Cerberus

Robert and DJ, Robert is dead on target My wife actually brings back her own "hand-hammered" woks for China (Sichuan Province), in her carry-on baggage. However, she does complain that the original item are a bit to heavy for her to easily handle, while cooking. Physical strength issue. However, since my wife is on a long time visit to China I did the same as RobertS. RobertS is dead on right, to check the Korean stores. Woks are very easy to find, in larger Korean stores. Not the Mom and Pop stores! DJ, there is another alternative I want to add, and that is to check the large Vietnamese stores, which will also cater to Chinese tastes/dishes/myun, etc, etc. They will carry the same item. I have two woks from Vietnamese stores, and a large hand-hammered wok from China. The US purchased woks are both one-piece, die-forged forged, cold-rolled steel, of which the handle is one piece and rolled into one unit. The Chinese wok is the same, but differs as to divots. The Chinese wok I have, is hand-hammered, and designed in China to hold the food on the side of the wok, while juices simmer in the middle. The hand-hammered wok has small circular divots beginning on the bottom, and continue up the entire side of the wok on the all sides in a circular pattern. These woks work best over a high heat, and I use mine on a gas BBQ when we cook out. The heat is very high and quick, and my wife loves it! As compared to the die-forged these Korean/Vietnamese woks, which are smooth-sided, retain and distribute the heat very well, and are ideal on electric burners, woks retain heat very well, spread the heat out properly, etc, etc. Just insure that you do season the wok, and maintain a small oil coating on it, after it has been seasoned. Yes! The bamboo scrub brushes are a bit hard to find. For these items; got to the kitchen accessory portion of a large Japanese store. Very easily found. For these kitchen accessories and in the case that you can't find them....I can give you a hyperlink to.order them. Just PM me, and I will make this happen too. As you might detect; I NEVER cook Chinese/Thai/Korean/Filipino food do I? This is a passion for me, to learn to make Chinese food to the right taste, texture, proper time and temperature, the exact spices. I will add to beware of those woks which carry any screws holding the handle in. The "cheapo" woks only last about 6 to 9 months, and then the handles loosen, can become very dangerous when hot oil/food spills out. NO! You can't screw them back in with a screwdriver. I have already tried this numerous times, and the repair never lasts. Better to throw the wok out for safety sake. It saves you an Emergency Room visit for 2d and 3d degree burns. BTW DJ. You want to shop the Internet? Been there, done that, and have the T-shirt to prove it! They are generally the "cheapo" crap, and you will still have the same problems I mentioned previously. My wife already did this and boy did she get screwed. Have you ever seen a Chinese woman screwed over in a "on-line" financial deal? I assure you of this; It was my fault! And! It will also be your fault too! Just attempting to save you from an ass-chewing! Like I stated previously....I have the T-shirt to prove IT! Send me a PM, and I will find stores for you. Dave

Et al, To stay on topic, here is a search engine that I use frequently to find jobs overseas and most esp. China: http://www.jobbind.com. I will warn users, that sometimes, it does load slowly(small servers, or so many users?), so have some patience. If you look in the center and top area of the original website page, you will see ¡°change country.¡± Hit this, and another page will appear with flags and names of the countries. For my particular career field; there are some very high paying jobs in China, Philippines, S. Korea, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, and not to mention the Middle East http://www.websmileys.com/sm/obscene/eck16.gifand Africa! Right! Africa! Let me try to run this idea past my wife Yin and any board member try running it past their Chinese wives/husbands: or, or, and finally...GOOD LUCK! Please don't worry....some CFL board member will call 911, for your own "personalized" ambulance. Then the CFL forum will talk about how silly you were in the first place on CFL threads, and a poll will be started (which really adds insult to the resultant injuries you sustained), etc, etc However, I digress and was just having some fun! On a more serious note; Some of the positions I¡¯m qualified for, and others not enough qualifications and/or required certifications, and finally and/or for other reasons (e.g. pay, or felt uncomfortable about a particular corp.) I would decline. For members that have wives/husbands in China, I have personally seen numerous hospitality, culinary, support positions at some major hotels and corporations. Most especially, for ladies/ men which speak Chinese and English. They seem to be actively targeted with this website. Therefore, have both spouses use the search engine. However, this site won't give you every opening. This is merely another "tool" for members to use, to what they already have. If a CFL member decides to submit a resume, I would suggest having two separate format resumes prepared in advance for any submissions. There are two styles which applicants should be aware of: 1) In traditional US/Western format. 2) The second resume to be prepared is European/English style of CV (¡°Curriculum Vitae¡±). Here is a link and you will quickly see the differences: http://www.ottimizzare.com/curriculum_vita...eo_inglese.html This all really depends on the country, or the individual corporation you are submitting the resume to; they will differ many times when you apply overseas. Err on the side of caution, and read their entire website to determine which format they want. They generally will tell you. I might also advise to check what certifications/qualifications they are looking for. Example: I want to work in Thailand as an NDT inspector on say¡­. oil rigs. I¡¯m fully qualified/ certified under ASNT guidelines (American Society of Nondestructive Testing) for work from Germany to the entire US. However in Thailand they require that I have CINDE (Canadian Institute for NDE) Certifications. Ergo: I'm unqualified for this position die to the employer requirements. I might add; surprisingly Japan has the same strict standards as Thailand, and approximately 60% of Japanese corporations prefer CINDE certifications. Japanese feel that US manufacturing standards are too ¡°loose,¡± and want a higher and more stringent standards. However I¡¯m simply using my career field as an example, to illustrate my point for the readers. . That is why I suggest to members to research EXACTLY what the corporation/employer is requiring. And I might add that the person applying better know everything that they can before any interview. There is nothing that PO¡¯s a high paying Far Eastern employer off than, if the applicant doesn¡¯t know ¡°jack¡± about the corporation! And I mean their Mission Statements are like Moses with stone tablets. You better know what they are and/or at least understand what they say. Employers will ask! This is a warning, and I have seventeen telephone interviews from HR's under my belt with overseas employers. For members in the US; this site isn¡¯t as great as Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, Simply Hired, etc. However, you might be able to get some additional hits for employment opportunities. Dave (edited for clarification of a particular thought/point)

Kim, Just tell her that it was a delayed post-orgasmic to you, as a sex demigod You never know! She might believe you! Read my followup post to Donahso's posting. You will get the picture. Dave

Don, Now you understand what I was saying. We actually had several strong after-shocks following the original earthquake. Yin called me at work, and was actually interrupting my work. Her big question was; "Did you feel them?" In actuality, I was so busy, I didn't feel the aftershocks in the least! However! The after-shocks were a great concern for her. I stopped work to answer/console a panic stricken Chinese woman. I talked with her for about 30 minutes or so. She felt better, and then I went back to work. The nicest part in regard to a scared Chinese woman and an earthquake is..... The great sex that follows, with the same scared Chinese woman, which is seeking comfort. Chinese ladies of CFL....I do apologize for my crude remarks. However! When you are as old as I am; you do everything you can for sex with your wife! A seismic event like an earthquake, is a God-sent gift to us old guys! What was the old adage? "Every dark cloud, has a silver lining?" I wonder when the next really big quake arrives? I might be able to make love three times with my wife, in one night! I wouldn't be killed by the massive earthquake! I would be a victim of the earthquake, by sex with a scared Chinese woman! Damn! What a pleasurable way to go! The earthquake didn't screw me! My wife DID! So I was a "victim/casualty" of several earthquakes!

Randy, Very funny! "...from their second floor window.'" The Downy quake which I went through, I actually saw it coming at me. I was outside drinking a cup of coffee, waiting for the chemicals to warm up for processing of the Photo Lab I owned/operated. All of a sudden, and from far away I heard cars alarms were going off, and were approaching me, and getting louder. Basically, the wave created by the earthquake in the ground, was lifting cars up, and causing the alarms to activate. I was approximately 9 miles from the epicenter. I should also mention that my hearing of cars alarms going off, and actually nearby cars being lifted 6 inches or so from their parked positions, is a space of only 2 or 3 seconds. In the average mental mind; it seems far, far longer. Most especially when you see the wave approaching you, and I can damned well assure you of this fact! It is moving at an extreme rate of speed. Very frightening! But at the same time; very fascinating! At least to me. My only thought was "Ohhhhh SHIT!" That is all I had time for as a thought. I dropped the coffee cup, squatted, and held onto a small tree! In the middle of an earthquake; Where are you gong to run too? This is not the time to make amends to the Lord, for past misdeeds. It is Here! And it is right damned now! Then it hit! However, it passed very quickly. I went inside to began cleaning up the mess of spilled photo chemicals (overflowing their tanks from the wave effect) from the photo development machines, cleaning up a lot of glass from frames which I also sold. The strangest part; was the after-shocks of the earthquake. The after shocks could be heard, and felt under your feet while we were cleaning up the mess, for the better part of the day. It is like thunder, and the boom that you hear from thunder from lightning. However! It is under your feet, and not in your head/shoulders/chest. Very, very unnerving! Now Dave, that was a 'roller' tell us what a shaker or rocker feels like. I know that you've been through a few of those too. Dennis, You are sitting on the couch, or standing up. You suddenly feel the snap generally sideways, depending on what position you are standing in. Then the whole Earth begins shaking. I personally was on the couch and felt it through my butt. Pay attention to your feet. You will sense a rolling motion, for one to two seconds. Then it passes. And then the home and windows begin shaking for x - long seconds. Personally, for myself I love earthquakes, are very exciting to me, and I think that they are great as long as they don't kill anyone. They let you know that you are alive and the power's of the Earth, are in full play! That is why I was surprised by my wife's reaction. She was actually scared, and I was a bit calm about the entire event, and reacted the atypical Californian. "Man! I hope that I don't have to break out the vacuum for broken glass! Is my car OK? Or do I have to call the insurance company again? Honey! It is a small earthquake! Stop crying! Yes, honey! My life insurance policy is still effective! Yes honey! The insurance policy pays, if I'm killed in a car accident and/or an Earthquake!" Dennis you being in LA, you know exactly what I'm talking about. a 5.5 Richter is about as common as the bus stopping at a bus stop! We live in California! At the water-cooler, earthquakes are openly discussed how big it was, what got broken, feeling sympathy for the person, that his /her prized possession was broken, and then no more. Californian's move on with life. Dennis; you as a Californian, know exactly what I'm talking about. What about other people which don't experience what we do everyday! They freak out! The both of us worry about if our coffee has been split! How did your current wife (3 or 4 years) take her first earthquake? Your wife has been here in California for how many years? I suspect her as being a first-rate Californian. NOW! When the books are shaken off the shelves; it really PO's her, since she has to clean the mess up. She doesn't even worry about the building structure, etc. Our wives, are worried abort the mess they have to clean up. My own wife, has a long way to go to, to where your wife is right now. Besides! These minor events are common-place in California, and are actually a part of day-to-day living. I would love to hear other people's stories of what we experience every year. Up to the point, that we are actually bored anymore! Dave

Randy, Very funny! "...from their second floor window.'" The Downy quake which I went through, I actually saw it coming at me. I was outside drinking a cup of coffee, waiting for the chemicals to warm up for processing of the Photo Lab I owned/operated. All of a sudden, and from far away I heard cars alarms were going off, and were approaching me, and getting louder. Basically, the wave created by the earthquake in the ground, was lifting cars up, and causing the alarms to activate. I was approximately 9 miles from the epicenter. I should also mention that my hearing of cars alarms going off, and actually nearby cars being lifted 6 inches or so from their parked positions, is a space of only 2 or 3 seconds. In the average mental mind; it seems far, far longer. Most especially when you see the wave approaching you, and I can damned well assure you of this fact! It is moving at an extreme rate of speed. Very frightening! But at the same time; very fascinating! At least to me. My only thought was "Ohhhhh SHIT!" That is all I had time for as a thought. I dropped the coffee cup, squatted, and held onto a small tree! In the middle of an earthquake; Where are you gong to run too? This is not the time to make amends to the Lord, for past misdeeds. It is Here! And it is right damned now! Then it hit! However, it passed very quickly. I went inside to began cleaning up the mess of spilled photo chemicals (overflowing their tanks from the wave effect) from the photo development machines, cleaning up a lot of glass from frames which I also sold. The strangest part; was the after-shocks of the earthquake. The after shocks could be heard, and felt under your feet while we were cleaning up the mess, for the better part of the day. It is like thunder, and the boom that you hear from thunder from lightning. However! It is under your feet, and not in your head/shoulders/chest. Very, very unnerving!

Dan, http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/14/lo...-swarm-20100615 5.7 Richter, and numerous minor ones followed. This quake started near the Mexican border, and was felt all the way into LA. Another large earthquake occurred shortly after, on Jun 23, 2010. In all honesty this particular quake had a ¡°snapping and rolling¡± motion. This description doesn¡¯t mean very much to people that don¡¯t feel many earthquakes. However, describe an earthquake to a Californian with this description, and they will know exactly what you are talking about. As a side note, from my time in California, I went through the Downey and Northridge quake (I was living in ¡°Korea-town¡± with my Korean ex-wife (near downtown LA) and not Northridge). Now! These are the ¡°mothers¡± of quakes. This is addition to the most recent quakes I mentioned previously. However, Dan you raise an interesting side thought, in respect of what our Chinese wives feel afterward. After all! For some of the wives, it is a first! How did your wife enjoy being ¡°experienced?¡± To be honest, I¡¯m very used to quakes and don¡¯t panic at all. Earthquakes is simply God¡¯s manner in telling men/women that they are small, they suck like ants, and He can kick his/her ass anytime he wants too, and there is nothing that any of us can do about it either! Personally, I¡¯m so used to earthquakes, that I refer to them as ¡°land-surfing.¡± My wife Yin comes from the Sichuan Province, which is very seismically active. Her family went though that last 8.0 Richter earthquakes in China. One would think that she would be very used to them! Not SO! My wife felt the first earthquake I mentioned in the post, and simply didn¡¯t know where to go, what to do, and I mean nada. I had to take her by the hand and forcefully shove her down near a wall for protection in the case that the building collapsed. Later, once she settled down and the quake was over; she spent the better part of two hours holding my hand, shaking from fright, and asking if I had ever planned for this type of event. Living in California? Is she kidding? Of course I had it planned with a tent, sleeping bags, flashlights, emergency rations, water (including a desalination unit for seawater)! What are the ¡°6 P¡¯s?¡± ¡°Prior Planning, Prevents Piss Poor Performance.¡± I would like to hear how some of the other wives fared and/or related stories! I know that this is a frightening experience for anyone who has not gone through this! And I do mean man or woman. My shock after the Northridge quakes was deeply unsettling to me, in regard to the sheer magnitude of the earthquake. I felt very tired afterward, didn¡¯t sleep very well for about 6-weeks or so, etc. This aside Dan; perhaps The State of California could export small earthquakes to your area, for training purposes. God knows! the monetarily-strapped State of California could sure use the money! We might just as well export our earthquakes! Dave

Randy, Thanks for the response. I suppose that you didn't get my response via PM thanking you for your candor, and I will resend the PMs, in order to cover all bases. It was the first time I used a multiple-member PM response; and this is my bad! Please believe me when I state...I got it! I¡¯m not worried about if she allowed back this time. We are two days under the required 6-month time-line. The real ¡°wrinkle¡° comes up with a stay 6-months or longer, with a USCIS approved Re-Entry Permit. As a side point to what I originally posted, and DavidZ only reconfirmed my original thoughts, that there is ¡°positive¡± passport scanning, and too many Re-Entry Permits are going to raise some very, very serious questions. USCIS personnel may be bureaucratic idiots. However! They aren¡¯t simpletons either. Dan's and your input only confirmed my worst suspicions! The only thing that I could not read succinctly stated in the I-131 directions, was the time-line rule. That was my only question. No! I don't like Dan's and your answers. You definitely didn't give me what I wanted to hear. However! It is the truth, and I need to make a new "game plan!" Not bitch and moan about the SOB's at USCIS, and how unfair they are! I also understood exactly everything that Dan and yourself stated very clearly. Whether or not my own wife understood clearly.....is completely another issue in itself! Talked to her last night and tonight. Both times, I had to deal with a very unhappy Chinese "camper" on my hands. As I stated in a prior post, guess who has a Info Pass appointment at 1100hrs, 3/30/10? T! Damnation! Chinese women are stubborn aren't they? They won't believe many loving spouses which care and love them, They want to go somewhere else, listen oftentimes to complete idiots, and later where a disinterested USCIS Govt employee throws an anvil on top of their heads! Then! And only then, do they get the point, and promptly go into panic mode, and guess who they run too? At that time; we get to clean up the split milk on the floor, and make everything right that fits their world! The real surprise to me Randy came, when "shenzen" popped up out of nowhere and had some of the same issues, with different variants, to what I originally asked about! Like I stated in a prior post; "I ain't the only game in town!" That is why I specifically "butted out" and left it to you Randy! This is a very serious ex-pat problem! I hope that everything works out the best for him. I still want to specifically and publicly thank Dan( DNoblett) and Randy for their input. BTW? \ Damn! There are times.....when I'm sick of tired of being right, and predicting what my wife will do! Didn't I state this fact already, in a prior post? Oh well! If I learn anything new, I will post it here for future reference of other CFL members. Dave

I am confused. Can you stay abroad for one or two years with the I-131? It is true that GC is not a Permanent Visa but we, those that are married to a non-USC and live outside the country, have no real option to visit the USA, see family, and spend money in the USA. Yes! You can stay abroad for this time. HOWEVER, ..........What Dan was saying was this: The time clock that I spoke of towards naturalization in my OP goes back to zero. In short; the date that your SO first got her Green Card (AOS) , is for example 07/2004 and she departs for say two years in 07/2005, for a special job in China, and has applied for a I-131, and is approved after your fees, photos, biometrics, etc, etc. Your/Her originally spent time in the US towards the naturalization process time is done. The original time that she spent in the US is gone and down the proverbial toilet! Whether or not, the I-131 granted with complete foreknowledge of USCIS. The clock starts over, and this naturalization clock which requires her to remain in the US for a continuous period of three years (minimum required time to apply for naturalization). Any break in this time, and you start all over again from zero day. Both of us will have some seriously unhappy Chinese campers on our hands! I know that I will! However, its seems that your situation is different than mine and starts a topic all by itself. I'm speaking of US to China! Not the other way around China to the US! Your circumstances are probably far different than mine, and I wouldn't venture into these grounds no matter what! I'm sure that other Ex-pats in China will chime in and give you far better advice than I ever could guess at. Interesting question for your family; is it not? Ergo, my following comment to the OP, that states that my wife needs to be on US soil, and have her passport stamped, and scanned, and comes under US controlled territory, not more than every six-months or less. Otherwise, you are playing with fire, and a Hell of a lot of questions for the both of you. Right now in these political/economic times between China and the US; this is the last place that you want to go playing around in. And to add to this is the computer scanning systems for passports. USCIS can punch up her and my wife's travel habits/itineraries so fast it will make our heads swim! Post 9/11 the USCIS is hardwired into this network, and I have references to people in CFL that have this access! The last thing you want to do is to go playing around with USCIS! My ow wife knows this and knows that for any lame ass excuse, she would be considered simply as a "Chink" (her words and not mine), and be deported. Even if I fought it how much money would I spend in attorney fees. The original OP idea came from her to me, to "ping" CFL, extract answers. I formed her questions into something that the CFL forum could understand and finally what CFL , and we have learned today, courtesy of a Chinese woman. I now have my answers, whether good or bad, and my responses were 1 thru 3 in the previous post. There is no way around this, as much as the both of us, and many other members want. Tricky question wasn't it? And I did a search in CFL already, and as I mentioned there are only only three previous posts that I found about this subject. May I add that this issue will come about again? I ain't the only guy in town that has had this thought already. Dave

Dammit Dan, You were supposed to make me feel good! Not throw a bucket of water on my parade! Now! That my frustrations are expended¡­. My thanks Dan for the information and the honesty that you gave, and the links you provided. In all sincerity; I suspected as much already, but merely wanted to cover all the bases. I already had a contingency/fall back plan formulated in my mind, that we used to use in Korea among ex-pats, already set aside, in the case that your information which was received, was for the worse. It seems that the only choices I have left are; Have her return to every six months or less. Since I¡¯m not the proverbial ¡°money-tree,¡± and she needs to set her feet of USA soil every 6-months or less, I was planning and Yin alighting on US soil, getting her passport stamped for 72 hours, and then returning to China. As a side note for people that are reading or attempting to try this; the passport control system after 9/11 is extensive and is hardwired into everyone from your local Sheriff¡¯s office, FBI, NCIC, USCIS, etc, etc, etc. And yes! This even includes me crossing from San Diego into Tijuana (25 minutes from my home), and I was just shopping for a custom tailored leather jacket. The passports are scanned and the information is automatically entered into a computer database, which ¡°can¡± be readily accessed by many, many agencies, with only a request. This is not a system that you want to play with! However, I digress. The only way that is left to me, and cutting the airline flight times and this can be done though three separate areas within easy reach if China. The plane fares are another issue in themselves: 1) America Samoa (US Territory) 2) Guam (God forbid! I have been here and it sucks, unless you are from Guam). 3) Hawaii! (BTW, I suspect my wife will enjoy this immensely, and I would regret it, and still pay the trip in the end for a teaching job. Ergo, she should just simply ask for a ¡°sabbatical: from the school for 2 weeks, etc, and return to the US. No Muss! No fuss! And everything above board! Right?). No matter what we decide! Our fate is sealed courtesy of USCIS, and that is THAT! BTW as a side note, my wife just called two minutes ago, and I got to "rain" on her parade, as you did to me Dan. Thanks a lot! There may be a voodoo doll in both of our futures, and there is definitely a unhappy Chinese "camper" too. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! The gentle life of a Westerner living of being married to¡­a Chinese woman that has 5,000 years of culture. Wait a minute! I don¡¯t remember voodoo dolls being in Chinese culture!?! Quick Dan! Raise your life Insurance rates up. As soon as I post this I¡¯m going for 1.5 million. I never won the Lottery, but by God! Maybe I can right now! Thanks Dan! Do you think an Info-Pass appointment would even be the least bit useful? Not doubting you or your information. I simply don¡¯t want to waste vacation time! My thanks to you Dave

To all, I have a particular problem and that is in regard to Application for a Re-entry Permit, Form I-131. I have made a link for the instructions only as reference, in order to prevent members assisting don¡¯t have search around for it. DNoblett, Carl, and finally Donahso: I wasn¡¯t sure exactly where in the name of Hell to put this issue. Therefore, I placed it in two sub forums, (¡°General Visa Discussion and First Steps,¡± and ¡°Citizen Process¡±). I would appreciate it if you would delete one of them, and keeping one in the appropriate sub forum. I will bend to your wisdom in this matter, and won¡¯t accuse any one of you of being part of the ¡°Good Ole Boys Club¡± with the suggested deletion by the author; myself! http://www.visapro.com/Download/INS-Travel...nstructions.pdf I apologize that I¡¯m unable to cut and paste the documents, since it is a PDF file. The situation is in regard to my own wife. She is currently in China on a teaching assignment with a Chinese school. The I-131 is required to be filed while applicant is still in the US. There was no time for this. Therefore, she stayed in China and will be returning prior to 6-month time line expires. There is talk about a promotion for her within the school district, higher paycheck, etc, etc. Unfortunately, they wish her to remain for a year and what are her future plans are. BTW, my wife and I will be making exchange trips in either way, to continents of our choice. The directions are fairly self-explanatory, and I should explain that she doesn¡¯t fall under Refugee status, or Advanced parole. She came to the US via K3 visa, and has received her permanent Green Card, and is moving towards US Naturalization as an end goal for the both of us. She has the minimum wait time of three years prior to initial application for naturalization. This time clock began the day she received her permanent Green Card. Suffice to say, that we don¡¯t want her time clock to begin all over again by being out of country 6-months or more. This time we will have time to do the Reentry Permit, the associated biometrics, photos, $301.00 fee, etc that accompany unfortunately seem to tied in to most USCIS processes. She definitely falls under Para. 1 Re-entry Permit, subparagraphs A. ¡°If you are in the United States¡­¡±, and subparagraph B ¡°Validity of Re-entry Permit.¡± Question 1 and regard to subpara B: They mention validity of the permit. ¡°Does this mean that once the Re-entry Permit is issued, it is good for two-years from date of issuance? Or am I reading this wrong?¡± Here is a bit of background of what has been related to me by my wife. Some "Mainland" Chinese women/men believe that this means, you can stay out of country for two years, and later relayed to my wife. I don¡¯t read this at all, and believe that it is somewhat akin to the validity dates that are given for K1 and K3 visas. However both of us are confused and seek clarification. Question 2 and not covered elsewhere in directions: ¡°Does the Re-Entry Permit, even if approved by USCIS, does this stop the time-clock towards naturalization?¡± If the reader goes between the lines in the directions, it would seem that once it is approved by USCIS; USCIS knows exactly where the immigrant is and has approved of the travel outside the US, and the immigrant hasn¡¯t abandoned and efforts to become a naturalized citizen. However, this is not specifically stated anywhere. I searched/checked with several immigrant forums, and Yes! CFL first, and I got only three returns and they discussed Advanced Parole issues which have not impact on my family. Very little seems to be written on this particular subject wherever I checked. Question 3: Seems that little is known about this particular area. I wanted to ¡°ping¡± CFL members prior to taking any other steps. ¡°Is a visit to San Diego¡¯s Local USCIS office recommended? If Info-Pass appointment is recommended, what documents do you suggest, and what tenure should the questions/answers be geared towards?¡± I know that this question seems very Machiavellian, and I don¡¯t want to put anyone¡¯s rear parts in a vise. This is my problem. However, I have lived by several credos, and one of them is when you are standing in a pen with bulls; Don¡¯t hold and wave a red-colored sign up, which states; Come and Gore me... With the horn of your Choice! I DARE YOU! The last thing I want to do is piss off USCIS, ruin a very good career opportunity for my wife, and the chance of gaining a lot of good experience, and training that the company pays for. As a side point, come to California and teach, and/or even get a position! Good Luck! You will need it! Question 4: ¡°Is there anything else that I have missed and/or specific comments on this subject? With these economic times, I feel pretty much assured that this issue will raise its ugly head again with our Chinese wives/husbands, fianc¨¦es; if is already hasn¡¯t done so already, or other members are already being hit with these questions today. For inquiring minds of CFL, my wife and I are playing ¡°geographical bachelor/woman.¡± In a few days I will be adding another segment to the thread ¡°Significant Differences¡± thread regard to this aspect: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35753. Very few people knew that we are living in separate households, live/operate as an Oriental couple, still very much in love and not contemplating divorce in the least, and she is returning to California finally, in seven days, and both of us meant to keep it that way and keep tongues from "wagging" and speculation. Man! Does my wife ¡°cover¡± our 6 o¡¯clock/butts! Regard to this subject, I¡¯m still surprised at time the phone calls that I still get from members that have read this thread, and not all the phone calls originate from CFL members. WOW! 5,165 of this thread views as of today, and I still get random telephone calls to clarify some points. In sincerity: I¡¯m still surprised at these numbers, the telephone calls, and feel very humbled at what I originally started with this thread. I¡¯m simply happy that I made it and it helped out some members, and they found some of the answers, that at times....I¡¯m still seeking today. I assure you that I don't have them! However, I digress. I just wanted to say thanks to all. Damned hard to follow the original act though! LOL To all members that have had patience with me: Yin¡¯s and my most sincere thanks to all members in advance. We also wish all of you the most sincere wishes for continued good health in your families, the greatest of fortunes to your family, and a successful future to all of you. Dave {edit} corrected a typo.

Congratulation Dan! I know especially what you mean about the badgering part. My wife had the same pattern. It wasn't Chinese friends that were helping her, and I got the scars. It was the damned Internet and every Chinese-women forum that my wife could find and conducted research on her own. Do you ever stop to think how many Chinese women had this shortcut or that shortcut? My mind is still staggered. Swear to God, this is true. We finished up the interview in Oklahoma City, OK which had the Fast-Trac pilot program. My wife thought that Fast-Trac means that she was to stand watch three days after the successful interview. Guess who was standing at the mailbox everyday, glaring balefully at the postal carrier when she didn't get her card? Even after the carrier finished the delivery at our complex, she would pester him/her to check his bag to make sure he didn't miss her letter. Chinese women and their patience, while waiting for their card, isn't their strong suit!

Ohhhhh! Another brilliantly worded government document, which throws confusion in for John Q. Public.

Jees Charles, When I read several words really stuck out in my mind: ".... we certified our approval of this case and sent it to the appropriate appellate body for review. They will notify you directly when they make a final decision." There are two separate entities judging I-130's and/or visa's? Wouldn't suprise me much from Government clowns. The only thing missing is a midget car, and the clowns piling out of it! On a more serious note could you provide a hyperlink for the CFL board where you found this? Then more serious minded CFL members can reasearch more in depth. Just when CFL straightened Visa issues out, and made the system understandable to all of us lower-class citizens; some clown comes along and throws a spanner into the bicycle spokes.

Same same. What is the difference if you contract the disease in China or the US? IMHO, I took the vaccine not to not miss work, and saved money in the long run regard to sick leave in the US. Besides; it was free, and I had no strange aftereffects. In China you lose time with the "better-half!" The end results are the same. The only difference is the amount of money/time you waste in the long run. Just MHO. Just take the shot , and in the long run it pays off no matter what country you are in. BTW, in San Diego where I live, several military family members have contracted Swine Flu, and I assure you of this; It ain't 't no walk through the garden. It SUCKS! However, it is a free country! Your choice. Dave Just wanted to add that my wife is a teacher in China (Chengdu)! Yes! It Swine Flu can and does happen, and the Chinese consider every bit as serious, and more so today after the SARS epidemic. In her school: 7 children out of 40, if symptoms are seen and/or excessive temperatures are detected, and the teachers are fairly very well indoctrinated of what to look for.....they close the school down, and swab the place down for the children. Edted to add additional pertinent information.

So what are the left-overs that need to go to the Tupperware storage containers? Duck breasts or the chicken foot and/or feet? I apologize. After nine years living in Korea, chicken feet are everywhere and are rampant! I mean steamed with spices, BBQ sauce, deep fried like pork rinds. Thank GOD, I married the only Chinese woman, which I'm aware of, which hates chicken feet as passionately in the same way that I do! She does prefer a 1 1/2" thick New York Strip steak that is open pit/BBQ charbroiled. I'm still working om the potato, chives, and sour cream. I wonder if I use this thinking process (love of steaks vs hatred for chicken feet) during her Naturalization interview? Dave edited for misspelling

Robert, Glad I could help. However there is a drawback, Perhaps, her Father is into gothic lifestyle.... You might get a spur of the moment thought like.... "Chinese Sphinx!" Just joking, and pulling your chain a bit. Regard to her Father that is an excellent idea. After all when you married her, began to love her, and became a fiancee to her, you married the entire family too! Good! Or bad! The nicest part is the face that you gain in the eyes of her family. They realize that they aren't losing a daughter. They are losing a daughter to a very nice man, that considers what they did before he came along came stumbling into the room of their/her Life. Please don't forget about what I mentioned in Item 1. This can be a serious concern, and can even dribble down into her returning to China with a passport. The last thing anyone of us needs, is crap from USCIS over something so small. However, your comment regard to love, is the hammer dead on the head of the nail. This is exactly how I felt. I could have cared less whether she was named Bozo the Chinese clown. On second thought....... let me rephrase that. (Imagine e having a great sexual encounter/time, and loudly proclaiming your love for Bozo, and Bozo is the greatest! Let stay with Alice. Who really cares what she chooses for a name? This is an individual choice, and nothing more. That is why later Yin dropped the "noms de guerre" of Alice , and reverted back to her own culture. This is a personal choice and we as husbands should respect the person. I'm sure that whatever comes back from the family, it will be from her family and most especially what she desires. No matter if she calls herself Bozo the clown, or whatever; the love doesn't change. She is still your wife and will respect what you have already done. Dave

3xcharm, My wife and I had the same dilemma, way back when (approx 5 years ago), as what you have right now. My wife (Yin) and I both discussed from each others cultural viewpoints, to decide which way we would go in the end. I left the decision to her. However, she tried taking the Western point of view and came up with Jiang-XXXX with the hyphen. (Her real family name). However, she didn't look to keenly on the idea, since my last name came from Teutonic cultures, and didn't match her name, as in the Green Beret movie, w/John Wayne; "...it didn't sing!" Boy! Could I see in her eyes that she was a bit unhappy with the end result. She promptly threw the decision back into my lap! LUCKY me! "Damned if I do! Damned if I don't!" To solve the crisis, I made the final decision, and followed two trains of logic. 1. Since you filed a I-129, what name did you use? We filed a I-129 and I-130. She stayed with her given family name on both the 129 and 130. Remember the nicknames used block? My wife at one time as known as "Alice." This was left off the blocks since we didn't want to increase research time from GUZ, in looking for an "Alice Jiang," in addition to what we already provided on immigration forms. Whatever you filed stay with it. Then if she truly wants to change her name it costs you some money, a court date, and it will be finished quickly, with no problems from GUZ 2. My wife's name has two separate and to myself, beautiful meanings. My wife is born and raised Chengdu, which is bordered by two rivers. The family name of Jiang, means "People by the River." Her given name Yin, means "green grass." There is no middle name. The given names matched her perfectly from the woman that I'm married to and her personality. There is a Missouri saying (I believe); "If it ain't broke, don't fixin' it!" IMHO, regards to my wife; what better name for a Chinese woman, than what she is given already? The name is perfect for her personality and who I married! How could I fix it up better, than what it is already? Please understand that, at the risk of a generalizing statement; Sichuan province people by their very nature are an extremely proud culture, of fiery tempers, very much in love with their Motherland (China), and in my words only resemble Chinese/Texas rednecks, and don't take a whole lot of crap from anyone, and this means even from Chinese! Ergo, they stay with what their given names are. I made the decision that she should keep her family given name, and definitely not add my idiotic Teutonic name, with a hyphen! There are times when a man makes a sound decision, and he can look at someone and know that he/she made the right decision. This is one of those times, which I knew that I made the right choice. Remember what I said about Sichuan people? Shortly after she arrived in the US, she dropped the name of "Alice!" permanently. Her line of logic was that since she was Chinese if an Westerner couldn't refer to her by her given birth name and remember it; then they probably didn't care about her in the first place and was never her friend in the first place. IMHO, pretty hard to argue with this reasoning. Perhaps, you should research your wife's name with name conversion sites. Find out what it means, the cultural implications, what it means to her, etc, etc. Perhaps she was named after an ancestor.....you never will know, until you ask and research. Most of all listen to her and see what she truly wants. After all you are married to and love the same women no matter what her name is. When she reaches the US, then change the name if she so desires. After being around Korean and many Asian people for almost 15 years plus, I suspect that she (and many others) desire to stay with their family given names. They (Far Easterners of any culture and most esp Thai, Japanese) will however, give some nicknames for their closest friends, when their name is particularly hard to pronounce. I hope that the information helps you reach a good decision. Dave

Good Luck! Does your Chinese woman/fiancee/wife know that you are on unemployment? My best to you! You'll need it! Even for a poverty stricken Chinese woman! If you are not a troll in the first place with this silliness! Might I suggest getting her pregnant, and receiving WIC stamps, to supplement your income? You will be the first to try this scenario past GUZ! This ought to be good! In all fairness to you, Carl (Warperbored) is right. Lining up a co-sponsor should be fairly easy! Just remember to have three years of tax data available from the cosponsor. The K1 and/or K3 Visas will be a breeze. Don't forget the photos and PMs Cerberus

OK, Dave. I'm one of those that don't give a damn about someone's religion, color, race - whatever. I do care about a person's character. Some may think I'm anti-Mexican because of my illegal alien views, but my views on that have to do with the injustice I and others suffered at the hands of our fine government vs someone walking across a stream and getting handouts and citizen's rights. Oh well. I'm the same with you with you Don! This absolutely pisses my wife off to no end! She stood in line with paperwork in hand, and her in her GUZ line, followed every rule that was set up by USCIS, was questioned (as many others are already! Hence... the CFL forum!) of was she was "qualified" due to a verifiable relationship, to come to the US vs a Hispanic that slips across the borders, and she is relegated to being associated with them because of her origins as an immigrant, and has violated no laws. My wife is probably the most prejudiced person I've ever known. She don't like anyone, period. If you are black, you are a bad person. If you are brown you are a lazy person. It don't matter, even a Chinese born person isn't worthy unless they are from Shanghai, and then only if they are family.....well, some family fair better than others. Hence, how many Chinese wives will talk to each other on the Internet or even on a telephone? Chinese women want to see each other eye-to-eye. Try to have your Tai Tai call my wife and see what both of their responses are. How about any other members taking this challenge? You will be filled with many inane excuses. However, at the end of the day, and when questioned most Chinese women IMHO, are keyboard Ninja's that prefer to work as anonymous entities, safe in their own comfortable niche , with their own belief system of right or wrong. As a side note to readers; Try to have your wife call another member that has a Chinese wife and I just mean one! Be prepared to see no end of excuses from being tired, making dinner, dishes, and continuing into headaches. In the end after carefully questioning; you will see that what I stated previously is true. She doesn't want to talk to another Chinese woman until she sees her face-to-face! BTW, I won't cast stones in a glass house....my own wife is the same. We as men put our hearts, souls, and idiocies on-line with CFL. Sometimes we are ridiculed, sometimes we are advised, some members adopt us under our wings, and other times not! See how far your own wife significant other is willing to bare her soul on a Chinese forum, like 001. Yes! I carry translation software, that I can read what is posted. In short; I have a better chance of throwing the city of San Diego as a whole over Coronado Island. Doesn't matter what economic level you are either. When she first got here, we were out shopping and ran into a black guy from the office I am friends with. So I hollered at him, and we walked over to introduce tai tai to him. She smiled and shook hands, but later said she couldn't believe I would be friendly with a black person. I told her to get over it and start getting used to it. She keeps saying a person doesn't look 'American' and I work on getting her to understand there is no such thing as a generic 'American'. They can be dark, white, green brown, red, short, fat, tall, thin, blue eyed, brown eyed, etc. Had the same experience. A former Green Beret, that is now a Command Sergeant Major, and highly decorated. I knew him serving combat positions before he became Special Forces later on . My wife met him once over dinner as he was passing through. My wife later questioned me and failed to understand why we were so close and she has met him to boot and shook his hand before dinner, and had no extent of questions for him. Hell! He was my squad leader way back when, and we had two wars under both of our belts. Neither of us care what race, culture, religious belief that any under us had. All we truly card about is surviving! Hell! Both of us would have hired a pig if it knew how to shoot in the right direction. So now, after six years of being here and being forced to listen to my views on race, she has loosened up a tad. She has worked with a lot of Mexicans, but really doesn't like them at all. Most of that is financial; she hears them tell her about a daughter who just had another baby to get more welfare. Tai tai understands her tax money goes to pay for it. Of course, that means those that she doesn't know well - like our neighbor. Still on on-going process isn't Don? Same thing here. It is a continual process. Will we ever totally cure it? IMHO: no! Prejudice no matter what race, creed, religion, sex orientation, or whatever is omnipresent. It is hard to stamp out our own parents imprinted images, and leaned behaviors that all of us have adopted as our own. To exacerbate the situation, now many of us are married to Chinese women/men that are the opposite extreme of ourselves and have their own belief system. I guess the result is that she is just as big a bigot as she ever was, unless she gets to know someone. Then she is able to set things aside and accept them as just people. I just came off from a ship after being called at 0300hrs this morning with two hours of sleep under my belt. Basically a 16-hour day. Let the forum at large, use other people problems as a teaching point so that we don't fall into the same problems, as those before us. I mean after all; isn't this the original purpose that PJ established the CFL forum for in the first place, and Donahso picked it up and kept it surviving? Twisted Candle is nice, but there are more educational issues that are to be leaned from. Not unless you want your marriage to be shaped around Twisted Candle. I hope there are a heck of a lot more responses, since I have already checked and many threads don't even come close to what is being listed in this thread! I truly hope that the thread remains civil and on-topic. Perhaps, each one of us can learn from each other and pass it on to our better-halves. Dave

This is simply human nature... "...This resembles a personal belief of mine that most of the world is in a mud hole. The people in the mud hole, want to pull your hands and have you join them in the mud hole, so that they can feel better about themselves...." What part of this don't we see everyday in life? The positive comments (and yes I read them) are far outweighed by by the bad. That is why people go to see a stock car race. They don't care about the race! They simply want to see someone die or be mangled in the crash. Then they pretend horror at what has happened. The crash and mangled bodies are forgotten within two or three days. Same is true of her skin color. Before the show, only a few people knew what she was. When it is aired via TV; then the true prejudice comes out! Then all of us (collectively meant) stands in horror at seeing the comments holds our hands to our mouths and scream what an outrage it is. Welcome to the TV, Internet, car races and accidents! This is simply human nature at its best. Nothing like a great disaster to take their minds off day-to-day inane crap, is there? Let's talk about a woman via Internet (where Neitzens are anonymous keyboard Ninjas) that has more talent then we have, speculate about their fathers, and their culture. Goes right back to what I said about people in the mud hole. I'm still waiting to see how this prejudice has affected our own lives with posts from CFL members. Do you truly think that you are immune from this in your own lives? I will be the first to admit, that I personally know that my own wife is prejudiced in this aspect when we first met. She has worked against her own beliefs, and now is far more acceptable. I apologize to other members. I ain't convinced, and I'm fully cognizant that I have a long way to go. Hell! My wife is prejudiced about people from Beijing. Are there are no CFL members that will stand up in this thread, and use it as a teaching/educational point? Or his will be one of those those posts that are buried under "breathless" accounts of more inane ramblings in Twisted Candle. Twisted Candle is fine at times. However, there are many other members that are waiting to see what your responses are, and I mean an educated response. I have already talked to one of them this evening. They suspect that you will blow by this issue to. Yes! This is a challenge! BTW the way Sam and Fen, until this day I didn't even know that you were Indian. I only knew you as Sam, and that was that. Dave

Unfortunately, this type of behavior does occur all over the Far East. I had my first exposure to this type of nationalistic prejudice when I first entered Korea in 1976. I will try to be brief just to emphasize my point, and not drift too far from the OP's topic. My military unit sponsored/supported an orphanage of half Korean/half American children (The term we used was AmerAsian) that weren't there due to parent¡¯s death. They were specifically there since the rest of the Korean society cast them out, and were considered "untouchables." US society wouldn't take them in either since the original birth father and citizenship couldn't be positively established. Now this, "...is stuck between a rock and a hard place!" The children were bright, articulate, and always playful that an atypical normal child is. However, they weren't pure. The Korean/White children fared far better. The Korean/Black fared absolutely the worst. At times, even the previous "orphaned" children (Korean/White) would shun them. How prejudiced can you get? To be shunned by another mixed race child. Black members of the military unit I was assigned to took these children under their wing and were understandably fiercely protective of them. As an Example, one member (black) began violating Ration Control limits (designed to prevent US goods from entering into the black-market). The offense is punished under UCMJ, Article 134, and could result in loss of two ranks, 45 days extra duty, 45 days restriction, possible dishonorable discharge, and 30 days of Correctional Confinement (for all the non-military civilians; hard labor jail.). He was brought up on charges since he was going to various US Exchanges and purchasing hot dogs, Spam, Kraft Caramels, Hershey's Chocolate bars and Kisses. He was caught, and accused of black marketing by CID. He was brought before the Corps Commander to explain his actions. As it turned out, he was spending his own money, in direct violation of written/direct orders not to do this, and was takings the goods down to the same orphanage to give to the children. In conclusion he was cleared of all charges instantly by the Commander, who then contributed funds for his efforts, and began a program, that all NCOs of the command (Non Commissioned Officers) to support these efforts. Past military members; when a field grade commander (a Colonel) give these orders, you damned well better be on duty or have a reasoned that you were detained! Lou Jing falls into the latter category that I mentioned before. It happens in whatever society in the Far East. Look at the Philippines, Korea, and esp. Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. This is nothing new. What is sad about the entire scenario is that I saw two things that really stood out in my mind. 1 ) Her own comments.... "I am DragonTV Angel Lou Jing, and here I make a statement! 1 ) My father is American, not African. 2 ) I am a born and bred Shanghainese person. 3 ) I should not have to bear my parents¡¯ mistake, I am innocent! 4 ) Sternly but strongly protest some people¡¯s racism, my skin color should not become a target of attack!" If the reader can't figure out what she saying; then that person really needs some cultural sensitivity training. Why does she simply state that she is Chinese, that simply has a black father? No more! No less! 2) She has talent obviously, which goes back to my original statement of the children being bright and very articulate. She goes to a talent show, exhibiting these talents and is immediately "torn apart" due to her skin color. Chinese people aren't prejudiced are they? After all; they have 5,000 years of culture don't they? The sad part is when she attempts to succeed, it brought her into the spotlight, and she is then commensurately torn apart. Why does the nation's/Neitzens reactions rival of a bunch of non-talented prejudicial bigots, that seem to be jealous that she has talents that they don't have? This resembles a personal belief of mine that most of the world is in a mud hole. The people in the mud hole, want to pull your hands and have you join them in the mud hole, so that they can feel better about themselves. However, the people in the mud hole, it never occurs to them to get out of the mud hole and stand with the rest of people. In conclusion, what do your own wives/husbands feel about this issue? I'm absolutely positive that this same story is making the rounds in 001 forum. I wonder how many "Neitzens" and /or our own spouses agree with what has been posted regard to Lou Jing? Please remember the old adage of stones being thrown in glass houses. The problem could wind up in your own backyard! Might I suggest treading carefully? The answer you receive, may or may not shock you. Dave

Gary, Go here http://traditions.cultural-china.com/en/14Traditions986.html. Don't know much more about it. Asking the better half about it is out of the park, since disciussing such things in her family is taboo. What ever you speak of....can happen. Dave

By the looks of his avatar...I would say not Nahhhh Rob. Just been stuck with the same avatar for such a long time, I thought a change would be a bit refreshing! Pretty weird and this avatar matches my dark humor perfectly! Dave