cguo7
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Posts posted by cguo7
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hey shadeogray, good luck. it's coming up!
Yes, we will be there the week before. The interview is on 5-21. Jeff
I'm in GUZ right now, interview is 11 may
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thx for ur advice. it's getting easier to shrug things like this off,
Back to the original thread, I am sorry to read about your encounter. I think you have received some excellent feedback, but would like to add some of my observations.
There was a time when just about every Chinese had the unrealistic expectation that an ethnic Chinese must always remain Chinese, by being fluent in Chinese and retaining his/her allegance to China (whichever government may be in charge). If you ask me twenty years ago, I would have told you that was an absolutely reasonable expectation; I have a more nuanced view of things now - having lived away for over a decade changed a lot of my views - and I don't think I am the only one that has turned around. By the way, this reminds me of my visit to the Chinatown in San Francisco a few years ago. I was both amused and saddened by the sea of flags on rooftops: if you find a flag declaring allegance to the People's Republic of China, you will always find a flag declaring allegance to the old Republic of China on the opposite side of the street. Well, it's nice and easy to wave the flag when one lives thousands of miles away from the potential conflict and doesn't have to sacrifice a brother or a son for it. For the record, I haven't seen this in Chinatowns elsewhere.
When I lived in Guanghzou twenty years ago, I spoke Mandarin with my friends in school but often spoke Cantonese when I was out on the street - when buying something it always made the negotiation quicker if I showed I could speak the local dialect. There are narrow-minded people everywhere though, not just in China.
Some mentioned that pay grade could be the real reason behind the feeling of resentment. If there had been a substantial difference in pay for seemingly similar work, just shrug it off, after all you are getting a better deal; if it was all just perception, you should care even less about what this person thinks.
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Hi there,
My husband will be going May 27th in the morning to his interview in Guangzhou. Are there any other people with interviews this month?
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congratulations Mike and Yizhen!
Usually people only post when they have difficulty picking up the visa in a timely manner. Our visa was picked up the day after the interview, about 5:45pm. When can we expect to see an update that the visa is ready for pickup? Thanks, Mike & Yizhen
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oh, i meant he still is so he will provide a letter stating why he joined - for higher pay at his job. Originally, he thought he was out of the CCP cause he hadn't paid his dues in half a year , but his university told him they'd pay for it and he couldn't figure out a way to tell them not to because it would have made his job more difficult, and gossip runs rampant.
We are nervous though, because he is still part of the CCP.
Was or is? Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't he need to resign from the party and provide the resignation letter showing he did before the inteview?
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congratulations!
Hello to everyone here..
Good News today.. Ling has received a notice she has gotten the visa. I guess that means we are PINK... been a long time.
One question however.. She must go to Guangzhou to show her passport and get it stamped. I see many others just send it to the embassy and it is returned.. Is this normal procedure? Do you think there will be any surprise questions when she gets there or is a Pink slip a guaranteed visa?
I want to thank all of you here who have helped me through this procedure. Ling and I both appreciate all the positive and truthful advice given here.
For those of you still waitng, be patient most of all, dot your "i"s and cross those "t"s.. Good things always come slowly and patiently..
Later, Jim
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hi warpedbored,
thanks for asking. i haven't seen her since the incident and i had never seen her before prior to the incident . i haven't gone back into that office yet because I'm still not okay with what happened to me and I definitely could not force myself to smile at her or greet her because of the way she acted before, with such an air of arrogance. I'm waiting for May 27th so we can get this interview over with. Jeffrey and I are preparing the best we can. We are nervous though, because he is still part of the CCP. He has gone ahead and written a letter in chinese regarding why he joined and had an English teacher translate it, so we can only hope this letter helps. This is what I'll focus on rather than dwell on the negatives (at least hope I can)
How are things at work now cquo7? Has your co-worker mellowed out any or is it injured silence?
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hey rogerinca,
we can't wait to see you guys in Sacto either. It will be good to go home to the US and share our experiences. Thanks for your advice!
Chris, sorry I missed this when you first posted.
While I don¡¯t feel qualified to provide you with a personal experience answer, my street instinct and advice would be that you learn the Chinese equivalent words for ¡®f..k-off' !!
Never back down from someone like this. Remember, you are not only an ABC, you are a So-Cal girl!!
Also, hope all goes well with your process. We look forward to visiting with you guys for lunch, when you and Lao Gong return to your current home in Sacto.
Your husband can talk to my wife in perfect Mandarin or Cantonese, and you can talk to me in perfect English.
BTW, my nephew (my older brother's son) is married to a highly educated (civil engineer) first generation ABC, (age 34) and she can't speak much Chinese either.
Further, my niece (my younger sister's daughter) is married to an OTB, Chinese, and his English is crap, even after 15 years here.
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thanks, took a look. My husband prepared a letter in Chinese and had a Chinese teacher who taught English translate it, so he will have a letter ready that way, instead of writing it himself and looking for someone to notarize it. He says many people on the 001 website have done it so it shouldn't be a problem.
I found a lot of good nuggets here -
http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?...c=28012&hl=
Have a look ?
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i had emailed my dean the night before and she took action the next morning. i was a bit surprised they would make it a priority, since a while back some of our foreign teachers didn't recieve the textbook for their classes until a month into the semester. Their priorities are different, I think. Saving "face" is more important than education, yikes.
I just got word back from my dean that the woman who yelled at me was reprimanded for doing so. I'm afraid I have to be honest and say that I am glad she was told off. Let her feel how I felt, belittled and upset. I'm not saying "an eye for an eye" is always necessary, but in these trying times, I feel this was a satisfactory conclusion. I do not think it necessary to apologize or give a gift because she came across in such a rude manner without any provocation ( i don't think being present in the room qualifies as provocation, hehe). Many incidents have happened in the past, but I suppose this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Many thanks, you guys are awesome.
Good for you, and good for your Dean! So, did the Dean or someone else overhear her speaking to you or did you approach the Dean to discuss it? In any event, sounds like she got exactly what she deserved. The sad part is, she probably treats several others in her life just like that.
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I just got word back from my dean that the woman who yelled at me was reprimanded for doing so. I'm afraid I have to be honest and say that I am glad she was told off. Let her feel how I felt, belittled and upset. I'm not saying "an eye for an eye" is always necessary, but in these trying times, I feel this was a satisfactory conclusion. I do not think it necessary to apologize or give a gift because she came across in such a rude manner without any provocation ( i don't think being present in the room qualifies as provocation, hehe). Many incidents have happened in the past, but I suppose this was the straw that broke the camel's back. Many thanks, you guys are awesome.
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hahaha. I have wished for quite some time to move to a different city but my hubby and his family are here, so moving away would complicate the visa stuff for us and I couldn't bear to be apart from him for so long. Thanks!
C'mon over to Nanjing. We have openings for English teachers here. Never had anyone accost me at the water cooler; well, except in the morning when I get to the hot water first!
Sorry to hear of your experience. The lady sounds like she's got a problem with her panties bunching up. Seems like there's always someone like that no matter where you go....
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wow, thanks for all your responses. They have definitely made me feel a whole lot better. I'm really happy there are people on this website who can, for the most part, understand or empathize with me. I recieved a call from my dean regarding this incident because I emailed her about it yesterday and she told me she will find out who this person is. She agrees with me that it was out of line for this lady to be yelling at me for not greeting her (I had tried previous times to greet the teachers in that office without any responses from them). I think it would be best for me to wait and see what happens rather than say anything to that lady. You guys are awesome and thank you again for your input. I definitely feel better after reading these posts.
CG
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Hi,
I've tried that too and they brush off my statement and still regard me as Chinese. I was born and raised in Southern California, where there are lots of Asian people, so I actually never felt like a foreigner, but here i just can't fit in, and i'm starting to think now that nor do I want to. Thanks for your well wishes
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You not only have a place to vent, you give us an interesting perspective on Chinese. I have often noticed that Americans of Asian decent are frequently treated as foreign here in America. I never considered what it may be like for them to go Asia where their appearance fits in but their culture doesn't. When they tell you "you are Chinese, why can't you speak properlly" I would reply that, "no I am not Chiinese, I am American" and see what they say. Good luck and hopefully your ordeal will be over soon and you can bring hubby back to your homeland.
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hi guys,
I've had a pretty rough day today. I'm a Chinese American female teaching in Nanchang, China. A female Chinese teacher yelled at me in a community teacher's office today when I went to get water. I used English to speak with her because my Mandarin is not so great under stress. She kept yelling in Chinese over and over again how I didn't greet her. She even said, "how can you, a Chinese person coming to "China - not know how to speak Chinese!" Her tone implied I was an idiot. That was the most Mandarin I could understand, I'm sure she said other things.
In the past, I had often come into get drinking water and have even tried to make conversation with the Chinese teachers in there, but usually I would get the cold shoulder, so I stopped saying hi and had no problems all semester, until today. They ignore me and I ignore them. (I think it may have to do with them being afraid of using English to communicate with me for fear of making a mistake, or they were taught not to get to close to foreigners.) I think she thought I was being rude by not saying anything. If she thought that, she could have used a normal tone of voice with me, but she yelled and screamed, which made me feel like I was listening to someone from the countryside.
There are prejudices against me because I look Chinese (both my parents are Chinese) but I don't "act" Chinese. Many of the Chinese have blurted this out to me. I was born and raised in the US and I came to China because I wanted to know more about my ancestry and heritage. I thought it would be a learning experience. Many of the Chinese people in my experience instantly judge me and reply with "but you're Chinese! How can you not understand!" when I do something they consider wrong, use the wrong vocabulary or body mannerisms to convey my thoughts.
I've been dealing with this sort of prejudice for the last 3 teaching semesters I've been in this city. I don't know if it's just the inhabitants of this city that are so unforgiving and judgemental, or in general many of the Chinese that are not open-minded enough to understand that not all foreigners have to be blonde haired and blue eyed. Also, just because I look Chinese doesn't instantly mean I know all the habits and customs, and just because I don't, it doesn't make me rude or stupid. Aarrgghhhh.
The Chinese people in China are not at all like the Chinese people I know in the US or in movies. It may seem naive for me to say this, but this has been an unexpected and difficult learning experience for me. Must I have all my pride squashed to pieces just to try and be more accommodating and understanding towards these people? Must I justify my reason for not understanding another Chinese person by telling them I'm Chinese American, only to have them say "no , you can't be, you look Chinese." At first, I didn't say much to people but now I find myself justifying my way of thinking and doing things to Chinese people all the time and I'm so very tired of doing this. I'm kind of stuck in the middle because my viewpoints and reactions are not familiar to the Chinese people here so they make jokes about it, but at the same time I can understand enough Mandarin to know when people are making fun of my Chinese pronounciations or the way I put words together, or even the way I do things.
I used to think I was open-minded but it's getting more and more difficult for me to tolerate these types of things that are said to me everyday(I am not exaggerating this). I stay because I am married to a wonderful Chinese man and if he is approved in May, it will give me a great sense of relief. He is pretty open-minded too and he does his best to understand, but still there are cultural differences that are hard for me to explain to him, so I'm venting here. I am disillusioned and depressed at the moment. I 'm just feeling sorry for myself, hehehe. Thank you all for taking the time to read this.
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thank you guys for your help i this.
unfortunately -
GIV-24 is one of those 'words' that'll never show up in a Search , here on CFL, using the IPB search engine. It's some technical matter - 3 character words are hard - dashes are excluded in the hash index, things go wonky...
BUT -
you can use google's site search feature with CFL's url -
go to www.google.com
in the search box - enter:
site:candleforlove.com GIV-24
and you'll get some hits...
Warmest Regards...
We will have a brand new Help database in about another two weeks. I'm finishing it up right now. This Help file will be an HTML Web Help application that has a fully functional search and indexing utility. David Z has provided a lot of valuable information. This format will better enable all our members to quickly search and find valuable information.
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Hola,
I thought I remembered a post sometime ago regarding GIV-24's and how they weren't necessary anymore. I can't find it on any of the posts right now. My husband and I DCF'd in Beijing so we have a CR-1. I recieved P4 today and it either looks like the GIV-24 on the Chinese language form was crossed out or someone accidentally made a mark on it. I checked on the English form and it wasn't crossed out. Anyone have any idea whether or not the GIV-24 is necessary for a CR1? It didn't come with our packet, but I still want to double check. Thanks in advance!
cg
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haha. we were married last yr in court, but this is just an official banquet to introduce ourselves as a couple to his friends and family.
cg
WOW ! ! !, that must be the quickest DCF ever! Congratulations and Good Luck, Mike & Yizhen
Less than 30 days Wedding to P-3!
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thanks! I used my email address and my address has always been the primary one. Thank you again Mike!
I didn't see this before I replied to your PM, we are so happy for you! Did you use your husband's email address? was your address always the primary? This could be useful information!
Again, we are very happy with your good fortune, GOOD LUCK on the 27th, mike & Yizhen
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Hello all,
I'm happy to say our interview date was changed from May 17th to May 27th! I sent out an email to Guangzhou yesterday and they replied with a swiftness I had not experienced with them -ever. I was pleasantly surprised. Yay!
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hi guys, I already sent an email using the form from the Guangzhou website asking if they could change the interview date to a different time, somewhere between May 20-31. I asked for the month of May specifically. I doubt they'll accommodate us (because they didn't even read the letter in our P3 requesting for after May 20) but I'm not sure if they'll just end up disregarding our request again and giving us a date one month down the road or reply telling me that it isn't possible (this would be more considerate). I really wish I hadn't sent the email out so soon cause now it seems like our original interview date seemed best. Yikes, hope things turn out okay with this.
that's a lot o travel plans. seems like 'the last trek' would be -- you would be flying late out of 'wherever' into CAN (via plane) at the end of the wedding banquet day - so before you get too serious about it all - see if there's even a scheduled flight? http://english.ctrip.com (and good luck ! )
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Hello all,
I just found out over the phone that our interview date is set for May 18th. This is good and bad news. It's good news cause it means this long ordeal is almost over with. It's bad news cause it's scheduled the day after our wedding banquet dinner. I had added a letter in our P3 asking them if they could schedule something after May 20th because of our wedding banquet dinner but I guess they didn't even bother to look at it. I suppose this can be done if my husband goes a week before the interview down to Guangzhou to get his medical tests done with, and then leaves for Guangzhou again on our wedding banquet day by overnight train to make it to his 7:15am appt.
My question is, if I want to change the date with Guangzhou, is it more of a hassle and delay? Has anyone tried this, and can you give me your advice if you have? i know this is probably written on CFL already somewhere, but this will alleviate a bit of my stress hearing your thoughts. Thanks folks.
p.s. I just sent an email using the guangzhou email form asking if they can schedule us between May20-31 if at all possible. I hope they can schedule this cause if we reallly have to do this on the 18th, it will be extremely hectic. will they let me know beforehand what the interview date choices will be or will they just automatically reschedule without asking us?
cg
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cguo7, you should have your timeline updated, for others to see. when was your approval, and did you delay returning the P-3 for a reason?
The P-3, P-4. Interview time frame is about the same for all visas. P-3 returned, 1 month, P-4, 1 month, interview. DCF approval to P-3 is much quicker for DCF, because there is no time in Customs. Once approved in GUZ, then the P-3 is sent. Mike & Yizhen
waingro, I am not sure about the exact date of cguo7's approval, but it would seem to be in the normal range, but it is not shown here or in the timeline.
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hi waingro, ours was approx. 3 months as well. no more and no less. That's about right.
Hi cguo7, just out of curiosity, when did you receive your Notice of Approval (NOA2 or P2) ?? I'm trying to estimate the time between NOA2 and P3. The only other recent DCF'er had a 3 month wait, which seems way too long.
a cultural thing or just rudeness?
in Culture & Language Discussion
Posted
no worries there, we're going to check the yes box on the DS 230 part II and if he is asked, he has a letter prepared stating why he joined.