frank1538

Now would not be a good time to drink lots of coffee. My guess is that everybody's heart rates have already gone up a notch. Soon, it will be all over. Good luck.

Wonderful news. Congratulations to you both.

Checked out the Buford Hwy Farmer's Market on Sunday. Wow. More people than you'd find waiting to get into the consulate. Jingwen found everything she was looking for, even chicken wings and cow stomach. And, more vegetables that you ever want to think about. It's a curious mix of Asian and Hispanic, but well worth the trip. We also go to Din Ho which is a small Chinese only market in the same strip mall as the Oriental Pearl restaurant. The selection is not as good, but the workers all speak Chinese, and this makes Jignwen happy. I've just about given up on American food, but I have a business lunch on Wednesday, and I asked Jingwen to join us. We'll be going to Bones, an excellent steak house. Maybe, she'll enjoy it, but I'll be sure she doesn't see the prices.

In all the months that I tried getting through to GZ, it was a complete fiasco - hardly ever got through to anybody. I found DOS much more informative. When I had to deal with GZ, I found that they responded quickly to my e-mails, and this became the standard method of communication to me. If this new phone system is designed to replace visa interview appointments via P4 or letter, then I have my doubts whether it will be an improvement. Only time will tell.

The kids have discovered junk food. In true CFL form, cheetos seem to be the preference. Minghao, the son, particularly likes the red hot cheetos. Cream soda is also a big hit. The kids wanted to try pizza, so we went to the local dive. They ate. Jingwen watched. Jingwen has yet to acquire a taste for western foods. She has sampled all the herbs and spices, but if it's not garlic or ginger, forget it. This doesn't bother me since I am eating Chinese food to my heart's content. Unfortunately, the Chinese market where we go does not carry chicken, other than chicken feet, so Jingwen has to make do with those "big fat American chickens." PS. My water bill is bound to skyrocket. Came home from work yesterday to find the garage washed and hosed down.

AAC = Asian American Couples: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Asian_American_Couples/

Your ducks are all lined up. Should be a breeze. Keep us posted. Good luck.

Computer prices are higher in Zhanjiang than in the states. I bought Jingwen a Legend - cost about $700, but she sold it before she left for about $400. The hardware seemed reliable, but Win98 appears to be the OS standard, and she had to re-install the software three times over the course of a year. I did not think about buying an "American" brand such as Dell. At the time, I thought there might be problems with the electrical supply conversions with a computer configured for the US market.

Funny thing about the Chinese notarial documents. When Jingwen took these to the hospital, the staff person assembling all the information looked for the English translation, found it, then ripped the English translations from the assembled package. Only the Chinese portion ended up in the sealed envelope that Jingwen took to the consulate. Go figure.

I did the same thing. I had about +100 photos that I printed out from a CD and took the CD as well. The VO didn't look at these but looked at a few of the pictures that Jingwen had brought. I thought the Yahoo chat archives would be good evidence of our ability to communicate. I ran out of time and strength and printed out only five months - filled about two large spiral binders and weighed about 10 pounds. What a waste of a good tree. Again, the VO didn't even bother to look, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the volume of information that Jingwen carried with her was, itself, convincing. I know each VO is different. Jingwen's VO was a very nice African American lady who seemed more interested in sizing up the person rather than the material.

When Jingwen exited the mainland, the K-1 visa was sufficient, but, upon entry into Hong Kong, she had to show her plane ticket as well. Don't know if this is the norm or not, but I've been told that the plane ticket must show a departure within seven days of entry into Hong Kong.

I think Jingwen completed the ds-157. When in doubt, complete it.

I don't see the police certificate on the list (her). Make sure she has her Chinese identity card with her. She need it to claim her passport, assuming she gets her visa. Also, make sure she signs her passport (last page, I think). The medical facility where Jingwen had her physical actually assembled all the documents and placed them is a sealed envelope for her to take to the interview. I don't know if this has become common practice, but it certaintly helped order everything. I can't remember all the P4 forms. Just make sure you've got them fully completed, including the appropriate "none" or "n/a".

The visa phase is behind you!!!!! Now, get on with life. Good luck and best wishes. Frank and Jingwen

When I would visit Jingwen, I had to make due with a small towel that stayed constantly wet. I thought, well maybe, she just didn't have enough towels to go around. Wrong. The new big bath towels that I bought remain unused. Instead, the smaller hand towels and in demand and remain wet. The same goes for the kitchen. We went shopping yesterday, and Jingwen bought a large stack of bar towels, those low grade "rags" used to keep the bars clean. These have now become the favorite among the family. I still use my large bath towel, but I can't seem to convince the others that it's okay for them to use these too. Anyway, I was able to convince them to put the shower curtain inside the tub/shower, so I don't have to worry about standing water on the bathroom floor. However, the use of hot water has taken some adjustment. They're used to hot water on demand, and I had to explain to them that my hot water tank only holds 50 gallons, so we have to stagger the showers a bit. Jingwen loves the hot water from the kitchen tap and really likes the garbage disposal in the sink. She's adjusting to the dishwasher, but I still have to show her how to use the washing machine and clothes dryer. So many cultural differences, but such a delightful experience. The kids have comandeered my computer and spend a lot of time chatting with friends in China. It's helping them stay busy until ESL classes start. Jingwen prefers to use the telephone. MInghao, the son, has taken a fancy to American hot links, hot sausage, hot anything. KK, the daughter, love hot chocolate. Today, we'll visit my family, and this will be Jingwen's first time to another American home. We'll see what happens when they try to remove their shoes. My mom, who is an excellent cook, is worried that they won't like her food. Not to worry, I said. Just go light on the grated cheese. Since my mom is Italian, this was like asking her to cook with only half a kitchen. Go for roasted peppers and eggplant and lots of leafy vegetables I suggested. Actually, but for the cheese, there are many similarities between northen Italian cooking and Chinese cooking, particularly in the use of mass quantities of garlic. We'll see how Jingwen takes to the wine. It's been raining a lot lately, so we haven't gotten out much. Hope to tour some of the neighborhoods today and go to some of the city parks, weather permitting. Life is grand, but I'll be back to work next week. This worries me a little, since the family will be on their own. I intended to get cell phones for all of them plus transit passes for the train and busses, but ran out of time - maybe tomorrow.

Jingwen and the kids have now been here for about three days. Thought I'd pass on her initial thoughts about America America is beautiful, so many squirrels that are good eating too Atlanta is cold Remember, she's from Zhanjiang where is rearely gets below 50 at night. Central heating is great, but why doesn't it stay on all the time? Let's go on foot. Why is everything so far away? Everything is so expensive. She doesn't want to go to school (ESL). I've talked to a number of Chinese friends about this, and they say it's a common reaction. She probably feels inadequate now and going to class would initially make her feel less secure. The wife of one close friend who has been in the country for a little over a year said that she will come around when she realizes that there is life outside of the house. The kids can't wait to start. She likes the car She still doesn't go for American food, but I fixed dinner last night and she ate just about everything. Loves wasabi, but doesn't care for horseradish. The kids love an American breakfast of bacon/sausage and eggs, but surprisely nobody like grits The Asian/Chinese markets have everything that she's been looking for for food, even rice cooking wine. She wasn't too keen on using the sake, but it worked until we went to the Chinese market. Funny, when I go to the grocery store, I'll spend about $100 for a week's worth of food and junk for three. She bought food for a week for about $50 that will feed five. Fish is cheap, and she bought a very nice cut of beef that she slices thin. Ummmm, good cooking, but I had to ask her to cut back on the salt. She likes the house a lot. One thing is found out is that she and the kids are not used to toilet seats, so it doesn't seem to bother them that I leave them up We've already gone through one sponge mop, and the vacuum cleaner is too heavy for her to use - my chore now. For some reason, white linens are not preferred - had to go out and buy new colored sheets, pillow cases and comforters She likes it that she can speak Guangdonghua in the Chinese stores. This has helped her keep from being too homesick. And showing her how to connect to the local access number so she can call China has really helped.

Jerry, the immigration officer tried to ask Jingwen a couple of questions, but I told him that she did not speak English. I don't know what would have happened if she was by herself, but the impression I got was that the officer was not that interested. When I told him that Jingwen could not speak English, he started directing a question or two to me. All in all, he was cordial. Just remember, she'll be fingerprinted and photo'ed.

Our POE was SFO. I tried the immigration line first and was directed to the visitors line. By the time we got to the front, the citizens lines were empty, and they started taking the overflow.

I've already had to go to the store to replace the new one that I had just bought - It wore out

Yeh, this one scares me since KK, the daughter, is 20 and must be adjusted before her 21st birthday. I'm meeting with my congress person on Tuesday to try to grease the skids on expedited processing.

Well folks, we made it back to the states with no hitches. POE through SFO was fairly straightforward. We had to stand in the visitors line with the masses - took about an hour to clear immigration. Fortunately, we had a strong tailwind coming from Hong Kong so we arrived an hour early, so there was plenty of time for the connection to Atlanta. The immigration officer asked a few questions of Jingwen. When did she plan on getting married? How did we meet? It took him about fifteen minutes to open the envelopes, stamp everything, mark the visas, assign the A number, and take the fingerprints and photos. He didn't want the X-rays. I tell my friends that the Chinese love to do three things - eat, sleep, and go shopping. On the way home from the airport, we actually stopped to do a little shopping - odds and ends, then went directly to the Oriental Peal restaurant so Jingwen and the kids could speak Guangdonghua to the waiters, then went home to shower and hit the rack. All in all, a good start. I havent' been reading the posts on CFL for a few days. Probably will catch up on my reading after I go buy some stock in the Morton salt company - it's bound to go up given the increase in salt useage here in Atlanta. It's good to be back.

Most excellent!!!!!! Don't sweat the interview. My sense is that the decisions have already been made by this time. Hope yours goes as smoothly as Jingwen's.

Frank, OK got it thanks. One more question. Did they do the medical in GZ? If so how long for the results? Louis All three went to Guangzhou for the medical (33 Shamian - International Travel Health Center). Results took five days, but I don't know if this was designed to coincide with the interview date. They went back to the hospital on the day before the interview to get the medical results and to give the hospital folks all the P4 documents. Jingwen and the kids got their medical "book" with the results along with the x-rays. All the P4 documents were then sealed in brown envelopes, one for each application, by the hospital staff and given to Jingwen to take to the interview the next day.

Jingwen's two kids, ages 18 and 20, had medical exams and had to pay the visa fees, complete all the applications, etc. Except for their classification (K-2), they were treated just like Jingwen. Frank, But isn't there some difference between under/over 18? Mei's daughter was included on the original I-129 K-1, we filled out a seperate form in the P3 for her. We have the birth cert and police cert for her. Do you think along witht the medical that will do it? Louis I don't know if there's a difference between 17 and 18. Minghao, the son, was 17 when we started. He turned 18 last October. When Jingwen went for the medical exams, the kids had to go too. Like you, she completed the P3 forms for the kids and did the same when the P4 arrived. I think the kids forms wre virtually identical. Of course, neither had to complete the intent to marry form although it was included in their P4. The kids supporting documents were their birth certificates, police certificates, and their medical results. The hospital said the daughter needed a singleness certificate since she was 20, but the consulate did not ask for this - a good thing since we didn't get one for her.

Jingwen's two kids, ages 18 and 20, had medical exams and had to pay the visa fees, complete all the applications, etc. Except for their classification (K-2), they were treated just like Jingwen.