MCC Part Duex

[MoonCarolCafe]

Those who have joined Candle after 2004 may wish to read this to understand what went on before

 

And now we begin Part II:

 

After numerous delays the wife and I finally went to our scheduled green card interview yesterday.

 

In attendance were she, our (very helpful) lawyer, a translator, and I crammed into the office of the examiner. Stood up, swore to tell the truth, nothing but, etc. Then she gets to asking the questions. Are you now or have you ever been a prostitute? Did you leave the USA last summer to spend time with uncle bin Laden? Are you a bible burning, dog kicking, freedom hating commie?" I sat there quietly letting my wife answer.

 

Strike 1: Things went smoothly until “So, when did you get married?” One of the many nice things about my wife is that she is not the type to get upset when I don't remember the exact day we met, or married, or she arrived in the USA. Because she also has trouble with exact dates. So when she answers in English “December 2002” and I correct her with “No, in October 2002”. The actual month is November, she had tried to answer the question in English, and had said “December” when she meant “November”. She then made the capital mistake of trying to write down the date on the desk blotter “No you can't write on that!”. My excuse? 2 hours sleep the night before making certain that all our paperwork and documentation was in order, with originals and duplicates in matching nylon expanding folders ($8 each at Staples). Anyhow, I knew it wasn't December (X-mas). I had forgotten that I went over there during Thanksgiving, which would of course, been November.

 

More questions on how we met, have I ever worked in China, (what does that have to do with my wife getting a green card?) where do we live...

 

Strike 2: “What's the address of where you live?” Well, I know the street, street number, city, and apartment number... but not the zip. Because we have a P.O.B. that has been in constant use as a permanent address for about the past 7 years. I don't know my zip. Aside from a couple of utility bills I don't have anything mailed to this address. Our friends know where we live, aside from utility hookup never bothered to use the zip again, so why would either of us remember it? “You have a different address?” Yes, we do... I explain the difference between “mailing address” and “living address” to the nice lady. Wife and I know the mailing address as if we have been using it for years. Which we have. So she moves on to... “OK, so what's your home telephone number”. Something else we don't know. We never call it. We don't give it out. Normally there is not even a regular phone connected to the line. The only reason I have it is for DSL. Skype (internet phone) gets used for outbound calls when I'm at home, or she wants to call China. Like many people we know our cell phones have taken the place of a fixed land line. 8 years and counting for me. The advent of number portability between cellphone companies was a happy happy day. Anyhow, it looks like she is managing to wrap her head around the concept of keeping your cellphone with you means that you don't give out your home number, and if you never call yourself at home or give out your home number you just might possibly not have it memorized.

 

More questions.

 

Strike 3: “So, where are your wedding pictures?” We don't have wedding pics. There is a pic of my wife and I standing together on a little stone bridge right after the former PLA officer gave us our little red booklets. That's it. Little did I know that 5 years later some idiot would make the following statement: “EVERYONE in China who gets married always has a big celebration and takes lots of pictures of the ceremony.” She does not say this as a question, she says this as a statement of fact. Her ninja-style attack on logic and common sense is successful against me. I'm monetarily stunned into silence. My wife was listening to the translator, this allowed her to partially avoid off the attack on reason and sanity. Even she had a “what the fuck?” expression as she tried to wrap her head around this. The examiner, a Hispanic woman in her late 30's, is telling my wife, who spent over the past quarter century living in China, that she knows better than my wife what Chinese wedding customs are. And for her next trick she's going to inform me that I'm wrong when I say that I would enjoy some fresh broccoli because what I really crave is a warm bowl of spit. The examiner gets up and leaves the room.

 

 

She returns, makes a few notes, we get a sheet of paper saying “We need time to review, don't call us-- we'll call you”.

 

Just. Like. Last. Time.

 

Unlike last time,aside from being upset at myself for not being able to deflect her surprise logic disruptor ray attack, I'm not angry. Well, I was for a few minutes after the interview. As I got into the elevator to leave the building I realized that it wasn't as if I was going home without her. She was there with me, would get into the car with me, drive home with me, it wasn't as if I would be separated again after a two week visit.

 

We are still together. It's not as if this means I have to wait for her to be with me, she's with me already. I hope we are able to do something that lets her stay in the USA before her visa expires in a few months. If they don't then we move to China.

 

Some of the old timers may remember me saying something along the lines of “You know that she is the one for you if instead of her leaving China and coming to the USA, you are willing to leave the USA and join her in China”

 

My wife was willing to move to the USA for me. I have no problem moving to China for her.

 

After a long absence it looks like your favorite reality game “Spot The Negro” just might be coming back to a Chinese metropolis near you!

Edited June 20, 2006 by MoonCarolCafe (see edit history)

[tonado]

Moon,

 

I can't believe the VO asked those questions.

 

"Are you now or have you ever been a prostitute? Did you leave the USA last summer to spend time with uncle bin Laden? Are you a bible burning, dog kicking, freedom hating commie?"

 

The other questions are tough but fair. You should gather more relationship evidence just in case the VO decide to reject your wife's case. Sorry for the situation. Good luck.

[pkfops]

Nice to see your "colorful" posts again.

 

I think Hispanic women have it out for Chinese

women.

 

My wife was denied her ID from the DMV (Hispanic Woman)

because we were just under 30 days of her visa (I94) expiration.

[trickyspark]

Some of the old timers may remember me saying something along the lines of “You know that she is the one for you if instead of her leaving China and coming to the USA, you are willing to leave the USA and join her in China?

 

My wife was willing to move to the USA for me. I have no problem moving to China for her

225522[/snapback]

My thoughts exactly. I tried moving to China, apparently not having a Bachelor degree makes me useless.

 

I quit my job last september, and at www.mychinesevisa.com 's advice I got a 90 day tourist visa assuming I could change it to a work visa once I got there.

 

I went to interview after interview at schools, seeking work as an english teacher. The one school that was willing to give me a job despite lack of a bachelor degree laughed me out the door when I said I was on a tourist visa.

 

They asked, "How are you special? How can you change this visa? We have tried with many people, many many times. Please tell us who told you this, so we can learn how from them."

 

My visa was nearing expiration, my finances drained, I came back to the USA broke, and depressed. Been that way since November.

 

Seems like the government here in the USA has a policy of hiring people that don't give a rat's ass about anything besides their paycheck and upcoming federal holidays.

 

Hope everything works out for you, and if you do decide to move to China, keep an eye out for a job hiring Americans that only speak English and have no real job skills to offer (that's me). I loved it over there, would love to go back for longer.

[frank1538]

Geeze, Moon, they just want to make it tough at every turn. At least the green card you'll eventually get will be of the 10 year variety. Good luck.

[MoonCarolCafe]

I quit my job last september, and at www.mychinesevisa.com 's advice I got a 90 day tourist visa assuming I could change it to a work visa once I got there.

Getting a visa is a hurdle. I'm about to find out how difficult it is for me to get a D-visa.

 

Or we could just change our last name to something that ends in "ez".

[warpedbored]

Good to see you here again Moon. I wish it were under better circumstances. After all you have been throught I suppose you should have expected no less than to be raked over the coals again. Yours is not the first time I have heard of an IO asking if your wife has ever been a prostitute. Amazing how they can have the gall to ask such an offensive question. Good luck and get prepared to submit a load of RFE questions. Like you said she is here with you at least.

[LeeFisher3]

What a load of crap... but as you said, you went home together.

[MoonCarolCafe]

Nice to see your "colorful" posts again.

...Days later smacks his head and starts to giggle...

 

Yes, it took me that long to get your pun.

 

I'll know in a few weeks if I can get a residential visa.

[hypoclear]

Hi Moon,

 

Questipon #3.. wedding photos... I'll help you out and send you the two we had taken by the official who gave us our Red Books and oh yes.. aq cup...you know the ones so thinly plastic you wonder how they can hold hot tea and next how you can hold the hot tea in the thin cup ones..

 

That and a lot of chit chat by Bea and her and bam! we are married.

 

P.S.I am a photographer and as I siad two wedding pics in the official's office..so much for generalizations.

 

As for the pro question...hmmm, nope but with the screwing we have been getting from you it sure feels like it.. except no pay sigh ..

 

Hope this is the end of it for you both as you are just a month ahead of us... 12/12/2002 wedding day... remember it coz the 13th which was the original date was a friday!!

Edited June 23, 2006 by hypoclear (see edit history)

[hypoclear]

I quit my job last september, and at www.mychinesevisa.com 's advice I got a 90 day tourist visa assuming I could change it to a work visa once I got there.

Getting a visa is a hurdle. I'm about to find out how difficult it is for me to get a D-visa.

 

Or we could just change our last name to something that ends in "ez".

225610[/snapback]

In Shenzhen at least, I didn't have trouble working at teaching english. I had been there for along time and my tourist visa had expired but Bea and I were married. So either every 3 months and sometimes 6 months I'd head down to the security building...don'tremember the real name but behind the Di wang building and get a new visa.

 

You can also go to HK and buy a multi entry visa for 6 months orperhaps 1 year. Things may have changed but if you research the expat boards you should get up to date info.

 

The market could be flooded for teachers but there are also private students and many on-line resources for lessons. City book store in Shenzhen had an english schooland they would pay for someone to do an english corner... I.E. speak on a topic of your choice for an hour or so.

 

Sorry to hear of the people you met... one other piece of advice.. as of the day you enter China you are the proud graduate of which ever college in what ever program... yes it islieing but it certainly is magnatudes less than what is passed off over there.

 

Good luck and remember money and small money makes China go round.. only there wouldsomeone conterfit 1 RMB coins which at the time were about $0.0825 cents.. hehe

 

Mark

[Mick]

I'm wondering, Moon, what did your lawyer have to say about all this? She (he) was there in the office, right?

[MoonCarolCafe]

I'm wondering, Moon, what did your lawyer have to say about all this? She (he) was there in the office, right? 

226771[/snapback]

What did my lawyer have to say?

 

Actually she didn't have much to say. I think she was a bit suprised that I was taknig it so well. We had a quick discussion afterwards, when I told her "It's cool, we'll just move to China instead" which probably suprised her a bit.