markndannie

I have been living with type 1 diabetes for the last 12 years and my wife Dannie was just diagnosed with type 2. Exercise and watching your carb intake is the most important. Eating good carbs with a low glyclemic value will help. You might read "Enter the Zone" by Dr Barry Sears. I follow a lot of what he writes. My endicrinologist recommends canola and peanut oil. I just had a new heart valve and quad bypass done and besides diabetic diet I now have to watch salt and follow a heart healthy diet. Dannie makes a bean porridge for me and lots of green veggies...no more bad american food for me, hahahha. wish you the best Carl. Mark

and how does one apply for the two year residency? thanks

And even then. Your wife could always retain her Chinese citizenship on the sly and you could get one-year or two-year spousal visas in China with minimal hassle. Then again, Thailand is nice. Hi all been awhile, so what is the two year visa and how long can you get it for? 6 month stay multiple entry? 9 month stay? thanks

Now tie this in with china doubling their gold investment from 500 tons to over 1000 tons this quarter. The dollar is falling against the RMB 6.8210 today. I think China is rethinking their investment strategy and will let the dollar fall. Our govt reps don't have a clue and there are just going to keep printing money on TP. Crap and I want to retire in a few years!

Dannie may become a usc but then she may have to give up her chinese pension and medical. I was just wondering where the entry areas are that are closer to china.

Hey everyone, Dannie and I will be retiring soon and I am concerned about keeping her green card current. We will be living in Weihai and will return each year to the usa. Is there points of entry like guam or american samoa that can be used to enter the usa for a few days that are closer than the mainland and still meet the green card reqmnts? Thanks

Hey Shnadong man, Where in Shandong are you. We just bought an apartment in Weihai and will retire in 2 + years there. As far as I know it takes 5 years with being in China 9 months consecutive each year. Not sure of the fees etc but good luck. mark

ok Dave is going to file the 130 for Dannies sister and her son next week. Her son Lui is now 20. So he can come over along with his mother? thanks for your help Randy mark

Dannies sister married a USC while we were in China recently. She has a son who will be 21 next feb. Can he file the 130 for him now given the timelines? I looked at the immigration site but not sure what the repercussions are if he is over 21 before the interview. Thanks Mark

From what my wife Danni has told me, the Hokou until recent time really controlled the population of China. If your Hokou was from a city then that is where you had to live and work. If your Hokou was from the country then you had to live and work there. If you had a govt job and they transferred you then you could move otherwise tough luck. I believe China recenty changed the Hokuo law due to worker shortages in the major cities. I had never before understood the control that the govt had but this explains it. I am glad they are changing the Hokou rules. For us Americans it is hard to understand as we can move anywhere we want. Ah the wonders of a free society. Now if they will change the forbidden restrictions in certain areas life will be much easier. Mark

Just got Dannies 10 year card in the mail today! wow we just had biometrics done on dec 11th. That was really fast. Thanks california service center. mark

We just had Danni's biometrics done today. Card production letter in a month and then how long to get the card? We are leaving for China in april for maybe 5 or 6 months. Mark

Hey Roger, looks like we will have to make a trip back every year even for a few weeks. I looked into this too and as long as you maintain a residence here I believe you will be okay. Staying in china can be more of a problem, I can see that we will just get a 90 day one time visa and then renew it at the office of entry and exit in China. We plan on spending 9 or 10 months in China and the rest in the USA maybe in the pacific northwest in summer or in fall in wisconsin. Mark

Thanks Dan, greatly releived mark

Dannie and I will be going to China in Dec thru early Jan 2008. We have to file for the 10 year resident card end of sept (90 days before expiration). Will the card be sent right away (hahaha), can we travel and return to usa with an expired 2 year resident card? Or what do we need to bring with us? Dannies son will be getting married and so we have to travel then. Hope someone can help answer. thanks Mark

Dannie and I will be retiring to China in a few years. We both love and miss China. It is partly financially driven but also it is the food, people, culture and the country. We have not decided quite yet which city but we do know it will be on the ocean. Maybe Yan Tai or Qingdao. I agree with earlier posts about the food. Dannie hates the food here in the US, we seldom go out to eat, instead we cook at home. I think it is very important to select a city that has other Lao Wei and the creature comforts of some western conveniencies (sat tv with western channels, cheese and sour bread and english conversation). With the price of housing here and the cost of living it is difficult to live the "good life" here on a small retirement. Why are so many americans becoming expats in mexico or costa rica or panama? We live in an over 55 apartment complex and see many senior citizens living a basic existence. I want to live the good life before I retire to a wheel chair! I really liked Dailian but it does get cold there. Medical is a very big consideration, but I have found that the cost and quality for day to day health problems is very good, the cost of medicine is low and we are lucky to have several doctors and a surgeon in the family. I think if it comes time for something major then a trip back will be required. As it goes we will spend 4 months every two years in the states and that cost will be about what the cost of living in China for 20 months is. There is no way that I could afford all of the services (foot massage, body massage, shampoo and maid etc) and travel here in the US on my retirement income. For you young families here start saving now for those golden years. mark

I just started the service this week no problems! Just having trouble dialing local numbers they never go thru always busy, my local phone has no problem. Dannie is so happy that she can call all her family and friends for just 25 a month mark

welcome to candle! it would help if you post your timeline. Our CR1 took about 14 months. I filed the K3 also but it never got processed through in time so yes it can be a waste, just depends on the luck of the draw. as far as videos you can do it yourself there is plenty of info on the FAQs about it. Will you be there with your wife for the interview? I would highly recommend that you and your wife stay at the rooms in GUZ (see the link in GUZ info for romantic). They are very familiar with what is needed and can help with a video or other things needed for the overcome. They will help your wife practice for the interview. I cannot stress enough how much confidence plays a factor in this process. best of luck to you mark

not him.. although there was a thread where we starting talking a bit about the videotape issues... I tried to find out who was the last person to slipped for a video. I know that Boba was in April.. We got a blue slip, another hoop to jump through (April 2005) http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9774&hl= but am sure someone else has been since then. At least, I think, this shows the now infrequency of it. I think I have noticed is that those reporting back from GUZ about others getting denials clearly shows that videos are still be requested.. just not as much from CFL ... 175612[/snapback] My friend has a camcorder with him but from a suggestion by our hosts he will practice with his SO speaking some English and with him speaking his little Chinese and discussing the interview and its affect on them. BTW we should update the FAQs as the place to do video conversion to VHS tape has moved to the 4th floor here at the IV unit. They will only charge him 200 RMB to put the video on tape. He had made a video yesterday with them communicating (they understood each other and you could tell they love each other very much). Obviously this has been a very traumatic experience for both of them but they are determined to do whatever is needed to prove their relationship is real to the VOs here. I pray that they will be successful in their overcome process. PS I will try to get the phone number and name of the Video service here. Mark

Dannie and I have been here more than a week and I want to say that it was a very great place to stay. It is close to everything esp the consulate IV unit. Our hosts were so very helpful and knowledgeable about the visa process. They practiced with interview questions, checked forms and provided all the guidance my wife needed. I highly recommend them because your SO needs confidence and from someone other than you and they know what questions are being asked and extremely helpful for any overcome help (hopefully no one will need it). Besides a place to stay that is clean and comfortable you cannot put a price tag on the help and support that is also provided, as well as use of a PC and printer and fax that is in the apartment. You can PM me for any questions and recommendations. If you decide not to stay here they can still provide help to your SO for a very reasonable fee. mark

I am posting this for the friend that got denied yesterday. One of the items checked is to provide proof of residency for both their ex spouses. they are divorced and provided those documents but wondering what he can provide as overcome if there has and is no contact with the ex. They suggest utility bill, phone bill drivers licence etc but that is not always possible. He has to return to the states soon and will be talking to a consular officer in the next few days. Any and all suggestions are appreciated. mark

Thank you for the nice congratulations, we will pick up the visa tomorrow and then get on the train back to shangrao, pack up and head to shanghai and then to the usa on Christmas eve. Dannie will post soon on the interview experience. Again thanks to CFL and all of you which will continue to be our home away from home. mark

Well Dannie passed her interview, she had a nice VO american with glasses, young guy she said. He only asked her two questions how did you meet? and will your son go with you to the US? Then she asked him do you want to see some papers? He said no you pass. Didn't even want to see any pictures. After she got her white slip she told him you can know me and my true story on Candle for love. He said he would. another few notes: the "black pearl" gave out quite a few blue slips today, one of them to a couple I met there while waiting. He is from Alaska and his SO speaks very little english. They have to do a video and provide info on both there Ex's residency. So we offered to help them get the video done. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated for them. I am so happy and glad now that the process is just about over. Thanks to all of you here on CFL for your help and support, I hope that I can help those that are still on this long journey. will post more later mark and dannie

Well here I am in GZ at the rooms in the consulate building. I can look out the window and see the area in front of the IV area. Hard to believe that it has been such a long journey. I have been here with my wife since august and find it hard to believe that the time is finally here. I am much more nervous than she is. We have spent the days practicing all of the possible questions but Dannie speaks such good English that I am not overly concerned. But reading a lot of previous posts I know that everything is just dependent on a VO and a few questions. It seems so unfair that our lives hang on such a few questions. All of us have or are going through this arduous process of legal immigration and feel so very sensitive to this long process to bring our loved ones home. Thanks to all of you here on candle for the knowledge and support that I have gotten during this process (ordeal?) Yesterday we went to pick up her medical papers and there was a wine festival in the square there. We walked around and I saw the Lucys place talked about here. I got to taste quite a few very good red wines and we saw a bunch of westerners that had adopted some Chinese babies. Well I will report back tomorrow after dannies interview and I pray that everything will go smoothly and we will be home for christmas. To all that are still waiting know that there is an end to the process and that you will be together with your loved one. Mark (the other half)

Congratulations to both of you, thanks again for the phoone number tip since i moved in July now my wife has too remember 4 phone numbers. mark and Dannie