Dick
Hey
guys,
Unfortunately,
things did not go we'll at the embassy this morning (see e-mail chain below)
and I paid for our apartment through Thursday January 17th as I don't want any
disruptions.
We
rallied this afternoon and had a great New Year's walk, dinner and celebration.
D and K are both asleep as I write this and we will continue to enjoy
ourselves in Kiev and experience life as Kievites to the fullest.
Have
a very Happy New Year!
Kyle
Begin forwarded message:
From: Hector De La Torre <hcdelatorre@att.net>
Date: January 1, 2013, 12:51:12 AM GMT+02:00
To: Kyle Kazan <kyle@bfpminc.com>
Subject: RE: Embassy Contact
Date: January 1, 2013, 12:51:12 AM GMT+02:00
To: Kyle Kazan <kyle@bfpminc.com>
Subject: RE: Embassy Contact
I'm
very sorry. I relayed to the congressional office (not Janice) and
asked for help with the State Department. The Chief of Staff is
reaching out to State - I'll let you know the minute I hear anything.
Happy Ukrainian New Year! --- On Mon, 12/31/12, Kyle Kazan <kyle@bfpminc.com> wrote: From: Kyle Kazan <kyle@bfpminc.com> Subject: RE: Embassy Contact To: "'Hector De La Torre'" <hcdelatorre@att.net> Date: Monday, December 31, 2012, 3:10 AM
Dear Hector,
We had our meeting this morning with
Ms. Millman. She is indeed the person at the embassy who meets with
people applying for a passport abroad but did not know anything about our
situaton. Unfortunately, the meeting went very poorly. Ms.
Millman will be requiring a DNA sample and because Fed Ex won’t be picking up
until Wednesday morning, we needed to reschedule the taking of the sample
since it should be couriered out within 24 hours or “it could dry up.”
As a precaution, I ordered the kit in advance from one of the approved labs
and it will be ready for our 9 a.m. appointment in 2 days. It will take
four days to be Fed Ex’ed to Illinois and then I will push the company to run
the test ASAP.
The biggest hitch is that Ms. Millman
is requiring the actual test results to be literally received in her hands
before she issues a passport. Jamie’s and my friend who went through
this procedure a year ago in Ukraine was able to have an e-mail certification
work so that he could leave. When I shared this will Ms. Millman, she
called it “an urban legend” and I assured her that it was not. She said
that she has been the Counsel General for the past 6 months and this hasn’t
happened during her time.
While I am frustrated that no
consideration was made regarding skipping DNA, I am utterly flabbergasted
that in 2012 (soon to be 2013), she can not accept results electronically
from a lab which is on the list of authorized labs in the United States and
where she herself will be sending the test. When I pressed her, she
said that she would send an e-mail to her supervisor at the State Department
but she is only going by “the rules which would have to be applied to
everyone.” I told her that the world works on iPhones and electronics
and this absolutely should apply to everyone. Reasoning with her was
like eliciting compassion from the Terminator but we unfortunately are at her
mercy.
While I am disappointed to be in this
situation, Diane smiled but turned pale and Keoni started crying when we got
back to the apartment. If there is anything that you can do to bring
some rationality to the situation and save us 4 days by making use of 1990’s
technology, it would be appreciated. I thank you in advance for all of
your efforts.
Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New
Year for you and your family,
Kyle
From: Hector De La
Torre [mailto:hcdelatorre@att.net]
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 10:04 AM To: Kyle Kazan Subject: Fw: Embassy Contact
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