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Day 1-5 : Spent each day visiting our friends. One couple with a small daughter in Haarlem, another new couple who just moved to a 2 floor apartment in the suburb of Almere and finally, another couple who just moved in to a nice spacious duplex house.  In between visits, we spent quality time with MrC’s family.  Of course one would not forget the typical sumptuous vegetarian dinners, and almost unlimited cups of tea with the “compulsory” cake or cookie.  We even went home with a “care package” bag composed of cheese  sandwiches, chocolate, and oranges. Thanks to MrC’s mom and his business partner! We stayed in our usual Best Western hotel which was very near MrC’s parents house — highly recommended by his Mom of course!

Day 6: I flew to Newark. I’m glad it was a direct flight. It only took around 9 hours +.  It wasn’t so easy carrying all the heavy stuff by myself though.   I was carrying a lot of winter clothes that I am going to leave to my mom and sister.  With a rented car and a GPS I was all set to see NJ and PA! Oh man, I just didn’t know how great the feeling was to be back again.  America did feel like home to me!  I stopped over a Ruby Tuesdays to have my first meal in the US of A.   I couldn’t help but grin after hearing this from the waitress: “Hi my Name is Janine (not her real name) and I am your server for today” .  Welcome to America!

At around 6:00pm I arrived safely at my friend’s place.  This is where I would be staying 3 days out of the 5 days I stayed in the US.  The rest of the 2 days was spent in my other old friend’s big house in Pennsylvania.

I’ve read somewhere that most of the time if a Filipino-expat mixed couple moves back to the Philippines it’s usually the Filipino spouse that has a hard time.  I think in a way this applies to me.  When I was abroad I missed things Filipino but somehow part of me has also embraced the American way of life, otherwise I wouldn’t have applied for naturalization.  I am proud to be both Filipino and American but now after going back there I feel as if I am slightly a bit more “at home” in the US.  Not all people are the same.   My friend still subscribes to ABS CBN and GMA channels and watches Filipino shows more than ever.  On the other hand, I was secretly indulging in all the American shows that I missed watching most of my free time. Thanks to having a really high speed Internet  connection (40mpbs) I can watch them there on-demand.  AAhh! I miss 40MBPS!  Right here back at home, my “high speed” Bayantel goes up to only 1MBPS (cry).

As part of my intended re-immersion into American culture here are the things I did: (1) watched friend’s kid’s school Halloween Parade (2) Visited and shopped in a factory outlet (3) Ate Chicken Wings while watching championship baseball match in a a sports bar (4) Ate Philly Cheesesteaks in a small pizza joint in South Philly (Italian Market) while listening local folks banter about the last baseball game. (5) Drive in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpike for at least 1.5 hours!  Seeing the old places, and quaint autumn vistas along the hilly suburbs West of Philadelphia, I can’t really find any more words to describe my feelings but it felt like meeting an old flame, and was uncontrollably smitten.  Enough said.

In Canada, I saw my sister’s family (husband, 3 kids) and mom.  I haven’t seen them for at least a year!  I missed them a lot.  I spent a whole week attending Hockey practices and matches, sending off nephews to their school bus, helping out at my sister’s Kumon business, being interviewed by a 4 year old “Oprah style”, having breakfast in a Canadian diner, attending church with family, having a birthday dinner with family, going to the mall (of course) and eating at the Chinese food court (yummy and cheap).  And having a relaxing time overall.  When I was leaving the airport, my family gave me a group hug. I was touched.  I held off my tears until it was time to board the plane (that long hehe!).

I went back to Amsterdam filled with fond memories, a renewed drivers license and a balikbayan box to boot which I filled up in New Jersey and will be sent via LBC thanks to my dear friend!

The next morning MrC and I took the next flight back to the Philippines.

This week, our new plan has been slightly modified again. This time, we would be first taking a 4 week vacation to the Philippines sometime in end of May or June and go where we want to go and see where we really want to live and if we both like it there. I think we would like it there if we find a nice area we feel at home and where we will find talented Programmers that are willing to work for us. Afterwards, we will decide and make final plans to move our stuff and then I will resign finally. I have told my manager all about this and assured them I will give them time to find a replacement for me. But as of now, it’s all very fuzzy still. Suddenly, with spring coming, birds start to chirp and flowers bloom. The mood suddenly changes. Things become less dreary it seems, and my mood has been better. I have also befriended a fellow Filipina and I have spent an afternoon at her house singing karaoke. But although everything seems well now and I am very happy with the situation, at the back of my mind I want the Software Development business to still be realized and the Philippines is the only place that seems appropriate for us to do it right now. Not here, not the U.S. but in the Philippines. But what is it that makes me sad now, in spite of all this? It is the same feeling I had when I was about to leave the Philippines to accept a job offer in the States. I was having fun then, I hangout with great colleagues, and I was well paid and was a in a senior position. I was really sad about leaving this kind of life with a life that was uncertain. Right now, our life is relatively comfortable. We could afford to pay for cleaning and such so our life here is also quite comfy and a bit spoiled somehow. Weather is bad here but I like the cool breeze in the summer and spring. But yes weather sucks here big time outside of spring and summer. It’s the travel opportunities that I will miss somehow. I will miss meeting people of different cultures and backgrounds and seeing the eccentricities of each country I visit. I still want to see the whole of Europe. Believe me, it’s a bit too ambitious but I do still want to have the chance to visit these exotic villages in Europe and see exotic individuals in spite of the difficulties and culture shock that go along with it. I actually want it. However, the tradeoff to this is that I have to comply with the rules of my home country and this is where I have trouble dealing with. I’d like to realize my other dream as well – the business and not being pounded by bureaucracy and language barriers! Yes, I admit, I have a love-hate relationship with the Netherlands. I am both sad and happy about being here. I hope I can get over these uncertain feelings and finally be at peace with whatever decision we make.

• taking an oath, affirmation or other formal declaration to a foreign state or its political subdivisions (Sec. 349 (a) (2) INA) is a potential cause of loss of citizenship if they perform certain specified acts voluntarily and with the intention to relinquish U.S. citizenship.
• when renewing or applying for a US passport, before you sign the form , since in the Acts or Conditions list this will apply to you, you need to line out the part that says “taken an oath or made an affirmation or other formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign state”, and you must provide a supplementary explanatory statement under oath or affirmation by the applicant that you do not wish to relinquish your U.S. citizenship.
• you might have trouble running for public office in either countries or obtaining special security clearances

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed attorney, all information here is gathered only from reading official websites. Please consult your immigration lawyer or consulate for confirmation about these issues before you decide on any course of action.

Yesterday, I decided to do finally complete my paperwork errands for my Mom by going to the Philippine Embassy in Den Haag. And at the same time, I figured, I could inquire more about the visa options that we have in line with our plans to come back to the Philippines and stay long-term.
One thing I noticed about their office is that it is so much better than the one in New York City where there are long lines, noisy crowds, steel bars and glass windows and irritated government workers. Instead, I was greeted by a couple of relaxed women and a nice open office environment. During my visit, there was also a Dutch couple applying for a tourist visa. Basically, the nice lady told me that she strongly advise me to just apply for reacquisition of my citizenship which is by far the simplest for both of us. I told her that my main concerns is the length of time to process it and how it would affect my citizenship status in the US. I found out that it only takes 5 days to process my application for citizenship retention after I submit all the necessary paperwork and also 5 days to process my husband’s non-quota immigration application as well. The good thing about this also is that if we try to setup a business there we could solve the ownership issue easily. She told me that Philippine law recognizes Dual Citizenship. Later that day I found my answers from the website of the San Francisco consulate.

Here is what it says in the website:

Will taking the Oath endanger U.S. citizenship?

No. According to a study prepared by the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NAFFAA), a person will not lose his/her U.S. citizenship by merely pledging allegiance to another county. Such act can result in loss of U.S. citizenship only if done with an intention to relinquish U.S. citizenship. Since applicants for dual citizenship under this law generally do so with every intention to keep their U.S. citizenship and enjoy the benefits of citizenship in both countries, they are in no way intending to relinquish their U.S. citizenship.

Moreover, NAFFAA assures that American citizenship is not easily lost and is protected under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens of the U.S. and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall.. deprive any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.”

U.S. government sources recognize that “dual nationality” or “dual citizenship” can and does occur as a matter of fact, when the laws of the U.S. and another country simultaneously recognize an individual as their citizen.