TootTaLu

Wikipedia forbidden in China. (Im in China) China blocks Wikipedia.

http://personales.ya.com/sailor/China2004/Foshan/index.html

Closed Caption for the deaf probably had simplified grammar so the deaf can read it faster,but misspellings are very common on DVD captioning,not to mention some of the Chinese subtitles include "added opinions",a kind of propaganda, along with the translations.

She only did it when she got her first Police/Birth Cirtificates,but when we got the ACTUAL "White Book" Notarized/Certified/Translated she kept them clean. I explained to her that when presenting documents to officials it really matters that they are very clean (no tea/soy sauce,oil stains from the table.) and in neat order.

This is a good reminder.. and can be broadly applied... ANYONE you talk to in this process from USCIS to NVC to GUZ is not the VO your SO will talk to. Yes, take everything at face value and then against the bigger picture of issues we know and are shared here. I do think one has to be very careful about listening to discrete stories and experiences; They are someone else's experience, not necessarily what you will experience... and may be something someone experienced years ago and not relevant any more... but in the end, what we have is a set of experiences rolled up into 'data'. So, for me, it's a balancing act: One must know the trends and the likelihoods, as well as the individual case issues at hand. The more you share here on CFL, the more people can help advise... yet I know the more expose some will feel. I would only encourage people to open up more here than with the consulate, since anything you ask them at any step will end up in your case. This has nothing to do with what steve has done at ach.. so don't want that taken the wrong way. I think that ACH can be used to some advantage... I'm still on the fence as to what truly useful advantage without knowing specific case situations... I am a new participant her. I agree with Dave (above). It is BEST if you participate here on a regular basis. Every week I learn more stuff from different people sharing their experiences. At first glance of the message board you can get some useful info,but if you participate for two or three months,the people here will keep you updated on their progress,and it is DIFFERENT for each case.

This is what I FEAR, FEAR, FEAR about my wife coming here. She has pulled out from being paralel parked in front of the grade school right into the lane with 2 teenage girls, speeding, talking, radio blaring, and cell phone going. Her comment when I blew my top in fright for her, was they should be looking out for me and stoping. We had a talk, and since she has been back to China I talked to her very strong and the consequences of hurting herself and her daughter. I scared her on purpose to get through to her. I never will forget that recent Asian arrival that got hit and killed by a train in CA where I lived. Wife and daughter gone. They just don't know. Our first "close call" was while we were visiting Thailand. In Thailand the people drive more "American style",faster.(They also drive on the wrong side of the road England style). We were standing on the sidewalk talking with friends and my fiance just took one step backward off of the curb and in to the street and a car sped by just a couple of feet from her. She learned right then that those lines are just not to be crossed,at least without looking first. I have not even let the thought of her driving a car in America enter into my mind. I live in a bicycle friendly city,so Im encouraging bikes and bus for the short trips to the market. Its healthier,and my fiance is not against exercise. My main concern is that she is quite short and I dont know if she is big enough to control a car or reach the pedals. She says that she really likes the old style VW Beetle. Maybe we can round one up easily and not too expensive. Did they make old style VW Beetles with power steering? Im quite attached to my 66 Dodge Dart,but my dream car is a 2 Door 1968/69 Plymouth Valiant.

I understand that there is a Chinese community in Panama,and a quite large one in Peru. Also,some kind of new project to build one in Finland. If you know any information about these,please post it here,or provide links. I really interested in Chinese communities in South America and Finland.

Heheheh ... such an appropriate characterization. I dont think I ever met him,but my fiance and I certainly met some of his minions,misleading official looking ID badge and all.I think he recruites these people from outside the Chinese train stations or the Silk Market in Beijing. When she is exiting her interview,or even walking NEAR the US Consulate building,they will descend on your fiance like a pack of...well...train station pimps or hungry wolves. As she exitis the interview there is a bunch of people screaming at her to buy air tickets,and these people are also there offering you the services of the lawyer. Please tell your fiance to CONCEAL ALL PAPERS when exiting the interview,blue,pink,white,anything.And try very very hard to not show any emotion and keep a poker face until you are well away from the entire US Consulate building. I say this because like most people,you enter the building with expectations of getting the visa,but when she comes out with no visa she is usually near tears and in a very fragile emotional state. God forbid you meet one of these official looking ID badge wearing people and make the mistake of asking them "wheres the restroom" or "wheres the TianYu Apartments" or "wheres the US Consulate",because they will lead you in to their office and start the sales pitch. Personally,I really have a problem with their wearing official looking laminated ID badges.

Too often we do not give our SOs enough credit. They are indeed much smarter than we think.....................MUCH MORE!!!!!!!!!! Yes,but the bleach? The bleach,on my 25 year old Levi's Jacket? I never even trusted my own mother to wash my clothes! Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't looking for you.

Yes,the first worry that comes to my mind is the Clorox. Bleach IS used in China,and they know what it can do to your clothes,but maybe its not so commonly used in the Chinese home.I do believe most of the Chinese ladies have had experience with bleach though. Im hoping she can get used to using an american style electric stove. They use electric for cooking in China,but its not the same one we have in America. American style dishwashing detergent is pretty nasty,and does not rinse off as easily as the Chinese stuff. American style clothes washing detergent will burn the skin off of your hands if you use it to hand wash with. There are American powder detergents,like Woolite,and I think "Snowy White" that can be used for hand washing clothes. Make sure she does not put her hand in an American style clothes washing machine.The Asian machines are whimpy and slow,but the American machine can tear your hand off. I would reduce the selection of cleaning products in your home to a couple of basics like Windex,409.Those two are enough to clean the whole house.

its not good to jot down notes on a paper? Not when its an original Chinese Police Cirtificate,Chinese Birth Cirtificate,etc... She's just not respecting the papers. Nobody does in China.

Because Im a low life backpacking no money using mommy's I-134 BAD LAOWAI. (Dont worry sweetie.Well have your visa in a fortnight (7 to 11 months)and be off to America in no time. NOT!!! Were at 20 months and counting.) Just a thought, How are you going to support her when she does get here? Huh? Oh THAT. I really think things are going to be great when we arrive in America,really. The problem is demonstrating that to the US officials at the consulate in GuangZhou. Im really worried because Ive stayed in China the whole time,20 months,so its obvious that I have no job or paid any taxes. In America,I plan to work for a tree trimming company,or build houses or paint. Its very easy to start that kind of job and get the money coming in quickly. Its pretty good money,tree service and construction. I want my fiance to go to community college and take a part time job so she can buy her personal items and send money to China to pay for her young son's schooling. I will not expect her to contribute to rent or food or transportation. I will pay for all of that.

After we went around to all of the Chinese Government Offices to collect the original documents,I was horrified when I caught her jotting down telephone numbers on them in pen. In China,any time I try to show a map,book or document to anybody,they whip out their pen and TRY TO WRITE on it! They're just not respecting the paper in China. Did she fold,spindle or otherwize mutilate any of your precious paper products after she arrived to your home in America?

Because Im a low life backpacking no money using mommy's I-134 BAD LAOWAI. (Dont worry sweetie.Well have your visa in a fortnight (7 to 11 months)and be off to America in no time. NOT!!! Were at 20 months and counting.)

HaHa,you would HAVE to be a mental patient to pull a stunt like that. He didn't even do a very good job of vandalizim,barely damaged the picture. In America,we dont have to keep "spare" Statue Of Liberty,just in case B) . Cause we have cases and casses of Brasso metal polish! This could be a new viable government run program! BTW, what happened to the detained worker? Any news of the confesssion? Or did he just take off for his "vacation" in upper Mongolia already? Im in Beijing. My friend has high Chinese Govt job,and his comments was: "The guy was not really XinJiang person,but he is a crazy person.It is possible he may not have to go to jail at all because he is crazy.Maybe free after two days or two weeks or two years in hospital,maybe.Maybe he did it to get famous". Well,that guy who shot Ronald Reagan was found innocent by reason of insanity,but he spent a long time "not in jail".

LETTER ARRIVED FROM GUANGZHOU!!! December 2006,we received our most recent Blue Slip,only telling us to go home and wait,but it DID NOT request we gather any more Overcome Materials. 10 days ago we emailed GuangZhou "When is my next appointment?",and about one week ago they replied "Please keep waiting,we will contact you when we are good and ready..." Well,3 days ago a letter arrived to my Fiance's village home,but she will not go and pick it up (1 hour bus ride)for another 2 days B) ,and nobody there can read English. I am in Beijing today,so I cant go get the letter myself. I ASSUME the letter will tell us that we have another appointment in GuangZhou in June????? IF THEY REJECT the Fiance Visa,"White Slip",would they notify us in this letter? IF THEY APPROVE the Fiance Visa,"Pink Slip",would they notify us in this letter? If they want more Overcome Materials,"Blue Slip",would they notify us in this letter? I have been in China 20 months,unemployed,officially "Disabled" status,collecting a monthly benefit. I have NOT given them an I-134,BUT MY PARENT gave them an I-134. My parent's I-134 EXPIRED in April 2007, but my parent sent a NEW I-134,notarized April 2007,but we have not handed it in to GuangZhou. I WILL fill out and notarize my own I-134 in GuangZhou before my Fiance goes to another US Consulate appointment. I WILL attend American Citizen's Hour BEFORE my Fiance goes to another US Consulate appointment. I dont believe my Fiance will receive the Fiance Visa. I believe at best we will receive another Blue Slip,or a White Slip .

There were also some XinJiang detainees from Guantaunamo Bay Camp X-Ray that were recently released and hand delivered to China. Throughout China,these Islam People seem to live in harmony with everybody,but are regarded as kind of thieves. Everybody enjoys eating in Islam restaurants all over China,operated by XinJiang or QingHai people,but,even though they regularly eat there,my Chinese friends regard these people and their restaurants as being "dirty" .

HaHa,you would HAVE to be a mental patient to pull a stunt like that. He didn't even do a very good job of vandalizim,barely damaged the picture. In America,we dont have to keep "spare" Statue Of Liberty,just in case .

There was an incident just a couple of months ago that was on the news here in China about a "terrorist training camp" that was raided by the Chinese army in XinJiang.About 15 or so "terrorists" and one Chinese soldier were killed in the fight. Heres an intersting story ,with great photos,about the different Islamic groups in XinJiang and how there is tension between them. http://www.antiwar.com/matuszak/?articleid=2535

I am not surprised it wasn't reported locally. The CCP usually wants to keep these things tight lip since there are many people that have a grudge or hatred toward Mao/the CCP and the gov't want people to believe they live in a utopian society and that this incident was a minor incident but at the same time the gap between the poor and wealth grows ever wider. Rural Chinese regard Mao as a war hero,and proudly display his photo in the home,much in the same way a rural american displays the American flag. In the cities the educated people have different opinions about it. If you talk to a young student who is to young to remember when Mao was the leader,they believe the stuff thats taught about him in school "A great leader with the 10,000 year dream",much like a young American student believes what they are taught about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Older Chinese will openly discuss their hatred of Mao,especially in Beijing. Sure,Mao was a great war hero to begin with,but he stayed in control too many years and he was not a good leader for China. Thats why ONLY RECENTLY the Chinese money was changed with Mao's face on all of the bills,because the younger generation does not remember any of that stuff. If they had tried to do that 20 years ago,the people would not have gone for it.

My fiance and I both use umbrellas in the sun. She is very short,so when we try to cross the road her umbrella is always shoved in my face,so I cant see anything. She also uses the closed umbrella technique,holding it against her face to block the sun. In China men dont use umbrella to shield the sun,only for rain,so my fiance berates me for carrying an umbrella when its not raining.

As far South as I got. Maybe working and traveling like we did I just never saw it. They ran me ragged. Loved it down here with the earth mounds. http://i10.tinypic.com/4tz52qd.gif OK, I can see this in the 2 above comments. But 1-4? Maybe an exageration by ol Threadbare. So is a bare thread naked, or just no ink? I chose "Threadbare" because it describes my entire wardrobe I have been washing in cheap Chinese hotel bathroom sinks.I came to China to wait for my fiance's USA Visa,and I planned to stay 6 or 8 months,but now its about 19 months of washing my tattered clothes in the sink. Its IMPOSSIBLE to find suitable underwear and socks here in China. Everything is too small. I have Chinese friends that are HUGE,but I dont know where they find their clothes and shoes. I just got a GREAT new pair of shoes for 100rmb,authentic army officer shoes from an army "surplus" store,but it took me over a year of searching to find a pair big enough to fit. Thailand is a good place to buy cheap good quality clothes,but I have not found anything good in China,all low quality,except for the "ordinary" or army stuff. In China my experience is: Cheap=No good quality Mid price=Good quality Expensive=Lower quality than "no good quality".

I'll second this... The consulate may not even respond to your emails.. don't waste too much time. Once they rule on revocating, it usually takes a lawyer for them to discuss the case. its' up to you; Is a few thousand dollars worth another years wait? IMO: Don't buy this, "just get married and file again".. deal with it now. From your experience,what is your definition of "a few thousand dollars"? Under $3,000? More than $5,000? As much as $10,000?

You are right, Atlanta drivers are crazy on the inter-state, but it is somewhat sane off the interstates. There seem to be no rules in China. The main difference between the drivers in Atlanta and the drivers in China is that the China drivers are much better at playing chicken Have fun Charles. The big difference is: American drivers consider those painted lines on the road to be "suggestions". Chinese drivers consider those painted lines on the road to be "decorations".

I discourage the use of acronyms. Acronyms=lazy. I use "GUZ",but thats it. SAY NO TO ACRONYMS!