masterpiece

Great thread...NigeriaorBust...Come to think of it...Great user name too.
May you never bust at the seams! Go on give me a chorus to that.......
Very often folks forget this marriage issue (and the problems that often arise therein) are not exclusive to those that marry outside their race or tribe. Here is a simple fact: If you have lived in the states for awhile and you marry someone who has spent most of their adult life in sub-saharan Africa, chances are both of you will be going through some major, major, changes and battles during the early stages of your marriage.
These dynamics are also at play when you do not take the acclimatizing bit into the equation.
Understanding therefore that marriage by itself is a work in progress as so many have already alluded to in earlier posts is critical. Then recalling that the work in progress is often compounded by layers of swirling emotions induced, and catalyzed, by the whole USCIS process may well be something to remind yourself each day since the process can be prolonged.
I have found that the key to simplifying this work-in-progress is to amplify the positives and downplay the negatives. Oh and by the way, like most marriages it helps to eschew discussing what transpires between man and wife to outsiders (friends and family inclusive)and simply working it out.
Are there any quick fixes to this word- marriage? Heck no. If in doubt , ask Al and Tipper who, after 40years, suddenly realise they have grown apart.I tell you, this work-in-progress can become an uphill battle never to be surmounted without help from God.
Here`s wishing y`all a wonderful journey....not just the USCIS trip but in the more important journey called life..

Hi Everyone,
My experience with sending things to the USCIS....
(I've sent stuff to Vermont, Kentucky, Texas, etc....in regards to the USCIS...)
I've always sent it with "priority mail" and "delivery confirmation" with the "USPS"....
And I sent it to the regular/non-courier/USPS address specified.....
It costs $5-6 or so to anywhere in the USA...For about 1-150 pages of paperwork in a 'flat rate' priority mail envelope.....
And I always track it online, with the delivery confirmation option...
So I make sure it gets there.....
And it usually got there in 3-5 days.....
I never did signature confirmation...
As I figured it would slow things down with them having to find someone for a signature...
Nor did I bother with extra insurance...It's not worth insurancing paperwork like this....
And I never bothered with a courier...
As I don't want to spend the extra money in sending it that way...(lol..I'm broke enough paying for application fees)...
I figure too, if the USCIS uses USPS...
Then I use USPS too..
What goes around comes around....
Hope this helps. Good luck, with whatever delivery method you decide to use....
Ant

So as i go through the various pages of VJ website, i cannot help but wonder if there isn`t some downside to the wealth of Info that VJ.com provides- for those prone to anxiety. I wonder if we do not get addicted literally to the VJ web pages and in the process get high strung over issues. I wonder if the fine line between real concern and concern driven by the next person`s shorter timeline is not often blurred.
For instance a few weeks back i had noted the striking similarity in the timeline between a&o and myself as we plodded along the journey to citizenship. Soon after that observation, i went on vacation only to return and find the N-400 package sitting in my mailbox. Nice! I thought to myself with a whistle brewing- gotta be the signature, I reckoned, even before slicing open the envelope! Yup everything was in order but the unsigned N400 form. So over the next couple of days I let the envelope rest- like what`s the rush, seriously? Eventually the package was sent back by priority mail (with signature confirmation). I then promptly headed to a restaurant to spend the savings (hey I could have done next day delivery, right?)
I continue to review VJ website and note, with utter bemusement, as some folks get overly bothered by the minute details- and i could not help but reflect on how the VJ community is simply a microcosm of the larger community with all the various personalities to boot….including those that fall under the category of histrionic…
I wish i could whisper to all who fret and have panic attacks to just chill...i can understand those folks that have legitimate reasons for wishing they could expedite the process and get to the finish line (passport in hand) but i daresay for the most part folks are simply being driven to want to keep up with the timeline- to be sure that they are marching in stead with others...and to what end, i often ponder?
What if interview dates are three weeks or two months apart? What if you get your passport next year instead of in June 2010? Were you planning on traveling or simply filing away the passport after caressing it as the end of a process spanning years?
I certainly have sought for, and received, valuable information on VJ over the years for which i have been extremely grateful but i can state without fear or favour that some folks really do get overbearing with their need to stay with the crowd. For crying out loud, it has not been 60days or whatever deadline USCIS has established before complaints are filed so chill out people…..
Having said that, i will now go on to expedite my process to make sure a&o does not get sworn in before me......tsk! tsk!! tsk!!!............really?