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.