pat & angela

Hi.
I was in Rapid in 2011 on a J1 visa, i worked as a cocktail server in a waterpark in here. I finally got my EAD in march and started job hunting. Sent resumes everywhere, went myself there, called them and i got nothing. After consulting with my husband i went back to the water park and i know its not the best ever, but so far it has been worth it. Plus, i am still looking for jobs and as far as it pays my bills, its still a job to me. So bottom line, i only got in cause all my american friends were working in there and you need connections to get a job almost everywhere.

Hi everyone I'm happy to see this thread is still alive. I enjoyed reading all the posts. I lived in Kosova for 6 weeks with my hubby and felt completely at home, yet I got stared at because of my blond hair and non-Albanian looks. I love the food and the coffee. I was amazed to be in "the land of yogurt" because I love yogurt. The only thing I missed was the wimpy 1% American milk I love to drink. Over there even the low-fat tasted like cream. And I thought chicken was tough, no matter how I cooked it. They were probably really healthy free-range chickens that were all scrawny muscle. Yes, bread every day. But I love to bake bread so I don't see that as a problem here. The olives are too salty. The cheese is too salty. And I never saw so many different types of "feta". And nothing else! Poor hubby will be missing his cheeses when he comes here.
In Prishtina there was garbage everywhere. I was dismayed by that. Once hubby and I were eating snacks while waiting for the bus. When I was done, I started to put the wrapper in my purse. Hubby grabbed the wrapper and gently told me, "No, just throw it, it will make mess in purse." I protested. After the next few protests he started holding onto his garbage until we reached a garbage can (they are so tiny and far apart there) and he threw it away in the can! I am so proud of him! Now this year Kosova had a huge country-wide clean up. I am so happy about that. At home (in Kosova) I did the dishes and vacuuming and he washed the clothes and hung them up and always took out the trash. I made the bed every morning but sometimes he would help. I cooked most of the time but he showed me how to cook dishes I wasn't familiar with. He knows how to cook. If we needed something from the store he went straight out to buy it. It was the same before and after our wedding.
We are so amazingly compatible. We only had a couple culture shocks. One was the draft from an open window causes illness. I had heard of it but didn't know anyone who believed it. After I recovered from my mouth hanging open I decided to respect that because, well, it's not that big of a deal. He has his windows open all the time unless it was very windy. The other one was chewing gum or eating an apple after brushing your teeth because the toothpaste taste is offensive. That one surprised me because how can you have a clean mouth if you...oh nevermind lol.
Pets...yeah, in America they are pampered family members. We talked about that. I had 3 cats and a dog at home, but they belong to my daughter who was relocating. He thought maybe we could keep one cat. But I had already decided that would be a mistake because I knew how neat his is, and he loves to wear black and oh he is so sexy in black, and I could not walk through my house in black without becoming covered in pet hair, even right after vacuuming. So all the pets went to my daughter, and I am happy and without guilt because the pets are happier than ever.
Bugs...there are no screens over there! But hardly any bugs. Hubby is not going to like all the bugs here in America. I can just see him spraying the yard to keep them away. Accents..we love each other's accents, and cultural differences, and we love learning from each other. He enjoys country & western music and I listen to Alban Skenderaj. And he is sweet and romantic, and good to me and we love each other to the ends of the earth. Well, now I hope you enjoyed reading my "book". Sorry it was so long.

It seems to go in turns. Back when we applied VSC was fast and CSC was slow. The following year it was the other way around. Swings and roundabouts.

Make sure to bring an updated letter of intent to marry as well, plus a letter from his employer, his taxes for last year, pay stub, and bank statement. They can basically ask you to produce just about anything.
On the DS forms, bring the DS-156 (bar code on the document) and DS-160 CONFIRMATION (bar code on the document). The consular in Montreal had computers to be able to fill in the forms, however, the DS-160 they can not print as they will not take the liability of the confidential nature of this form getting into the wrong hands.
The interview part was actually enjoyable, the pre-interview, where they evaluate that all of your documentation is intact, was extremely stressful as I used an American lawyer that didn't do a good job.
Best of luck and just remember, you are closer to the end, than the beginning.

Never ever send documents through the mail. Use FedEx of DHL. You have been warned!

Unfortunately this isn't much of an update since they've been saying Jan 9th for over 2 months now. You can keep up with all of us over on the Jan and Feb forums where many attempts have been made to involve congresspeople, senators, priests, moms and Tom Cruise.
I don't mean at all to make light of your venting, trust me when I say I know exactly how you feel. At this point they are saying it's not worth involving a congressman/woman until 30 days PAST 5 months, which for you is August 15th.
I've given hopes up of seeing it before August 9th. CSC is faster, but that's not going to make VSC faster. I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer in the way of solutions. Keep your chin up, we'll get there

Congrats!!!
now you need to keep calling NVC to make sure they sent your package.. after that we waited 3 days and then emailed the embassy and requested an interview date.. I am not sure what the procedure is for your country. if you contact them or if they contact you

can i have your noa2 hahaha

Waybill: 9325818482 Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at 15:35
Destination Service Area: TIRANA - TIRANA - ALBANIA

How open are you to move around the country?
North Dakota has a booming economy and very low unemployment rate.

Hello,Everybody...I`m waiting for my NOA2 too..I`m on 138 day and I am going crazy...CSC is really disappoint so many people and I am one of them....I wish to everyone good luck And get NOA2 soon as possible!!!

Yea lets hope we see that approvals...it would be time...we already past 5 month of waitin and we are ready to spend summer as married

America is a massive consumerist society so get out into the supermarkets and big box stores to get that out of the way. Visit museums, art galleries and sporting events, let him see the tourist stuff as well as those genuinely quirky slices of Americana. Also, avoid having sex in the airport washroom, that's reserved for politicians, the boarding gate is OK, why do you think they named it that?.

Lol my gps has voice control and sometimes... man. I have favourites set and I should just be able to say "Favourites" "walmart" but instead i have to go line by line through favourites till I get to it because "walmart" apparently sounds like "walnut" when i say it. I tried looking for Le Claire Avenue... that was just awful! So I think it would be funny to see a vid of me talking to my GPS:
Me: "walmart"
GPS: "did you say, walnut?"
Me: "No. Waaalllmart *americanish accent*"
GPS: "did you say Waldorf".
Me: "NO! OMG!! $#@%$#$ %$%$%#$^%^ $%# #$^%T #$^T#"

I think it depends what part of the US you are in. Most Americans are very tolerant and friendly. I think most countries have some form of racism or ignorance. I think the US is one of the greatest countries in the sense of expressing your cultural/religious diversity. US laws are some of the greatest in the world on protecting minorities.

Some of the most shocking remarks I've heard expressed at a workplace were actually in the UK, towards a Chinese girl (this was not in London). When I worked in Hong Kong, I was amazed at the things my Indian co-workers said to a Filipino about his country and people. I could never imagine hearing those things said in my officer here in LA.
Americans can be pretty ignorant about the wider world, but I think racism knows no boundaries.

Oh please. I have had coworker's husband tell me that my daughter is going to hell because she's a lesbian. Yes my daughter is gay but my point is Christian extremist are going spit fire even at their fellow Americans. Duh.

Susie -
Thanks for starting the topic! I am laughing. About the shortage of clothes. I am nervous when my fiance comes and sees all my stuff!! He is going to think I am crazy! He is into clothes and has his fair share. I am happy he realizes all the "designer stuff" sold over there are fake and not real. He knows how much they would cost if original. When I was there I saw Diesel jeans and was wow they are so cheap, I am going to get like 10 pairs! He just looked at me and was like why is she so excited for these jeans. I explained to him how much they cost here and he was like they are all fake! Yes and his mother was ironing his clothes too.....and asked me if I needed anything ironed.

I couldn't think of anything when I first posted this, but some things just came to mind:
1- he owns like 3 shirts and 2 pairs of jeans, compared to my 50 shirts and 10 pairs of pants
2- his clothes must be an expensive name brand, because he believes they are 'better quality'
3- everything he wears must be neatly pressed and there must not be one speck of lint on it, or it is 'disgusting'
4- it is very important to him that he is identified as being catholic, even though he knows next to nothing about the religion, nor attends church
5- he is definitely NOT afraid to speak his mind and will physically fight someone if he feels it is necessary, all in the name of 'respect'
6- police and other authority figures are like a joke to him
7- he thinks that he can talk his way out of anything
8- he is extremely proud of being albanian, yet makes fun of his country with almost every mention of it
9- nothing is more important than family

Ask my wife.

Thank GOD it's changed back for me.
Today I learned never to trust the USCIS website
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to start drinking

I've only worked it out based on what Igors list shows, so we represent a really small sample, My guess, 126 days is around the right number!

I love panda express and Walmart. And how cheap things are, not crazy about the shitty wages but hey, when everythings so cheap, guess i can't really complain Oh, and mail on Saturdays is great too

Buffalo chicken wings and bleu cheese.
Oh, and trays that produce ice-cubes in the shape of a human skull.
God, I love this country.

1. Definitely the shopping (clothes, food etc)... You can get sooooo much with so little here.
2. Mail is delivered on a Saturday
3. Really great restaurants... Restaurants tend to be more kid-friendly
4. Good opportunities and resources in terms of education and general advancement
5. Stores are open late!!!