Where to go, where to go...

[wayfaringwordhack]

 J and I have been dreaming and scheming about his future posting as an embassy guard. This is important and not so important.  In the quirky way of the French administration, the Powers that Be ask each employee where they would like to be stationed, requiring said employee to choose three destinations. Then, when it comes time to fill a post, the employee's wishes are (usually) summarily dismissed and the employee is offered another country/continent/hemisphere entirely.  If the employee turns down the offer, his or her name goes to the bottom of the posting list, so unless the assignment is reallllllly bad or dangerous, one does not say no.

So, for our three countries, even though we probably won't get any of them, we've still been thinking. Soëlie does not have US nationality simply because I'm American, so if it is possible*, we wouldn't mind a stint in New York to help her get the requisite 3yrs-before-18th-birthday stay time in the States to obtain her dual citizenship. The other US opening is in Washington, but bleh...neither of us want to go there.

In trying to decide another country, I visited this site to see what parts of the world are still unbeknownst to me.  I did this map years ago, before our world trip, but now it has a little more color.



create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide


I've visited 27 countries, which only equals 12%!!!

Still vast tracts of unexplored territory there. I like the sound of "-stan" countries like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan (Afghanistan and Pakistan not so much). Czechoslovakia was my favorite country name ever. Too bad it doesn't exist any longer. Zimbabwe is another fun one. Consonance aside, though, Indonesia would be good money-wise, location-wise, and, for Julien, spearfishing-wise. I wouldn't mind Turkey for the history...

How about you? Where would you go for four years?
_________________

*We've heard that a US posting is not likely for us because I'm American. Something about the French gov't not wanting their employees possibly developing compromised, conflicting loyalties.

Comments

[mindseas.livejournal.com]

My favorite destinations would be Denmark, Iceland, Mongolia (Soëlie could grow up on horseback! But probably bad for spear-fishing), Greenland, Sweden, Norway, Finland.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

We've considered the Scandinavian countries and would be pleased to end up there. Mongolia is another great choice.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Wow, I had no idea that children of american citizens had a residency requirement if not born in the US.

[secritcrush.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I went to England. :)

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Yes, it comes from the fact that I reside (permanently) in France, and therefore so does Soëlie, and am married to a Frenchman who does not have the US nationality.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I would dearly love to go to Indonesia.

I don't understand about Soelie, though. Two of my children were born outside the United States, and my husband is not American either, and yet all I had to do to get their passports (which, in both cases, I needed within six months) was to file a consular report of birth abroad. Have things changed?

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. I'll have to look into it again. Maybe it is because I have no plans of going back to the States and Julien doesn't have US citizenship?

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Do check. My husband doesn't have U.S. citizenship either. It's true that I was coming back to the US--and that may be the difference--but if it's just a misunderstanding, it would be worth getting the citizenship, even if she ends up not using it.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm about to apply for my French citizenship (the US allows dual nationality) because it is just bonuses all around for travel and work, what with the European Union and all. And countries that are more amenable to France than the US, like Bolivia. I had to pay $125 for a visa and Julien had to pay zero. o.O

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

That's exciting about your French citizenship!

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

She's not a citizen? I thought that was automatic...

japan would probably be a pretty cool place to live for a while. It'd be like living in anime.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Nope, being born to an American mother isn't enough to qualify her... weird, huh?

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Very. Is it different if the father is American?

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

*nods* If he was, then the citizenship would be automatic, I believe.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Huh. Almost makes me embarrassed to be a man.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

what I said to asakiyume. :P I expressed myself poorly

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Ah, okay. Hopefully this is an instance where you'll find out you were wrong!

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I really think this is incorrect. It may be that they've changed how they do things from when my kids were born in Japan and England,but back in the day, if you were an American, and if you asked for citizenship for your child born overseas, you could have it, whether you were a man or a woman. I had a permanent resident card for England at the time--in other words, there was evidence that I might not be returning (though in fact we did return here), and still I got citizenship for my son, and when we lived in Japan, same thing for my daughter. And if the US *has* changed things, I just can't believe that they'd do it to disadvantage women in particular.

On the other hand, I don't have proof at hand, only my own experience, which is 13 years old and 17 years old, respectively, so...

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Ah, i didn't mean it to be a man/woman thing; rather a "both parents" thing. I wonder if it has to do with what country the "other" parent comes from. Frex, I can have dual nationality b/c the US allows it; J can't b/c France forbids it. Or that was the state of affairs when we got married.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

It's possible--I'm totally out of my knowledge league here! Anyway, bottom line is, it'll work out one way or another.

[sunflower-sky.livejournal.com]

From someone who just applied for a Consular Report of Birth in a foreign country, you can certainly apply for citizenship for Soelie. What you need is proof of your OWN residency (if Julien was American you wouldn't need it). If you can't provide it, I think you need to apply for her citizenship while in the US (but there is no minimum requirement, it just needs to be done while on US soil).

All this is true as long as you were born in the USA. (Which I assume you were.) If you weren't, I don't think Soelie would be eligible for citizenship without a minimum residency requirement.

I'm sure there's a website for the nearest consulate or embassy. Check it out.

~D

[slmcgaw.livejournal.com]

i hardly think you can colour the whole of Australia by stopping a couple of days in Sydney ;-)

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

bwahaha. We also flew up to Brisbane and spent a couple of days in Mooloolaba, but yeah....I'm not the one who colored everything in! The map did that. :D It's like the fact that I've been to Juarez twice and it colors all of Mexico in.