Dan R

David don't even suggest that possibility

4 is the same in Japanese. In Japan sets of glasses, dishes etc are never in 4 but rather 5. You never give someone 4 of anything. Is this the same in China? 9 in Japan is like 13 in the US as the word sounds the same as disaster. I do things with 8s anytime I can just to make her feel good.

Yes I input using pinyin, so it might not be right for everyone.

I just use the Chinese Simplified input keyboard built into windows xp. Works fine. ÔÙ¼û

How exciting it is to prepare for Thanksgiving, our first together. We will have turkey but not a full bird roast. I plan a meal that fits our tastes and the way we like to eat. So turkey this year will be in a stew flavored the way she likes. There will be baked sweet potato and pumpkin, cranberry relish and steamed vegetables (gai lan, broccoli and cauliflower). No desserts. This is the first year I haven't had all the trimmings my mother made. But this year is one full of new beginnings. So much to be thankful for. Only my fellow CFLers can really understand that So what is your Thanksgiving going to be? HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE From Dan & Ping

She didn't get the P-4 until ten days after I was told about it from DOS. It should arrive in a few days. Good luck.

Yes interaction and actually hearing a reassurance should allay many fears.

A good thread! Valid points are raised but ultimately visa seekers are left to prove to a government employee that no fraud is being committed according to current interpretation of the law. How this is assessed has already been suggested. It boils down to departmental procedure,training and the individual employees that check the file throughout the process. I think that a good cover letter goes a long way to helping the case. I explained why I supported my fiancee in order for her to study English for our life together. I also gave a brief history of the relationship that led to the application. Our age difference (19) was never asked about. The interview was short. Only pictures were asked for, which she simply handed the VO a CD of a screensaver of our pictures I had made. Investment in the relationship both financial and emotional seems to a large part of the screening but it is also about legality. We who are in love often forget that the governments position is simply to be enforcing laws and seeing they are not being violated.

We go tomorrow. I hope it goes better. They seemed to know what was needed and said it couldn't be more than $80.00. Less if she already had everything. We shall see.

You want reasonable

Great news!!! What a holiday you will have.

Match making is legal and most likely would lead to a visa. I would be very careful about asking for tougher screening and prosecution that could greatly increase the time to process K visas. Establishing legal evidence to prosecute violators might make the whole process more lengthy and cumbersome. Currently refusal is based on reasonable suspicion rather than prosecutable evidence. As we see on CFL this is usually over come.

It is the seasoning that establishes the standard for good taste

I made an appointment for this Saturday. We will see how it goes. The receptionist said they have the paperwork. She wouldn't give me a price because she said they have to see the vacination record first. However it won't be more than $200 less than what a friend paid so I am a hero for the moment. The Doctor speaks Mandarin also.

Keeping fingers crossed for you.

Due to an employee in MD not inputting info, her number was not available on line so we need to go back now that we have the number.

I like her Chinese name and she prefers to use her Chinese nick name which is easy to pronounce (thankfully). People with non English names from all over Europe use their given names. Many have been given anglicized prounciations and others (usually first generation) insist on correcting the pronounciation. Why should our Chinese SOs do any different. Vietnamese names can pose a bigger issue such as woman called Bich or Phuc. If the name is a bad word in the resident country it is understandable why someone would want to change. With all the misspellings of names used by Americans today and the Nordic, Greek and Swahili names in use, I think people just need to be familiarized with Chinese names rather than avoiding them

We will be going to DMV soon for the State I.D. The SSC already arrived and all they said they need is the SSN and passport for photo ID. Should be no problem. SSA said to show them the SSN application receipt and they should do it. We went in but they needed the number (not necessary to see the card). Now we have the card with number so next trip should be a breeze.

As a person who has faced religious persecution in this country most of my life, I think the discussion is of great value. For most of CFL petitioners you are for the first time becoming a minority in a country you grew up in as a majority. Luckily things have changed in the past 30 years and you may or may not be exposed to problems as a result. Open discussion with the purpose of learning should always be encouraged. So far this seems to be staying in that frame work. CFL is a diverse family and it is good to explore those differences. Especially when they help to understand the love of our life. My only current goal is to see that she is happy.

Since I was in College in Japan I have taken off my shoes when I enter my home. I also like being bare foot. So could someone trll me how I can get my Chinese SO to do this? We go home. I leave my shoes at the door and she wears her's throughout the apartment. To relax at home she then takes them off at the door and changes to slippers (mine) since I'm barefoot. I tried getting her slippers when we were out but "no need". Anyone know how to introduce her to this custom? Now the two shower requirement she implemented. Is that safe in winter? I thought a thick hide helps peotect against flu

Good luck on the interview! Pictures! have photos of the two of you with family and friends. Let him bring your passport into the interview to show how long you have been there. You might try messaging some of the women members here like Amberzhu, Beijingjenny, jgrier, sylinchinastill. They might be able to give some advise. I made a CD of serveral years of pictures together as a screensaver. She gave that to him when asked for pics and that was the end of the questions.

It is sometimes mentioned within other threads. It would not be something people would want to discuss in an open forum, I would think. With the large Chinese population (over 500,000 Chinese in L.A. county) illegal immigration is often spoken of. K and business visas are the most often used. Refugee status for things like political opposition and multi children rarely qualify anymore but were popular methods 10 or more years ago. Five cities near L.A. have more than 33% Chinese residents and life in these goes on much as it does in China. This includes often living next door to your old Chinese neighbors. I hear people scared of marrying because of women who have used divorce laws to rip off the petitioner has made it difficult and much more costly. Only 4 years ago the going offer was 12,000-20,000 but now seems to run 30,000 to 50,000. This is not because immigration has stopped any but because of supply and demand. Many will join the local sex businesses and easily pay the fee in two years. (This is the source of much of the insults I have experienced regarding introducing other women for hire by "friends". Such as "Is she the first in your "massage" parlor?") It is much more costly than the Coyotes running illegals across the Mexican border for $1700-3000 or Canada for 1000. If you spend a lot of time in these communities in L.A. you hear lots.

Sorry but I was just trying to picture my Ping as a stepford wife She'd kill me if she finds out what a Stepford wife is. No translations please.

Keep in mind that the concept of religion and being religious is quite different throughout Asia compared to the West. There is little of the either or concept and more of the universal truth held in all beliefs. The ritual performance of religion was discouraged in China during the Mao period and many of our SOs may see no need to participate in an organized religion in order to learn "truth". In fact the three western religions may be considered more cults than religous by many Asians. Take it slow and easy. Introduce it as just part of what you are. I'll bet she is much more interested in what makes you who you are than discovering religion.

I hope you saved an Apple Dumpling for me. When I was a kid any really good diner made them. Now they are impossible to find. They are way better than pie too. 7 11 recently had a thing they called Apple Blossom which was a mini dumpling. I was getting one every day after work. Then they discontinued them