New York, Day 1

I woke up around 9AM, wife 11AM and daughter after 1PM. I had hoped to wake up realizing that it all had been a bad dream, but alas it wasn’t. I woke up in the same bed I went to sleep in at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Jamaica, New York last night. I can’t thank the many friends in Ireland who tried to help and those who are spreading the word enough. It’s hard not to be effusive with our thanks.

I’m a quiet person by nature, non-confrontational whenever possible, and this is probably one of our downfalls. I expected to be asked a few question, provide honest answers, and be admitted. In retrospect, perhaps I should have been more assertive, and insisted that the immigration officer review all of the documents that I brought with us. Still, I feel that he made his mind up very quickly regarding our (un)acceptability and don’t believe he would have been swayed. Furthermore, I was very concerned that any further discussion would possibly have let to my detention in their holding cell or even arrest. This is not something that I wanted to see, nor something I have wanted my daughter to witness.

I’ve spent the day sending tweets, jaikus and emails from our hotel room. Some of it have been to well-connected friends, others friends in the press. The last thing I really want to do is to stir up a shit-storm. All I want to do is to be admitted to Ireland, and am hoping that by publicizing our plight it will be brought to the attention of someone who can do something about it.

My wife and I have talked, and we are willing to spend the week in New York and hoping that by some miracle a path can be found that will allow us to return to Ireland before the start of the school semester there and before my daughter has to return to Hawai‘i before missing too much more school.