yanhua

I hardly ever heard of anything like " compulsory birth control" practiced by " work unit". Maybe it was the situation 10 years ago when privacy and freedom was not well understood. Fortunately I have seen lots of improvement in those aspects recent years, it takes time to build up a better understanding and practice. I believe every country has its own way of running the system. We have different systems and cultures. We Chinese people believed in obidience, loyality, tolerance, there was hardly any concept for" individulism" or "ego" or " freedom" in our ancester's wordbook. However i find it exciting and great to marry someone that has a totally different look and culture, the exciting part is the mixture of the good points in our 2 cultures, which has already brought benefit to our life.

The reason why the american gynocologist was confused about the contraceptive ring, was because this is a very rarely practiced contraceptive way here in the U.S. Less than 10% of women in the U.S. use this method..no wonder it is so confusing to her! It is much easier for a chinese gynocologist to understand this cause many married women in China are suggested to use this method as birth control, after their 1st baby is born since they are not allowed to have the second anyway. It is very affordable and efficient. A ring would be good for 4 or 5 years and you donot need to use any other contraceptive methods. However there is some problem with this ring, because this" outsider" is likely to prolong your menstruation period and may cause light infection. I do not know exactly how it performs as contraceptive, but i do not think this is a good method. My mom suggested me having that done before i left for the U.S, since i might go back to school and cannot afford time for a baby. After i read about the low percentage of contraceptive ring utilization in the U.S., i deceided not to use it. I could already forsee the confusion and trouble to have it removed by an american doctor..looks like i did the right thing. Another thing about pep smear, I found it a good thing that many american women have this test annually. I had my 1st pep smear test in the U.S. My mom asked me why i went for a check up for nothing. I explained to her this is a preventive test, and commonly practised here. Well...i believe it is important to be preventive about your health. Pep smear test is especially more important for women aged over 35, cause the older you get, the more possibilities you get. Ofcourse age does not always go with health. A pep swear test is very simple and almost no pain at all. In most cases it won't cause bleeding unless you are very sensitive.

I was replying to Mick's post about low-paid underground workers. I knew you were talking about legal immigrants with papers . Talking about taking advantage, everyone is being exploited in someway. It is just a matter of in what way, to what extent. In the case you were talking about, the owner definitely is taking too much advantage of her and worst of all, by illegal means. I certainly do not have any sympathy for those greedy employers. I think they should be reported and given a big fine.

You do not have to wait till the AOS to get your SSN. I got it before I married my husband. We simply went to the local office and filled out some forms. It was mailed to us 1 or 2 weeks later. Do not forget to bring the applicant's passport with you to the office. They need to check the visa and etc.

Everyone is talking about unfair treatment working in Chinese restaraunts. Yeah, I am sure it is hardworking there. But Why do you have to work there then? China is world famous for cheap labour. How much do you expect a small self owned business like restaraunt can pay? Not talking about benefit like medical and vacation. Some employers take advantage of illegal residents. Well, this is a price people have to pay for violeting the law. Have you guys here ever thought for your chinese wives, what CAN they do here in the US? Some Chinese girls are young and still have the time and desire to go back to school for further education. Some, already in their mid 30s or older than that, would find it even harder to adapt themselves here in the U.S. Without the very basic ability of communicating in English, a good job is almost impossible. Ofcourse, not everyone needs to go out and work, unless they want to, or they have to.

1. Chinese customs allow 5,000 USD in cash per person when you go out of the country. You should report if the amount is over. 2. She can also apply for a debit Visa card in any of China's big banks. She can have one of her family member as the main card holder. She can use the card in the U.S too, for shopping and etc. She can also withdraw money from counters or ATMS but there is a service charge.

I did not thought of learning to drive until I realised how hard it is to get around without a car in los angeles. My husband brought me back a drivers book from DMV one day and my study on it began. Reading a drivers book was no fun for someone like me who did not have the least behind the wheel experience. The difficult thing was i could not really understand it that well until I was put on the driver's seat. I did several online sample tests from DMV before I went for a learner's permit and got it the same day. My husband decided to get me some driving courses cause he did not like the idea of teaching me to drive at all! I did not like the idea of paying someone else for that but I accepted his generous and kind offer . The 1st 6 hour course started before thanks giving. I was surprised when my teacher put me on the driver's seat the 1st time we went driving. I still cannot believe that i made it and did not hit anything. It still feels like a dream how i made it. maybe he was helping me with the steerwheel...i just do not recall anything guess i was too concentrated. My first several courses were taken in residential areas where there were lots of turns. I did not make good turns, always a wide turn and almost ran into uncoming cars. My teacher asked me if i do any sport. Well, I do not do any sport. He commented my turns as slow...actually sooooo slow like i was performing a dance on the steerwheel. He asked me to use my muscles and make my turns quickly. I am still working on how to make good turns. The second 6 hour courses were taken to the busy road where there are a lot more traffic. I learned to edge into the intersection when the light is green and make a turn when the uncoming traffic is clear. However I watch not only uncoming traffic but also traffic from other directions before i make a turn. My teacher was amazed how many times he had to tell me and i am still slow and look everywhere when make a turn. I joked with him neither of our native language is english and that is why i could not remember what he told me. My examiner pointed it out also, that I should go fast as soon as the uncoming traffic is clear and the light is green. He concluded as: unexperienced drivers are too nervous. They usually wait a bit for no reason at a green light even if the uncoming traffic is clear. And when you finish the turn, you are supposed to speed up a bit before cars behind you run into the back of your car. The third 6 hour courses was more exciting cause i asked if i could drive on highway. My teacher asked if i was ready for it. I told him i do not feel the least nervous when i drive. So i went on the highway. It was kinda of scaring so many cars were passing beside me rapidly and i could hear the wind blowing. I was not willing to speed up to 65 mhr but i had to follow instructions. When i speeded up it felt so good driving...like flying. Well...it does feel good when there is no turn and traffic is smooth at this speed! We also practiced on driving along the hills which was very difficult and demands lots of control especially when the roads were so narrow. It was like up and down up and down. We drove to the top of the valley and the view was indeed pretty. The drivers behind the wheel test was taken today. I was kinda of nervous and unrested last night. My husband asked me if i believe in anything...like a superpower out there. I told him not really but i would if the superpower would enable me to pass the test and get me a good job. He said people do not ask for things like that for themselves from superpower, so I told him he could ask for me then since i cannot do it for myself. So i finally made it today. It was not easy but i am sure you girls can make it too. I awarded myself with a roasted and barbecue chicken with ice cola for dinner today. It was yummy and satisfying. And i was excited to call my mom and mom-in-law and share the good news. I remember reading a post on candle that suggested do not try to have your husband teach you how to drive. My husband always quoted that post when he got nervous sitting beside me on the passenger's seat. He grabbed the steerwheel and completed my turns. Mostly it was ok and peaceful until he thought i was about to hit something since i did not start to turn when i should. However my husband was very encouraging to me. Everytime after i drove him back home SAFELY, he would tell me i did a good job. There were funny times too when I drove him back on my heels one night. He told me he did not feel good about the idea I drive him back home before i got into the car and he did not want to spend the night in hospital. I told him it was not too bad since I would be taking my drivers test and it means i was not that bad. So we made home safely and slowly. The traffic was very light at 2 or 3 am in the morning. Last Sunday I offered to drive down the hill after lunch. I could see he was nervous as he always is when I drive, but i comforted him and told him, if we had to spend the day in hospital, at least we had a full stomach of in-out burgers and fries..so it was that bad. After 18 hours behind the wheel courses, I finally got my drivers licence today! However I did not feel that much excited to get on the road right away cause I know I still need a lot more practice on road although legally I can drive all by myself now. Driving behind the wheel is fun and dangerous. I thank my husband for his patience and encouragment...and I expect more patience from him in the days when i will drive him. Next goal would be going to school for some computer courses and look for jobs once I get my EAD. Good luck with everyone's new life here in this new country. Leaving behind everything we had or have in China is not easy but we shall look forward to what we will have in the future. and stay optimistic and stay healthy.

Good Luck!!!!

She needs an appropriate reason for applying for her passport. Say,you can write her a letter,not an email, inviting her to visit you in the U.S. She should keep the cover of the letter with your address, poststamp and the invitation, have it translated by authorized agencies (she can find it near the office where she turns in application for her passport). She might also need an approval from her work if she is a government employee; if she works in a company it would be much easier. She needs to bring her red resident booklet to the local security office and have their to stamp on a paper, which means approval of her getting the passport. They need to check into her background.

Congratulations!!!! 21 hours labour? Oh, she is a great mom!!! It must have been a hard time.

hi,all. We filed our AOS and a bunch of paper work with seperate check for each item, but was returned due to" insufficient sum". They wanted us to write the total number in one single check. So we sent it again as they required. We did not send any photos with our application. Does anyone know if it is necessary or required? How many photos? What size pictures? Where does it say photos are required? Thank you.

A connecting flight via Taiwan from mainland China is not yet possible. There is no direct flight from mainland to Taiwan.If you could make it with a private Chinese passport, I am sure this would be considered a historial event. Direct flight between mainland and Taiwan has always been a goal both parties are working on. Many flights between the two places would have to go across Hongkong, which makes the flight times longer. However, if you fly from Hongkong via Taiwan to the U.S., it would not be a problem.

Se_lang: She could simply ask the VO" What is Communism?"... or she can simply say she does not care about political stuff. Interview is not difficult at all. It all depends on how well you present yourself and how much confidence you have.

My Lord...she did not know the Beautiful Bridal Shower Day would arouse so much attention on food. If for any reason, there would be a war between American western and southern gourmets....Please forgive them. Amen!

oh..i thought i was trying american food.