Thursday, September 25, 2014

There Are Some Weird (And Interesting) Fish Out There (And An American P.S.)

Following are some pictures of weird, interesting, or beautiful creatures we saw. I was half amazed and half weirded out by most of these :)

 Yawning eels
I thought octopi were cute. Then I saw this one and now I just think they're creepy. Too bad the picture I took where its head was squished against the glass didn't turn out as it only emphasized my "creepy" designation.



A seahorse-kind of thing
I discovered a new fondness for sting rays. I mean, how cute is this one? :)
The jellyfish were in a strangely lit area so it was hard to get good pictures of them.

Which is your favourite (or most creepy) creature?

PS. So a few of you were wondering why Dave needed a US passport. Dave's mom grew up in The States, and his parents were living there when Dave was born, thus Dave is an American citizen. However, they moved to Canada when Dave was three and he is also a Canadian citizen. For thirty years he has traveled to the US on his Canadian passport with no problems. This is the case for most people we know.

However, when we flew through Los Angeles on our way home from New Zealand, we had an encounter with a border guard who decided to enforce the rules. Technically, if you are a US citizen, even if you hold another citizenship, you need to enter the US on an American passport. Most border guards are not so stringent and will allow American-Canadians (I will speak from the Canadian point of view only), to enter the US on their Canadian passports. So Dave has never had a US passport.

Unfortunately, this encounter was made all the more stressful by the fact that we were extremely jet lagged and stressed out due to our messed up flights. (Cue Natasha having a panic attack at the airport after a very frustrated Dave was escorted into a separate room where I couldn't go with him.) After we had gotten some sleep, Dave decided that he would apply for a US passport to hopefully make future visits to The States a little easier. Since his parents had never received a proper birth certificate for him, nor ever applied for his Social Security Number, we've been dealing with a bureaucratic nightmare for a few months now.

So here is my Public Service Announcement for the year -- get your kids the documentation they need to prove their citizenship now! It's a huge pain in the neck if they're trying to obtain it when they're thirty. Please, save them the hassle :)

6 comments:

  1. What a MESS with the passport!! I'm so sorry! I would have had a panic attack too. Actually I would probably still be AT the airport panicking. Glad you can get it resolved so you don't have to mess with it again!!

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    1. Your comment about still being at the airport made me laugh :) I think the only reason I'm not still there is because we were traveling with friends who totally helped me through it. Plus, Dave got free eventually :)

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  2. Oh geez, what a nightmare!!! Glad my lovely country can make your travels such a hassle!! Also, those fish with 'noses' that look like chainsaws...I live in perpetual fear of running into one. I mean, even on the land. I don't know why, but I think they are scarier than just about any other animal in the world. Shudder.

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  3. I would say you all handled that bureaucratic nightmare better than I could have. Probably comes from lots of travel experience. I would have been panicking and not know what to do. Like Bekah, I'd probably still be in that airport. Haha! Hope Dave got it all straightened out...can't have anything messing up future travel plans! :-) And yuck to that creepy octopus...I hate those gross looking suction cup tentacles. ;-)

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  4. 1. The seahorse-kind of thing is definitely the creepiest to me.
    2. The passport stuff sounds like a nightmare! I really, really hate dealing with that stuff!

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  5. Every time we go to an aquarium, I am in total awe of God's handiwork. It just amazes me!

    I'm sorry you had so much trouble with Dave's passport. Hopefully, you'll get it all fixed. Since Dave is a US citizen, does that also make Sam and Rachel?

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