MarkLuvsShuPing

Hehehe! When I asked ShuPing if she wanted to get married, I thought all I'd have to do was get there, get married and bring her back with me. Then ShuPing had me talk to her friend's husband, Bob in San Fran and he kinda set me straight and turned me on to CFL (thanks Bob). This was at the tail end for the black hole folks and some of them were still waiting after 2 years. I was told it could take anywhere from 8 months to 2 years. So my expectations were 8 to 12 months, I too try to be an optimist. What burns my ass is that I made a mistake waiting until the end of my first trip to start on the paperwork, I couldn't download the forms to the computer I was using, and if I could've, I wouldn't have been able to print them. So I left China with none of it complete and ended up not getting it done until April. If I'd have submitted the paperwork in January, ShuPing would be here by now.

Good questions Ryan, thanks. I called NVC last week and was told that I had a GUZ number, but the lady couldn't give me a timeline for when it would leave NVC, so I was suprised to get the letter yesterday telling me it would be one week. (The same lady told me that pregnancy wasn't a reason to expedite the paperwork). I don't know if there are differences in K-1 and K-3 once it gets to GZ, but the other difference is that my wife is preganant and I hope it'll get expedited. I got a call from my Congressman's rep today and I told her about the letter. She said she would resubmit the request to GZ now, so that's great news for me.

It's a little step, but I'm excited as hell. NVC says they've assigned it a GUZ number and the case would be sent to GZ within a week. The letter was dated 11/18. I didn't know they were working so fast. I was expecting 4-6 weeks. Am I just falling for their BS timeline or are they really moving it along that fast? Does everybody get the same timeframe or am I special?

Oops, I forgot, it works for me because I'm logged in. Thanks for the correction Jason.

Hmmmm, that's a good question. It shouldn't matter, but it is an official document. Does it show your last name and say it's your family name? Or is there a comma after your last name, indicating that it's last? Probably not, but I thought I'd ask. If not, I'd bet you'll have to get a proper one because it is official.

To all the newbies and long lost Rumpus Room flunkies. The Unofficial CFL Rumpus Room is still open and awaiting participation from those of you who want to get a little crazy. History: Once upon a time, CFL began getting many posts that were off topic, off-color, political and down-right raunchy. Well these misfit posts had to have a place to go, so the CFL Rumpus Room was created, a members only club for the unoffended and unaffected. It was fun and many of us blew off steam, laughed it up and had some very good discussions about things not related to China. We were all tied by the CFL thread and our common cause, but it provided us with adifferent type of connection. Unfortunately, the political season brought out the worst in some of us and emotions got out of hand for a few people and the Rumpus Room was justifiably closed down. This left a big hole for some of us, which resulted in Jason creating the Unofficial CFL Rumpus Room. We still have the open forum for jokes and off-topic discussion, we even have a political forum which is moderated by myself, Carl and Jason. Even so, I think many people have been reluctant to get into that arena again while the campaigns and elections were going on. Now that it's all over, I think it's safer to come back into the water. So come on over and join us for some fun, you don't have to get political, but you can get silly. Personally, I can only focus so much on China, the visa process and getting my lovely wife over here, I need another outlet. The UCFLRR provides that outlet.

oh, another thing you might try in addition to posting here on CFL, is try the Unofficial CFL Rumpus Room. Things are slow right now, but check it out. It's a place for CFL members to get a little off color and off topic with jokes, jabs and just about anything else.

What do I do? When I get down and low, thinkin' 'bout my baby, (pretty much all the time), I just bust out with a song that has a heavy blues tempo. The K-3 Visa Blues Can't get no visa for my China girl Can't get no visa for my China girl Day after day just waitin' Fo some peace in my world. Filled out the forms and sent 'em to CIS Filled out the forms, sent 'em to the CIS, Paid 'em all this money Now I'm waitin' under stress I got the K-3 visa, the K-3 visa blues No matter where I turn, I loose I got the K-3 visa blues. My friends all ask me "Whacho gwo'n ta do"? Said my friends all ask me "Whacho gwo'n ta do"? Say nothin' to do but sit right here an' sing dees blues. Hang out on CFL and sing dees blues. I got the K-3 visa, the K-3 visa blues No matter where I turn, I loose I got the K-3 visa blues. Feel free to sing this any time you want, it ain't much, but it's all I got.

Welcome to the Candle! They say misery loves company, and those of us still waiting are miserable about it, but this place is anything but miserable. We love to have new company. Commiserate and laugh with us as often as you can and we'll all get there in the end.

ShuPing and her family drank a lot of milk when I visited QiQiHaer. Breakfast included milk and rice from Beijing to QiQiHaer, but it was always heavy milk, which took me some time to get used to again (skim or soy milk man here). They had these bread stick things, kind of like the texture of a doughnut without being sweet, that we soaked in milk and ate. (Come to think of it, we had these in GuiLin too). But I tend to agree with the theory that dairy products are more prevalent in Northern China, which I believe, is cattle country for China. ShuPing's family certainly didn't have any problem comsumming mass quantities. However, the day after our wedding, I cooked breakfast for ShuPing's mama and oldest sister. We went to FuMart and I intended to make omelettes, but couldn't find any cheese to add to them. (Ever try to cook an omelette in a wok? How about a pancake?) I've never found any cheese in China except on a pizza at Pizza Hut. My son is very sensitive to smells and the single thing he remembers most about China is the smell. Garbage in the streets and the smell of sticky people. I never noticed if ShuPing used deodorant or not, she never stinks. QiQiHaer was too cold to shower/bathe every day, but she insisted we use a washcloth everyday and Nanning is too friggin' hot not to shower every day, but I never noticed the deodorant thing.

Thanks Mark, I'll try that first thing in the morning then.

Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong? I've called NVC numerous times and get the automated response. I push "1" for English, then "2" for "Questions about K visas", there's a silence and then muzak for about a second, then silence again. Then the original message begins again. If I push "2" again, it tells me that all the operators are busy now, thanks me and says goodbye and click. If I push "5" for operator assistance, I'm told they're busy and goodbye. If I just stay on the line, the message repeats and tells me to wait for an operator if I need to speak to one, but then it tells me it didn't get my selection and I should call back when I know what I want. Goodbye. Am I missing something here? It really sucks because I don't have regular long distance, I use One Suite, so everytime I get cut off, I have to go through putting all the numbers in again. Help!

Hi Girls, I don't really want to intrude into the "girl's club", but I just wanted to encourage you all to keep it going. I've found your posts informative and interesting, so I hope you don't mind if I eavesdrop. Good Luck to all of you. Mark

Thanks Kim. I dream of the day. Maybe she'll get me eating right again and I'm sure I'll get more exercise too. I really hope that we all get to be with our loved ones sooner rather than later.

Everything tastes better with sugar. I have about the worst diet in the world, I work at night, so I eat and sit at a time when my metabolism wants to slow down. I'm also so tired when I get off work I don't want to do anything but sleep, let alone work out or cook anything healthy. Since I work at a residential facility for kids, I get to eat for free, but it's the high carb, sugar packed processed food they feed the kids. I think I've gained 10 pounds in the last month. I've had the butternut squash with brown sugar and apples. It is very good. One thing I do manage to do is drink soy milk. I just checked the label and it is "calcium fortified", 30% of the daily recommended per serving, but I always have more than a serving. The one thing that bugs me is how expensive it is to eat healthy. We teach our kids to eat sugar, fast food and nutritionally empty food because it's the cheapest thing going. The soy milk I buy costs about twice as much as regular milk. Fruits and vegetables seem to be much cheaper in a can than off the produce rack. Why? The kids I work with are fed the cheapest crap the facility can get away with, yet they would probably benefit most from a healthy diet.

I know of a couple of holes in the wall for about $10 a night. Oh, wait, you said clean, not cheap.

The other option is that you could just have her send the money to me, I'll make sure it's taken care of. PM me and I'll give you my bank account number.

Thanks Jim. It's always good to meet folks from back home. I've lived all over that area, Cocoa, Rockledge, Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach, Mims and Titusville, of course. I got tired of all the bugs and tourists, but I do miss the family and things I grew up with. I haven't been home in awhile because I've been focused on China, but I hope to take ShuPing and the new baby there next year.

I just read an article in "Fortune" magazine (an entire issue devoted to China's emerging economy BTW) about the "Little Emporers", the spoiled single children who are the products of China's one child policy. There was reference to a couple of boys who are pretty overweight and have been put in a "Fat Farm" so they can lose weight. They boasted about who could eat the most KFC, apparently, fast food has had an impact in China. If they have fat farms in China, then fat can't always be a good thing.

Hey Carl, You gotta get t-shirts for your "get-togethers". What did I call it back in the RR? PAPA CARL'S OREGON LOVE FEST Too cold for the mud pit, but I'm sure you'll find an adequate substitute. (Skinny dipping maybe?) Just remember to take and post pictures. http://www.mikesnewsquips.freeservers.com/ph12,25,1winterfrolic.jpg

That's a great pair of rose colored glasses you got there Dude. I agree, we should all try to keep positive about this whole ordeal because we each volunteered for it, but not all of us can afford to hop on over and see our loved ones every 3 or 4 months. My last trip put me in way over my financial head, in fact, I'm concerned that if ShuPing gets her expedited visa before March, I won't be able to afford to get her over here. I'm sure I'll find a way, but the point is, I'm coming up on my one year wedding anniversary and I've had a total of about 6 weeks of physical contact with my wife and once she gets here, we'll likely start in a finacial hole. If we're talking about bitterness, I can chose to swallow mine, turn a smiling face toward the process and say "Ain't it great!", but it doesn't replace the months of seperation and the sadness in my heart when I dream of her and wake to find that she's not really there. I console myself with the knowledge that I've really only waited a comparatively short time with the potential of it being even shorter than most, but when I read about the total B*** S*** that others are going through, the inefficiency of the system and the apparent lack of concern by those who run it, well, the bitterness is hard to swallow. What we're all experiencing to one degree or another, is of our own chosing, but which of us could've or would've refused the love that pulled us into it? If patience is a virtue, then we are some of the most virtuous people in the world. We must also be some of the most dedicated and trusting souls. These are the positives born of this whole waiting game, but, damn, how many times would I have preferred to wake from that dream to find my beloved here beside me? Hang in there elcajongr, many others here at Candle have fallen into that black hole of information deprivation and they eventually come out the other side. In the meantime, we'll help you fight for it best we can, even if it's only with moral support and encouragement.

My son had a bad headache while we were in China and I asked my wife to find some asprin, had to use the dictionary for the right word, but we found some. She was deathly afraid of the side effects and wanted to make sure he didn't take too much of it. I laughed and said it's only asprin and she looked at me like I was crazy. Later on, I got a headache and popped 3 of the pills, I had to listen to her tell me how dangerous it was, "not good for stomach!" She made me eat a big meal just so it wouldn't hurt my stomach. I did go to get acupuncture and massage for some circulation problems I had in my leg. It hasn't come back, I assume the treatment worked. Now that ShuPing is pregnant, she's gone twice to get IV injections. She was having terrible morning sickness and probably dehydrated, so I can only imagine this would be the treatment over here. As far as her having the baby there, there's a reason why pregnancy is a reason to expedite the paperwork. I'm deathly afraid of her going to the doctor for check-ups and I hope to God she doesn't have to have the baby there. One doctor has already suggested aborting the baby, I shudder to think what might happen if there are any complications.

Thanks everybody. I did start the paperwork once I got back, but I didn't have all the info I needed right away and had to send it back and forth to ShuPing, not to mention I'm a bit of a procastinator because I'm a perfectionist. Just when I thought I had something ready to go, I'd question if one of the t's weren't crossed or i's dotted. I'm still amazed that it got approved.

Yes, I know it's been a while since I posted, but I've been laying lowing and feeling even lower. I spoke to a rep from my congressman's office on Oct. 29th and was told they had sent an inquiry in regarding my request to expedite. She told me they usually have a good success rate with these cases. She also told me she'd get back to me last week. I was feeling pretty low about all this, no idea when they would look at or approve my application, no idea if it would get expedited, no idea if the baby would be born in China or America. So this letter is a very welcome lift in my spirits. Just a note, I looked my case up on the USCIS tracker and it says it's still waiting to be reviewed. It's good to know they're on top of things.

Just a quick aside... Here in Denver, when the Broncos play the Chiefs, a local radio station has T-shirts that have FU-KC on them. This one takes a little set-up. ShuPing and I have talked about having 2 children and now that she's pregnant, she's having second thoughts about a second baby. Talking with her this morning, she told me that her stomach is full and she can't eat, meaning she's sick to her stomach. This is due to her morning sickness. While we were talking, I heard her burp and then she said she felt very sick and I should call her back later. I called back about 15 minutes later and she answered the phone, said, "Oh darling!", I heard her throw-up a few times and then a couple of moans and she said, "I think only one baby is enough", then she went back to hurling. I couldn't help myself, I started laughing and telling her I was sorry. When she was done and felt better, she said, "I think, if we have another baby, you will have it." Meaning, I'd better get pregnant if I want another baby.