Biometrics!

On Friday, I traveled all the way to the USCIS office I have apparently been assigned to, and although it’s in Brooklyn, it took me three subways and an hour and a half to get there. Located in what my Not For Tourists guide tells me is desolate and dismal Borough Park, the office was tucked away in an anonymous-looking white plaza and the only thing identifying the place was a black and white sign that simply said “Application Center” in helvetica.

Contrary to the appearance of both the building and the area, the office was filled with some of the nicest workers I’ve encountered in my immigration journey. There was no line and the guy I gave my appointment letter and ID too thanked me profusely for thinking ahead and bringing my marriage certificate since my ID and letter had different last names on them. The lady who took my biometrics (fingerprints and photo) kind of reminded me of Laverne from Scrubs. She patiently tried to scan my fingerprints into the computer although, as I learned on Friday, I apparently don’t really have fingerprints. Sure, they’re there, but my fingertips are so smooth that she got a hundred error messages before finally saying “That’s as good as it’s gonna get!” Maybe years of bass playing wore down my fingertips? But then that doesn’t explain my right hand. Oh, the things I continue to learn about myself while going through these things.

Thankfully I got back on the N train and out of Borough Park unscathed and rewarded myself with some window shopping at Crate & Barrel.