Country of Birth

~ Clarissa

I never know which country of birth to put on all the forms I get to fill out.

Should it be USSR or Ukraine?

Unknown's avatar

Published by Clarissa

23 thoughts on “Country of Birth”

  2. That is so interesting – I never thought about that!! I would put Ukraine – it sounds less scary for gov’t-related documents. 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  6. Clearly the only logical solution to this would be to toss a coin every time that you have to fill a document in. Heads for the Soviet Union, tails for Ukraine. Or visa-versa if you’re that way inclined.

    Like

    Reply

          1. It’s a comix! Neil Gaiman is a British dude who wears all black and is good good friends with Tori Amos apparently. Back in the Nineties Neil wrote these “graphic novels” or whatchoucallem for the DC Vertigo comic book line with the basic idea of what if like supernal powers of the universe and ancient gods and fairy tales and shit were kicking around in 20th Century America. Then a whole bunch of artists and writers who worked with him did a whole bunch of spin-offs and one was about this ancient super-powerful witch named Thessaly who was from Ovid’s idea of Thessaly. When I was like nineteen I was really into all this but I really can’t stand the guy or anything affiliated with him anymore. I saw the Doctor Who episode he wrote and he apparently just cannot let go of his favorite crazy-prophet-oracle-godlike-precocious-Goth-woman trope. Imagine Ophelia crossed with Jane Eyre with superpowers and that’s more or less every female character Neil Gaiman has ever wrote.

            Like

            Reply

            1. But he’s a pretty good teller of freaky stories and fun to go back to when I’m feeling all nostalgic. I feel the same way about Stephen King and Harlan Ellison, who were big inspirations for Gaiman anyway.

              Like

              Reply

  8. Of course, I’d really want to put USSR because it’s what it was then … and also it’s so much more exotic and intimidating sounding, it’s more fun for freaking out Americans.

    Like

    Reply

    1. At this point, I’m really past having any fun with Homeland Security. I had to testify that I had never been in the Communist party and that I committed no crimes against humanity. N. wasn’t asked these things, mind you. He was asked whether he ever engaged in prostitution or prostituted others.

      Like

      Reply

  9. Filling immigration papers sound like a nightmare… Prostitution? Member of the Communist Party? Ukraine vs USSR?

    I am so happy with my easy-going TN status right now.

    Like

    Reply

    1. You have no idea, my friend. We will have to pay $500 per person on Thursday just for the medical. It’s a constant drain on resources and a constant source of aggravation. But it will all be over in a year or two when we finally get the green cards!

      Like

      Reply

        1. One stage of it has been approved. There will be two more stages. If everything works the way it should and we are very lucky, we’ll get the cards maybe next summer.

          I don’t mind because I have work visa with my school. N. is the one who suffers.

          But we are getting there.

          Like

          Reply

Leave a comment