Scott@Hong
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Posts posted by Scott@Hong
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My SO lives in Chongqing, I pay her rent 3 months at a time. Well actually she pays it, she has joint account with me she can just draw money out of my accounts when she needs rent, power etc.
Not uncommon for 3 month or 6 month or even 1 year at a time in Chongqing. When we were looking at apartments I don't remember a single one we looked at that was on a once a month schedule.
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Finding someone local in similiar situation would help I would think. A few of us in New England area with wives or fiances in Chongqing have been talking and the 3 wives are meeting in Chongqing on the 31st.
Themace dubbed them the Chongqing wives social club, point being when we finally have our wives here in the states they will already know someone here from their home town who they can talk to plus added benefit we are all less then hour drive away from each other here in the states.
I would recommend you post on the various forums the area of USA you are in, and her hometown like you did here and try to connect with another couple or 2 in your area.
My greatest fear in this process is my SO's adjustment to the USA, because for that first 6 months to a year she will be stuck at home much like your wife while I am at work.
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This is not limited to just Japan and HK, this is all over the USA. I work in the richest County in the US, Fairfield County in Connecticut. You see "trophy wives/girlfriends" every where here.
My job takes me to peoples homes, and I cannot tell you how many times I meet people at their home in good old Greenwich and the man of house in is 50-60's will be talking to me when a woman walks up in the 20's. Most people would think daughter, but 9 out 10 times its a wife or live in girlfriend.
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Congrats, now bring her to the wonderful New England
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Good luck, and when back we should connect some time, just noticed you are in Westchester, I work in Danbury
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She is Boss
I am one who knows to avoid mop slaps
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Most of China is 220V current where USA is 110V. Just check label as to what Voltage it runs on.
Many hotels in China do have a few 110 plugs for use by guests.
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Appreciate the input, I didn't know about the Thankyou being distancing I will definitly work on that when I am with her and around her family. I do try to do little things for her as often as I can and for her family especially her brother in law who is the sole person left obejcting to our relationship. Everyone else in her family is sold on me.
Funny you bring up the gifts for my kids, that scenario played out exactly as you described it when I took them to China to meet her and her family. My kids brought her well thought out gifts and I know Hong spent a lot of time picking what gifts she would give them. My kids were huge hit with the family, so much so they were trying to set up my son (he is 26) with another relative.
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KJJ and Highlander both good posts, but let me clarify a little more what I am after. I am looking more for the little things that we let slip by without a acknowledgement or a thank you. Little things that can build into big things.
Now that I am thinking about this, let me give a few examples that I just thought of that I let slip by.
Last trip there, I hate the traditional Chinese bed, hard as a rock. This last trip she had padded the side of bed I sleep on making it more comfortable for me.
Another example, I am a avid Mountain Dew drinker which until recently was not even available in China. This time when I showed up, sure enough there was Mountain Dew in the frig.
My point being, what other little things am I missing? Highlander brought up type of food we like to eat etc.
If we lived together full time I am sure I will pick up on more things, but 2 weeks at a time every few months, its hard to pick up a lot of the little things that will come up once she is here.
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Many of the things you do to show love are not noticed or realized by an American
I pulled this from another thread in the Our Stories forum and brought it here so I did not derail that important thread. A Mafan was giving that OP some great advice and this line I quoted above really got me thinking.
A brief summary of my situation:
My SO is still in Chongqing as the VISA process continues, I have been there 5 times now in the last 9 months and we have even had a Wedding ceremony in China with all her family and I had my 2 adult children travel to China to meet her and her family and attend the wedding. Not legal ceremony, K1 visa.
I personally feel we have a great relationship, love each other very much and we both want to be together the rest of our lives. My greatest fear is the adjustment to life here in the USA for my SO. I have told her flat out that after she comes here, if after 2 years she is not happy with USA life and culture we will pack up and I will move to China, I am very committed to that promise.
I want her to be happy here, so back to the original quote I would love some examples of things that are missed as signs of love in a American/Chinese relationship? I just feel anything I can do to ease her transition will help her be happy here.
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We will be in Nanchang is that close to you? Do you teach english there?
If so can I pick your brain about it?
http://i34.tinypic.com/2ur8ro1.jpg
Jingjing and I live in Wuhan. I used to teach English my first three years in China. From July 2007 to present, I've been studying Chinese full-time at a language school.
If Jingjing and I are still in China, we'd love to hang out. Sure you can pick our brains. I have to be honest, depending on when she gets her GC, we will only have a limited amount of time before we have to move to the States. We're still not certain if we're going to wait out the entire 6 month entry allotment.
Would be interesting to see that map with a little pin mark where every CFL person either lives or their SO lives. Another map of the USA with the same thing. Someone more creative then me, get on that please
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I use Air China everytime I go, mileage program is decent. Just returned a week ago and no fees.
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No plans for SO to take my name, actually pretty uncommon in China from what I see for wife to take husbands name though some do when it is a American husband.
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China toned down their response about 2 weeks ago, removing the on board temp screening before you disembarked.
Currently they are still temp scanning as you walk through the sensor and will still pull people aside if someone shows high temp.
They have also pretty much eliminated the whole quarantine thing even if they do find someone with possible symtoms, they just refer them to one of the hospitals now that is set up for swine flu cases.
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We got 4 copies of everything, birth certificates SO and son, divorce cert etc. FREE
Was going to be 1300RMB but when we picked up I noticed several errors which I made him correct and at the time there was a huge line so notary asked me to check others for him. Ended up checking stuff for 2 hours for him, even corrected his microsoft word templates.
Gave all our money back and took us to dinner.
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Thanks for all the suggestions, my interest was peaked my last trip to China to see my SO just a few weeks ago.
I sat in on 2 of her English classes and I ended up teaching both of them while the regular teacher looked on. I was extremely popular with the class, even receiving applause at the end of each class. (most likely due to them laughing constantly at my poor Chinese)
I promptly changed her school after those 2 classes also as her teacher was not a native speaker but a Russian National who had good English ability, but many basic things were being taught incorrectly.
Last questions for those familiar with the process and system. Is there a peak time for beginning and ending of the contracts, meaning similiar to the US where a school year starts in early fall and ends the next year in early summer?
I also see most contracts are for one year, are these renewable so that you can teach for longer then 1 year?
Thanks again for the input
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I see a few people post here that live and work in China, mainly teaching English. I was wondering how you got your English teaching positions and what qualifications are required?
I have done a few web searches but for some reason some of the ads for English teachers sound a little fishy to me.
Advice and recommendations appreciated
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Medical does include a urine test.
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For transactions in currencies other than U.S. Dollars, Bank of America charges its account holders an International Transaction Fee for purchases or ATM cash withdrawals regardless of whether the transaction occurs within the Global ATM Alliance or outside the Global ATM Alliance. For each converted ATM cash withdrawal, this International Transaction Fee is 1% of the U.S. Dollar Amount, and for each converted purchase, this International Transaction Fee is 3% of the U.S. Dollar Amount. This fee appears as a separate item on the Bank of America account holder's banking statement for each international transaction.
Source:
Should quote the entire source
Bank of America Account Holders[1]The International ATM Access Fee for Bank of America customers is waived for ATMs in the Global ATM Alliance within specified coverage areas.
[edit] Coverage Areas
For Bank of America account holders:
Coverage Area Bank Name
North America Bank of America
United Kingdom Barclays
France BNP Paribas
China China Construction Bank
Germany Deutsche Bank 24
Mexico Santander Serfin
Canada Scotiabank
Australia and New Zealand Westpac Bank
Outside of the Global ATM Alliance, Bank of America charges its account holders an International ATM Access Fee of US$5.00 for withdrawals, deposits, transfers, payments, and balance inquiries.
[edit] Other Fees
For transactions in currencies other than U.S. Dollars, Bank of America charges its account holders an International Transaction Fee for purchases or ATM cash withdrawals regardless of whether the transaction occurs within the Global ATM Alliance or outside the Global ATM Alliance. For each converted ATM cash withdrawal, this International Transaction Fee is 1% of the U.S. Dollar Amount, and for each converted purchase, this International Transaction Fee is 3% of the U.S. Dollar Amount. This fee appears as a separate item on the Bank of America account holder's banking statement for each international transaction.
What we have been saying is this foriegn transaction fee is not being charged on Debit and Check cards, only on Credit Cards
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haha nice clarification, expiration dates please? Kidding
One more minor clarification,
VISA or MasterCard Credit Card issued by BOA will also incur the fees.
On a side note, to make it easy to get money to SO when she may need something like our wedding ceremony deposits etc. I opened a checking account in our names here in the USA with BOA, gave her a debit card from that account and she has to walk about 100 feet to a CCB atm machine in Chongqing.
If you need to move large sums through atm's make sure to call bank and have them raise the daily limit, standard is 2000RMB in 24 hour period.
You can raise that to 10000RMB in 24 hour period, but you have to make 5 transactions. CCB limits each transaction to 2000RMB.
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China Construction Bank and Bank of America best route. They used to have a business relationship though it is official severed now they still honor each others business, ie debit and credit cards, wire transfers etc.
Side note Bank of America Cards can be used at CCB atms in China with no fee.
i did this for the 3 times i went to china, very nice service...
I do not pay an ATM fee to use my bank/debit card in China at any bank. However I have to pay a 2% international transaction fee that my bank says is charged by Visa (issuer of the debit card) not by them.
Do you mean you do not have to pay the 2% transaction fee either?
No transaction fee, no fee at all if you use BOA "Debit" card at CCB atm machine. If you use a credit card to get cash at atm you will be hit with fees from BOA.
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Was just reading the post about electronic processing and in the quote from USCIS K1 Fiance Visa is not included in the process, though at the bottom of post is says K Visa's will automatically be Sent to consulate.
Does this mean the customs delay of 2-3 months no longer applies? -
China Construction Bank and Bank of America best route. They used to have a business relationship though it is official severed now they still honor each others business, ie debit and credit cards, wire transfers etc.
Side note Bank of America Cards can be used at CCB atms in China with no fee.
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I thought I was going to avoid most of the economic effects except for some losses on retirement accounts etc. That was until the other day company decides all our company cars have to go so they can reduce overhead costs, so now I have to buy car, pay for gas and insurance all of which I have not paid for in 15 years. Kinda sucks and I have not told my SO yet because our Wedding Ceremony is 9/16 and she is hot and heavy into planning and organizing, do not want to derail her drive at the moment.
If I can only afford half of the tux for wedding, which should I get?
flying from jfk
in Communications, Planes, Shipping & Money
Posted
I fly out of JFK on Air China, yeah boring no individual screen but hard to beat the price for non stop to Beijing. That and the fact in a 13 hours flight you get 2 full meals, one sandwich meal, and you can wander into the galley anytime you want for snacks, drinks etc because they leave it out buffet style between regular meals. Star Alliance is also a good Frequent Flyer program, First Class round trip for me next time thanks to all my kilometers.
I recently flew from Hartford to Chicago, then to Omaha on Delta and after the nickel and diming for food I actually expected to see a coin slot when I went to toilet.