Coffee, Conversations, and Dual Citizenship

I arrive a few minutes early at Milk and Roses, an Italian cafe and bar in Greenpoint. It’s a cozy spot at the far north corner of the neighborhood. I’m meeting a new friend, Audra before she leaves New York for a new gig at the University of Southern Indiana.

Audra and I met at a writing sit-in one Sunday afternoon last summer, where I learned she was applying for Italian citizenship--a task on my to-do list. Audra shared details about her journey working with a consultant based in Denver to uncover the lineage path to dual citizenship. Our conversation unearthed our shared love for Sicily and family holiday traditions. Before the day ended, I was sure to get the consultant’s contact information. 

When I submitted a registration for an appointment with the local embassy in New York, I was confirmed to be 7019th in place. Although no one can save you from organizing all the paperwork required, working with a consultant will expedite the process.

It’s been a while since I’ve had to contend with government offices, and I’d forgotten how intrepid one must navigate. Some documents can be ordered online, while others have to be notarized in person. One application can include a generation of members, so it’s become a family affair, enlisting my brother and his children in the process, too. Every day, we inch a little closer in the collection of my parents’ birth, death, and marriage certificates, as well as my birth certificate and apostille, to verify their authenticity.

With each document gathered, a piece of our family history unfolds.