thier countrymen, it is because you don't have such a big infrastructure in China or Philippines etc... it is again the same Indian companies that are opening up branches in Singapore, Malaysia, Shangai, etc.. and reqruiting people from there too. Chinese consulting companies are now operating in full fledged manner these days and there seem to be companies that cater to Chinese Canadians looking for jobs in USA by providing them a TN visa letter and bringing them to US and place them in Client locations.
I have nothing against the staffing agencies whatsoever. I actually like the business model. The laws are generally being followed. There is nothing wrong with it. However, I do ask many of the companies why they only have indian or south asians. Especially if they have indians coming from Germany or Singapore, etc. Common answer I get is that other people have too much restriction. Expectation would be they would have their own corporate apartment, no bench time; selection of projects and no travel. As you know this is a little difficult to accomodate for these companies.
It generally is being clogged because it is getting around family base immigration. Although there is nothing wrong with that legally; it does hurt the people who cannot have the same accomodation. I know many, many people who have u.s. citizen brother; sponsors parents for greencards, rest of siblings come through staffing agency and then cousins get invited through h-1b and then spouse want to work and then another h-1b gets used. Eventully whole extended family base is here going through employment base when perhaps they should be going through family base. Other country people do not have such luxuries or companies looking to sponsor them specifically. Other country people generally went to school here and then went to h-1b and even then they have a difficult time getting it because they don't have the connection.
Because of all these workarounds; it is going to cause a lot of people to be here from just certain countries. I firmly believe that lawmakers, uscis know this pretty well (i've actually seen it in an i-140 denial where brother was ceo and sponsoring his brother for greencard) and this is why they don't want to lift country caps. They understand why the visas are being dominated. Pretty tough to get them to change this, if this is the way they feel.
2010 Nina Dobrev has landed a role
mjdup
12-18 05:09 PM
you can announce your contribution which just motivates others..thanks,
more...
hotscud21
02-25 11:16 AM
I totally agree with your idea and am sure that it would be great relief for all of us. But USCIS is so lazy that they do adjudicate cases which have their priority dates as "current". It would be a miracle if they really adjudicate all cases even if the visa number is not available. I think we should also push for a system where USCIS should release the total number of cases adjudicated on a weekly/monthly basis so that the process is transparent and we can see how much work they do.
I hope they pre-adjudicate all our cases and end our miseries.
I hope they pre-adjudicate all our cases and end our miseries.
hair nina dobrev vampire diaries
santb1975
11-16 05:39 PM
I am a South Indian but I know a French Guy who has a crush on me :)..Just for Fun
more...
enqueued
08-14 02:04 PM
Fedex-d by law firm on 6/29.
Package delivered on 7/2 (no idea about the time)
Notice received 8/13
Receipt Date : 7/2
Notice Date: 8/6
Package delivered on 7/2 (no idea about the time)
Notice received 8/13
Receipt Date : 7/2
Notice Date: 8/6
hot Nina Dobrev Gives Sneak PeekOn
gimme_GC2006
08-25 04:37 PM
Thanks to all of you.
Yes...please keep a print out of July interim memo (if you have to go to an interview)
when I went for the interview, I have truck load of documents..everyone was looking wierd at us..
They didnt check any Tax returns, bank statements..BUT DO TAKE THEM.
may be she didnt check them because I had a big bump around filing date.
Yes...please keep a print out of July interim memo (if you have to go to an interview)
when I went for the interview, I have truck load of documents..everyone was looking wierd at us..
They didnt check any Tax returns, bank statements..BUT DO TAKE THEM.
may be she didnt check them because I had a big bump around filing date.
more...
house pictures makeup Steven R.
thakurrajiv
07-17 09:11 PM
Imagine the hard work done by core behind the scenes. Thanks a lot for pulling this off. I am feeling so proud to be part of IV. This is a story I will be telling to my children. Pappu, logiclife and others, your name is in history now :). I am very grateful to Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren and IV for this.
For all the new members, please consider enrolling into IV recurring contribution. This is the least we can do ...
Congrats again !!
For all the new members, please consider enrolling into IV recurring contribution. This is the least we can do ...
Congrats again !!
tattoo Sexy Vampire Diaries star Nina
newbie2020
02-27 12:40 PM
Sure,
We can setup a Conference call next week Wednesday 3/4/09 8:30PM EST
Here is the bridge info for folks interested in joining
Bridge number: +1 218 339 2626
Passcode: 245906
Bridge can accomodate upto 150 people.
Great! are you willing to lead?
We can setup a Conference call next week Wednesday 3/4/09 8:30PM EST
Here is the bridge info for folks interested in joining
Bridge number: +1 218 339 2626
Passcode: 245906
Bridge can accomodate upto 150 people.
Great! are you willing to lead?
more...
pictures Nina Dobrev (What you know
vdlrao
03-08 11:03 PM
Needed $325 more to reach $5,000. Please update how to pay.
dresses Nina Dobrev
hopefulgc
09-12 11:37 AM
Please do not forget the guywho sets the visa dates.. think he is called charles Oppenheimer or something.
He is the one who needs to look at the past visa dates and go "USCIS.. I need stats to predict this more uniformly and fairly"
And we need to raise stink about this since he is not doing his job properly .. or maybe he just doens't realize the ramifications of his actions
Just created one more poster.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd4vkcmm_132g6jcsffz&invite=hczhh8x
One of the persons should be Director USCIS.
One letter/poster to each service center.
One I think should be President of US.
Another place could be CNN, FOX news etc.
Another one could be Congressmen
If we have our blogs , we can post them there also.
He is the one who needs to look at the past visa dates and go "USCIS.. I need stats to predict this more uniformly and fairly"
And we need to raise stink about this since he is not doing his job properly .. or maybe he just doens't realize the ramifications of his actions
Just created one more poster.
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd4vkcmm_132g6jcsffz&invite=hczhh8x
One of the persons should be Director USCIS.
One letter/poster to each service center.
One I think should be President of US.
Another place could be CNN, FOX news etc.
Another one could be Congressmen
If we have our blogs , we can post them there also.
more...
makeup nina dobrev vampire diaries
addsf345
05-11 02:20 PM
Yes it was stopped in 2007. But it still has its shadow. Back in India Did you leave in area where there was shortage of water? All I said is do not call them as jealous. They have valid grievances. If they want they can fight.
Profile is not needed for an educated guess. Any way I became a citizen last week.
from all your invalid and illogical posts, I fail to understand your real motive. Do you want us get divided and fight among ourselves? Hope not! With my limited understanding, what I realized in last 2 years is this: VISA RECAPTURE and RETROGRESSION aka discrimination based on country of birth are the biggest obstacles for those born in countries like India, china, Philippines and Mexico. (Do you want to say that it is okay to be descriminated for being born in one of those countries?) So it does make sense to address these 2 issues. If I have limited energy (read money & support for lobbying, campaign etc), I would spend it towards where it can benefit me most.
Profile is not needed for an educated guess. Any way I became a citizen last week.
from all your invalid and illogical posts, I fail to understand your real motive. Do you want us get divided and fight among ourselves? Hope not! With my limited understanding, what I realized in last 2 years is this: VISA RECAPTURE and RETROGRESSION aka discrimination based on country of birth are the biggest obstacles for those born in countries like India, china, Philippines and Mexico. (Do you want to say that it is okay to be descriminated for being born in one of those countries?) So it does make sense to address these 2 issues. If I have limited energy (read money & support for lobbying, campaign etc), I would spend it towards where it can benefit me most.
girlfriend Nina Dobrev Photo
sam2006
08-14 01:03 PM
yes
i also think that almost all the 140 approved at TSC and 485 applied at NSC got an LUD 07-28
and are moved to TSC
eb3_nepa and others any comments guys
thanks
i also think that almost all the 140 approved at TSC and 485 applied at NSC got an LUD 07-28
and are moved to TSC
eb3_nepa and others any comments guys
thanks
hairstyles nina dobrev vampire diaries
santb1975
11-17 09:33 PM
^^^^^
sanjaymk
08-22 02:57 PM
:DWhy are u late to the party man?:D All the booze is gone...:D:D
LMAO :D:D:D
LMAO :D:D:D
devang77
06-09 11:27 PM
I am not on estrogen therapy, but I decided to write about the feelings that I underwent during the 3 days of the event. If you do not want to read the entire post, skip to the last paragraph.
1. Anxiety: On Sunday, as I was making my way towards Hyatt Regency on the Capitol Hill (a beautiful and an expensive hotel) I was a little anxious about meeting new people (I am a closet introvert :D ). I was not sure if the people would just continue the non-productive conversations about Eb3 vs EB2 or India vs ROW or just be plain annoying. Boy, was I wrong!!! That anxiety disappeared in a matter of minutes after walking in the situation room. The folks were dedicated and meant business. The leadership of the core group was evident, they made sure that we didn't go off message, relatively an easy task for them since most of us there realized the importance of keeping on message.
2.Excitement: As we started the training, people started pouring great ideas (and few not so great IMHO).The trainer in chief chased each of these ideas to its logical conclusion and without saying whether they had merit or not made it obvious for us to decide. How classy and what a phenomenal coaching style!. The talking points that we discussed were articulated meticulously and question/comments were dealt with insight, experience and facts (this one is very important, we all know what opinions are like...). This was the one feeling (excitement) that lasted through the 3 days and I still cant shake it off (not that I am trying, but I don't want people to confuse me for the energizer bunny!! - we have some one else for that ;))
3.Nervousness: The first meeting. No, no not with the folks from Congress, but the mock meeting at the training session. The veterans gave us a demonstration of their insights/ knowledge and quick wit. So of course I was nervous coming in after that performance. I volunteered to be on the first ones of these mock sessions and felt all eyes in the room on me. I tried to focus on the task at hand (which was at that time, to stop my legs from shaking ;)). Perhaps, the mock session was the toughest of all the meetings that I had on the hill (remember that the hotel was 'on the hill' too :)).
4.Awesomeness: This is what it was all about. For me as a first timer, entering the hallowed halls of congress and participating in the democratic process up close and personal is an awesome feeling. Just walking down those corridors and noticing the closed doors with signs that say 'Appropriations Committee', or 'Democratic Caucus' and knowing that laws that affect lives of more than 300 million people are being crafted, debated and being voted on right there....what a rush. I think this too will be with me for a long long time.
5.Camaraderie: This is a fun bunch of serious people on a mission. I think mostly everyone hit off well with everyone else. I made a whole bunch of acquaintances that I feel could mature into strong friendships. Even though we worked our collective butts off, there was always light hearted humor floating around. It was great.
6.Gratitude: Looking at the hard work put in by the countless tireless volunteers was a humbling experience. These very kind souls put in hour after hour of work during the event but they put in even more before the event started. I don't know, if the rest of you know, organizing an event at such a scale is a massive undertaking and despite hiccups we came out the other end in great shape. My gratitude goes to all the people that put their hearts, minds and souls in allowing our community to participate in the democratic process at the highest level. Thanks for making this happen.
Why am I writing this you wonder (or may be not). This event changed me. I felt myself grow in these 3 days. I rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous and powerful men and women in the nation and conveyed our message. I also saw first hand the resource constraints that IV has and how they figure something out and make it happen. Trust me folks, it is not easy to work thanklessly for days on end for 18 hours and still keep a cheerful demeanor but they did. My sincere thanks to IV leadership, all the fellow volunteers and all monetary contributers for allowing me such a great opportunity. Part of me hopes that we never have to do this again, but that hope also makes me sad that I probably wont get to experience a full gamut of feelings again.
1. Anxiety: On Sunday, as I was making my way towards Hyatt Regency on the Capitol Hill (a beautiful and an expensive hotel) I was a little anxious about meeting new people (I am a closet introvert :D ). I was not sure if the people would just continue the non-productive conversations about Eb3 vs EB2 or India vs ROW or just be plain annoying. Boy, was I wrong!!! That anxiety disappeared in a matter of minutes after walking in the situation room. The folks were dedicated and meant business. The leadership of the core group was evident, they made sure that we didn't go off message, relatively an easy task for them since most of us there realized the importance of keeping on message.
2.Excitement: As we started the training, people started pouring great ideas (and few not so great IMHO).The trainer in chief chased each of these ideas to its logical conclusion and without saying whether they had merit or not made it obvious for us to decide. How classy and what a phenomenal coaching style!. The talking points that we discussed were articulated meticulously and question/comments were dealt with insight, experience and facts (this one is very important, we all know what opinions are like...). This was the one feeling (excitement) that lasted through the 3 days and I still cant shake it off (not that I am trying, but I don't want people to confuse me for the energizer bunny!! - we have some one else for that ;))
3.Nervousness: The first meeting. No, no not with the folks from Congress, but the mock meeting at the training session. The veterans gave us a demonstration of their insights/ knowledge and quick wit. So of course I was nervous coming in after that performance. I volunteered to be on the first ones of these mock sessions and felt all eyes in the room on me. I tried to focus on the task at hand (which was at that time, to stop my legs from shaking ;)). Perhaps, the mock session was the toughest of all the meetings that I had on the hill (remember that the hotel was 'on the hill' too :)).
4.Awesomeness: This is what it was all about. For me as a first timer, entering the hallowed halls of congress and participating in the democratic process up close and personal is an awesome feeling. Just walking down those corridors and noticing the closed doors with signs that say 'Appropriations Committee', or 'Democratic Caucus' and knowing that laws that affect lives of more than 300 million people are being crafted, debated and being voted on right there....what a rush. I think this too will be with me for a long long time.
5.Camaraderie: This is a fun bunch of serious people on a mission. I think mostly everyone hit off well with everyone else. I made a whole bunch of acquaintances that I feel could mature into strong friendships. Even though we worked our collective butts off, there was always light hearted humor floating around. It was great.
6.Gratitude: Looking at the hard work put in by the countless tireless volunteers was a humbling experience. These very kind souls put in hour after hour of work during the event but they put in even more before the event started. I don't know, if the rest of you know, organizing an event at such a scale is a massive undertaking and despite hiccups we came out the other end in great shape. My gratitude goes to all the people that put their hearts, minds and souls in allowing our community to participate in the democratic process at the highest level. Thanks for making this happen.
Why am I writing this you wonder (or may be not). This event changed me. I felt myself grow in these 3 days. I rubbed shoulders with some of the most famous and powerful men and women in the nation and conveyed our message. I also saw first hand the resource constraints that IV has and how they figure something out and make it happen. Trust me folks, it is not easy to work thanklessly for days on end for 18 hours and still keep a cheerful demeanor but they did. My sincere thanks to IV leadership, all the fellow volunteers and all monetary contributers for allowing me such a great opportunity. Part of me hopes that we never have to do this again, but that hope also makes me sad that I probably wont get to experience a full gamut of feelings again.
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