tmkeith

Congratulations... And yes our Chinese SO's do delight in this kind of humor in which we are left to wriggle helplessly while they are chortling inside... The scary thing is that they are SO good at acting during such a stressful occasion...when CAN'T they pull the wool over our eyes?

Aah, yes...making dumplings. Here's a little tip....mess up about half of the ones you fold. You won't be asked to do it again.

There's some good discussion on the topic in one of the recent Polls & Surveys: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index....992894645d91e4e 12 hand-written letters was more than Wendy and I provided...and she passed in March without even being asked to present them. Best of luck. Try to keep your sanity throughout this process. Trevor

Oh, I WILL teach her the culinary delight of chorizo and eggs for breakfast (once I find a good Mexican food market here). As far as soy dogs go, if one ever enters my home, I have a hungry garbage disposal.

I'll be okay with that...until she learns that veggie-dogs are common in California!

dude, you're almost to your fourth blue thingy!!! Just prepare for the worst and hope for the best. YOU WILL BE TOGETHER!!!

I'm like you.. not sure exactly how my Zixuan will be when face to face... all I can do is prep her the best possibly way without it appearing as a stressful experience before the interview even starts! I was almost to the point of not even acknowledging the interview, if that makes any sense. it started to put a strain on the relationship, and actually overtook our day-to-day lives.

Direct quote: there was glass between me and officer(black woman, like Ms.rice), so it is really difficutl to listen clearly, like last question, i really don't know what she said, but she understand and smile to me...then finished

Significant Other. gimme a few mins, and I'll get the lo-down from Wei on the interview setting

no doubt in my mind she'll pass with flying colors...with CFL behind ya.

I think many of us have been to that point, Ryan..."what else can I do?" Now that my Wei has the visa...I'm more concerned about when i will get my 4th blue thingy. I'm glad I kinda stuck my neck out on this thread. Sure, some may disagree with me, but if Wei and My situation can help anyone out, I'm happy to oblige.

You understood my intentions clearly, Dan. I'm done apologizing.

Amen to that, David. I know this process has taken us through the lowest of lows, and, in some cases, the highest of highs. I never intended to offend anyone, and I sincerely apologize if I did.

Some recommend the SO to be the first to say "good afternoon".. taking the lead in a sense of the interview... Very good point. Wei was kicking herself for forgetting to say "Happy Easter" at the end of hers...but she was well prepared for the rest.

I apologize, and do not mean anything negative toward any of our CFL SOs. Yes, there may be many negative connotations...but did my statement bring that about? Is it not a reflection of culture in the US? (of which our VOs are citizens?) I made this statement to help out CFL members and their SOs. It was not a classist, or racist statement. But, it may actually reflect the reality of the situation if our VOs, in fact, do take appearance into consideration. I may have made some uninformed, even stupid, statements on this board...but NONE of them have been made with bad intentions.

No, they shouldn't be the high criteria. But i'd rather have a few cheaters get through than have my SO rejected because of some subjective criteria the VO has.

hindsight is always 20/20, but I'm glad I wasn't there...with the exception of the practical joke she played on me afterwards....callling me up in tears to say she was refused, bringing me to my knees, only to share the good news in a follow-up call (minutes later.) Sorry, I just love sharing that story. It's a mixed bag. The warmth, confidence, and caring we can provide would be a great benefit...but maybe that only works on an American fiancee. My Wei needed to think clearly for the interview, and if I was there, she'd be just as worried over whether or not i was enjoying my stay. Run up the phone bill, send her some flowers (through one of her friends, if need be) but she knows you're behind her 100%, but that day she won't need to "care" for you.

I wonder how many relationships are ruined the day before the interview. It was hell on both of us.

While I'm at it...another thing she mentioned is that she noticed many "poor" girls from the countryside, as she calls it, who weren't dressed too well, and didn't think they fared too well. So, if need be, you may wanna send over some $$ to get a good outfit. Seems rather arrogant to say...as an American, but also remember these women are being interviewed by Americans. So, if appearance can get a few pointx...do it.

Just thought I'd share a bit about my SO's experience in GZ for her interview which went over really well. The thing that sticks out in my mind is that Wei said she was very confident from the moment she arrived. She knew our story was true...she had the documentation, and spoke English. There were one or two questions where she asked the interviewer (the dreaded "Black Pearl") to repeat herself because the room was quite noisy, but that was the only holdup. She was convinced that her confidence won her over. She said she saw many women there who looked "defeated" before they were even called-up to interview. Just wanted to throw this out to you all. Whe the time comes, and you've done all the preparation and worrying one can ever imagine...reinforce your SO's confidence. We need every edge we can think of.

I agree with David, here. To have one consulate in a country of over a billion people, I'm sure they get a million queries a day about "where is my case?" "can you move faster?" We got great responses from GZ when we queried them for clarification...but I'm positive it didn't move things along any quicker.

Could the 7-25-05 referred to in the original post actually have been 5-27-05? I have that problem all the time dealing internationally with the mm/dd/yy format we have here versus the dd/mm/yy format so many other countries have. Just food for thought....or I'm an idiot.

I think it's definitely worth a trip into San Francisco for me and Wendy when she gets here. I just moved to Walnut Creek from Fremont, as I just got a job in Napa...but I wanted to be close to BART so Wendy can get around, and I can still get to work at a decent time. But, I must admit, it's not the most diverse city in the Bay Area by a longshot. If I can avoid any hurdles in helping her adjust to living in the US, then I'll do whatever it takes. Thanks again, Trevor

I figure that after "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" it was all downhill from there.

I ______ do fully intend to marry ________ within 90 days of her entry into the US. Swept her off her feet with that one.