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Zhen's Tiger

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  1. I was getting ready to leave so I did not have time to get into this with him, but he most certainly believes that ALL AMERICANS traveling in China are being closely watched. I took it that the information came from his training.

     

    I'll give him that most of us are easy to pick out of the crowd.

     

    There was no question that I was being watched in 1978: military police took me off of a wall I had climbed to see what turned out to be a military installation; and when I was walking the streets at 0200 with Chinese citizens a guy with a machine gun on a motorcycle circled the block quite a bit.

     

    However, in my last 3 trips I saw no overt indications that I was being watched. Perhaps they did a little profiling based on credit card use or banking activity, but I am a low profile kinda guy.

     

    Perhaps if I were a ex-Special Forces guy there might be surveillance, but I certainly don't see any evidence of this old fat boy being watched (other than to rub hands together as I fatten the Chinese economy B) ).

     

     

     

    Any thoughts?

     

    Do they really have the time, energy and manpower to watch every foreigner 24/7?

     

    Right. It depends on who this Marine says is watching us... The US; very doubtful as they do not have the resources in China to watch all of us visiting. China; possibly, they do have the manpower to do this, but I know it would be hard. Assigning a 1 on 1 to watch everyone would be very difficult, to say the least. Expensive & time consuming.

     

    Still, I'm sure if they saw the need to watch a particular person, it would definately be doable... :(

  2. Ron & Ivy,

     

    I am really sorry to hear this. It makes me sick when I think about people like this IO... there's no excuse for his attitude and not much I can say to comfort you... except that you are a man I admire for the way you handled your earlier misfortunes & if that is any indicator, I know you will prevail in the end. I am just truly sorry this had to happen to you again.

     

    Take care,

     

    Steve

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  4. Hello everyone,

     

    We had GUZ consulate sent her visa to the hotel we were staying and we just received visa from the hotel and it is finally in our hand.

     

    We like to thank everyone here for all the support. And if there are anything we can do, please let us know.

     

    I have one question, can my wife travel back to China ? Is there time frame where she can or can not travel back while she is in US as CR-1?

     

    Any information would be helpful,

     

    Thank you

     

    Justin's family

    As Lee said, she should have no problems.

     

    But CONGRATULATIONS on finally getting the Visa!! :rolleyes:

  5. After receiving an SSN you should follow the process outlined in IRS Publication 1915 to make sure you don't have mismatched records in the future.

     

    What steps do I have to take when I have an ITIN and become eligible for a Social Security Number?

    Make proper application for a SSN and upon receipt advise the IRS ITIN Unit in writing of your new SSN. The new SSN will become the primary number and must be used for all future filing purposes. The IRS will void the ITIN. All prior tax information under the ITIN will be associated with the new SSN.

    Wow Lee, thanks a million!! I never would have known we needed to do that. I'll be writing that letter today. This really is a great thread to have pinned, this info is vital to many people here - thanks again!!

     

    Steve & Zhen

    Hey All,

    Tax time again, so I dug up this old one just to let anyone know who is as dim-witted as I am that if you forget to write this letter to the IRS ITIN Unit after your wife receives her SSN, you should still be OK this year.

     

    Lee (as always) gave great advice above which I said I would promptly act on, and then I forgot about it as quickly as I said it. So of course when we're sitting in H&R Block yesterday, the ITIN question popped up [oh crap, I fogot to write that letter Lee told me about!!]... Well, I whipped out the Cell, called the IRS ITIN 800 # and explained the situation.

     

    After she put me on hold to inquire into it, she came back & said "Well, you really should've written that letter, but just mail in your Return with a letter attached referencing the ITIN & new SSN, and everything will be fine." I said great, but we're in the H&R Block Office now and were going to eFile... She put me on hold again, came back and said "That's fine also, just do everything with the new SSN & you will have no problems. BUT, you must write the letter now & send it to the IRS ITIN Unit." Which I promised (again :o ) that I would do.

     

    So, I am not telling you to blow off writing the Letter, but if you did forget as I did... :(

     

    Steve

  6. Does anyone know if a train from Jiangxi to Shenzhen stops at Guangzhou? My wife left from Jiujiang in Jiangxi headed to Shenzhen over 2 days ago and I haven't been able to reach her cell phone. I am a bit worried.

    It seems her cell phone number has changed somehow.

    Glad to hear she's alright! If she's anything like my wife, she's got one (or more) SIM cards that she'll swap out into her phone depending on where she is for the cost factor, which is most likely why her number has changed. :sosad:

  7. I know this is an old thread, but...

     

    For some reason, last night I had the urge to see a Sinbad movie (the sailor, not the comedian :D ) and wanted to show it to Zhen. I figured it was a simple enough plot that she would understand most of it and I could help her with whatever English she didn't catch.

     

    Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it actually had Chinese Subtitles. I have all 3 Sinbad movies, and this is the 1st of them: 'The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad', made in 1958, and it was so old I just assumed it did not have any subtitles, especially Chinese, that I never even looked at it before to show her. But it does...

     

    Maybe this isn't your cup of tea, I personally love these movies, but anyway wanted to share. Tonight we'll be watching the next one. :rolleyes:

     

    Later,

     

    Steve & Zhen

  8. Both, sort of...

     

    Her Chinese name is WeiZhen, pronounced 'Way Jen'.

    I call her Zhen 'Jen'.

    But more often than not I call her Honey or Sweetheart. :D

    Does she let you call her Sweetheart in public? :lol:

    Yea, sure, all the time. I just showed her this & she reminded me that I really don't even call her Zhen all that often (unless I'm talking to someone else on the phone & say "Zhen says Hi"). Honey or sweetheart is used almost exclusively in public. She just told me she likes it a lot, so that's :blink: !

  9. Does any one know? Do we have any one here whose spouse is pursuing a career in nursing? Thanks.

    Hi Tony,

     

    My wife is going through this similar process now. The first thing you/she should do is start looking into the requirements for your State. Search for: 'States Name' Board of Nursing or 'State Name' Nursing Bureau, etc.. You will get a lot of worthless search results, but should eventually find the true website for your State's Nursing authority. Dig through it until you find what you are looking for, which I believe is Licensure via Examination. Pay attention to anything referring to "Students of Foreign Schools / Countries" as this info will apply to her and lists the added steps she will need to do that others who studied in the USA would not.

     

    Also, go to the NCSBN (National Council of State Boards of Nursing) website https://www.ncsbn.org/index.htm, but more specifically the NCLEX Exams and their requirements https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm if her desire is to 'Test-out' into Nursing. If she has attended a Medical / Nursing School in China, these people will judge her schooling and weigh it against the USA standards and basically tell her where she stands. This is a simplified answer, you will find it is much more complicated than that... but in general, you start there.

     

    Depending on where you live (every State is different), there will be other requirements as well, some including passing the TOEFL (not easy even for someone who has lived here their whole life), and other tests. But in the simplest form, and not necessarily in this order, you:

    1) Apply ($$) to the State's Board of Nursing in which she would like to be Licensed.

    2) At the same time, Apply ($$) to take the NCLEX Exam, unless your State does not require it - I believe all do though.

    3) Have her Transcripts sent directly from the school(s) she attended in China straight to the Board of Nursing for the State in which she would like to be Licensed. They cannot come from you, her or anyone else, except for a Certified Translator and in that case the School she attended sends it directly to the Translator & the Translator sends them directly to the Board of Nursing.

    4) Fulfill any other requirements set down by your State.

    5) Take & Pass any of the required Exams (NCLEX, TOEFL, Nursing Proficiency, etc.)

    6) Eventually receive Licensure...

     

    Of course, this process is not cheap & will take months and months, but in the end she can and will hopefully receive a Nursing License. Please do not use this an all-inclusive list of what must be done, but I hope it is useful and a good start for you. Good luck!!

     

    Steve & Zhen

  10. Thanks David.

    I stumbled across my error moments before your reply.

    I have had this loaded on my computer for some time now, but now that my SO is here and she wishes to write to her family via emails when I use this when writing pinyin it only inserts the Chinese characters that it sees fit.

    For example, when we write the pinyin word for road "lu" the character it chooses is not correct.

    I have used a free internet program in the past that when I write a word in pinyin a window opens and I can scroll through the choices of characters until I find the correct character. I choose it and it is inserted into my emails, etc.

    My SO used this free website also to write to me, but does not recall what the name or web address is that she used nor do I. The internet cafe employees set her up with the site some time back.

    After following your instructions in the post I was hoping that I would find the same window of choices of characters, but it remains the same as before.

    Perhaps someone knows of this website I speak of.

    Thanks again.

    Clayton

     

    Hi Clayton (and anyone else who may need this in the future),

     

    OK, 2 answers, 1 short & 1 long¡¡ :rotfl:

     

    Short Answer: Here's the website to type Pinyin and choose the correct characters: http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/ime.html

    This is ideal if all you want to do is type an email, but not great for Chatting / IMing & impossible for offline use. Also, this only seems to work with IE, not Firefox...

     

    Long Answer: But if you need something to create Chinese documents offline in any Word Processor, or something that works in any Browser, or need something for Chatting / IMing that is much faster than going back & forth between the above website & your IM App, or if you have tried all of the above & she is still not happy with the results, I believe I can help you.

     

    Like you, my wife was not happy after I installed everything as I thought it should be - all the Chinese language inputs that come with XP, etc. She kept saying it was not Chinese, haha, although it was, it just wasn't what she wanted. ;) ¡¡What she really wanted was a little program, that as you said, opens a window after you hit 'Ctrl+Shift' and you start typing characters... although I do not believe you are actually typing Pinyin with this App, but rather a propietary (I think) Chinese Input Method used by many people in China, especially in Guangdong. I know all Zhen's family & friends use it everyday when they type Chinese.

     

    Anyway, the file name that installs the program is called: jpwb66B0111.exe. Once installed, all you have to do is hit 'Ctrl+Shift' when you are ready to type and it will allow her to pick from a number of choices anytime she writes something. I have it installed on all our PCs, although I personally cannot use it as you must first learn the Input Method, which is like learning another language in itself! But if this is what she is used to using, she already knows how to use it. My wife even has a cheat-sheet with all the keystrokes for this App that she refers to when she needs to.

     

    You can Google for the file name & find a suitable place to download it from or I can send you the Zipped file for it if you want me to, just PM me with your email. BUT!!! If & when you decide to install it, please note it does come bundled with some irritating spyware-type addons as a 'bonus' ;) , but they are easily gotten rid of during the Install process¡¡ ;) - just make sure you UNCHECK every available box (4 in total) while you are installing it and in the end all you will get is the Input Method without the bundled extras. You have been warned, haha. Seriously, it is completely harmless as long as you do what I just said or I would not have allowed it on our computers!

     

    I really hope this helps you guys, I know it works for us! Good luck!

     

    Steve & Zhen

  11. Hi everybody! My name is Zack and I am so thankful I found this site as its full of great info. I'll just jump right into things....I just got back from China 10 days ago where I got to spend time with my wonderful Kun. Now I want to go back as soon as possible and marry her. This is where I start to feel overwhelmed. The whole visa application process seems so daunting. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I got to China again, I want to get my Affidavit of Single Status translated so I don't have to deal with that while in China. Will the Consulate that authenticates my Single Status affidavit also translate this document or do I have to find somewhere else to get it translated? Also, I have seen conflicting information about what exactly I need to get married in China; for example., a Chinese residence permit. My concern regarding this is, what's a Chinese residence permit and how do I get one? Sorry if this is a redundant post. I tried to thoroughly look for this answer before I posted this.

     

    Hi Zack,

     

    Welcome to CFL!

     

    I was married in China & you do not need a Chinese Resident Permit; only the Affidavit of Single Status & also copies of your Divorce Decree(s) if any. Also, I believe your birth Certificate, it has been a while so I forget what else. I'm sure others will straighten me out, there are a lot of nice & knowledgable people here! We did all the Translations in China though...

     

    Good luck!

     

    Steve

  12. Well, it looks like we will have to follow Lee's formula. We received an email back requesting a DS-230 and OF-169.

     

    The letter was poorly written (apparently by Chinese staff--the English is rough) with a bit of room for interpretation so I sent another note quoting them, re-describing our status as I understood it, and asking for clarification. Her grandfather will not be able to accompany her to Guangzhou until late October so we have plenty of time to get this right.

     

    Thanks for the link Lee. We'll prepare the exact same set of papers tonight and have them ready.

     

    Hi Curt and/or Lee, (or anyone else! :P )

     

    Do you know if the same steps are necessary for a K-4 Follow?!?

     

    Zhen's son has now decided he would like to come to the US & I'm not sure what to do...

     

    He was on everything all the way up to the Interview, but he did not attend since at the time he said he did not want to come. I wish he had just attended the Interview & then he could have sat on the Visa until he decided, but that was not the case.

     

    Anyway, Zhen says the VO who Interviewed her took her phone # :D and would call her later to see if he still wanted to Interview. I've had a hard time believing a VO would do such a thing, and I know they will never actually call her... so what do we do to get the ball rolling?

     

    Any help or info you could give us would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

     

    Steve & Zhen

    It is the same process, she would need to have her visa before 1/23/2008. You should get the P-3 materials to them fast and remind them that time is short. Feel free to PM me.

     

    But there may be a hitch in the plans as your wife has Adjusted Status and the K-4 may not be available depending on how the VO's interpret the visa rules. If that is the case your son's age at the time of your marriage is critical, 18 years old is the cutoff for the USC filing an I-130, but this is the second option if the K-4 isn't available.Petitioning Procedures: Bringing a Child, Son or Daughter to Live in the United States

     

    Thanks a lot, Lee! He's 13 now, so I hope that means all is well! Of course I'm replying to this before I read the Link you attached :P and can't read it now in this reply. I will read it in a second, but I will also take you up on your offer of the PM, thanks so much!

     

    Steve & Zhen

  13. Well, it looks like we will have to follow Lee's formula. We received an email back requesting a DS-230 and OF-169.

     

    The letter was poorly written (apparently by Chinese staff--the English is rough) with a bit of room for interpretation so I sent another note quoting them, re-describing our status as I understood it, and asking for clarification. Her grandfather will not be able to accompany her to Guangzhou until late October so we have plenty of time to get this right.

     

    Thanks for the link Lee. We'll prepare the exact same set of papers tonight and have them ready.

     

    Hi Curt and/or Lee, (or anyone else! :D )

     

    Do you know if the same steps are necessary for a K-4 Follow?!?

     

    Zhen's son has now decided he would like to come to the US & I'm not sure what to do...

     

    He was on everything all the way up to the Interview, but he did not attend since at the time he said he did not want to come. I wish he had just attended the Interview & then he could have sat on the Visa until he decided, but that was not the case.

     

    Anyway, Zhen says the VO who Interviewed her took her phone # :blink: and would call her later to see if he still wanted to Interview. I've had a hard time believing a VO would do such a thing, and I know they will never actually call her... so what do we do to get the ball rolling?

     

    Any help or info you could give us would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

     

    Steve & Zhen

  14. Thank you so much guys. You're the best! Looks to be a 6 to me too. Fang was so cute. She told me Chinese ring size, circumference, diameter, perimeter and a few other specs I've never heard of!!!

    Fang got her P3 yesterday! I'm sitting here designing CD labels for a couple of CD's of us webcamming for her interview. Also almost finished with Letter of Evolution. BUT, the best news is, got the ok from my boss for interview trip AND week off when she gets here!!! Hit a home run today boys!!!!

    Thanks again Dave and SirLancelot!

    Congratulations on the P3! :lol:

     

    I just wanted to throw this out there, I'm not sure if they will look at the CD you are putting together for her Interview... you may want to grab some screenshots of it instead (or in addition to) the CD and put them in with the emails and phone logs. I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but you should be prepared in case they do not look at the CD.

     

    Good luck!

     

    Steve

  15. She passed! For those who read this post:Failed Driving Test (without ever driving)

    You may recall that the TN driver examiner wouldn't let Lily start the test because

    Lily couldn't understand her severe East TN accent.

    I rescheduled the exam for this morning at 8 am at a different examing station in the small town of Rockwood TN.

    Yesterday I had called the help-line for the TN Dept of Safety in Nashville and after holding for 15 minutes, I spoke with a rep.

    I explained the way Lily was treated last time, and asked her if there was a way to avoid this, such as

    having an interpretor (me) in the car. She put me on hold to ask a supervisor then came back on and said that no one was allowed in the car except the examiner and examinee.

    She went on to explain that the examiner should be able to communicate using hand signals.

    I asked her what to do if Lily was refused again and she replied that I should immediately ask to speak to the supervisor at that station.

    Lily and I arrived early and filled out the application. When the female examiner came out, I asked her to speak slowly and use hand signals. She replied that Lily must be able to understand voice instructions.

    I pleasantly explained in a non-threatening tone that I had called Nashville and was told differently.

    I don't know if this worked or if the examiner happened to be a more tolerant and patient lady than we had the first go-round. (I could tell she honesly liked Lily when we were filling the application).

    After checking turn signals, headlights, etc, they exited the parking lot and returned in about 15 minutes. The examiner told me "She Passed. The only thing she did wrong was crossed some railroad tracks too fast and shook the car fairly hard"

    After they took Lily's photo, the examiner brought the new license out and handed it to Lily.

    Lily said, "thank you so much......I want to hug you"..............the lady smiled and let her. The examiner cracked up when I said, "My dear, you can not hug the police"

    Lily is ecstatic and is currently calling all family/friends in China.

    The last episode had really cracked her confidence.

    Great news, tell Lily CONGRATULATIONS!! ;)

     

    I was sorry to hear how she was treated last time & am very glad to hear everything went smoothly today!

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