My Venezuelan friends Rei and Daniel got married on Thursday. They have been partners for several years, had two children in Venezuela and then shared the difficult journey to a new country. Rei said they left because "There was no food for the babies."
From Venezuela they made their way to Columbia and faced the notorious jungle between it and Panama. Together they walked nonstop for two and half days to cross the dangerous Darien Gap and "get away from the bandits." After they entered Panama they walked across Central America to Mexico where they got on a train to Juarez. After three days on the top of a train car they reached Texas, surrendered to the Border Patrol, and were processed and released pending further immigration hearings. (You can see some photographs from New York Times articles about this journey here and here)
From Texas they took a bus to Denver and on to Boulder where people from their old neighborhood had already settled. Here they met a woman who spoke fluent Spanish and was able to help them find rooms and jobs. She also put out a call on Next Door seeking help for the family as they got settled, and that's how Ben and I got involved. We welcomed them and made sure they had clothes, food, and household necessities. We helped them apply for the various assistance programs for low income families and handled bureaucratic matters such as how to obtain a bus pass.
Rei and Daniele saw no need to get married until their immigration lawyer told them it would help their application. Then they decided that marriage was a necessary step towards their goal of becoming a part of this country and they asked me to help them navigate the process of doing this.
Boulder's pre-Covid bureaucracy of obtaining a marriage license for U.S. citizens was easy, but now the entire process is remote so your identification documents are submitted during a video interview and there are no longer regular marriage ceremonies in the courthouse. If you are a newcomer with minimal online connectivity and out-of-country paperwork, things get more challenging. It took a few weeks but finally their documents were approved, they had the necessary online interview, and a marriage license was issued which needed to be finalized within thirty days.
Time ticked by as we tried to find someone to officiate the wedding. The couple really wanted a judge to marry them so there was no question in the immigration hearing about their marital status. I had a list of judges and had found one who could do the ceremony in Spanish but by the time the license was issued she was away on vacation. I couldn't find anyone else, even someone with no Spanish, on such short notice. As the deadline approached Rei and Daniele decided to do their own vows and "self solemnize", which is legal in Colorado. They asked if they could do it at my house and suddenly we were planning a small wedding here! It was set for 5:00 Thursday but at 1:00 I received a call from Judge Jonathan Martin who was returning my earlier call. When he understood the situation and realized that an actual ceremony wasn't needed he offered to handle the matter in his chamber at 4:00.
And that's what happened! There was a big rush to get the groom off of work in time and Rei and the kids and me and Ben to the courthouse, but finally there we all were. The judge invited everyone into his chambers where he talked with Rei and Daniele and made sure they knew that the marriage would be legal in the U.S. and around the world, and made sure they wanted to wed. He also suggested that photos were in order and patiently posed for several photographs with the couple and their children.
We were all so excited and happy! Honestly, it seemed like a miracle that they did end up with a judge handling the matter.
After the signing we went back to our house to celebrate with cake and flowers.
And this morning Ben and I delivered all the paperwork to the Recorders' office, where we had the pleasure of meeting the staff person who had been so helpful in vetting Rei and Daniele's identification documents.
Over the weekend I sent Judge Martin an email thanking him for his help. In reply he wrote, "I am honored to have played a small role in their journey to create a better life for their family. Thank you for reaching out to me, and thank you for making our community one of open-hearted caring and compassion for those in need."
I appreciate those words but honestly, I have gained so much from my association with Rei and her family. Besides just enjoying their warmth and high spirits I have learned to love flan....
... and Venezuelan music, especially the songs of Luis Silva.
My life is richer knowing Rei and it truly is a joy to see her blossoming as she settles into her new life in Boulder.
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