frank1538

Many of us have struggled with the tones associated with the Chinese language. I was surfing and ran across a website dealing with a similar problem in English. Thought I'd share some of the "tonal" English words with you: The bandage was wound around the wound. The farm was used to produce produce. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse. We must polish the Polish furniture. He could lead if he would get the lead out. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes. I did not object to the object. The insurance was invalid for the invalid. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row. They were too close to the door to close it. The buck does funny things when the does are present. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. The wind was too strong to wind the sail. After a number of injections my jaw got number. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend? Poor JIngwen.

Congratulations. You have now entered the twilight zone, where strange things happen. The government will now point its finger in two different directions at once - We (GZ) don't have a record of receipt... We (NVC) sent it to GZ. Things will mysteriously appear. In response to you latest inquiry, GZ will say that they still have no record, but the P3 will arrive that same day. Let the dust gathering begin. Good luck. You're one step closer.

QUOTE (Se_Lang @ Sep 27 2003, 10:46 AM) Maybe we should start a new topic under the language and culture area and collect all the pet names we all use that could be a good laugh Ok, I'll start. rover, fido, rex, kitty... Let's see, other than lao po and lao gong, Jingwen is not much on pet names. She does call me ox man because of my birth date, and I call her tiger, again birth related. Euphemisms are more her style. didi hao ma?

We are all saddened, Dave, and probably a little frightened too. Our hearts tell us that this can't happen, but we all know that there is always this possibility. Such is life. No guanantees. You followed your heart, and this is always a good thing, no matter what the outcome.

We never bitch, do we ? This is called " enthusiatic and constructive criticism of the slow-as-hell government immigration procedures " Big difference ! ahem.... I stand corrected. We would never bitch. Let me rephrase my statement: You've got 600 friends here to listen, chat, cajole, humer, and sometimes give "enthusiastic and constructive critisism of the slow-as hell government immigration procedures"© © copyright, 2003 Eric & Yuhui

Actually, I was referring to the 830 RMB processing fee that's paid prior to the interview.

why would you do that ?? Maybe I missed something.. Seemed to make sense to me. Oh yea, I forgot, this is the government I'm dealing with.

sorry, Dave, not Mick

Mick, not to change the subject too much, but I was planning on paying 830 RMB for each DS-230 (Jingwen and her two kids). Is this right?

Welcome to the club. As was said earlier, this is an unnatural situation. You do everything humanly possible, and nothing happens. You go crazy. What to do? You write, you call, you research, you do anything you can, but to no avail. You are essentially powerless to move the process along. Nothing else matters at this point. It has become a challenge. No, an obsession. Damn it, this is not going to get the best of me. I'll just concentrate more on the problem. F**k everything else. This is more important. Work suffers, life comes to a standstill, and yet you persevere. You will be together one day. Your love is strong. This is all that matters. Depression? Maybe, but who knows? For me the biggest hurdle was coming to grips with the fact that I had virtually no power to do anything about the constant delays and snafus. Frustrating, yes. Depressing, yes. Defeating, NO. Hang in there. One day, this will be a distant memory. Stay on Candle. You've got 600 friends here to listen, chat, cajole, humor, sometimes bitch, and share. Just remember, you are not alone in this process. Keep in touch. Frank and Jingwen

If it comes from an animal, it's meat and therefore is edible. If it moves, it's edible. If it's green, leafy, grows from the ground, etc. it's edible. If it's soured milk product - well, that's cheese - it's not meat, it doesn't move, it isn't green and it doesn't grow out of the ground - definitely not food.

Well, I fianlly got a response from GZ this morning: "Thanks for your email. We've checked our files for your fiancée based on the information you provided, but could not locate any record. You have our assurance once the case reaches us, we will set it under processing as soon as possible." Yours Sincerely, The Immigrant Visa Unit Frustrating but not unexpected.

When in Rome..... Western table manners just wouldn't work in China. Napkin? What napkin? That little thing I would blow my nose with? Oh, that napkin. You need it for the WC? Here, take the whole pack. Where's your napkin? In your lap? What's it doing there? Wait a minute. What do you mean I can't use my fingers to eat the shrimp? the chicken? the clams? the frog? What? You want me to eat that little piece of meat, bone and all. Ok, so I can't use the chopsticks well enough to take the bones out of my mouth. Spit it out? Sounds good to me. I'm building a nice pile of bones here. What, I left some meat on the bones? I'll try harder next time. Would Chinese table manners work in the US? Hey, you can use your hands to eat that chicken. What, you don't touch the food with your hands? Sorry, we don't cut our food into bite sized portions. Nice job with the chopsticks, but try using a knife. Wait, you've got to change hands to use the fork. Ok, so we're not European. The napkin goes in the lap. Yeah, that thing, the one that's big enough to use as a hand towel. And, no, you don't need to take it to the WC. Don't spit the bones out. No? Do I just keep them in my mouth? No, use the knife to cut away the meat before you put it in your mouth. Yeah, yeah, and leave all the good meat on the bone. How wasteful. Jingwen's table manners are totally appropriate for China and Chinese food. Mine are totally appropriate for America. I try to adapt to her style of eating when I'm in China, and I'm sure she'll try to adapt too when she gets here. When in Rome....

robhon and Dallas, I envy you guys. NVC told me my files were sent to the consulate on 8/29, but I have yet to receive any emails from GZ in response in my inquiry. Calling them only results in two hours of lost sleep. I have yet to able to get through to them via telephone. Did either of you do anything in particular to get a response from GZ? Right now, for me, any response would be better than nothing. Just curious - how long did it take to get a response?

If everything goes as hoped, Jingwen and the kids will be here by the end of 2003. KK, the daughter, will be 20 in December, and we will file her I-485 as soon as Jingwen and I are married. As I understand the law, KK's I-485 must be approved before her 21st birthday, so processing/approving is critical before then. I have heard stories about how slow the AOS can be in Atlanta. I intend to flag her I-485 with appropriate "aging out" language, but wanted to check with the group about my understanding of the law. One lawyer I talked too said that Jingwen has to file a I-130 for her daughter, but I don't think this is correct.

Welcome, Bluebird. It's always good to hear from someone who's "been there, done that."

From what you say, it looks like MuSi and Don had plenty of documentation. You also said that Don was in Guangzhou too. Did he try to get into the consulate and ask the VO what the problem was? I think it's important to know exactly why the visa was denied. The blue slip should help. Also, what questions were asked? Maybe MuSi didn't fully understand them or maybe she gave answers that were inconsistent with the paperwork. I am saddened to heare about this.

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

24, 23, 22, 21.......4, 3, Oh my God, the toilet seat .. 2, 1, 0 ..."Please wait, honey, I've got to go inside for a minute." Congratulations. You've made it!!!!!!!! Frank and Jingwen

I tried calling DHL to see if I could get any info on an 8/29 mailing (the date that NVC told me the clearance was sent to Guangzhou). I gave the operator all that I knew (assumed origin location, date, assumed destination location, zip code, etc.). I told her that I was trying to track a shipment made on my behalf. She was very cordial. After a few minutes, she came back with a waybill number, but she said the origin address was 31 Rochester Ave rather than 32 Rochester Ave in Portsmouth and the shipper was NPC OIP and not NVC. But, she said that the delivery destination was definitely the consulate in Guangzhou at 1 Shamian South St. Nothing else on that date came close to matching my information. Either, the docs were not sent out on 8/29 or the shipper is NVC but showing a different name and address. Incidentally, she indicated that the delivery was made to the consulate on 9/4 after a 2 day clearance delay at Guangzhou customs. It would be so nice if this delivery contained Jingwen's files, but I'm not holding my breath. No P3 yet.

Candy, you know have about 600 brothers and sisters here on Candle. Welcome. Frank and Jingwen

Jingwen and I are prepping the DS-230, so I pulled my old copy of the I-129F and noticed a couple of typos. Her address in English says Mingzhi Road rather than Minzhi Road, and her daughter's name says Qiqi rather than Yiqi. Why I didn't catch these is beyond me. I assume that the names and addresses as written in Chinese on the I-129F are correct. Is this something that I should advise Guangzhou about?

Tine, thanks for the info. Sometimes, I think that the kids are more excited than Jingwen about coming to America. Unfortunately, they kids are not well educated, so I know it will be tough on them when they start to look for work in Atlanta. At their ages, I'm not sure about high school, but GEDs might be an alternative. Both have been working to support the extended family, so neither has completed high school. Their lack of education raises another question, but we'll cross that bridge later.

Check your AC adapter. Many are dual 110/220. China's electricity is 220v/50 Hz. I use a Dell, and the adapter will take the input.

I was chatting with Jingwen tonight, and she wanted to make sure that her kids (ages 17 and 19) should be in Guangzhou for the interview. I said yes, but then she asked if if they would actually be interviewed. I assume that they could be asked questions, but I don't know for sure. Has anyone had any experience with K-2ers at the interview?