Ovahimba

We really don't have any information on our case. The interviewer said we would get the green card in 4-6 weeks. That's it. I assume it is pending name check, but it could be pending doughnut break for all we have been told. The lady at infopass said they are probably waiting for undetermined documents to arrive, "its still processing". I didn't know about the I-551; I'll look into that. Thanks

We applied for the AP and got that in a timely manner. Unfortunately we didn't think we needed an EAD. As it turns out we could have gotten her a drivers license with the EAD. Having to drive her to the mall and stores every time has gotten old. At present EAD costs $340, something we could have had for a pittance in the original I-485.

I had an Infopass appointment yesterday to inquire about are tardy 2 year green card for which we have been waiting 8 months. Have others found this a useful avenue? I thought it was a waste of time. The lady at the window could only repeat the stale information that we could get on the USCIS website. I got a $35 parking ticket on top of it.

Fortunately big rocks don't look good on the small delicate hands of Chinese women.

If I had it do over again, I wouldn't bother making copies of your own 1040s. Just get the IRS transcripts. This is especially so if you own your own business and don't keep all the 1099s. We almost didn't pass the AOS interview because I didn't bring additional documentation to show my business income; copies of 1040s for the last 4 years didn't impress him.

To suppliment pimsler CDs you can make some of your own. Get one of those tiny digital tape recorders and record your SO, "how do you say....". Any way you do it will be a grind and you'll have to dedicate time everyday. I listen to them over and over on my commute to work until sentences are automatic. Also record clips from Chinese TV of people talking at normal speed and have your SO break down each word. Understanding what people say is at least half the battle.

At the immigration building in San Francisco, they wouldn't allow cell phones past the front door and all your bags were x-rayed. If you were carrying a cell phone they told you to bring it back to the car or they directed you to a photo shop across the street doing a brisk business in temporarily holding your phone for $3 each.

After this thread, I've decided to play it safe and take down all the spears, masks, and bows and arrows off my walls before she gets here. I thought I might leave them up and see if she had any appreciation for such novel items. ..... like a cold day in hell.

Yes, China Camp has seen better days. I would definitely show my SO all the glitzy stuff around SF first, and maybe make China Camp a short side trip if at all. In the book "Wild Swans", one of the author's conclusions about the Cultural Revolution was: not only did they destroy many of the antiquities representing the heritage of China, but they also destroyed people's appreciation for those things. Most in China would prefer to tear it down, pave it over, and build shiny green glass buildings.

For us I guess the stars were lined up just right. I think it did help that we had no red flags, no previous marriages, no problem with my income, no problem with her English, not even a speeding ticket, and I visited China three times as recommended by others. My thanks go out to all who contribute this Website. In the interview, the VO did ask a question I didn¡¯t expect: ¡°Do you know why his name is xxxx¡±. This leads me to believe they do and can snoop far into your past. My parents were born in China but my last name is highly anglicized. My SO knew the long answer, but fortunately responded ¡°His name is xxxx because his fathers name is xxxx and his grandfathers name is xxxx.¡±, giving the simple literal answer.

My lady passed the interview which lasted not much more than two minutes. She called midnight my time and chewed me out for falliing asleep before calling about the results..... "I had no doubt baby".

Ouch! You must have a bullet proof relationship

I was wondering the same thing. Are references made to "bitter melon" really references made to "winter melons" in this thread? I enjoy winter melon soup very much as well. Bitter melon and winter melon are different. A winter melon looks like a large honeydew and quite mild. Here is a description of a bitter melon: http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/bitterm.html

Anybody ever try a dish with bitter melon? I don't remember seeing it in restaurants but it is sometimes a home cooked dish. It is an "aquired taste". Ask your SO about it. It is hands down the worst concoction I have ever tasted, sort of like bell peppers marinated in paint thinner before cooking.

Being in a car culture, if you are seen walking down the sidewalk from the store with a bag of groceries you are seen as either strange or a poor immigrant. It is ok however to walk if you are wearing expensive leotards and running shoes and pumping little weights. Our cultural attitudes should change and we might save some energy and thin some waistlines

I gently suggest that you ought to push Lucy on this. Dental care in China for most people is terrible. Little/no preventive care. Lots of pain when something goes wrong and finally drive them to a dentist. There are also amateur dentists ... shudder! What she may not realize is that with a good American dentist procedures are painless. Point out that elderly Americans often still have their teeth because of preventive care and attention to keeping gums healthy. My Lao Po was shocked when I first started her on flossing. Blood everywhere. She also had some molars that a Chinese "dentist" had removed by breaking them off at the gum line! Now, after 2+ years of good care, flossing, Sonicare electric brush, etc her mouth and gums are in great shape. Give Lucy a push ... Prudent advise, Jim. It's like that Fram Oil Filter commercial, 'You can pay me now or you can pay me later.' The first week Leiqin and I meet and she is in my home, she complains of a toothache. What was I to do, put back on a plane to Alaska? After the $2000 cash emergency dental visit, she was good to go...for a while. She was added to my medical/dental plan and did follow-up cleaning etc where they had to numb her to do it and she refused to go back to "...that HK dentist!" OK, I wait a year and figure I'll change dentist in April, during the time my company allows us to change. But, too late. Her breath is beginning to reek a bit. I discover that her mouth hurts again and I take back to the HK dentist who tells me that she has the beginning of gum disease. And, that will cost $500 to treat above and beyond what insurance pays. I know you're not a rich man, Eric. You're a regular schmoe like the rest of us. And, taking a big out of pocket hit not to mention your wife risking her health are nothing to be ignored. This is a battle that you need to fight, (OK, it's a tough one for sure, as your Lucy doesn't sound like someone I'd like to go to battle against). As Jim noted, there are dentist that will even put her under to work on her and she'll wake up never having experienced any trauma. Of course, these dentist charge more. But, what choice do you have other than taking her kicking and screaming? Just a final note: There are many studies and reports that link gum disease with heart disease. Here is one that I quickly found: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/feature...se-heart-health Don't knuckle under, Eric. You have got to fight to win, as this battle is truly too great to loose. Good luck A dental visit after a long absence is a good investment. One of the biggest dental mistakes I see people make is delaying treatment of a medium sized filling. Time goes by, it becomes painful and it then needs a root canal. Root canaled teeth generally need crowns after. So a ~$200 procedure turns into a ~$2,000 procedure, assuming you want to save the tooth. A routine exam, xrays and cleaning is pretty painless. Demonstrate that fact by having it done yourself with her in the room watching. Nitrous oxide or laughing gas is good for controling anxiety along with some oral medications. This is generally all that is necessary for nervous patients. Putting someone totally under for routine dental treatment is rare even for wisdom teeth. And it is REALLY expensive. Flossing and avoiding sweets does wonders for your dental health. Bet you've heard that before.

A classic dish associated with Chinese is boiled fish heads. Growing up, if we saw guys eating them, we would comment "They were real Chinese". A few years back a US spy plane hit one of their fighters and had to land on Hainan Island. While being detained, one dish they were served was fish heads. The Chinese thought they were giving them good stuff. The Americans probably thought they were being tortured.

Back in ¡¯96 when we were visiting Guangzhou, we visited a live animal market not far from some tourist hotels. The guide would not admit it existence. We only found it through the lonely planet guidebook. You could buy any live animal available, birds, snakes, small deer, frogs, etc. Monkeys had already been banned and I understand now dogs are no longer allowed because of their multibillion-dollar business in pet products with the US. The strangest thing I saw were baskets of little toads. For the life of me I could not imagine a dish with little toads, maybe a soup I guess. I tried some of the giant fried waterbugs, which were ok. You had to make sure you took off the legs, wings and head or it would feel like you had a wad of cellophane in your mouth. You see most of these weird foods in Southern China. The weirdest dish I have seen was in a restaurant near the Vietnamese border. The inside resembled a pet store. The table next to me ordered the fruit bat. The live fruit bat was brought out on serving table and had its head chopped off. The blood was drained down a funnel into a bottle of wine, which the guests promptly downed. I am not an expert on Chinese history but I have heard that some of these weird foods originated from the households of Chinese emperors. A twenty course lunch was not uncommon. Cooks had to keep dreaming up new dishes to keep meals interesting. They found new foods and attributed special and medicinal properties to their creations. Of course China has gone through many famines so during those times you ate anything to stay alive. In such a situation, rat would be a delicacy to anyone.

Pimsleur rockssssssssss!!!!!!!!!! I have been using his CDs for quite a while now. Although I have to repeat some of the lessons several times, it works really well. Chinese people have no trouble understanding me. Yes, Pimsleur is the best out there, and people will understand you, but the problem is when they answer at normal speed. Huh? I suppliment Pimsleur with CDs that I make myself using a small digital tape recorder. I ask my SO how to say certain words with variations in context. When I have an hours worth, I burn them on a CD. Its a nice thing to listen to on my commute. Typically I have to listen to and repeat a phrase at least 50 times before it sticks. She refuses to teach me any dirty words.

Yea, when I took a shower in her apartment I couldn't believe she only offered me a small face cloth to dry my entire body. When we stayed in a hotel she wouldn't use the regular size bath towels. Many consumer items in China are scaled down or abbreviated compared to ours.

McDonalds and at least one pizza chain are well known in the larger Chinese cities. Have her ask her friends about them or have her try one out. Of course if she is not plump enough for you, get her hooked on western food.

I usually take valium to force myself to sleep on the airplane over and to force myself to sleep during the new night hours. You can try over the counter sleep medications as well. It is always best not to plan too much the first couple days after arrival. The longer you stay on the old schedule (staying up all night and long naps in the day), the longer it will take to adjust.

Thanks guys for the helpful info

I talked to my fiance last night about her upcoming change of address in China. She doesn't think it will be a problem because her cell phone number will not change. She said the consulate uses EMS, China's version of DHL. If they can't deliver the package, they always call the listed number. She can make arrangements to pick up any correspondence at the shipping office. Could anyone at, or past that stage in the process comment on this information?

Uh oh. This wasn't post I wanted to hear. I recieved my NOA1 a month ago for my I-129F. I just found out all the tenants in my fiance's building in China are being evicted next month; she will have a new address. How would you recommend approaching this. Send CSC multiple letters with the new information? Talk to a live person if possible?