RUMORS
Well they say rumors can take on a life of their own, they say not to believe them, but when people can provide all the details, answer all your doubts, it seems natural to believe a story, right? Well here is the rumor I heard about myself that left me pretty dumbfounded. It has been circulating at work apparently, and I heard it actually a few weeks ago when it was much less elaborate and thought my confirmation that it was not true would squash it. But obviously it was still going around and growing more and more crazy, because yesterday I heard it from my supervisor of all people!
So the story goes, about three weeks ago I went to the Vice-Consul at the US Embassy (I work within the embassy compound) and declared that I wanted to give up my US Citizenship. The consul, who (like just about everyone in the embassy compound) knows me, and tried to talk me out of it. He insisted that I talk to the Director of USAID (since I work at USAID), who I work closely with, first. Well apparently the Director could not talk me out of it, so we went to the Ambassador. Now it is not such a big embassy that I don't see the Ambassador a few times a week, and go to meetings and events with him, often with the Director of USAID. Well the Ambassador asks if I am really sure, and is tries to talk me out of it, but damn it, my mind is made up. So they send me to the vice-consul, and let me sign the papers, but he tells me that he won't file them for a few days to give me some additional time to think it over. But wait you ask, then how could I keep my job, which is meant for an American? Well yes, I was told that I would have to take an 80% pay cut and I accepted that. So it was done. I gave up my US Citizenship and picked up a real Armenian passport. That is how the story goes.
The thing that is so remarkable is the detail. All the people involved, any one of which could easily confirm that the whole thing is not true. Now admittedly, the story is so detailed, I don't know if I myself could have resisted believing it, but it really boggles the mind HOW those details all got into that rumor?!?! I mean, it is easy enough to guess how the rumor started. Raffi Hovanissian gave up his US Citizenship a while back in order to run for President, and when some Americans heard that "Raffi gave up his US Citizenship", not knowing any other Raffis, could have been confused. But that does not explain the elaborate tale at all. All I can say is, this will be a valuable lesson to me, not to believe things so easily, even if they seem just so believable...
Having said all of that, let me now repeat, THIS WHOLE STORY IS NOT TRUE! I am still a US Citizen. I have no intention of turning in my US passport. Phew!
Now that your head is (I assume) reeling from that story, I will log in a seperately what I have been up lately.
Well they say rumors can take on a life of their own, they say not to believe them, but when people can provide all the details, answer all your doubts, it seems natural to believe a story, right? Well here is the rumor I heard about myself that left me pretty dumbfounded. It has been circulating at work apparently, and I heard it actually a few weeks ago when it was much less elaborate and thought my confirmation that it was not true would squash it. But obviously it was still going around and growing more and more crazy, because yesterday I heard it from my supervisor of all people!
So the story goes, about three weeks ago I went to the Vice-Consul at the US Embassy (I work within the embassy compound) and declared that I wanted to give up my US Citizenship. The consul, who (like just about everyone in the embassy compound) knows me, and tried to talk me out of it. He insisted that I talk to the Director of USAID (since I work at USAID), who I work closely with, first. Well apparently the Director could not talk me out of it, so we went to the Ambassador. Now it is not such a big embassy that I don't see the Ambassador a few times a week, and go to meetings and events with him, often with the Director of USAID. Well the Ambassador asks if I am really sure, and is tries to talk me out of it, but damn it, my mind is made up. So they send me to the vice-consul, and let me sign the papers, but he tells me that he won't file them for a few days to give me some additional time to think it over. But wait you ask, then how could I keep my job, which is meant for an American? Well yes, I was told that I would have to take an 80% pay cut and I accepted that. So it was done. I gave up my US Citizenship and picked up a real Armenian passport. That is how the story goes.
The thing that is so remarkable is the detail. All the people involved, any one of which could easily confirm that the whole thing is not true. Now admittedly, the story is so detailed, I don't know if I myself could have resisted believing it, but it really boggles the mind HOW those details all got into that rumor?!?! I mean, it is easy enough to guess how the rumor started. Raffi Hovanissian gave up his US Citizenship a while back in order to run for President, and when some Americans heard that "Raffi gave up his US Citizenship", not knowing any other Raffis, could have been confused. But that does not explain the elaborate tale at all. All I can say is, this will be a valuable lesson to me, not to believe things so easily, even if they seem just so believable...
Having said all of that, let me now repeat, THIS WHOLE STORY IS NOT TRUE! I am still a US Citizen. I have no intention of turning in my US passport. Phew!
Now that your head is (I assume) reeling from that story, I will log in a seperately what I have been up lately.
posted by Raffi K. at 10:16 PM
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