Mick

I'm not Chinese Dan, but my wife is! Seriously, while in Nashville you might want to check out an authentic Chinese food store. It'll remind you of your days in Changsha. I can't tell you the name of the place, but here are the directions: Take 1-65 from either the north or south. Go to the Harding Road exit. Take Harding Road and go east for about three or four miles until you come to a big intersection at Nolansville Road (SP?) I think that's the name of it anyway. If it is not Nolansville, then it is close. Anyway, take a right and go about a half-mile. The store will be on your right. They pretty much have most of the Chinese items you might be looking for. Also, at the intersection of Nolansville Road and Harding there is a big Chinese restaurant on the northeast corner. It is not all that authentic, but the food ain't bad. Are you coming back to Tennessee for the Catfish Races? The market you are talking about is called K&S. It is a multiethnic market but they have it all. I live just north of Nashville Not many chinese aroundhere and I haven't found aChinese restaraunt she will eat in. We do have a Chinese take out that is really good. My wifey says it is authentic but it is take out only. Yep, that's the place alright. They do have just about anything you might want. We go up there every couple of months just for the heck of it. The owner of the local Chinese food joint here in Ardmore goes up there quite often, so we usually just have him pick up something for us if we need it. I am not a big fan of driving around Nashville. Way too many bottlenecks! I lived in Miami for 15 years and figured that was about as bad as traffic could get in terms of craziness, but Nashville ain't too far behind. Trigg, living up there in White House, you ought to head on over to Paris, TN for the annual Catfish Races. I am not sure exactly when they will be held this year, but you ought to check it out. Of course, Danswayne could probably give you the particulars, seeing's how he is a native of Paris. Tennessee, that is, not France.

Personally, I find American ginseng to be of inferior quality and potency to Korean ginseng and that grown in North East China. I suspect, however, it is just a matter of taste. I rarely buy American ginseng, but many folks living in China have requested it as a gift whenever we return.

Yeah, be careful anywhere in GZ. We had a carry on bag snatched at the airport when we were leaving China. Fortunately, it did not contain the visa papers, but it did carry $500 in cash, many valuable photographs and over 10 computer disks containing writing I had done during my five years in China. Really try to keep an eye on things, especially at the airport, train station or bus station.

I'm not Chinese Dan, but my wife is! Seriously, while in Nashville you might want to check out an authentic Chinese food store. It'll remind you of your days in Changsha. I can't tell you the name of the place, but here are the directions: Take 1-65 from either the north or south. Go to the Harding Road exit. Take Harding Road and go east for about three or four miles until you come to a big intersection at Nolansville Road (SP?) I think that's the name of it anyway. If it is not Nolansville, then it is close. Anyway, take a right and go about a half-mile. The store will be on your right. They pretty much have most of the Chinese items you might be looking for. Also, at the intersection of Nolansville Road and Harding there is a big Chinese restaurant on the northeast corner. It is not all that authentic, but the food ain't bad. Are you coming back to Tennessee for the Catfish Races?

Congrats Dave and best wishes. It is great to hear from you again! How's the little one getting along? Should be easing up on two years old or so.

Good luck to both of you! The more Chinese we can have in Tennessee the better! Our AOS interview was in Memphis last December. It all went very smoothly. At that time the USCIS office was located on Sycamore, just off I-40. However, they told me they were going to be moving into a new office. Do you know if they have moved yet? Again, hope all goes well. Hang in there!

Could that be because you are in Tennessee? Hey...I'm in Tennessee, too!

Wow! Thanks for posting this info. It is always a delight to see when the system does finally work. We are working in that direction.

Thanks for the info Chinese Wife. Like everything else in this process, it would appear that each office does things differently. In our case, we have to go to Memphis, they will not accept faxes or correspondence proving it was their mistake. We have to go in person. If it was their mistake, and it was, we won't have to pay. I haven't given them any money and won't unless they can prove it was our mistake, which it was not. Will probably set up appointment in Memphis for next month. They said to call and set up the appointment "at our convenience." I told them I didn't think a 10-hour round trip to Memphis would be "at our convenience" under any circumstances. Will keep folks posted as to how all this pans out.

Mick, Dare I SUGGEST better to handle this MESS at CIS?????? B) B) Not a bad idea at all! After all, having to schlep all the way back over there amounts to a load of crap in my book.

You think maybe I could pick up one of those velvet Elvis wall paintings at that museum Squeak? I seem to remember Don wanted one. B)

I lived and taught in China for five years and can truthfully say it was the most rewarding and enjoyable work I have ever done. I loved being there and especially loved working with my students. Of course, being with Li was a major source of happiness and contentment as well. I taught in the university setting and getting a job is not so difficult. Of course, I had a background in teaching English and journalism, so maybe it was easier for me. My advice is to first decide what part of China you want to be in, then search for possible jobs in that area. ESL Cafe is a good place to start as some have already mentioned. Some schools are better than others. Try to get a feel for what the Foreign Affairs Officer at your school is like. The FAO has the power to make your stay heavenly or hellish. I was fortunate in that at both schools where I taught, the FAO was great. Don't expect much pay. Some schools pay more than others but then sometimes the higher paying gigs are more of a pain in the keester if you know what I mean. Good luck and best wishes.

Thanks for the suggestion Squeak. Li and I already went on one mini-vacation to Memphis back when she had her AOS interview. That was in December. Guess we may be going back, however. I suppose one can never see Beall Street or the Mississippi River too many times. Plus, they have some great ribs over there. Problem is, taking a baby along is not so easy. Little critter has to have diaper changes fairly often plus gets cranky in the car seat.

Thanks for the sentiments Don and others. Yes, we have been married for two years, but we have been together for seven years. (For some of the newcomers, Li and I lived together in China for five years before coming to the States 2 years ago.) I had hoped we could mail in our evidence that it was their screw up, not ours. Memphis said no dice, we have to come in person. This necessitates taking a 10 hour round trip with an eight month old baby and will, of course, require an overnight stay. Am I happy??? Hardly!

Well, here we go again. For you old timers, what I am about to say should not surprise you. In our case, at every juncture of the process, there has been a foul up. Starting with the initial filing, right up to the present. Anyone remember the Black Hole of 2002? So, after 20 months in the States, Li finally received her green card in the mail. Needless to say we were ecstatic! That is, until we looked the card over and discovered they had put down the wrong birthdate. There was a phone number sent in the letter to call if there were any mistakes. So we called. Here are our choices: We can file an I-90 form to replace the original green card, at a cost of $185 plus another $70 biometric fee (she has already been fingerprinted three times.) Or, we can set up an appointment in Memphis, drive five hours over there and prove that it was their mistake and not ours. Either way, its gonna cost close to $200, just because they screwed up yet again. I wonder if there is ever an end to this ineptitude? Pardon my spewing, but I am just fed up!

Congrats on getting the EAD. When we filed we were also living in Alabama and had to go through the Atlanta office. We had the EAD appointment in downtown Atlanta and the card was issued there. Perhaps they are doing things differently now. Since we moved across the state line into Tennessee, our case is now in Memphis. We were approved for the green card last week.

Thanks Patrick. I guess we were fortunate in that the little town we live in straddles the Alabama/Tennessee Border. The state line literally runs down the middle of Main Street. Buildings on one side are in Alabama, buildings on the other side are in Tennessee. A little less than a year ago, we moved and it so happens that where we live was across the line in Tennessee, which necessitated our case being moved from Atlanta to Memphis. Our case arrived in Memphis in August and we had the interview in December. Not bad considering how slow Atlanta is. We are just so glad to have finally crossed this hurdle. Thanks to all for your kind words and well wishes. Life indeed is good. B)

From Shenzhen you can go to Guangzhou by bus, train, boat or air. Train is an express job as are most of the buses. The jet foil is a fun trip to take and will get you there as well. Once in GZ take either a taxi or the subway to Shamian Island. Consulate is on the island.

From the time we filed AOS until it was approved was 19 and a half months. That is added on to the 17 months it took to get the visa. A time line of a little better than three years from first NOA to green card. Like others have said, the process for AOS is faster in some areas than others. If you are in the southeast, hang in there.

Happy to report that at long last Li has been approved for a green card. We had our AOS appointment yesterday morning in Memphis. Things went very well with no major glitches of any kind. The interviewer was very friendly and only asked to see a few items, such as Salina's birth certificate. We had taken along everything but the kitchen sink and gave it to him anyway. He approved her in about two minutes. Of course, having our little daughter along must have helped. For some of those who are relatively new to the board, Li and I were members of the original Black Hole gang who experienced long delays back in 2002, after having the visa approved. We got a white slip on August 20, 2002 and did not get the visa until March 10, 2003. We began this process in October 2001 so you can imagine how happy we are that we finally got through all to difficulties and that the green card is at last approved. For those still in the pipeline, hang in there. It takes awhile but it finally does happen. B)

Great news Tony! I know it has been a long haul for you guys since the beginning.

A heart-felt congratulations! Best wishes for a great future together.

Li and I lived together in China for five years prior to returning to the States. The fact that I had been living in China did not have any negative impact on the interview. In fact, it was more of a positive in that we had so much evidence that our relationship was legit. I don't think you will experience any problems just because you live in China. Best of luck to you!

Amazing how fast they grow isn't it? Salina is now 6 and a half months.

I worked in China for five years and was living there when we filed our original petition. Because I earned so little in China, plus the fact that China has a mutual taxation treaty with the U.S., I did not have to file tax returns for the years I lived in China. I did, however, have to pay Chinese taxes. I included a letter explaining all this with our original petition and experienced no problems. We did, however, need a joint sponsor because my Chinese salary fell below the threshold for income. From what you say, your assests and salary should be enough to satisfy them, but then, I am not an expert. Have you tried calling the 800 number and asking about this?