david_dawei

I'm not in the exact window of time you asking for, but just prior to it.. I know of about four (including myself) who all had NOA2 dates of Jan. 31-Feb2... and all of us got their P3 about 3/1. So, maybe count on at least 30+ days from your NOA2 date.

You can do a search for "Chinese Language Support" and should find links for Microsofts IMEs. Install the "Simplified" version for your operating system. In the lower right corner, an "EN" shows up which reflects the keyboard input is in "English Mode". If your cursor is within a software that accepts the input method, then you can change the mode to "Simplified", then start typing Pinyin. Feel free to PM me anytime to help get setup. **** I'll tack on my own question: Anybody who has actually setup a version of the input method "Wu bi" ? I have Win XP ? When I was in China, I had two guys tried to do it and they finally gave up, saying "your american operating system won't support this [download]". Also tried with another disk while there. Since back, I have done searches in the US , but yet to find one that will setup and work.

.70 cents or .70 dollars? I'm guessing you mean .70 dollars (that is, 70 cents) but please clarify, because the other would be REALLY cheap ... sorry for the confusion.. and I got two calls crossed, so I looked at it online. A forty minute call was 70 cents (or as you corrected, .70 dollars). I also use Trillian for "IM" (Internet Messenger) .. I have my AOL and Yahoo accounts pull into this so I only open Trillian. It also notifies me of email in either one. It keeps a "chat" history by your buddies. So I can see every day (and every word !!) that we talk. IT will accept Chinese character input, which AOL and Yahoo IMs will not do.

I use skype (skype.com)... If anyone else [around the world] also has the software, the call is free. You can pay for call out service and call anyone, even a cell phone. I talked to Zixuan for 20 minutes on her cell phone and it cost me 0.70 cent. Since then, she has gotten the software and we now talk free. I wish I could find a reliable software that would do three items : 1) Video 2) Audio 3) Send message in chinese characters in chat mode Skype can do 2&3 . I use Yaoo IM for #1 (video), but it's audio is bad and no chinese character support in chatting. I've tried MSN and windows messenging...

No sooner did I post then I realized I should of searched my personal file that I keep lots of info to.. so I found the EMS website in a FAQ thread that I had saved.. EMS tracking Website: www.ems.com.cn/ems/English/jianjie.jsp

Hey Bill, I think I'm going crazy.. but easy to do here.. Since we both just submitted, we're on the same time line.. but yesterday, I could of sworn I found a "EMS" tracking website... but today cannot find it in my searching ! I know this will only track to GZ and not necessarily when it is input to the computer.. Let me know if you find this site...

Sweet ! Just did ours yesterday. Nice to know who else is waiting in the same period.. The "best guess" sheet has the interviews in July.. Hopefully we can sweat this out together!

Will do.. Thanks !

Curious.. did she use EMS to send it back to GZ or what mailing ?

Nobody likes to wait.. but it is certainly easier to do it together! I am glad to hear you are going in June. Enjoy the time and best luck!

Last night, ok, this morning at 1:00am , I was having my daily talk with Zixuan (ain't the internet great with free audio and video to boot !) . She's filling me in on her last day... some family bad new was first. Then very casually mentions she got the P3 ! Since I was in China with her the last two months, I have not thought too much about it. Needless to say, we both were overcome with joy to get it. I had primed her for the "long wait" when I left her, and she gets the P3 a few weeks after I go ! Although I know there is still a wait, but to get the P3 was a welcome milestone! I begin to quickly tell her some things.. depending on it's importance or clarity needed, we write back and forth in Chinese characters, pinyin or English. The internet has been a godsent, whether for chatting, translating or using this forum. I'm sitting here now since 6:00am, online with her, while she fills in the form with a english speaking friend... they ask me a question as needed... I'm well prepared. I have printouts of the forms, I retrieved her "telegraphic code" name last night off a web page... I did searches on the forum and found the FAQ and other great stuff on P3 questions. I sit here and wonder if she will ask me something I cannot answer... I begin to formula a strategy on how to quickly submit a question to the forum if needed.. I've got it open and sit poised.. ok, a little fidgety... Oh wait, a question... haha ! She writes , "hug". This is one I can easily handle..

Hi All, Just got back from two months in Baoding, China with Zixuan... I rarely post, but read often during my time there... Since we're talking "letters from NVC", thought I jump on this bandwagon of P3 waiters... I received my NVC letter on Feb. 11, same as Meiandmark described. My submission experience is as follows, hope this will help someone else down the road: Dec. 8 : I-129F submitted Dec. 29: Received RFE , divorce document was not "Absolute" version ( I had submitted the Judgement of Divorce "Nisi" version) Jan. 10: Mailed RFE info back. Feb. 2: NOA2 received, approved. Feb. 11: NVC letter received. WHen I received the RFE, I realized that not only was the document submitted wrong, but that also the other form requesting the divorce date was input wrong (although INS did not mention that in the RFE !). I got some advice to simply note this as part of the cover letter, and state that the other form is not correct and noted the correct date to be used for that form. I held my breath for those few weeks... but seems they accepted this cover letter correction as good enough for the other form! DavidZixuan

If the receiving person has an account with Bank of China, then here is what I have done: I have sent money twice from US to China. You can visit Bank of China (BOCNY) in New York at : http://www.bocusa.com/bocny/ . Go to the wire transfer link and eventual you get to a form for non-bank members. Here is the link for the form: http://www.bocusa.com/bocny/html/nonaccount_form.html I copied and paste it into MS Word so I could use it again and again. I mail the form and bank check (includes the $20 fee) to BOCNY. All it takes is the time for the mail to get there, the bank check to clear, then they execute the wire transfer... This has worked twice very well. The second time, I had a misprint on my form and BOCNY called me.. we worked it out quickly. I will say that I tried once through my own bank and ultimately told them to stop the transfer since there was some problem, but I was never directly talking to BOCNY, so got frustrated and decided to do it on my own. Now I like the fact that if there is a problem, I get the phone call... I am not saying that this is the fastest or cheapest means.. but it works. Also, I used my ATM card in China without problem... so I considered to leave one and the fee is small and money access is immediate. David&Zixuan