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Post by polz on Aug 12, 2017 2:53:33 GMT
Hi Peas. So DD left New Zealand at 6.50am On Wednesday 9th August. The plan was for her arrive at JFK 25 hours later on Wednesday 9th August their time. Well the fates were not playing fair. Things did not go to plan but thats part of the adventure. Her plane friend was detained by immigration. She was accused of having false documents and even asked if she was entering the US for the purpose of being a prostitute. She is a teeny tiny 15 year old. My daughter can pass for 18-19. I was NOT HAPPY! I get that you have to protect your country, but my heart hurt for that little girl. I'm going to be honest here. DD rang me at 3am my time and I demanded she get on the plane to JFK because I was concerned for her safety, and she refused. I know in hindsight that was incredibly selfish of me. I just wanted to get my baby out of LAX. I was scared they'd deport her or something. Probably not rational thinking but it was 3am and my flight instinct kicked in. DD obviously has a fight instinct. I'm so proud of my girl for standing by her friend. She had no idea if she was being deported back to NZ and said she wasnt leaving her there and she doesnt care if she has to buy her own ticket to New York. How lucky am I to have this wonderful young lady as my daughter? And thank you Qantas for putting up our girls at the Hilton. Bit fancy! I've never stayed at The Hilton. Thanks for the room service and hotel meals. I slept two hours out of 36 so I slept well on Friday night knowing she is safe. They did get to New York, just a day later than planned. And they got to have a day in LA. Bonus! Who else gets to be 17 and 15 and have a day unsupervised in LA? DD's blog or vlog I think it's called. Finally got confirmation at 426am this morning she was in NYC (It's Saturday 12th August at 2.50pm here in NZ)  And I'm a million kinds of envious that DD got to go to the New York Public Library. Thats been my dream place to go in NYC.  Tomorrow she will go to her host family in Kansas. What an adventure! We won't let one bad day out of 250ish good days affect us. |
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Jili
Pearl Clutcher
SLPea
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Jun 26, 2014 1:26:48 GMT
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Post by Jili on Aug 12, 2017 3:01:41 GMT
I was actually just wondering if your dd had made it to Kansas yet. What a story! I'm glad she's OK and that after all that she is on her way. She's becoming well-traveled in just a short amount of time. Thanks for the update and be sure to keep us posted!
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quiltz
Drama Llama
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Post by quiltz on Aug 12, 2017 3:05:35 GMT
Thanks for the update.
I hope that she is keeping a journal of her adventures.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 12, 2017 3:10:39 GMT
I'm so glad she is making her way through.
I am so angry on her behalf that it was not a smooth journey.
But you have every right to be so proud of your dd.
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Post by scrapmaven on Aug 12, 2017 3:11:03 GMT
I'm really proud of your dd for standing by her friend. WTG. Please let her know that this particular pea is giving her a standing ovation for bravery and loyalty and just plain doing the right thing.
She's going to have the time of her life this year. I hope that her host family is able to take her to some great places in the US. We have so many fun places to see, not to mention beautiful scenery.
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Post by alexa11 on Aug 12, 2017 4:32:46 GMT
Oh wow-how scary-glad she's safe now! Not a pleasant welcome to the US...
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Post by bothmykidsrbrats on Aug 12, 2017 5:13:02 GMT
I'm glad the girls are here and safe. I'm sorry they had so much trouble. I'm also sorry they didn't like In and Out Burger. I felt the same way about Whataburger in Texas.
My DH BFF, best man at our wedding 31 years ago, and Godfather to our first born ('98), was a foreign exchange student from Columbia, our senior year of high school ('84). I hope your DD finds the same kind of friendships here. BFF and his family usually vacation for a month every year in the US, and we join them where ever they are for a week. This year we met on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls.
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valincal
Drama Llama
Southern Alberta
Posts: 6,225 
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Post by valincal on Aug 12, 2017 5:15:54 GMT
A bit of a rocky start but they handled it really well and your DD didn't lose any of her enthusiasm! She'll have a great trip!
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FurryP
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To pea or not to pea...
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Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Aug 12, 2017 6:57:21 GMT
Tomorrow she will go to her host family in Kansas. What an adventure! We won't let one bad day out of 250ish good days affect us. In the future she will think back and laugh while telling people of her adventure! Brave and loyal young lady! Can you imagine if once her friend got through that ordeal and found your DD had left her? In a foreign country? All alone? Poor girl. |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:40:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2017 8:20:34 GMT
What a great kid! I'm annoyed that immigration would even suggest such a thing to a young girl. What the heck? Hope she has a great time in New York City. That museum is great -- full of antique, illuminated manuals. Let us know what else she does while there!
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Post by monklady123 on Aug 12, 2017 10:08:32 GMT
Wow! Not such a great introduction to America.  and  I'm so glad your dd stayed in LA... I bet when her friend was finally released from immigration she was SO happy to see a familiar face there. I'm angry at all the people walking by your dd in LA though...didn't anyone see a young girl sitting alone and crying??? But...in the end they have a story to tell. Her comment about American sized portions in restaurants is so true...we routinely bring home half for the next day. I also thought it was funny that they couldn't get on the campus wifi but they were able to on the bus. lol. I'll look forward to more updates.  |
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desertgirl
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by desertgirl on Aug 12, 2017 10:11:11 GMT
Wow! Keep encouraging her to vlog. I traveled extensively as a young adult and now wish I had had vlogging as an option. I have pages of journals about my travels and still love going back to read through them. Please give her by best from one writer to another!
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:40:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2017 10:37:19 GMT
I'm so glad they both made it safely eventually. You're DD is quite a girl, you should be very proud of her loyalty to her friend. You've brought her up well polz I can't imagine what it was like for you, I was welling up watching her so upset on that video. Hope she has a better experience for the rest of her stay,but good for her for seeing the positive and both putting it all behind them. Keep us posted. |
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tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by tuesdaysgone on Aug 12, 2017 10:58:13 GMT
Thanks for letting all of us share in her journey! I'm sorry they had all that trouble, but they came thru it and it's all part of the great adventure of travel.
Inspired in part my your DD's trip, I recently pulled out my diary of the year I spent as a student in England and the memories came flooding back. In the moment you think you will always remember every single detail, but time can erase so much and I'm so glad she is recording her memories.
Continued safe travels (and peace of mind for you.)
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wellway
Prolific Pea
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Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Aug 12, 2017 11:48:42 GMT
Well done to your dd for not abandoning her friend. They coped so well with all the set backs. As a mum I know you will worry about her but she is showing a maturity beyond her years. Be so proud of her.
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Post by emelle64 on Aug 12, 2017 12:11:59 GMT
Wow what a start to her your long adventure. My daughter just spent two months in Europe and I told her that the worst experiences make the best travel stories so to keep that in mind! I really enjoyed her vlog. Can we follow it during her you were in Kansas? I'm not some weird stocker I'm just interested!
Emelle
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lisaknits
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Post by lisaknits on Aug 12, 2017 12:18:39 GMT
Thanks for sharing your daughter's adventure with us! She is handling things very well, especially sticking by her travel friend. She has a positive spirit and I think she'll have a blast while she's in America.
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Post by hop2 on Aug 12, 2017 12:44:08 GMT
Wow!!! Glad they are safe!! Hope the rest of the trip goes smoothly! What a wonderful girl you have.
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Post by clarencelynn on Aug 12, 2017 13:48:12 GMT
Polz,
I just watched your daughter's vlog. She's amazing. So mature yet fun! I'm going to be very interested to see her adventure unfold. I live in Kansas City, Missouri which is 'next door' to Kansas. I can't wait to see her impression of Kansas. It's so different than LA or NYC, but still lovely in it's modest way. Yet the food serving portions are still giant!
Good luck to her and her sweet friend. I hope they have a lovely and fun filled adventure.
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Post by jenjie on Aug 12, 2017 14:48:52 GMT
The adventure begins! I'm so sorry about that happening to the girls. Terrifying. You should be very proud of your dd.
I enjoyed her vlog. "Thanks for your generosity but I'm only feeding myself, not my family." Hah!
I hope the rest of her trip is only eventful in the very best kind of way.
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oaksong
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Jun 27, 2014 6:24:29 GMT
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Post by oaksong on Aug 12, 2017 14:56:57 GMT
That must have been so frightening for you daughter's friend! I can't believe they detained her like that, and wonder what prompted it. Not that I'm defending their actions, but human trafficking has become an enormous issue, which is probably what they were on the look out for since she's a minor. Sounds like they could have handled it with a lot more sensitivity. I'm glad it all worked out ok.
Looking forward to more of the Kansas adventure.
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ComplicatedLady
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Location: Valley of the Sun
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Post by ComplicatedLady on Aug 12, 2017 15:42:39 GMT
Well, knowing the threat that Kiwis are to Americans, I can understand why immigration is detaining teenagers from New Zealand.  [/sarcasm] In all seriousness now, I'm glad they survived that rocky start and stuck together. I hope your dd enjoys LA, NYC, and Kansas. The parts of the US she is and will be seeing are so different and unique. I hope she enjoys it all. I'm sure she'll learn a lot and have a blast. |
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marimoose
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by marimoose on Aug 12, 2017 17:30:51 GMT
As a parent that must have been so frightening - you are so far away and could not help. It appears that you have raised a very strong young woman and must be so proud of how she handled it all. My daughter is 21 and I wonder if she would be in such control  . How rude of whoever was doing the investigating to ask a young lady if she were coming into the US to be a prostitute. I can't think of any circumstance where that kind of questioning would be acceptable. Is Ashley staying with the same host family or another one near by? I may have missed that. The blog is great! I hope she does more that you can share. It is fun to see the US through another's eyes. BTW - Ashley looks like she could be a twin to one of my daughter's friends. It was so odd to watch because all I could see was the young last I know named Victoria. I guess it is true that we all have a twin somewhere out there  |
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Post by 2peafaithful on Aug 12, 2017 19:28:42 GMT
Thanks for sharing an update. I hate that it was such a very bad start. That is rough. I hope the rest of her time here is a great experience.
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Post by polz on Aug 13, 2017 10:21:42 GMT
Update 13th August 2017
She's arrived with her new family. Her host Mom messaged me if she likes lasagne and DD LOVES lasagne. She wants to make things DD likes to eat. Isnt that sweet? DD has the wifi password, so thats important lol. I am super super relieved and happy. DD likes her host family. We've not chatted much because I was at a funeral when she messaged me. I was crying because it's a sad occasion and then smiling because I was glad DD was safe. Such a bittersweet day.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:40:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2017 10:51:46 GMT
Update 13th August 2017 She's arrived with her new family. Her host Mom messaged me if she likes lasagne and DD LOVES lasagne. She wants to make things DD likes to eat. Isnt that sweet? DD has the wifi password, so thats important lol. I am super super relieved and happy. DD likes her host family. We've not chatted much because I was at a funeral when she messaged me. I was crying because it's a sad occasion and then smiling because I was glad DD was safe. Such a bittersweet day. I am glad she and her friend have arrived safely. We warn our incoming international students about the portion sizes and the fact it is ok to ask for a to go box if they have a place to put it in a fridge to eat later. I feel sorry for Ashley! What a scary nightmare for her! |
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 21:40:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2017 10:58:05 GMT
Well, knowing the threat that Kiwis are to Americans, I can understand why immigration is detaining teenagers from New Zealand. [/sarcasm] In all seriousness now, I'm glad they survived that rocky start and stuck together. I hope your dd enjoys LA, NYC, and Kansas. The parts of the US she is and will be seeing are so different and unique. I hope she enjoys it all. I'm sure she'll learn a lot and have a blast. It isn't that teens from NZ are a threat to the US, it is a watchful eye for young girls that have become, or are in danger of becoming, victims in the US human trafficking problem. Not all of the human trafficking victims are US citizens but some are youngsters from other countries. As the op noted her daughter could be mistaken for 18-19 year old--an incoming college student, which we have hundreds of thousands of this time of year. But the other girl looks young for her age and the incoming high school exchange students are far fewer. |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 21:40:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 13, 2017 11:03:00 GMT
I'm pleased that your DD is safely at her destination, that must have been quite a relief for you.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Aug 13, 2017 12:25:53 GMT
I'm so glad she's with a nice family. Your dd is going to have the time of her life! |
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Post by miominmio on Aug 13, 2017 13:06:59 GMT
Well, knowing the threat that Kiwis are to Americans, I can understand why immigration is detaining teenagers from New Zealand. [/sarcasm] In all seriousness now, I'm glad they survived that rocky start and stuck together. I hope your dd enjoys LA, NYC, and Kansas. The parts of the US she is and will be seeing are so different and unique. I hope she enjoys it all. I'm sure she'll learn a lot and have a blast. It isn't that teens from NZ are a threat to the US, it is a watchful eye for young girls that have become, or are in danger of becoming, victims in the US human trafficking problem. Not all of the human trafficking victims are US citizens but some are youngsters from other countries. As the op noted her daughter could be mistaken for 18-19 year old--an incoming college student, which we have hundreds of thousands of this time of year. But the other girl looks young for her age and the incoming high school exchange students are far fewer. But somehow I doubt that teenagers from NZ are the most common trafficking victims. |
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and 
[/sarcasm]
. How rude of whoever was doing the investigating to ask a young lady if she were coming into the US to be a prostitute. I can't think of any circumstance where that kind of questioning would be acceptable. Is Ashley staying with the same host family or another one near by? I may have missed that. 
