Jonathan

How old is your wife? If she is less than 32 years old, she still has sometime left to have kids. Usually, when they hit their 30s, they really want kids. It's their biological clock talking. Either way, I sense that you're having some anxiety at the though of having kids before you think that you're ready. It's pretty normal. Except some people tend to underestimate their readiness until they can no longer avoid it.

Speaking of Logs, yes, they do have logs, and a history of when you recharged and your amounts.

I use Xvoice.com to make all my calls to China. It is cheaper and clearer than Skype, and I can use it anywhere, because it does not require WiFI or internet. Basically, I enjoy the complete freedom to talk anytime I want. Xvoice.com has very clear calls to China. Right now, they have a promo where they are offering 110 Free minutes for you to try their service without any catch. I call China, the lazy way. I just hit one button on my phone to call a saved local number, don't need to enter in a pin, or dial the international number, and it connects me quick. The nice thing is that not only can you call anytime to China, your honey can call you back anytime too from China with the call back feature. I love Xvoice.

Randy, yes, this is exactly why I'm not getting anywhere. They give me the same info. The latest note is from way back in June 2006 regarding a request for additional evidence which they said was completed for the i485. And that status update is no longer valid, since I already am past the interview already.

We have had our interview on Sept 6th, 2006. I've called USCIS about 4 times since then, and they don't have any information at all. Make me wonder if I'm reaching the wrong department. Its been at least 2 months now, and I have not seen anything in my mailbox. Does anyone know a better phone number to find out the results of the AOS interview?

Interesting. I have not heard of this before. I have purchased shoes for my SO. She went shopping and I tagged along--of course as the wallet. I did pick out the shoes. Never once did she mention this. edit: confirmed with SO. She also says everyone knows about this but not every believes in it. She claims mostly Taiwan people adhere to this. This reminds me of a movie that I watched a while back where the theme about an evil red shoe. Its called, "The Red Shoe." And it was made in Korea. http://www.blockbuster.com/online/catalog/...?movieId=270992 You can rent it at block buster. I saw it while in China, and that was one of the scariest movies I have seen yet. I dare any of you to watch it with the lights off and the volumn turned way up. It'll freak you out, and leave chills running down your spine. Watch it using subtitles, and using the native Korean language. Most often, I find English narratives of foreign films tend to ruin the real effects and experiences of the film.

Eating organic is a precaution. You just have no idea what is in the regular. Produce comes from all over the world. We import things from countries where pesticides that are banned here are used. The funny thing is those banned products are sent to those countries from American chemical production. The idea was we protect our people and they can decide if they want to protect theirs. That was before everything imaginable was being imported. The organic choice is not so much about length of life but the quality of it when you are older. Things catch up with us affecting memory, immune system, joints and etc. We really are what we eat and breath. It is what our cells are built from. It would also be important to know if the organic things grew next to a heavily travelled road with diesel exhaust. If so it really makes no difference. The better way to buy is from your local farmers market. Dan, good point. But an even better way to get produce is to grow it yourself if you can.

I haven't experienced any racism while in China yet. But I have experienced double pricing. When I asked for the air fare at a travel agent in Cantonese, I got a quote of 850RMB. When my SO asked, it was 450RMB. I think they try to over charge anyone who isn't fully aware or not from the area if they sense it. For me, I can sometimes get away with it and try to blend in, but if you're white, it doesn't take a genious for them to know that you're not from around there and don't know the prices. Basically, it comes down to: they think you have more money, so they'll charge you more. But sometimes, I give them a hint that I know, by telling them, "hey, I buy this all the time, and its usually, xx rmb. How can I afford to buy from you if you're so expensive?" LOL. And usually, if I'm not sure how much something costs, I ask first, and get a commitment. Then if I need to use it, I can say, this person said this...

If you think that was bad, I must have gotten the most super serious interviewer who never cracked a smile. My wife says, every other interviewer she sees is joking around and smiling, but this guy looked like those 100% by the book guys. He was asking all these questions as if he didn't beleive us. I was getting annoyed with his questions because I found his questions insulting, especially since my wife and I were so close, so maybe I was unconsciously giving him somewhat uncooperative answers without even knowing it initially. Even to simple questions like, "How did you two meet?" got me to heisatate with an "umm...ummm..." because I didn't enjoy talking to him about my life. And I really hate it when they ask you for exact dates: Interviewer: "When was this picture taken?" Me: "I don't remember the exact date, but I know it was on a 3 day weekend. Probably memorial day." He might as well asked me, "When was the last date that you ate a salami sandwich?" Like anyone ever cares to remember these little details over time! Not the smartest thing in the world for me to be acting uncoorperative, but I was a feeling a bit annoyed in there, and it usually takes a whole lot to get me mad. Maybe thats why I'm still waiting for my wife's green card since Sept 6th 2006. It didn't help either that my wife got nervous and forgot the date that we gotten married.

What if she does not agree to a divource until her AOS is through, and refuse to sign. Would that be possible? Maybe she can just reach an agreement with her husband (or soon to be ex-husband) to postpone it for this reason, unless there is some intense friction that goes against a desire for the well-being of the other party involved.

Nice, and well done. And boy, was it nice of the VO to do that for you. See some of them do have a heart.

Skiburn, I'm thinking that you can try writing a sincere letter to the consulate, and give them some background into your sitution, and let them know of your story, and what life has been like with your wife. Perhaps if they understood more about your situation, they'll would have a bit more of a heart.

It seems that you can just go to any local city college around your area, and apply for non-credit classes. It is free, and sometimes the colleges have numerous branches scattered throughout the city. I was able to find classes for her within a 10 minute drive from my house. The course are free, and she can take as many of them as she wants. Plus, she can start anytime, regardless of how far the classes are into the semester.

You can go to any "city college" close to your area. If she does non-credit classes. It is FREE. If credit classes, then it is around $26 per unit, which is rather cheap compared to private esl classes. I found a bunch of campuses recently through visiting a local city college. They have numerous branches around the city, and luckily I was able to find one of their branches within a 10 minute drive from my house.

6 months. That is awesome! Big Congrats.