frank1538

#24: How long do you intend to stay in the U.S.? At least as long as it took my fiance and me to get the visa. #25: What is the purpose of you trip? To prove to you that the wait was worth every minute.

I think the closest I've come to a snake liquor was a cough syrup made from snake bile. Fortunately, enough other stuff was added so that it actually tasted okay. Did it help the cough? Who knows, but after you drink it, you tend to forget everthing else except the fact that you just drank snake bile.

As a rule, I tend to convert values to the Chinese equivalent, not RMB, but what it would be worth in China. Like some of you, I do not remember the dollar limits, so I figure that listing for example, a T-shirt that cost me $25 at, say, $2 is an accurate disclosure of the shirt's value in China. Maybe yes, maybe not, but so far, so good.

What a wonderful thought. 10 years from now, I'll be thinking about retirement, maybe in China (God, the mortgage company, and the IRS willing), living with my beloved wife of ten years. The kids will be grown with children of their own. I won't be any grayer than I am now, and I my beautiful wife will still have black hair I'll still be checking CFL from time to time and will read the posts dealing with these same issues Okay, no one ask for a reality check here Please let me dream.

I did not intend to suggest otherwise. Just that talking about lawyers opens a crack in the door that might allow room for some of the 403,243,617 lawyer jokes out there.

This is getting dangerously close to a lawyer jokes thread. I'm not sure this board could handle the volume.

Jingwen kept her family name when she was once married, so I do not expect her to change it now. The kids have their dad's family name, and I don't expect them to change either. I'm like you. I don't particularly like hyphenated names. If someone can't pronounce Jingwen's or the kids' surnames, tough. Would I change my name if I resided in China? Highly unlikely.

Like one of my T-shirts proclaims: Aging is inevitable, Maturing is optional This is a philosophy that should guide more of us. As you stated in an eariler post, the American rat race can certainly grind you down, but if there is laughter, there is life. I remember when a friend of mine turned 40. I asked her if it bothered her. She said when she was under forty and did somehing spontaneous or childish, she had this feeling that people were saying grow up. Now she says that she feels that she can do whatever she pleases because it keeps her young. May we all laugh with our spouses and stay forever young.

You might want to consider the domestic relations laws in your particular state. In many states, pre marital assets remain the separate assets of the respective spouses (more common in the eastern US than in the West). Alimony is becoming less and less of an issue, particularly when both spouses are working, and child support is often determined pursuant to statutory guidelines. I am not fond of pre nups, but I understand people's concerns about the division of assets, alimony, and support should a marriage go south.

If memory serves, the consulate reduced the numbers of personnel, I think on a voluntary basis, but continued to work. I think visa processing continued but at a reduced rate. I was in Guangdong during the SARS episodes. It seemed sporadic at best - some areas hit a lot harder than other areas. We'll see what happens during the upcoming flu season.

Finally!! 9447988911 Manchester, NH - USA Guangzhou - China, People's Republic Signed for by: Company stamp Shipment delivered October 10, 2003 10:35

Ah, the Majestic. Gotta take her there on Halloween night about the same time. Ping will get a kick watching the patrons decked out in some of the best costumes in Atlanta. You might even see me there. I didn't realize that Ping was a true Southerner - hoecakes. Next on the list is grits, then fried chicken. Thanks for sharing this.

Monte, take a look at my picture. If I can make it, you can make it Your comment about country music reminded me. What do you get when you play a country record about divorce backwards? You get your car back You get your house back You get your dog back You get your job back You get your wife back Thanks for the offer on Zhanjiang. If you see a good looking Chinese woman with black hair walking with a purpose, that's my wife. Just say hey for me. Have a great time and keep us posted.

I'll take baby steps anytime. I think this is good news.

I'm starting to think that I'm back at TSC checking an on-line status message that never changes. DHL's website is still showing clearance delays for the 8/29 shipment. The last time I called DHL, they said that I should get in touch with the recipient and ask them why they haven't completed the paperwork. No sh*t, Sherlock As least, this delay has given Jingwen the time to gather the remaing documents for the upcoming interview. The police certificates were outdated, so she needed new ones. The daughter's birth certificate had a typo in the English version, so this was corrected. Some one asked me the other day what's up. I said my blood pressure

Monte, I was reading a few posts this morning on Asian American Couples. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Asian_American_Couples/ One post was from a guy who just got married in Zhanjiang and registered the marriage locally. Might want to check it out.

Monte, Since your fiancee lives in Zhanjiang, same as mine, I will be more than happy to share with you my experience with the wedding. But, as Owen suggests, what is custom or tradition for Jingwen may not be the same for Ruwei. Incidentally, mine was a quasi traditional ceremonial wedding that was not registered. That's why I couldn't answer your question about where marriages are registered in Guangdong. As Owen points out, take the cues from Ruwei. I am sure she will tell you exactly what type of wedding she wants. Jingwen certainly did. Maybe you are starting to realize that there is so much diversity and variety in China. That is part of the reason why you will get varied answers to questions. Hell, even BCIS is different from city to city, and a question about Miami may produce an answer that is totally wrong for San Francisco, Atlanta, or Anchorage. That's what makes CFL so helpful. You get many ideas and suggestions, some good, some not so good, but it gives you a flavor of how things are in China, how we adapt to the cultural differences, how we endure long separations, and how we prepare for the eventual day when we are joined with our loved ones. Maybe some of the information will apply to your situation, maybe not. But, for me, it has always been a learning experience. Even this old dog has learned a few new tricks along the way. Good luck

Hey, the bogus form scam is my turf Would you consider a joint venture? B)

Those are my initials. Thank you very much for the donation. Actually, I think the FD-258 is the fingerprint card, but don't let that stop the rest of you from sending me another $50.

I know that marriage registration has been liberalized, at least for Chinese citizens, but I don't know about registering in the provincial capital rather than the home city. Are you sure your fiancee wants to get married married as opposed to ceremonially married?

I was chatting with a friend the other night, and he said that a legal permanent resident can still be deported, even for minor criminal violations. This shocked the hell out of me. I know this topic has probably been discussed before, but what's the current thinking? Jingwen has indicated a preference for citizenship, and she realizes that this will terminate her Chinese citizenship. I am more worried about the kids, particularly the son. I remember when I was 17, and it was very easy to get into trouble.

I couldn't help but laugh at these. How true!! I still have a little trouble eating dinner for breakfast, but I do like the Chinese broccoli, and the dim sum is usually varied enough so I can eat a bit lighter if I need to. Jingwen keeps a jar with coins in it. It weighs about 20 pounds and contains about $1.50 worth of Chinese coins. Let's see. 10 fen to the jiao. 10 jiao to the yuan. 8+ yuan to the dollar. We're talking real money here.

Welcome to the group. It will be a wonderfully strange and exciting journey, not just to China, but also through the mazes of the government. Incidentally, are Zhanjaing and Zhanjiang two different cities? My fiancee lives in Zhanjiang, in southern Guangdong Province.

Part II is designed to make us all go crazy. Like everyone else, I just can't figure the government out.

Hmmmmmmmmm...... I forgot also what exactly ADIT stands for... From the land of useless trivia comes: ADIT - Alien Documentation, Identification and Telecommunication.