feel like you belong
  • Home
  • News
  • Blog
  • Television Show About the Television Show
  • Whadja Say? About "Whadja Say?" Glossary
  • What's Up? About "What's Up?"
  • What's So Funny? About "What's So Funny?"
  • Meet the Crew Behind The Scenes
  • Contact

feel like you belong

  • Home/
  • News/
  • Blog/
  • Television Show/
    • Television Show
    • About the Television Show
  • Whadja Say?/
    • Whadja Say?
    • About "Whadja Say?"
    • Glossary
  • What's Up?/
    • What's Up?
    • About "What's Up?"
  • What's So Funny?/
    • What's So Funny?
    • About "What's So Funny?"
  • About Us/
    • Meet the Crew
    • Behind The Scenes
  • Contact/

feel like you belong

sharing the life stories of immigrants, expatriates, and refugees to the United States

What's Up?

feel like you belong

  • Home/
  • News/
  • Blog/
  • Television Show/
    • Television Show
    • About the Television Show
  • Whadja Say?/
    • Whadja Say?
    • About "Whadja Say?"
    • Glossary
  • What's Up?/
    • What's Up?
    • About "What's Up?"
  • What's So Funny?/
    • What's So Funny?
    • About "What's So Funny?"
  • About Us/
    • Meet the Crew
    • Behind The Scenes
  • Contact/
October 07, 2013

Bi-National Couple Married on River Border

October 07, 2013/ Alan Headbloom

A heart-warming story in the news for all of you romantics.

A bi-national couple got married on a Zodiac raft in the middle of the Rio Grande this month.

The bride, Stephanie Guerra is a U.S. citizen, but her fiancé, Ruben Alfonso Fierro, is not.  The couple has four young children, who are all U.S. citizens. Fierro had been living for years in the United States but had not legally immigrated.

When he temporarily left the country, he was not allowed to return.  It seemed the fastest way for the family to come together again was to get married in the United States, except for U.S. border patrol coming in the way.

Here is where it’s good to know the details of the law.  There is an 1848 treaty that allows free navigation for both sides along the Rio Grande, which is the river that forms almost half of the U.S. border with Mexico.

texas-mexico-border.gif.png

Judge Hector Liendo from Laredo, Texas boarded the couple's raft which is both in the river but technically also in U.S. territory and conducted the ceremony.  Fierro’s family members, who had boarded from the Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo, were also in attendance. 

Under the watchful eyes of the U.S. border patrol, the couple was legally married, an act which should speed up Fierro’s return to the United States and his family.  Hurray for love and the creativity it inspires in all of us!

For details: http://bit.ly/Zp3fgP

October 07, 2013/ Alan Headbloom/
Feel Like You Belong, What's Up?, immigrants, Family, Bi-national, U.s. Border partol

Alan Headbloom

Alan advises Americans how to be global citizens and expats how to fit in to Michigan culture without annoying their native coworkers and clients. He also tweets and blogs at the intersection of language and culture. Over decades, he's traveled, studied, or lived on six continents, putting strange foods into his mouth and emitting strange sounds from it. His use of English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swedish, Hausa, and Japanese all improve with alcohol use. He gives invited public presentations on culture and unsolicited private advice on English grammar and usage; the latter isn't always appreciated. Visit his website for information on consulting, coaching, or speaking engagements.

  • Foreign-Accent Mistrust
  • Associated Press Rejects the I-Word
  • Home/
  • News/
  • Blog/
  • Television Show/
    • Television Show
    • About the Television Show
  • Whadja Say?/
    • Whadja Say?
    • About "Whadja Say?"
    • Glossary
  • What's Up?/
    • What's Up?
    • About "What's Up?"
  • What's So Funny?/
    • What's So Funny?
    • About "What's So Funny?"
  • About Us/
    • Meet the Crew
    • Behind The Scenes
  • Contact/

feel like you belong

Feel Like You Belong is a sometimes serious, sometimes funny, always “touch-your-heart” real conversation about fitting into the American culture. It introduces guests who have made the immigrant journey to the United States. The stories–of both struggle and success–will help newcomers feel more confident in sharing their opinions and expertise, more likely to want to stay in the U.S., be more productive in their jobs, and fully invest in their communities.

eNewsletter Sign-Up

new shows

Television Show
Duc Nguyen Abrahamson: Doing Business with Asia-Pacific
Duc Nguyen Abrahamson: Doing Business with Asia-Pacific
about 4 years ago
Sughnen Yongo: Africans, African Americans, and the Culture of Hair
Sughnen Yongo: Africans, African Americans, and the Culture of Hair
about 4 years ago
Luzia Leme Tartari: Finding Home
Luzia Leme Tartari: Finding Home
about 4 years ago
Robyn Afrik: Promoting Inclusion
Robyn Afrik: Promoting Inclusion
about 4 years ago
Ney-T: Healing Through Music
Ney-T: Healing Through Music
about 4 years ago

new blog posts

Blog
Racism or Prejudice?
about 4 years ago
The Naked Pronunciation Lesson
about 5 years ago
(No More) Ole and Lena
about 5 years ago
Stop Saying That: Columbus Discovered America
about 5 years ago
Stop Saying That: All Lives Matter
about 5 years ago

New What's Up? 

What's Up?
Parent Party: Pronouncing "par"
about 4 years ago
No "itch" in Michigan
about 4 years ago
Vowel Contrast 10–11
about 4 years ago
Cuppa Joe
about 4 years ago
Defining "Racism"
about 4 years ago

New What's So Funny? 

What's So Funny?
Beautiful Wedding
about 4 years ago
Time Travel
about 4 years ago
Lifesavers
about 4 years ago
The History of Glue
about 4 years ago
Smoke Shop
about 4 years ago