Q&Q

It's very confusing. I was told earlier by my banker friend that one could take up to $4,000 with one visa. I went to the bank yesterday to get more imformation and they told me I could only exchange 2,000, and my son could only exchange 1,000(for children under 14). If i wish to take more with me, i'll have to get a certificate issed by the foreign currency administrative bureau(not sure about it's name in English ). So I went to the foreign currency administrative bureau, they told me that the bank had told the right thing. One can take with him up to 10, 000, but he can only purchase 2,000 from the bank with his visa. If he wants to take another 8,000, he'll have to apply to get the permission from the bureau. After he applies, the bureau will investigate how he gets the money. Hope i've said it clear enough so that you get it I've found the rules and regulations in Chinese, here's the english version but i didn't found the exact page. http://www.pbc.gov.cn/english/ Q&Q

enight, Thank you so much for the info, you're always so helpful. Q&Q

It takes only 2 minutes to create a new account. I have created a new one. Thank you. Q&Q

Greetings to All, I'm so happy that after waiting for 9 months, I finally got my visa. And i've got my plane ticket too. Now it's time to get everything ready for flying. I'm wondering what I should do before i go to the airport. Will i just go to the airport in Shanghai with the visa and plane ticket? Is there anything I should go through with any department in Nanjing where I'm living now? Thanks! Q&Q

NOA1 05/01 NOA2 08/14 P3 10/01 P4 12/26 Interview date 01/14

As Brain has posted our timeline earlier, I would like to post here my interview timeline as a supplement, and the conversations between the interviewer and me. I’m k1. Jan. 14 7:45 Arrived at the consulate, waited outside, in the immigrants line with about 60 people in front of me From 7:45 to 9:30, “snailed” on, was asked twice to show them visa and p4 appointment letter. 9:30 Security check. 9:45 Handed in p4 forms, visa fee receipt, medical results and signed on the forms 10:00 Swore and the interviews began soon after 10:45 Was asked to go to Window 10. The interviewer was the black woman who had a serious look on her face. I was a little bit nervous because I had read at 001 and candle and known that she seemed to have more questions to ask. The following is the conversations Her: Do you speak English? Me: Yes. Her: He’s your son? (having a glimpse at my son) Me: Yes. Her: Who applied for you? Me: ****** Her: How did you meet him? Me: ****** Her: When? Me: (I thought she had asked where) ****** Her: ? (Looked at me with a question on her face, my son pulled my clothes, I realized the mistake, and told her when we met. But I made another mistake, I told her the wrong yearJ Her: When did you first meet him (in person)? Me: ****** Her: How long did he stay? Me: A week. Her: Only a week? Me: He came again in ****** and stayed for ******weeks. Her: Do you have any evidence…(I didn’t hear what she said after “evidence”, because my son was pulling my clothes again) Me: Yes. (I handed the album to her, after she finished the album, I gave her the netmeeting shots and the email lists. She smiled when she saw the netmeeting shots) Her: How old is his son? Me: ****** Then she read a few lines of one of the few emails I printed. Then she began to sign on those forms. Then she seemed looking for something among the forms. I was a little worried. She looked more serious than before. She said to the girl who was standing next to her(her assistant, interpreter) “I didn’t see her unmarried certificate”. I was really worried that she would ask me to get an unmarried notarization. The assistant found out the “CERTIFICATION OF LEGAL CAPACITY AND INTENT TO MARRY” and showed her. She asked “It’s optional?” The assistant told her “yes” Then her assistant gave me the white slip and told me to come back next afternoon. Then I said “thank you” and “good-bye” Then I called Brian and told him the GREAT news. Jan. 15 3:00 People who came to pick up immigrant visas began to queue up 4:00 Got into the yard, stood outside where we had had security check yesterday. Don’t need to go inside the consulate. 4:20 Call names with a speaker. When my son and I were called to go to No 2, it took LESS THAN ONE MINUTE for her to give it to me GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!

hi Tony, Please say "Happy Birthday" to Yan. My birthday is on Chinese new year's day too. I'll go to see my parents on holidays, so i can't get on line. All the best wishes for you and her. Q&Q

wow. hopefully you can meet each other at the airport and have a talk for real --hi, I'm bbridges --hi, i'm TimD --nice to meet you --nice to meet you, too --bye --bye well, at least you talk in person, for real, face to face, cool

cute

This is partially very true. Pedestrians are SUGGESTED not forced to go across the street taking the zebracrossing when the traffic lights are green. But drivers must obey the rules. I'm always trying to take the zebracrossing but when there're no cars insight, I'd sometimes forget the suggestion

To love their daughter more and more and more will be the most welcomed presents for most of Chinese parents. Q&Q

Babelfish doesn't help on this topic, goldfish either oh, well, my Brian will help me Q&Q

So beautiful...Candle is a perfect name for this forum...and candleGGs' and candleMMs' efforts(especially candleGGs') not only lighten each other, but warm up each other in this lonely cold winter as well. Thanks to GGs.

welcome to Shanghai Brian and Sujuan, be sure you visit 'xin tian di' this time... it's in the middle downtown, a very nice place enight, Is "xin tian di" near Renming Park? I think I saw "xin shi jie" when i went to have medical examination last Monday. Q&Q

"they still don't seem to have gotten the concept of attracting customers through cutting rates. Of course the idea of customer service just doesn't seem to register here." DISAGREE I booked two tickets from shanghai to SF, non-stop, at 412USdollars, including tax. Is it a good deal?

I highly recommend that we transfer this post to a certain educational department in China. I don't know how long you've been teaching in China, I'm impressed that you know Chinese education system and Chinese students so well. Yes, I agree that here we tend to emphasize more on the content in the textbooks, we teach them the information, but we don't or do little to teach them how and where to get the information and how to put it into practical use. But I'm glad our education authorities have finally noticed how important it is to emphasize more on the abilities to put information into practical use and to create. You're right, the inertia is so strong, it takes time to change, just thinking we have 5000y history, the tradition can't be collapsed in a night and there's surely something worthy of keeping down...But i'm glad that we've taken the first step, we're having an educational reform... Q&Q

Tony, I just sang the song, you put smiles and tears on my face at the same time Q&Q

I went to McDonalds in Nanning and thought I would play it safe and ordered a chicken sandwich. How can these nice people ruin a chinken sandwich??? HOOOOOOOTOOOOTOOOTOT!!!! They sold me three more drinks! >Jim I won't be surprised if I find Chinese food in America is more to American's taste. Mcdonald's in China does a good job to meet Chinese people's taste, that's why it's bocome so popular here. I like Mcdonald's and KFC. But I felt so sad when I saw KFC in Beihai park in Beijing. KFC and Beihai park, they just don't match at all. I feel sorry for those famous Beijing snacks

I was just reading at 001. A girl said that GUZ is issuing 500 visas in the morning and 500 in the afternoon. Hope it's a true news. If it is true, it's really a good news, couldn't be any better, if 1k a day, it will only take 5 days to issue all the 5000. Q&Q

I'm so glad that finally some couples have their visas in hand. Congratulations and Best Wishes!!! I'm Brian's fiancee SuJuan. I sent in my p3 paperwork on Oct. 5. I check my mailbox every day to see if my p4 has arrived, even if I'm not positive that I'll get it in December. Are you waiting for p4? please let me know your timeline. Thanks!

Thank you for the tips.

Tony, It's Year of the monkey Q&Q

The girl who had the first reported pick-up letter on Dec. 11 also went to the consulate today (for the third time, but still hasn't got her visa and was told to go back again tomorrow). She did say that she saw some people who had their interviews this morning got their visas in the afternoon. Another girl posted at 001 that two girls at 001 had their interviews today and got the white slips Q&Q