tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695280310697378421.post2671092230350073772..comments2024-03-25T02:15:02.505-07:00Comments on Nancy's Blog: Crossing the Borderadminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11442349453021015062noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695280310697378421.post-16611992302198365512009-08-15T03:17:32.106-07:002009-08-15T03:17:32.106-07:00Mike -- That's a great story about Hank! You...Mike -- That's a great story about Hank! You'd think a customs official would know you're allowed to have more than one passport. I know people with two.Nancy Kresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834410304227906387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695280310697378421.post-82437184316978979802009-08-14T13:32:18.710-07:002009-08-14T13:32:18.710-07:00Come to think of it, Mike, it was usually fairly e...Come to think of it, Mike, it was usually fairly easy to cross from Warsaw Pact to Western Europe (my father did this, but not exactly through legal channels :-)). <br /><br />I sit corrected! <br /><br />With more brown people being hired by customs, etc. I could imaging that racial profiling may be lower, but in the southwest, where I spend much of my time, it is still there. Oh, well. Evolution is slow, even of a social pattern.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16962224347551157239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695280310697378421.post-66186492245834870672009-08-13T10:19:57.274-07:002009-08-13T10:19:57.274-07:00between disparate economies it will be more hassle...<i>between disparate economies it will be more hassle to re-enter the more prosperous land.</i> <br /><br />Not always: it was more of a hassle to cross from Austria into Hungary than it was to leave Hungary for Austria. My wife had a similar experience crossing from Austria into the Czech Republic and back. Some countries -- South Africa and Panama -- charged a fee to leave the country. Costa Rica did not. Years ago, during a Reisesommer, I crossed by train from West Germany into France to visit Strassburg. I was the only one in the compartment who had to open my luggage, once the French agent saw the US passport. "Oh, Americain....?" <br /><br /><i>But one of the biggest factors is still racial profiling. How often do Irish people get asked for their papieren when travelling by bus or train in the US? Tan skin and brown eyes is most definitely still a disadvantage.</i> <br /> <br />When my daughter and her brood returned from Jordan, various folks told me she would be vigorously screened, maybe even prevented from entering. She was still wearing hijab at the time. However, she had no problem whatsoever, and a nice customs agent named Hassan helped her with her luggage. Her husband, Basheer likewise had no problem. The tan skin and brown eyes are as likely to be behind the customs counter as before it, from my observations. <br /><br />As for the Irish, when my daughter lived in Yonkers she said the fastest way to get a seat in one of the Irish pubs on MacLean Ave. ("Irish Broadway") was to holler INS! when you walked in. Of course, the waitstaff would also vanish.... She said the INS (aka ICE) were frequently checking for Irish illegals along MacLean.TheOFloinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14756711106266484327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695280310697378421.post-64575418244977600472009-08-13T09:14:17.799-07:002009-08-13T09:14:17.799-07:00Yes, tell us of Hank's experience!
Having l...Yes, tell us of Hank's experience! <br /><br />Having lived in the southwest for over half my life I can tell you that it's much more strenuous crossing back into the USSA from the Estados Unidos de Mexico. How much a traveller gets poked at does also depend on the cultural, legal, and, of course, political differences between the lands being crossed. Going from a land of more freedom to less personal freedom (ie. Holland to US) will almost guarantee a probing. Also, going between countries that are economically similar is generally easy, but between disparate economies it will be more hassle to re-enter the more prosperous land. <br /><br />But one of the biggest factors is still racial profiling. How often do Irish people get asked for their papieren when travelling by bus or train in the US? Tan skin and brown eyes is most definitely still a disadvantage.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16962224347551157239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695280310697378421.post-74234351766949087622009-08-13T09:12:24.593-07:002009-08-13T09:12:24.593-07:00You have to imagine Hank with the deepest possible...You have to imagine Hank with the deepest possible Texas drawl. <br /><br />Hank opens his pouch to show his passport to the customs dude at US incoming. Customs dude sees <i>three</i> passports. He reaches out and grabs them. What are you doing with <i>three</i> passports? <br /><br />Well, sez Hank, the red one is a UN passport. I use that when I'm traveling on UN business. This US passport is for when I travel to Israel. The other US passport is for when I travel anywhere else, especially any country that doesn't like seeing Israeli stamps in my passport. <br /><br />Customs dude sez: You can't have three passports! <br /><br />Hank sez: Sure I can. <br /><br />I'm afraid you'll have to come with me. <br /><br />Can I make a phone call? <br /><br />OK. <br /><br />So Hank calls his brother. Who was head of customs for the east coast. <br />+ + +<br />Then there was the Homelander, the dog and the old lady with the knitting.TheOFloinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14756711106266484327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695280310697378421.post-46465882067129049692009-08-13T03:35:15.154-07:002009-08-13T03:35:15.154-07:00Well, are you going to tell us Hank's story? ...Well, are you going to tell us Hank's story? No fair leaving us dangling!Nancy Kresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09834410304227906387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1695280310697378421.post-63655590057795327022009-08-12T16:20:05.939-07:002009-08-12T16:20:05.939-07:00Over the past 25 years I have sometimes had consul...Over the past 25 years I have sometimes had consulting gigs in Canada. Some time back, <i>well before 9/11,</i> it began to grow more difficult to enter Canada. Suddenly, I had to purchase a work permit. The first time, I was taken by surprise -- and learned that Canada does not accept American Express for this purpose, so I was turned away. I was persona non grata! Shazaam! But the auto assembly plant was expecting me the next morning; not to mention my hotel. So, I drove around to the Niagara Falls crossing, told them I was going to attend a meeting and do some sight-seeing (both true statements) and they let me in. The irony was that I was going up there to train our Canadian guy in some materials. <br /><br />Someone must have eventually cross-referenced the data, for every time since then I have been pulled aside the Canadians and closely questioned as to my purposes upon entering Canada. Much less hassle entering Austria, India, and Australia. <br /><br />Back in my storied youth, crossing into New Brunswick from Maine on the way to Cape Breton Island for some camping, one hardly even noticed that a border had been crossed. <br /><br />Of course, the best border-crossing story belongs to my colleague Hank.TheOFloinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14756711106266484327noreply@blogger.com