mattman222

I'm a really happy camper today. My wife and I have been preparing the "kitchen sink" of evidence that we will need later in the Visa process. Today I received a new addition to the "kitchen sink". These are written statements from her family and friends. The statements detail the progress of our relationship, and my involvement with her family. Each statement is in both Chinese and English, and includes photocopies of ID cards of the person writing it. Each statement is also signed and dated. My wife rocks!!!!! I hope these documents will be helpful. Any input or help is greatly appreciated as always. Take care everyone, Matt

As always, I'm a little late to the party. The other posters have given some good advice. My only addition is get one of those stupid wrap around neck pillows for the airline trip. Priceless on an international flight. Ya', you'll look like a dork in the airport, but it's a LONG flight. Being comfortable surpasses being cool. LOL. As for the "raincoats" I will advise caution as well. If your lady is a traditional Chinese woman, you won't need them unless you are planning a wedding. On my first visit, the family would not allow us to be together past 7pm and chaperoned us till then. My second visit we had a wedding and things were a little different. Just a heads up. If you expect sex on the first visit, you are sadly mistaken. If it does happen, then you need to inspect her values and character carefully. My first visit to China was amazing, and I hope you have the same experience. Great stuff, and an experience I will never forget. Matt

Glad to see that the issue got some resolution. Nothing sucks worse than a verbal argument you can only half understand. I've been there done that. Nothing scares me more than an angry Chinese woman!!! You might want to look into ways that you can help your adversary now that the dean knocked her down a few pegs and gain the upper hand. The other posters have given some good ideas. It's not a fun thing to do, but I've made some long lasting friends that way. If nothing else it might avoid getting the "evil eye" for eternity. Just keep it simple, so you don't appear like you're gloating. IMHO The best thing you can do is ask for her advice on language and culture. This will elevate her status as a teacher, keeps your status as humble, and you just might learn something. Win Win situation. I've had to swallow my pride many times in China, and forge ahead with new friends and allies. Yes, her behavior was deplorable, but you have to consider the many cultural differences. There are probably more factors at play here than you can possibly imagine. My experience in China has been that once a conflict is resolved, it is gone forever. An unresolved conflict however, will last for centuries (eg Japan and China). Take it or leave it, but that's my 2 Yuan. I hope things work out for you. Where's the Chinese Dr Phill when you need him? Matt

That doesn't surprise me one bit. I see alot of Disney stuff in China. Some pirate and some legit. It makes sense that they would market learning programming there. All the kids want to learn English and love Disney movies. No brainer, and a good biz move for Disney. Love 'em of hate 'em they know how to make money...LOL

I have a soft spot in my heart for Snow Beer. It's bottled in my wife's home province, and is the only thing available there besides Pabst Blue Ribbon in most places. Go figure. It reminds me a little bit of Corona, but with a higher alcohol percentage. As beers go, It's not my fav, but I'm a little jaded. http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/1564/cimg0342r.th.jpg This picture is from my going away party last month with "a few of my friends". You can see all the Snow Beer on the table. We rented a hotel banquet room and a karaoke machine for our friends. Awesome party, and we nearly got thrown out of the hotel. . Snow Beer played a big factor in that, but we did have fun.

That post/link was incredibly helpfull. Thank you!!! I am still preparing the I-130. I want to hurry and push this through, but I am taking my time to get everything right. I agonize over every box and want it all perfect before I send it. I understand the requirements of Gov't paperwork. I work for a Class 3 firearms dealer here, so I understand how tricky the paperwork is. Thanks for your help so far. Any chance you found the I-130 PDF with bigger boxes? Thanks man, Matt

I'm a little late to the party here, but I'll throw in my thoughts. I use a combination of QQ and Skype. I have a SKYPE handset that runs off the wireless DSL in the house. It also works on any other wireless network here in the USA. Calls are free, but do take up cell phone minutes on her end. So, I try to keep the calls short. There is a SKYPE store in Korea and they can usually switch my phone back and forth to get Chinese wireless when I pass through. We use QQ for instant messages and video chat. Tencent just released a new 2009 english version that runs pretty good on XP. This service is also free. The last english release was in 2005 and was a pain to configure. In short, I use SKYPE to call her cell phone for free and we see each other on QQ video for free at the same time. Absolutely priceless. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the advice. As for evidence, I've saved everything down to the matchbooks from the hotel on my first visit and the pics from our wedding on my my second visit. My family members (including my parents) have been in contact with her, and welcomed her to our family. I hope these documents will help in the Visa process. Docs, Docs, and more Docs Thanks for the advice, Matt

Hello everyone! This my first post, but I've used this board as a research resource for quite some time. There is a vast knowledge base here, and the time has come for me call on it. I'll try to give a bit of background without writing a book. I met my wife online last spring. After countless emails, phone calls, text messages, and two trips to northern China, we were married last month in China. We got the "red books" and had the BIG family ceremony. I like to call it "My Big Fat Chinese Wedding". Over 500 guests attended, and it was the coolest day of my life. Now, we are beginning the Visa process, and I have found that the "devil is in the details". I'm filling out the PDF for the I-130, and have run into a problem. As with most government forms, the darn boxes are too small. My wife's address is as long as my arm, and doesn't fit in the box. I am curious as to whether or not anyone else had experienced this, and more importantly, how they dealt with it. Also, I have a question about the "blanks". Items that do not apply to us. Should I leave them blank or put "NA" (not applicable) in them? I want to do everything with absolute perfection and hopefully avoid any problems. My work involves dealing with paperwork on the federal level all day every day, and I know that anything less than perfection gets a form kicked back to you with a resounding "NO". I just want to get this right the first time. Sorry for the long post, and I wish all of you the best. Thanks for any and all help. Take Care, Matt