About

Heraclitus once said, “There is nothing permanent except change.” Now, more than ever we are witnessing a world being in a constant state of flux. Navigating cultures and making sense of them has been a lifelong experience for me. If you are an avid learner, curious about other cultures and customs, which led you to find yourself, this place might be of interest.

From

“Where are you from?” Toughest questions for people who grew up in multiple countries. I will have to start with my birth place. My maternal ancestors originally from St Petersburg fled turmoil and war to the southern region of Astrakhan.

Contact

If you’re interesting and cool (no weirdos, stalkers or West African scammers please), I can be chatty, so feel free to reach out and engage. I am very curious so it shouldn’t be hard to find common interests.

Preparing for the The Oath ceremony

By: Fall Fernweh November 20, 2019July 21, 2020

CitizenshipCitizenship, Naturalization, oath, US CitizenLeave a Comment

This journey was long, this journey was tough but it is finally happening! My case status has been updated to what should be the “final step” of it all and I login on my account and read the following: November 18, 2019 and “We scheduled your naturalization ceremony“ I can’t describe what’s happening in my…

30 years after the fall of the Berlin wall, impressions of a kid born in the Soviet Union.

By: Fall Fernweh November 9, 2019June 28, 2020

JournalingBerlin Wall, France, RussiaLeave a Comment

This defining event was a key milestone in the life of so many. 30 Years later and so many of us are still working through the transformative impact of this day.

About my Estimate Completion Date

By: Fall Fernweh May 26, 2019May 26, 2019

Citizenship, United StatesBrooklyn, Case Status, Immigration, Legal Immigrant, Naturalization, USCIS BrooklynLeave a Comment

Last week, I checked my case status online via my Account on USCIS’ website . I went to processing time tab, then selected the form I applied for, in my case it’s form N-400 Application for Naturalization in office service of Brooklyn, NY. You have a long dropdown menu available, and you can basically select…

What’s After 5 Years of Lawful Permanent Residency?

By: Fall Fernweh April 27, 2019September 16, 2020

Citizenship, Journaling, United StatesExpat, French Expat, Green Card, Immigration, Permanent Resident, Russian, United States, USA, Visa1 Comment

To become a U.S. Citizen you must be a Permanent Resident for at least 5 years, be at least 18 years old, be able to read, write, and speak basic English and be a person of good moral character.

From Haiti to the United States

By: Fall Fernweh February 20, 2019August 29, 2020

Interviews, Moving Abroad, United StatesAmerican Dream, Citizenship, Haiti, Journey, Marine Corps, US CitizenLeave a Comment

I am so happy that Reginald agreed to share his story on today’s post. Interestingly, Reggie and I virtually met when I used to Livestream on Periscope. We became friends since, and I have to admit, should meet in person way more often. How was life in Haiti like? The best part about living in…

From the French Riviera to the Canadian Grand North.

By: Fall Fernweh February 10, 2019September 24, 2020

Canada, Moving AbroadCanada, Canadian Immigration, Destination Canada, endless nature, Grand North, Immigration, Interviews, Northwest Canada, Watson Lake, working visa, Yukon2 Comments

I am very excited to introduce you to my long time friend Gérard whom I met in High School, back when we both lived and studied in France. He is now living and working in the Yukon, a territory in northwest Canada. On my side, I am still living and working in New York City.…

Case status after Biometrics

By: Fall Fernweh February 7, 2019June 30, 2020

CitizenshipBiometrics, Biometrics Appointment, Immigrant, Immigration, Legal Immigrant, Naturalization, New Yorker, USCIS, USCIS BrooklynLeave a Comment

After filling for your N-400 form you receive a notice for a Biometrics Interview. This appointment takes place at your closest USCIS Office. You will need to provide your fingerprints, photograph, and your signature.

Biometrics Appointment Scheduled, now what?

By: Fall Fernweh January 27, 2019August 28, 2020

CitizenshipBiometrics Appointment, Citizenship, Naturalization, US Citizen, USCISLeave a Comment

On January 19, 2019, the USCIS scheduled my biometrics appointment and mailed me an appointment notice. That notice finally showed up electronically on my account around January 23rd but I am still waiting for the letter in the mail. The digital one, accessible in my online account, is easily downloadable and printable. With that notice,…

Becoming a United States Citizen

By: Fall Fernweh January 23, 2019January 31, 2019

CitizenshipImmigration, Naturalization, US Citizen, USA, USCISLeave a Comment

January 15th, at midnight I finally hit the button “Submit” and filed my N-400 on USCIS’ website. If you’re not familiar with this jargon, they are chances that you’re not trying to go through the lengthy and tedious process of naturalization. If you are about to embark on this journey yourself, or are curious about…

The Journey Begins

By: Fall Fernweh September 27, 2018July 27, 2020

JournalingExpat, Journey Begins, Life changing, New YorkerLeave a Comment

Thanks for starting this Journey with me. I realize that processing life-changing events via writing does a lot of good. This is why I decided to start this blog focusing on thoughts, inspiration and the process of change in life as I expect it to happen to me in the near future. I believe that…

Fall Fernweh

I cover the topics of immigration - expatriation, personal development as well as conscientious and responsible lifestyle. My professional experience includes globalization marketing, transcreation, and translation from English to French and German to French, as well as International Education, with the purpose of helping people from around the world, pursue higher education or employment in the United States and Canada. I lived in seven countries, speak four languages, and hold three citizenships, my nationality by birth is Russian. I love tea, cinema and photography.

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