The Jeff

I want a CFL t-shirt. Where can I buy them?

These are all horrible, horrible stories. I had no idea that Chinese restaurateurs could be so mean. My wife works at a buffet and doesn't have any problems like that.

I like Shantou, also in Guangdong. It's a coastal city about 45 minutes away from the beach. It is very clean, the weather is fantastic and it is inexpensive.

Basically, becoming a public charge means getting things like welfare checks and food stamps. Other kinds of public services are fine. My wife and I are both students, both get Financial aid through the FASFA as well as loans. As students and new parents, we also qualified for public medical insurance and WIC. Keep in mind though that until you have residency in a state, you may have to pay out of state tuition. In California, my wife had to pay about $3,000 per semester until she had established residency by living in California for one year and one day. You will also need a SS# to apply for the FASFA. Good luck!

I don't care for Chinese made melodramas. They tend to be slow and depressing. But I do like HK films, and sometimes directors go to China to tell thier stories. I especially liked "somewhere in time" or I think that's what it's called. It's a love story about two people who communicate over a short wave radio. The only catch is that they are separated by 20 years or so. Another good one is the little seamstress...or something like that. I'm terrible with titles.

I like panda express. I've never had a better meal.

Lots of kissing pictures of eachother? Email and chat logs? Financial support evidence? Large family reunion-type photos of you and your fiance, maybe even bring other members of your own family from the US for a visit? A very nice (noticable, not obvious) engangement ring? These kind of things should sufice.

I filed in when I was in China, but I moved around too much so I couldn't prove residency in China. In the end I just filled out the application in China, used my mother's address on the forms, then mailed it to my mother in the US where she mailed it from a US address.

What's the difference between the new and old test anyway? Is it supposed to be harder to something? After reading it myself, I really didn't see any big difference.

it was sarcasm. F.A.I.R. (Federation for American Immigration Reform) is a horrible, xenophobic organization.

I was just joshin about the Mexican visa thing anyway. But I did find a great site for immigration reform. http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer and their goals: http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?page...nter_friendly=1 great. they're just a fantastic organization

...so does anyone know about getting a Mexican visa for a Chinese?

So after my wifey becomes a citizen, she wants to sponser her little sister to immigrate to the US. So I check on the USCIS website bulletin and see that it takes around 12 years to process. WTF! No wonder we have so many illegals in this country. If my wife was Mexican, I think I'd have her sister just jump the border. There really needs to be some kind of visa reform.

Sometimes the profs can be prejudiced and ignorant. Last year my wife took an English class for native speakers, a skill building class in reading and writing. Even though she did all the work and loads of extra credit, she still only got a C in the class, as well as a recomondation by the old hag (she was a 60+ year old PhD) to take a lower level class because her ability was not high enough, plus she had an accent that she couldn't understand. Of course my wife ignored her compleatly and took the next higher level English class, passed with an A and her professor had no trouble understanding her at all. I recomend sites like Myspace just to make sure you have decent teachers. They have a professor grading aplication that is wonderful.

wow, that was over 10 years ago. News travels fast.

My wife makes spicy food, and spicy food only...unless it's a bbq steak. Typical dish: Pork, Chilies and then some more chillies, with some dried red pepper and then some habenero chillies to top it off for color. Finish it off with some chili oil, and you've got a meal. I haven't been gaining any weight.

Congratulations! Being a US citizen will make things a whole lot easier in the long run. We still have 529 days left before we can apply for citizenship. And the application fee just went up from $400 to $675! The bastards! ...I just hope they won't hike up the fee again anytime soon.

My wife took a non ESL English class at our local community college last semester and really worked hard at it. It was two levels below English 1A, the English class that is required for trasfer to University in California. She did the extra work in the class, extra credit and other class requirements. The teacher however judged her on her accent and gave her a C in the class, then recomended that she take a lower level class next semester to brush up on her English. My wife was irate at the time and couldn't believe that the old hag gave her a C. (she got all A's in her other classes: Oceanography, Intercultural Communication and United States History. She also got all A's in her next semester: College Algebra, Human Sexuality, Environmental Science, and Introduction to Business.) Anyway, she's taking another English class this summer (a higher level) and couldn't enjoy it more. We looked at the teachers profiles before registering for class and chose the one with the best grade. and that was what made all the difference. My wife loves the class, is learning and improving a great deal, and the teacher dosen't have any problem understaning her when she speaks. (That First English teacher in the US was a 60+ year old PHD holder who's idea of culture was anything European. Everything else (Asian, Latino, South American, etc) was second rate to her and it showed... On websites such as myspace, there is a professor grading section where you can look up student feedback on professors at your local college and Universities. It really helps a lot and I couldn't recomend it more.

Dang immigrants!...oh wait.

In another vein, I have a similar topic regarding tipping in restaurants. Is it required to tip in a Chinese buffet, or any buffet for that matter? I say no, my other half says yes. so who's right?

potatoes. The dangers are everywhere.

²ÙÄãÂè £¨cao ni ma) would be a bit like F yer mom. Another gem is ±ä̬ (bian tai) which is like saying gay when used to describe something. Eye shit is actually pretty standard Chinese. The Chinese word for shit, in fact sounds very similar to the English but does not have the same weight. It's similar to crap or crud. Tofu is also an interesting swear word when used in certain contexts. For example, if you were to say that you would like to try a certain someone's tofu, you might be in for some trouble.

The collegiate pot capital would have to be Arcata, home to Humbolt State University, not Chico. Though Chico might just get second place. When I was in Humbolt a few years ago, I was stopped on the beach by some hippies. They asked me if I wanted to buy some pot. A few yards down, another group of hippies asked me if I had any pot to sell. Then there's all the bud that grows wild up in the hills. Yea, Sierra Nevada is pretty good. I like celebration ale myself tho'. For eating, we like eating in. Nothing is spicy enough in Chico.

I agree with what another poster said. Take a theater or speech class at your local Community College. It will help you with your speaking ability and confidence. Keep the accent though. I think it's really crapo that some accents are considered ok, yet others are not. Would you want to change your accent if, say, it were French or German? Many college professors have accents and and they don't seem to have any problems. My college German teacher had a Texan Mexican accent (he was from southern Texas) and I had a speech instructor who had a very thick Indian accent. This is the United States, a nation of immigrants. Just because someone has an accent doesn't mean that they should look down on themselves or try to change who they are.

My wife has gained over 25 pounds and has a pot belly bigger than mine. Her backside has doubled in size and is developing a double chin. Then again she's 7 months pregnant so I guess she has an excuse.