The biometric system machine failed twice to read my fingerprints. I lost my prints, I have no identity. That does not make me non-human. I am an earthling with an extremely sensitive skin, suffering from Irritant Contact Dermatitis (ICD) caused by chemical and physical irritants I am exposed to in my job. Microscopic cracks developed in my excessively dry palms making it impossible for the machine to detect a biometric characteristic. My skin condition is one significant factor I was denied a US visa. Biometric System is a procedure that foreign-born individuals who wish to enter the United States are subjected to.
These poor old, scarred, red, chapped, tender hands. The hardworking, crooked fingers… like my dead grandma’s when she was alive. These strong hands that scooped kids up and rocked them to sleep; served as a crutch for a half-paralyzed elderly; wiped and washed a number of foreign butts; bathed young and shrunken strangers’ bodies. A pair of loving hands that wiped away children’s tears, rubbed their backs to soothe their aches and fears; treated scrapes and wounds; prepared hundreds of meals for more than a dozen families. The heart that goes with these hands now long to touch and tend to an ailing mom. A longing that is yet unfulfilled due to the poor quality of these hands that did not meet the fingerprint sensor’s standard. The machine registered Failure to Enroll Rate. Twice. I failed.
When the Examining Officer asked to see my palms, I obliged. She exclaimed, “Oh, dear, what do you do for a living?” Seeing the sorry-look in her eyes, I swallowed hard and told her I am a Caregiver. “Ohhh,” was the answer that sounded like the longest word I ever heard. Should I hate the job that gave me these ugly hands, suffering from ICD? I did, I am only human… human enough to feel frustrated, heart-broken and take it out on my job. But like a bad wind, it soon passed.
“Thou shall not bite the hand that feeds you,” is what came to mind, having heard it ages ago, from a professor in college when discussing about the Teaching profession. Caregiving is the hand that feeds me though it is not my career. It is a job that will take me to a dreamed-for career. A job that took me to foreign places and strange hearts. It has taken me where I am now and will take me where I am going. A job that I lost my fingerprints for but am leaving my imprints on the hearts of the people I take care of.
I extended my hands further than I can reach. I failed to reach my mom. That’s as far as I can go, for now. I gave it my best shot. I need to gather my forces and try again… I’ll be victorious the next. My poor hands will heal. I will have my fingerprints back. These powerful hands will speak for me when I lose my speaking voice…
*published in eFootprints magazine Dec ‘07-Jan ‘08 issue
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The biometric system machine failed twice to read my fingerprints. I lost my prints, I have no identity. That does not make me non-human. I am an earthling with an extremely sensitive skin, suffering from Irritant Contact Dermatitis (ICD) caused by chemical and physical irritants I am exposed to in my job. Microscopic cracks developed in my excessively dry palms making it impossible for the machine to detect a biometric characteristic. My skin condition is one significant factor I was denied a US visa. Biometric System is a procedure that foreign-born individuals who wish to enter the United States are subjected to.
October 10th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Hi Joy,
Your hands are your bold statement of being a wonderful person to everyone. Your touch are the greatest!
Take care.
Doreen ^O^