Girl from Celebes

It's been ages since the last time I read your post. I'm glad your case is moving and your story seems like I'm watching a movie.

At 8am this morning, while sound asleep, incessant loud banging on the door as if the house was on fire woke me up.
Sleepily I stumbled to the door in my night gown and in front of me were a man and a lady announcing they were from immigration.
Knowing all about home visits I responded as calm as a cucumber : "Sure come on in have a seat, I need to put some clothes on."
Nothing rattles me anymore on this journey.
I said to my husband honey get up, immigration is here.
He quickly threw some clothes on and came into the living room where the man started asking questions.
Meanwhile our 4 dogs were barking like they were out of their minds drowning out the questions we no longer could hear
and I said excuse me and like the true alpha told them to shuuuut uuuup. Silence at last. Proceed.
It was truly like a scene out of Chevy Chase National Lampoon movie,
Endless Bummer, Animal House, Barely Legal, Threshhold of Hell, pick any title.
(They should make one about immigration it would be a hoot).

Questions asked were about travel together, our work schedules, how long I owned my business, etc.
He took pictures of several things in the house, my African culture decor, photos in frames of us together,
of my husband's mom, of him as a baby, a photo I had sitting in my
bedroom of my naturalization ceremony from almost 20 years ago tucked into a forgotten corner of the dresser,
(I immigrated here over 40 years ago). He recognized that it was from a naturalization ceremony with eagle eyes, must have
been doing this job for a while. I was impressed.
Yes, we were all in the bedroom by now, they wanted a
tour of the house...meaning checking closets, seeing if we really lived together, slept in the same unmade bed and so on.

Now I always pictured the perfect home visit with a clean sparkling house, having coffee with the investigators
and exchanging niceties. No, it was just like they prefer it, a total surprise. The house was a mess and so was I with
a big shiner on my forehead because I ran into a sharp fence post bracket the day before.
I did point to the beautiful bouquet of flowers he bought me a few days ago though.
In the kitchen they took pics I had on the fridge with magnets of my family and they took pics of joint bills, joint bank account
 and CC's we had laying around on the table. I asked if they would like to see our AOS "evidence box". They said no.
They seemed to be only interested in what their eyes randomly caught and peeked their interest.

Fun aside, they were very nice and the whole experience lasted 20 minutes.
I was glad they came so now we can move forward from being stuck in the abyss.
We filed AOS in May 2015, had each a one hour stokes interview Sept. 2016 and now  8 months later after
 numerous service requests, EAD/AP renewal twice, senator contacts, Ombudsman contact it came to this visit.

He said you will have no problems, everything checked out fine and you are obviously legit as a couple as we see you here like this.
He said they came all the way from Texas because my filed office is so backlogged.
He said he didn't know why all the scrutiny when I asked what's up with the checks.
 Again I want to mention the whole thing was like a friendly chit chat,
relaxed, respectful. Don't let that fool you though, they get exactly what they want to know by friendly chit chat.
The worst was the loud banging on the door which freaked me out but I wouldn't have
 heard just a normal  knock because we were sleeping and they would have probably left, leaving us marinade
even longer in the AOS background check sauce of despair.

So why the constant hurdles for us you may wonder. I don't know.
It took us 5 years to come together, first K1 refused after 16 months in AP, second one approved.
I had petitioned someone else in 2005 which was also refused after long AP and he did not make it here because
I stopped it due to his fraudulent motive I discovered in my own investigations. The louse was a liar.
Interestingly, lots of questions were asked during the AOS interview about that.
Other flags may be that we had several trips to Turkey, a somewhat flagish country to visit these days and Cyprus being close to
Syria, him having a Muslim name (he has been an active Christian all his life) and being originally from a high fraud
West African country.

I will update when he receives the green card. We have been a couple since 2009.
Almost 3 years married.
Long story short, no sweat if you have a real relationship and abide by the requirements then eventually
you will be approved. If at first you don't succeed, try again, is my motto.
Never give up, keep your cool and be patient. Be yourself, try not to open the door in a night gown though
and throw the robe on before you open the door.
If we can't mention the funny parts of this and laugh at ourselves then we are taking ourselves way too serious.
So relax and chill and I wish you all  speedy approvals for visas and AOS, ROC and naturalization.
There is always a silver lining for a long drawn out AOS, we qualify for a 10 year green card now because we are married
over 2 years and don't have to ROC. Yay !
 

We also have T-mobile. But my husband has online account and showing all the bills. The thing is that I didn't have to print those. The evidence that I put were house ownership (house deed) we bought together (with his money of course, lol), life insurance policy with my name on it as the only beneficiary, filing jointly tax return, pictures, emails from his mom, my dependent card of USCG showing I'm under his health insurance plan.
 
Honestly, after seeing all people packages put together, our was nothing.

Ur husband is awesome!! Give him my best regards !!!

Miss u girl... I hope u ur husband and ur cats are doing great!! 
Online on T-Mobile I can go till January 2016 unfortunately ... so I asked them to email me from November 2014 and I ll pay it. 😔

My husband jokingly said, it is all about the quality, not the quantity ( of the package). 

We also have T-mobile. But my husband has online account and showing all the bills. The thing is that I didn't have to print those. The evidence that I put were house ownership (house deed) we bought together (with his money of course, lol), life insurance policy with my name on it as the only beneficiary, filing jointly tax return, pictures, emails from his mom, my dependent card of USCG showing I'm under his health insurance plan.
 
Honestly, after seeing all people packages put together, our was nothing.

Never watched it and never intend to. The reality show degrades a human values.

Never watched it and never intend to. The reality show degrades a human values.

I'm sorry to hear that.
I don't think it's necessary for him to pay attention to what neighbors think about your family. He should paid attention more how to make your life easier moving in the US. Seems like he just care what others think about his family rather than how to make his wife is happy.
I wonder in which area you are live in? My husband and I are just moved in our new house. Our neighbors are nice but we don't have to showing to them how friendly we are by knocking their doors, baking or cooking for them. It sounds too much for me. In fact, some people don't like to be bother like my husband and I.

I'm sorry to hear that.
I don't think it's necessary for him to pay attention to what neighbors think about your family. He should paid attention more how to make your life easier moving in the US. Seems like he just care what others think about his family rather than how to make his wife is happy.
I wonder in which area you are live in? My husband and I are just moved in our new house. Our neighbors are nice but we don't have to showing to them how friendly we are by knocking their doors, baking or cooking for them. It sounds too much for me. In fact, some people don't like to be bother like my husband and I.

I'm sorry to hear that.
I don't think it's necessary for him to pay attention to what neighbors think about your family. He should paid attention more how to make your life easier moving in the US. Seems like he just care what others think about his family rather than how to make his wife is happy.
I wonder in which area you are live in? My husband and I are just moved in our new house. Our neighbors are nice but we don't have to showing to them how friendly we are by knocking their doors, baking or cooking for them. It sounds too much for me. In fact, some people don't like to be bother like my husband and I.

I'm sorry to hear that.
I don't think it's necessary for him to pay attention to what neighbors think about your family. He should paid attention more how to make your life easier moving in the US. Seems like he just care what others think about his family rather than how to make his wife is happy.
I wonder in which area you are live in? My husband and I are just moved in our new house. Our neighbors are nice but we don't have to showing to them how friendly we are by knocking their doors, baking or cooking for them. It sounds too much for me. In fact, some people don't like to be bother like my husband and I.

I’ve been in and out of this forum for many years. First when my husband and I embarked in our K1 Journey, then our AOS and now our ROC. I come here often to read, but don’t always post. I’m feeling a bit warm and fuzzy inside because it’s July 1st (Canada Day) and I’m missing home, but also sitting in my office and thinking how incredible these last 2 years have been. I hope it’s okay to share some thoughts and if it helps you, then great and if it doesn’t, then I wish you best on your journey. After 2 years of being in the good ole US of A, there are a few things that I’ve learned. Don’t compare your journey to other people. I use to come here and read threads about how terribly hard it is to move and it would scare the heck out of me. Transition is always hard, but you don’t need the extra pressure. There is no ‘normal’, whatever is natural to you is normal. Remember that… Trust yourself and the process. Remember that things aren’t ‘in place’ right away and have patience to see it through. I was the foreign spouse and my husband is the USC. As much as it’s expected of them to support us because we are the ones doing the moving, remember they are human too. That it does hurt them to see you in pain, and sometimes they do feel helpless because they cannot provide something that you’re missing. Communication IS key. Instead of asking what is normal to everyone else, talk to your spouse. A lot of what is new to you, is new to them as well. You are a team and although you may feel like you’re in this alone, you certainly are not. ADAPT - Find a way to adapt versus reflecting on how things are “at home” and expecting something similar. I was born and raised in Canada. I LOVE my home country, even our politics and there are many things that I find gut wrenching here in the US. However, you must learn to adapt or it’ll eat you up inside. Don’t expect perfection or how it use to be. It's okay to have a different view. People here can be different. Remember the reasons you moved. You may not live in a perfect place, where you are from isn't perfect either, but the point of it all is to be with the one you love. You can change, grow, and THRIVE. Things being different can actually be a good thing. When I moved to the US, I had a long standing career (11+ years) in a field that I thought I was passionate about. I was so scared that I could not pick up from where I left off and would have to ‘settle’ for a job I didn’t care for. When I moved to the US and my life changed, lifestyle changed, etc. So did my passion. Moving has given me the opportunity to CHANGE my course and jump into a new career that I thought I’d never be in. Within 2 years, I was able to start my own business and I thought being foreign would hinder me somehow. I use to upset myself over thinking how I went from 52 weeks mat leave in Canada to 6 weeks if I were lucky. It created a lot of unwanted anxiety... but you don't have to settle. Make a decision and go for it. I never think of it as starting from scratch again. Create your own opportunities, there are so many here in the US. Lastly, be kind to yourself and to those around you. If you entered in good faith and are committed to the vows you made, there will be ups and downs, but have faith in yourself and the process. When I first moved, the first month was tough. I missed my family and my home so so much. 2 years later, and I feel at home. Yes, there are still cultural and societal things that I’m not use to, but I feel at home. Embrace your move, expect the bumps... and enjoy what we all waited so long for - to be with our loved ones. Wishing you all a happy 4th of July!

I didn't see any judgement. I saw helping. It gets hard to want to help when ppl begging for it sass you for clarifying meaningful points. I am soured now, so I won't help any more in this thread either. Gross.

Tell the doctor that your wife is pregnant. Usually they don't take X-ray exam if a woman is pregnant.

Hi there,I just happened read this by accident - thanks to UnaMexicana-.
I have brought my two cats from Indonesia. You have to make sure you understand the law of Tunisia government regarding bringing pets to another countries. Indonesia was very strict about that. The US is really not strict about that except Hawaii and Guam. Those areas are required you to put your pets in quarantine.
These steps I did:
1. Make sure all vaccines are completed especially rabies. A health certificate issued from a government agency is required by airlines.
2. If you fly and stop in Hawaii and Guam, better to informed the local quarantine agency.
3. Weighing your cat. Only small cats and specific breed of small dogs are allowed to carry on. Bigger ones have to go to a cargo. My cats were small so the airlines allowed me to carry on. Buy a soft carrier so it would be easier to put under a seat. (Asiana Airlines requires that kind of carrier).
4. Before you buy a ticket, check each airline if they would allowed a passenger bring their pets. Some of breeds are prohibited. Check the airline guides on its website. Most of airlines only allow one pet per passenger.
5. Put all your pets papers in your bag that easy to access.
6. You will pay separately for your pets. They considered cats as excess baggage.
If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.
Good luck!

I just moved a cat from South America to the US. My research turned up that there were no federal requirements for cat vaccinations, it all depends on the state where the cat is going. However, I chose to err on the side of caution and get a certificate of vaccination, including rabies, and a health certificate (required by the airline). The airline asked to see these, but no one at customs in the US did - they just looked at the cat and waved me through.
Definitely call the airline to find out how they take pets (in cabin or in cargo) and what sort of health certificate they require. Many airlines allow cats in the cabin, but you have to book and pay for them ahead of time. Make sure you get a carrier that is the right dimension if the cat will go under the seat. I highly recommend a hard-sided carrier. My cat absolutely freaked out and basically tore through the soft-sided carrier, and I had to desperately try to contain him during the flight. It was incredibly stressful.
My terrible local vet gave me a sedative that was almost a mild anesthetic - sort of conked the cat out, but did nothing to alleviate his extreme anxiety and panic. He was howling the whole time, tearing at himself and the carrier. I think some of the benzos (kittie valium) work much better at calming down the cats. My cat recovered quickly once he arrived though and is enjoying his new life in the US!

Probably just a rumor around American men to tarnish their images,
Yes, cats are a good to judge people. I don't know how they do it, they just naturally born with the instinct.

So do I.

I posted that article. She broke up with her man because of Trump.
TBH, we don't have that issue since we are both on the same side of the political spectrum. Also, if we have different opinions, we tend to do the research and back up our claims. At first she was going to vote Clinton. So was I, then we did some digging and changed our minds. Sanders is our way to go.
It's not so much about compromise as much as it is about being on the same side for 99 percent of issues we discuss. We've actually gotten into debates where we finish each other sentences and folks have been left in awe by the way we "stack" our answers.

Here are few questions,
How did you meet? Where did you go out on your first date? How many bedrooms do you have in your home? Who cleans the house? What days is the garbage picked up? Who pays the bills? Do you pay bills online or write checks? How many windows do you have in your house? What type of curtains or window coverings are in your living room? What color? Who gets up first? At what time? Who sets the alarm clock to get up in the morning? What do you eat for breakfast? How many doors are in your house? How many staircases are in your house? Is there a carpet in your front hallway? What color? Describe the entry into your house? Do you have any pets? Who feeds it? Who walks it? How many showers, sinks, toilets, and are there in your house? What kind of sofa do you have in your living room? Where did you get your furniture? How many Televisions do you have in your house? How many cars do you have? How many telephones are in your house? Do you have an answering machine? Who checks the messages? Do you have family cell phone plans? Do you have a DVD player? What kind is it? Do you record any Television shows? How many computers/laptops do you have? Who is your cable/internet/phone provider? What Television shows do you watch? What music do you listen to? How do you listen to music? What type of camera do you have? Who shops for groceries? How often? Where? What color is the kitchen curtains? What kind of appliances do you have in your kitchen? Who makes breakfast? What does your spouse drink in the morning? What is your spouse's favorite food? What are your least favorite foods? How often do you eat out? Where do you go out to eat? Where is the garbage in the kitchen? What size bed do you have? What kind of mattress do you have? Which side of the bed do you sleep on? Do you read or watch Television before you go to sleep? Do you have lamps next to your bed? What kind of birth control do you use? When was your wife's last menstrual period? How many windows are in your bedroom? Where do you keep your toothbrushes? What kind of toothpaste, shampoo and soap do you use? Where do you keep your clothes? Where do you put your dirty clothes? Who does the laundry? When did you eat dinner last night? What did you do after dinner last night? What did you have for breakfast this morning? How did you get to the interview today? What time did you go to sleep last night? Who went to sleep first last night? Did you have the air conditioner, fan or heater on? Who woke up first this morning? Did you shower this morning? What If You Don't Remember Some Details During The Interview?If you don't remember some detail asked of you it's better to say you don't remember than to try to make up an answer. If you tell the truth you cannot get caught up in a lie.

If Bruce Wayne was a middle class dude, I'm pretty sure we'd be stuck with this:

But everything else is right on point. He works harder than anyone else because he HAS to.

Reached my quota.
Begs to question, is this REALLY what American men want? Hmmmmmmmmmm
Cats are good judges of people

That's because out of all the DC heroes, he's the ONLY one without powers and stands literally toe to toe with Superman as far as ranking goes. If you read the old books(and even some current ones) he has intel and dirt on almost everyone in the DC universe. So much in fact that catching him by surprise is an honor that only Plasticman holds at this point(he had a kid and it threw Batman off). Even Superman for all of his godly powers is mildly afraid of Batman since he thinks about 20 steps ahead of everyone else.

Lol, I'm talking about the comic book Spiderman.