u/Potential_Visit_417

I was told today at the post office I could not reuse the yellow DHL envelopes to send some important documents away. I of course, wanted to pay for postage, I just didn't want to buy a new sleeve when I already had a DHL one (which was used to send the same documents to me anyway). She said DHL envelopes are reserved for DHL.

I pretty much always reuse things for my consignments, shoe boxes, galaxus boxes, amazon, whatever. I have even used the DHL thing before. Is this true or was she lying to me?

Search "yellow dhl courier envelope" to see what I mean.

Merci

Just received this letter from my local consulate:

>Gentile Signor ___

>la ringraziamo per il suo messaggio. Stando a quanto dichiarato dal Consolato d’Italia a Londra, la informiamo di aver bisogno di ricevere una dichiarazione del Consolato di Londra nella quale si dichiari che “il Signor ______ , essendo nato nel Regno Unito il ______ ha acquisito la cittadinanza britannica per ius soli”.

>Restiamo in attesa di questa certificazione nonché di tutta la certificazione richiestale con nostro lettera del 4 maggio u.s. Facciamo infine presente che la proroga della presentazione dei documenti mancanti scade il 6 luglio p.v.

>Scaduto questo termine lei riceverà un Decreto di Rigetto al quale potrà opporsi tramite un Tribunale Ordinario italiano oppure, se preferisce, potrà presentare una nuova istanza munita di tutta la documentazione originale e richiesta. Dovrà inoltre effettuare un nuovo versamento della tariffa consolare.

>in attesa di ricevere sue cortesi notizie, porgiamo cordiali saluti

In

English:

>Dear Mr. ___,

>Thank you for your message.

>Based on information provided by the Italian Consulate in London, we require a statement from the Consulate confirming that “Mr. ______, having been born in the United Kingdom on ______, acquired British citizenship *ius soli*.”

>We await this certification, as well as all the documentation requested in our letter dated May 4th.

>Please note that the deadline for submitting the missing documents is July 6th. Once this deadline has passed, you will receive a Rejection Decree; you may challenge this decision before an ordinary Italian court or, alternatively, submit a new application accompanied by all the required original documentation.

>will also be required to pay the consular fee again. We look forward to hearing from you.

The consulate in London will not provide this document, I already know it. However it is clear that being born in the UK in the 60s is enough to say someone acquired British cit via jus soli, and as such the birth certificate that I already provided should be enough. Really not sure how to deal with this, they seem adamant they want to reject me because they already were not happy with just the birth certificate, and even now that I will provide a certificate of non-naturalization for my father (again, stupid) they are not happy. Are there any lawyers I could speak to regarding this?

Is it worth pushing back on this? Also is it worth submitting a scanned copy of my fathers italian BC? I don't have the original from the commune yet, but I have the scan. It has a typo on his name though (michele was transcribed instead of michelo) so not sure if this will just open a new can of worms

To summarise:

Consulate asked me to prove my father (born UK 60s) got British citizenship by ius soli not naturalisation. I contacted the London consulate who confirmed in writing via PEC that ius soli was automatic under the 1948 Act and no separate certificate exists. consulate then sent me a deadline (July 6) still asking for... the document London just told them doesn't exist.

What I do have:

• Certificate of non-naturalisation for my father
• London consulate's PEC confirming ius soli was automatic
• Scanned (not the original paper) copy of Italian BC sent by commune showing my father is already a recognised Italian citizen (just discovered this - we were searching under a wrong name spelling). It has a transcription error in his name though, rettifica in progress.

My plan is to submit everything before July 6 with a cover letter arguing the non-naturalisation certificate answers the only question that actually matters, and that the PEC email is already proof of what they ask, but do you think I should submit the incorrectly transcribed BC?

Cheers

>Cairo, 1798. Victor and Karim are running for their lives across the moonlit rooftops of an occupied city with French soldiers closing in behind them. Victor is carrying something he refuses to let go of, something he might believe is worth dying for. Whether he's right is another matter.

My first attempt at writing something, it was done as a challenge with my partner. But I really enjoyed it and would love some feedback or any ways it can be improved before I share it. It is basically complete, but I will do one more pass over it and make any minor changes I see, and of course any changes a beta reader sees that I might agree with.

More than happy to swap beta reads with people, if anyone reads mine I am happy to read theirs in return.

Thanks!

Cairo, 1798. The French have arrived, and they are taking everything.

In the shadow of Napoleon's occupation, a city holds its breath. But for some, the weight of their past presses harder than any foreign boot could. Victor, a young thief, moves through a Cairo that mirrors his own fractured past, a place of ancient richness being slowly hollowed out.

When an unlikely opportunity arrives, 0ffering to lift his burden and free him from guilt, what should he choose?

This novella is a taut, propulsive story set against the backdrop of colonial plunder, asking questions as old as Egypt itself: who does history belong to? Can greed ever serve a noble cause? And is redemption something that can be seized or only earned.

My first attempt at writing something, it was done as a challenge with my partner. But I really enjoyed it and would love some feedback or any ways it can be improved before I share it.

More than happy to swap beta reads with people, if anyone reads mine I have happy to read theirs.

Also want to add: the blurb was generated by AI after giving it a rough summary of the story (I am too scared to give it the whole thing lol), but no other AI was used in the actual story.

Had a challenge with my partner to each write a short story and swap with each other and read. We used a game-jam idea generator to create a concept around which we should write: "You must leave it behind"

I want to make it as good as I possibly can before I share it...

Here is the opening scene, please give me honest feedback, would you care to see what happens next? The whole story is 10k words, if anyone is willing to read the whole thing and provide feedback please let me know, that would be so helpful!

======================================================

“You must leave it behind!”

“I can’t…”

“Victor… don’t be stupid, it’s not real anyway, just leave it, I have enough gold for both of us.”

“No… I need it…”

With one fluid heave Victor slung the heavy sack back off the ground and over his shoulder, then continued running. The silence of the night interrupted only by the sound of their bare feet padding forcefully on the cobblestone street. Further behind followed the sound of sturdy leather boots hitting the same floor with their dull monotone thuds. How did this happen, Victor thought as he was running, we were supposed to have more time… His thoughts were interrupted by a bullet flying past his head and landing with a dense clunk in the stone wall beside him. He flinched but continued running, not daring to slow. Karim was faster than him, a shadow blurring through the night. He had already rounded the corner up ahead. His pursuers were still far behind, but with this weight on his shoulder they would be on him soon. The burlap sack burned into his shoulder and the rounded edges of the vase knocked against his spine as he moved.

Victor rounded the same corner into a tight alleyway and climbed the narrow staircase leading up to the rooftops. He looked out over the midnight landscape of Cairo, roofs stretching out in uneven layers, the moon casting its pale white gaze over the red city.  He knew these rooftops well. The French have only been occupying the city for a few months, they will not feel so comfortable up here.

Swiftly, they followed their escape route. Despite the weight on his shoulder, Victor was still more nimble over the rooftops than Karim and was almost catching back up. Victor afforded himself a quick glance behind and saw the soldiers on the roof tops with them now, one aiming his knife tipped bayonet in their direction. He continued forward, not flinching this time as the bullet whizzed passed him. They had almost made it to safety. They jumped down into a lower section of buildings, flanked on either side by large old stone walls, much too high to climb. Trapped between these great walls there would soon be only one direction to go, forwards. Like Moses crossing the sea, there was no turning back now. Fifty meters later they reached the end of their crossing, and the linchpin in their plan. This section of rooftops came to an abrupt end. They now stood suspended above a twenty meter drop to the streets below, the next building stood some meters away. Too far to jump. Thankfully the wooden beam they had stashed was still here.

If they could cross using the makeshift bridge, then kick it out behind them, they would be free. There was a reason they chose this choke point.

Karim was already tugging at the beam.

“Come on, put that thing down and help me.”

Victor placed his sack next to the wall and together they pushed the beam out across the gap. They were quick, but careful. Dropping it before it was securely resting on the other side would be the end.

The moment it reached across Karim immediately stepped out onto it and started making his way across. Victor picked the sack up and heaved it back over his shoulder.

The soldiers were at the drop now, stepping onto the seabed. Victor wished he could close the passage behind him as Moses had, but he would have to trust their plan.

Suddenly, another bullet flew past them both.

Victor heard a cry from Karim, and then, a noise that made his heart sink. The thick thud of heavy wood implanting itself in the sand below. He turned back to see Karim scrambling to pull himself up on the other side, and the bridge sitting lifelessly in the street below. The bullet must have knocked him off balance. The soldiers were gaining on them now. Suddenly the silence felt deafening. Karim was up on the ledge now extending an arm to Victor beckoning him to jump. Victor couldn’t hear what he was saying, only the blood pumping in his ears and the sound of his shaky breaths. Maybe if he dropped the vase he could make it. But what would be the point of making the jump without it? Could he really believe what he’d been told about this thing, and was he willing to bet his life on it? The soldiers were almost on him now. Could he even make the jump if he didn’t drop it? Dying was no good either. He thought of his brother. His mind was racing. As another bullet flew over his shoulder soaring straight up into Cairo’s cool midnight air, he knew what he had to do. He gripped the sack tightly and started his run-up towards Karim.

Received this letter from the Consulate with my homework, I suppose I should be happy but:

"OGGETTO: istanza riconoscimento cittadinanza italiana

Gentile Signor,

Le restituiamo in allegato i seguenti documenti in quanto le traduzioni sono prive dell'Apostille della Convenzione dell'Aja del 05.10.1961:

• Atto di nascita
• Atto di decesso
• Atto di matrimonio
• Atto di matrimonio
• Atto di nascita

Attenzione, le traduzioni degli atti di matrimonio devono essere rettificate da nascita in matrimonio. L'atto di matrimonio deve riportare il nome corretto come indicato nell'atto.

Infine, per il riconoscimento della cittadinanza iure sanguinis è indispensabile provare che non vi sia stata interruzione del possesso della cittadinanza italiana. È quindi necessario provare che suo padre è anch'egli cittadino italiano.

Qualora non avesse mai fatto riconoscere la cittadinanza italiana, è necessario conoscere la data esatta di quando ha ottenuto la cittadinanza britannica.

Le chiediamo quindi di inviare un Attestato di Naturalizzazione britannica con indicata la data di acquisizione della cittadinanza britannica. Il documento deve essere emesso da meno di 6 mesi, in originale, munito di Apostille e tradotto in italiano. Anche la traduzione deve essere munita di Apostille.

Il Consolato si riserva il diritto di richiedere eventuale ulteriore documentazione.

La documentazione deve essere inviata per posta a questo Consolato Generale in ORIGINALE entro massimo 30 giorni.

Nell'attesa, voglia gradire cordiali saluti."

In english:

"SUBJECT: Application for Recognition of Italian Citizenship

Dear Sir,

We are returning the following documents to you as attachments, as the translations do not bear the Apostille under the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961:

Birth certificate

Death certificate

Marriage certificate

Marriage certificate

Birth certificate

Please note: the translations of the marriage certificates must be corrected from birth to marriage. The marriage certificate must show the correct name as indicated on the original document.

Finally, to recognize citizenship by descent (iure sanguinis), it is essential to prove that there has been no interruption in the possession of Italian citizenship. It is therefore necessary to prove that your father is also an Italian citizen.

If you have never had your Italian citizenship recognized, it is necessary to know the exact date on which you obtained British citizenship.

We therefore ask you to send a Certificate of British Naturalization indicating the date of acquisition of British citizenship. The document must have been issued within the last 6 months, be an original, bear an Apostille, and be translated into Italian. The translation must also bear an Apostille.

The Consulate reserves the right to request any additional documentation.

The documentation must be sent by mail to this Consulate General in ORIGINAL form within a maximum of 30 days.

In the meantime, please accept our best regards."

The translation errors are unfortunate, but I am fixing them, however, what about this certificate? By father was born in UK under Jus Soli, so he never naturalised, as I understand Jus Soli Does not break the line. Shouldn't they know this? What should I do?

Cheers