5 Lessons from My Immigration Ordeal

March 31, 2009

Yesterday I wrote about my Costa Rican Immigration Odyssey. Today I would like to tell you some of the lessons I learned from that experience.

1.”Locked Up Abroad” is a Reality Show

If you have ever seen Locked Up Abroad, you know that regardless of where you are from, the country you are IN gets to decide which laws you should follow and what to do about you if you break them. I was under the impression that since we only have U.S. passports, we only had to worry about the U.S. international travel process. When the Costa Rican government detained us because of laws that apply to Costa Rican kids, I wanted to march into the U.S. Embassy and have them demand our release back to our home country… but it doesn’t work that way.

It’s just like we tell our kids: “When you are in someone else’s home, you follow their rules.” All of the complaints and self-righteous indignation in the world weren’t going to get us out of the country. Only the necessary stamp and signature would. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

2. Remember the Dual Nature of Dual Citizenship

If you are a dual citizen, or have a child that is (or can be), keep in mind that the laws of BOTH countries will apply. Everyone talks about the rewards of dual citizenship, but no one ever mentions the risks. You cannot cherry-pick the rights of being a citizen of a particular country, without also incurring the responsibilities.

By registering my son’s birth in Costa Rica, I placed him under the protection of the Costa Rican government. I’m just glad Costa Rica is a peaceful nation; I would hate for him to be drafted to fight in another country’s war or revolution! In the future, I will be more informed about the laws that apply to us as dual citizens.

3. Choose To See The Good

Once I realized I was stuck in Costa Rica, I had essentially two choices: I could keep crying about the unfairness of it all, and complaining about the process, or I could choose to look on the bright side. I was trapped abroad, but in a gilded cage. The photo below is of my brother’s guest house, the room where I spent my unexpected vacation days.

He lives next to a small airport, so I got to watch planes take off from morning until night. For me, this was a rare treat. In addition, Hunter and I got to spend more time with family we seldom get to see. Don’t get me wrong, it was infuriatingly frustrating to be buried in red tape; but there were certainly benefits as well.

4. Appreciate What You Have

Many of us tend to complain about how things are wherever we live. In the States we often say life is too fast-paced, high-stress, not laid back enough. If only we could live in some idyllic paradise, like Costa Rica, where everyone sits around sipping coffee or playing in the sand. While some of that does go on there, an awful lot of time is spent standing in lines and waiting for inefficient systems to work.

One of the reasons they are so laid back is because they don’t have any illusion that anything will work right the first time. Being laid back isn’t necessarily a choice in these conditions. Although I am no advocate of fast-paced, stressful lives, I do have a new appreciation for our efficient systems and processes. I like that I can pay my bills online, or by phone, rather than wait for a guy on a motorcycle to show up at my door collecting cash. Call me crazy, but I’m pretty fond of the way my life is.

5. Be Aware That My Plan Is Not The Plan.

Recently I wrote about life lessons I learned from flight training, and lesson #6 was, “I believe everything has a reason, even if we don’t see it or understand it yet.”

During my four days of “captivity” I had the opportunity to spend quality time with people I had not originally planned to see. It is quite possible that one of those visits or conversations significantly helped one or more of those people. I may never know who else benefitted from the extra days I spent there. But I do know that it all happened for a reason; THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS.

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Posted in choices, inner peace, present moment, Spirit of Adventure