Post-Green Card Update

Things accomplished:
1) Official name (and immigration status) changed at: 
- School: This involves going to the registrar, international office, and a few e-mail exchanges with the information technology folks to change my school e-mail.
- Social Security office: Went there the day after Fourth of July and it was crowded! Showed them my spanking new green card and marriage license that that was it. I received the new card (without conditions!) in a week.
- Department of Public Safety (DPS): This is for my driver's license. I was dreading this one since I've had bad experiences with them insisting that my name should be a certain way when it's not (see this post). Well, since my new name is on the green card, they had nothing to say this time but to let me have it the way it is. They also removed the 1-year temporary visitor status on the DL. However, I was told that my home country Taiwan is listed as "Taiwan, Province of China." That is so ridiculous. Taiwan is not a province of China and even the U.S. Department of State recognize Taiwan's official name as Taiwan or Republic of China (see here). Anyways, I've been e-mailing DPS, state senator/representative and what not to seek to correct this issue. Urgh! This is so frustrating. Last time they messed up my name and this time they messed up my country's name. Oh and I still don't have my new driver's license yet. Double urgh!
- Banks/Credit Cards: Together we have quite a few accounts so I had to call each of the credit card companies. None of them required me to send in anything since this is based on marriage and my hubby is the joint holder of the account/card in most cases. We also have two online saving account. With one of them, a phone call suffice (since they don't have physical banking locations) while the other asked me to go into the bank. For those that I do have to go into the bank, I just show them either my temporary driver's license or the marriage certificate and voila, it's done. I've received a few new cards with my new names on them! So right now it's a mess in my wallet with at least a few versions of my name. I look forward to the day when they all have my correct new name on them!


2) Figured out financial aid/federal loans:
My hubby and I are in school. He's on fellowship while I'm going to have to start paying (looong story for another post). The green card couldn't have come at a better time since I need permanent residence status to apply for federal loans. I've got that all figured out since I received the green card. Yay.

Happy Fourth of July!

So NOT according to plan (see my last post), my green card arrived on Saturday, 2 days after when I had predicted that it should arrive. However, it did come in time for me to celebrate Fourth of July with my green card in hand! Okay, fine, I didn't even bring my green card with me when we went to watch fireworks let along having it in my hand... just to be sure though, you're supposed to have your green card with you AT ALL TIMES, but since my hubby and I were just driving down the street to the roof of our school's parking garage, I figure it'd be okay. Besides, no one has ever pulled me over for ID, why would they suddenly do that on fourth of July?

Anyways, that aside, the new green card is cool-looking! First of all, it's actually green. Not a bright one, but kind of like the US bill/currency green. Then it's got this black shiny bar code looking thing in the back that has my picture and info engraved inside! (I'm sure I'm describing this with all the wrong technical term, but hey, I'm doing my best.) It's packed with security features that makes it look very important. However, all these cool features are blocked by a white paper/foil cover you're supposed to put it in to "prevent wireless communication with your card" (this is printed in English and Spanish on the cover, adding to the uncool factor of the cover). That's kind of creepy. Someone will want to talk to my green card? What if someone already talked to it when it was being shipped (since it wasn't shipped in the cover)?! Alright, that's just my paranoia... I'm really not that paranoid in person. Really.

I'm not going to put a picture of my green card up since I don't want USCIS to hunt me down for disclosing the new looks of the green card.

What do you mean I'm paranoid?

Happy Fourth of July folks!