Consul General's Speeches

Remarks to the American Women’s Club of Amsterdam, De Rode Hoed, Amsterdam, September 4, 2008

Good Morning.  Thank you for your warm welcome, and for inviting me to participate once again in your fall kick off meeting.

Every year that I have lived in Amsterdam I have seen a new side of the American Women’s Club.  In one of the diamond centers of Europe, we are fortunate to have this amazing organization with so many brilliant facets.  Whether you are a newcomer or a veteran expatriate, the American Women’s Club provides invaluable support and can be a source of friendship and fun that serves to enrich the lives of those who participate.

My family’s situation is likely similar to some of yours in that we move frequently.  What I have learned is that, along with the excitement and enthusiasm for a new life in a new place, whether you are moving to Topeka or Tilburg, there are unavoidable stresses brought on by the disruptions of a move.

That’s where the American Women’s Club really shines.  We all need a helping hand, an experienced guide, a source of counsel – whether you are trying to figure out how to get your kids vaccinated or avoid the lines at the Rijksmuseum.  We sometimes need the solidarity and sense of belonging that comes by being in familiar surroundings even in the midst of an unfamiliar city.  For those of you who have been associated with the club for a longer period I can imagine the lasting relationships you have formed, infused with the fresh energy and excitement of the new people who join, constitute a compelling reason to stay engaged, to keep volunteering and to make this club what it is.

In today’s world where the unexpected has become more commonplace – including everything from the weather (Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike – and now Josephine) to significant changes in travel or airport security regulations.  It is reassuring that there are places to turn for guidance and support.  Sometimes people need an advocate, or a place to turn when other support falters.  That’s where we come in.  And that is why I am particularly grateful to the American Women’s Club for the support you have given us over the years for those who find themselves with nowhere else to turn.  The contribution you make to us will help a teenager who has her passport stolen on the way to a study abroad year in another country, and literally has no other resources to get through a night in Amsterdam until she can get a connecting flight.  It will help shelter a woman who is fleeing an abusive relationship until we can arrange more long term assistance.  It will help a critically ill, destitute elderly man return to his family in the United States with the mementos of his life in The Netherlands.

You see, at the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam, we think of ourselves as part of the American community in The Netherlands.  And it is a tremendous honor to serve you.  We have eight Americans on staff at present, some like me who are in the Foreign Service, and some who have chosen to settle here.  Our experienced local staff is among the most accomplished with which I have worked in 20 years of government service.  Whether it’s staffing a voter registration table at a weekend community barbeque, or going to the airport at the crack of dawn to help a seriously injured American return to the U.S. for medical treatment, I am so proud of their commitment to service and professionalism.

We have put a great deal of effort into fostering communication with the American community and trying to provide services in a way that best serves your needs.  Now I cannot say that everyone here today will look forward to a visit to the Consulate General with the same enthusiasm that you would a visit to the Porcelijne Fles factory or a day out at the beach, but we are doing what we can to make your visit for routine services as quick and pleasant as possible.

When you do visit us, you will notice a new, dedicated entry line for American citizens that I hope will help you to get in and out of the building quicker.  You will also notice we now have a beverage machine in the waiting room.  The tired appearance of the waiting rooms will soon undergo essential renovations.  And we have plans to build a cell phone and laptop locker to both provide a place for these common (and some believe indispensable items) all the while speeding your passage through the security screening.

More significantly, in February and March this year, the Consulate General implemented two major revisions to how we serve American citizens in The Netherlands:  we now accept most adult passport renewals by mail, and have implemented an online appointment system for passport, citizenship, and notarial services.  We believe these programs constitute a major improvement to our service to the public.

Let me start by describing the passport by mail program.  Basically, the vast majority of adult passports can now be renewed by secure mail delivery.  Americans no longer have to visit the Consulate General in person to renew an adult passport, which means great time savings for you and greater convenience.  Getting additional visa pages placed in your passport can also now be done by mail, without a personal appearance.  There is some fine print.  For example, you can only use this service if your last passport was issued for full validity, which usually means for ten years.  Passports for minors (under 16), and for young adults getting their first full validity passports, still require a personal appearance.

We continue to advise you to check the expiration date on your passport and to plan ahead to the extent you can, so that you can allow enough time to renew a passport in advance of an international trip.  Most passports can now be processed in six to ten days from the time we receive a passport application to the time you receive it back in the mail.  We can also arrange to call you to let you know that your passport is ready to be picked up.

All of this is explained step-by-step on our website, which will tell you if you can take advantage of the passport-by-mail service.  See amsterdam.usconsulate.gov and click on the “US Citizen Services” tab.  There’s a menu of items to choose from on the left hand side of the page.

Indeed, our website is a one-stop-shop for information about our services.   And an important new feature that it includes is our easy online appointment system, available 24 hours a day, free of charge.

Appointments are now required for all visits to the Consulate General, except for emergency passport or other urgent services.  We define an emergency passport situation as involving imminent travel for a critical or unexpectedly urgent reason, perhaps the illness of a family member in the U.S. or if your passport has been stolen right before a planned trip.  During the busy summer tourist season we see an average of five Americans a day whose passports have been lost or stolen, and whom we of course see without an appointment.

Our appointment system for American services means you can now tailor your visit to the Consulate General to suite your needs and availability.  It also means shorter waiting times, no crowds in the waiting room, and certainty as far as knowing you will be seen on a day and at a time convenient to you, as well as speedier processing times to get your documents.  Previously, we frequently heard that a visit to us could entail waiting for hours, depending on the number of people requiring services.  Now, we are able to get most clients in and out in thirty minutes to an hour.

We constantly check our appointment availability to track whether a backlog is developing.  To date that has not happened, although we occasionally adjust the numbers of appointments available.  Currently there is no wait to apply for a passport or report the birth of a child, although there is a three day wait to get an appointment for a notarial service.

We want our appointment system to be a tool to serve you, and welcome comments and suggestions if you find any part of the process difficult to navigate.  We are also happy to make appointments on behalf of anyone who is not comfortable using the internet or who doesn’t have access to it.  We have afternoon telephone hours from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and answer emails within 24 hours of receipt.

One last thing:  if you are not registered with us, please do so by visiting our website.  It’s easy, and means you will get occasional email updates from us, including a bi-monthly newsletter, and warnings when we feel they are necessary, such as about a planned demonstration that might turn violent.  It also means that you will be notified when we plan to offer consular services outside Amsterdam, which we do about four times a year, as a way to help Americans for whom traveling to Amsterdam is difficult.

We welcome your thoughts about how we can become more accessible and more involved with our fellow Americans here.  Last year, one of your members came up with the great idea of having staff from the Consulate General participate in the AWCA’s orientation program for newcomers.  We are grateful for this opportunity to meet Americans new to Amsterdam and hope to be able to continue this partnership.  And as Michele mentioned, we are very much looking forward to welcoming members of the club to the monthly evening meeting.  As a working woman, I am very excited about being able to take part in what I hope will be a fascinating series of discussions.

There’s so much to look forward to as you launch your 2008-2009 schedule and we look forward to being a part of it.

Perhaps some of you know that each year one of the things that Embassies and Consulates do around the world is celebrate our national day in our host country.  What this essentially means is hosting an event on or near Independence Day in order to say “thank you” to the many Dutch officials and organizations that help us fulfill our duties throughout the year.  It is also a chance to give people in The Netherlands a small taste of how we celebrate the Fourth of July and why that day is so important to us.  This past July we had the tremendous honor of hosting our event aboard a U.S. Navy vessel, the USS Elrod.  It was pretty spectacular to see a flags waiving and mooring near the Central Station in the middle of Amsterdam and especially to meet many of the – mostly young – sailors aboard this ship who are serving their country at great personal sacrifice.

This time of year – early September – brings with it an unavoidable date, written in tragedy and loss on the American calendar.  Just hearing the date September 11, 2001 brings memories of a devastating day when the crystal blue sky above New York was ruptured by unspeakable violence, and followed soon afterwards by terror and tragedy at the Pentagon and in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

There’s another navy vessel that I would like to tell you about because it has special significance at this time of year.  Christened on March 1, 2008, the USS New York will soon enter Navy service.  What’s special about this vessel?  The bow stem of the ship incorporates steel salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.  The ships motto, “Never Forget” is emblazoned on the bow and will serve to remind people all over the world of that in the face of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the people of New York and all over the US showed great spirit and resilience.  The USS New York will eventually be joined by the USS Arlington and the USS Somerset in honor of those who lost their lives at the Pentagon and on Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

Each year, we hold a commemoration of the events of September 11, 2001.  Seven years on, we remember those who lost their lives.  We remember those who showed tremendous courage – racing up the smoke-filled stairwells in the Twin Towers, carrying the injured away from the burning Pentagon building, rushing up the aisle of an aircraft to thwart the terrorists’ deadly plans.  We remember the families and the friends of the nearly 3,000 victims of September 11 from 90 countries who carry their own memories of those they have lost.  And we think about those who continue to put themselves in harm’s way to protect us, whether they are police officers or fire fighters, or the men and women of the USS Elrod and others in uniform serving in the far flung corners of the world.

After the past two ceremonies at the Consulate General, I have heard from members of the American community that they would appreciate an opportunity to participate.  So this year we have organized a community event at the English Reformed Church of Amsterdam.  Michele has graciously agreed to speak, and our new Ambassador, James B. Culbertson will also deliver remarks.  You are all welcome to attend and I very much hope that you will do so.  There’s comfort in remembrance of dark days among others who, American or not, share our grief, as well as our hope.

You will find a flyer on your chairs with me that include more specifics about the time and location and I hope to see you there.  And thanks so much to Mary and others for coordinating the timing of events on the 11^th with us.

I have also brought information with me about new regulations affecting Dutch citizens who travel to the United States without a visa, as I am sure many of you have a connection, through family, friends or employment, to someone who needs to know about these changes.

Finally, need I say it?  This year is an election year.  Now that the candidates of both political parties have officially been nominated, the next sixty days promise to be as fascinating as the last months.  As you probably know, American citizens overseas are eligible to participate in the general elections in November.  We’ve conducted voting outreach events throughout the past year with a single goal:  to make sure that every single American in The Netherlands can register to vote and request an absentee ballot in plenty of time to cast a vote.  If you have not already done so, please contact us to see how you can register to vote overseas.  Do not miss this critical opportunity to make your voice heard! 

With that, I would like to wish the board and the members of the American Women’s Club of Amsterdam a terrific year.  Thanks again for inviting me to join you as you kick it off.  If you have any questions for me I would be happy to answer them.