A Mother's Version of "Stars and Stripes"

Photo by U.S. Pacific Fleet on Flickr

I visited the Philippine Consulate General Honolulu Office again today because we needed to get more of our medical school application documents authenticated for use in the Philippines. This is where I discovered that I had earned additional "stars and stripes" (yes, at a Philippine Consulate instead of an American Embassy) over the last few months. If after reading this, you decide to look at yourself in the mirror only to find yourself looking confused, please read on. Allow me to share how things unfolded.

After waiting in line, I set my medical school application documents on the counter. Somehow, it appeared as if the gentleman at the reception area couldn't believe that we are serious about wanting to study in the Philippines. I'm not sure if it's because I look too old to be a student or that he is just used to encountering Filipino-Americans who would rather study in the United States (then again, he could've had an entirely different reason for appearing highly intrigued). When he later heard that my husband and I were hoping to be able to settle in the Philippines after finishing medical school and residency, he seemed even more puzzled.

Children's Passport Application Day And Field Trips In Between

We finally made it to our much awaited Children's Passport Application Day!!! While there, we saw a long line of children approaching the building; perhaps, they were there for their field trip! Well, it was like a field trip for our children, too, especially since all three of them had to get their passports for the very first time! But, before we could even go to the Honolulu Passport Agency, we had to spend several days doing other "pre-requisites"; as a result, our children were able to experience additional field trips in the process! Here's a list of some of those field trips:

1. A trip to FedEx Office: Here, we showed them how to print and make copies using credit-card-operated machines. We had to make copies of the front and back of our U.S. Government-issued ID's, i.e. a Driver License, as proof of our parental relationship to our children. We attached these copies to our children's application for a passport.
2. A trip to the State of Hawaii Department of Health (DOH): Here, we requested a copy of our children's birth certificates as evidence of their U.S. citizenship. We attached an original copy of their birth certificate to their passport application, knowing that the original copy will be returned to us. While at the DOH, we also requested for a notarized / certified copy of their birth certificate, specifically for use in the Philippines (yes, this is an entirely different version of a birth certificate).

Getting Our U.S. Documents Authenticated by the Philippine Consulate General Honolulu

Banner at the Philippine Consulate General Honolulu - Photo Taken in August 2011

As part of applying for a slot in a Philippine Medical School, prospective foreign students are required to submit additional documents compared to their local counterparts. Examples of such documents include a police clearance, an Affidavit of Support / bank certification, a photocopy of the data page of one's passport, etc. These documents need to be authenticated by the nearest Philippine Consulate General - in our case, it would be the one in Honolulu, Hawaii. According to the Philippine Consulate General Honolulu's website, "Any legal document issued in the U.S. must first be acknowledged or authenticated ('consularized') by the Philippine Embassy / Consulate General in order for that document to have any legal vailidity in the Philippines."