fozzie

I would seriously consider voting for Chris Christie over Obama. One, because he was born in Newark and that would be awesome. Two, because he's a sane Republican and having a sane Republican President would do wonders for our politics.

Thats why he won't be the Republican nominee.

...and now they are pushing for Chris Christie to run for president. They obviously need a new front runner.

The problem when everybody has a degree is it will be like no one has a degree. I'm glad I work in higher education and have been able to get my Masters for free but even that will not be enough one day.

X-Men: First Class - Actually a very good film and better than most of the previous films in the franchise.

Be at it like rabbits for the first 6 days, then rest on the 7th day.

You're getting closer to responding to the OP's original question, but not quite getting it. He wants to know if it's normal that they speak Italian at home and when out in public together. Obviously they are already confronting the issue of improving her fluency for professional purposes. He's asking about personal purposes.

Your initial comment smelled of ethnocentrism and you're mitigating here. My point about demography is that "if you're living in the US, speak English" just isn't going to cut it for much longer.

Bottom line to anyone in this situation: if you want to speak Klingon at home, go for it. If your ESL spouse is making efforts to improve their English fluency outside the home, don't go overboard by forcing the practice and make them shut down. Speaking English should be fun!

At no point did I even suggest it was a case of "if you're living in the US, speak English", neither has anyone else. Also you are the one who introduced ethnicity into the conversation.

My point is that the best way to become fluent in a language is to immerse yourself in it and use it on a daily basis so my advice is to try and use it at home too. They are under no obligation to do this and I am sure it will be difficult to communicate with each other which is the bedrock of a good relationship. Therefore try and use it home in conversation but revert to the language you are most comfortable with when you really need to communicate. It's just advice, take it or leave it but if your English language skills are only sufficient to get by you will rarely rise to the top of any career in the US or create strong friendships outside your own immediate community.

Are you aware that there are now more "non-white" babies than "white" babies born in the US? Over 50% of Americans are going to be of ethnic minorities in the most recent generation. A good percentage of those will not be speaking English at home. The OP is doing the right thing by supporting his wife in her intensive English course. However, the language one feels comfortable speaking with one's family does not limit their opportunities otherwise.

The 2010 US Census found that 20% of persons under age 5 speak a language other than English at home: http://factfinder2.c...&prodType=table

That's 2% higher than the 2000 Census indicated: http://www.census.go...c-t20/tab05.pdf

OP, seems you should speak the language that makes you both feel comfortable. Let her get through her coursework and then she can reach out to you in English when she's prepared (if at all; she may find she only wishes to use her skill with non-family). When out with friends, speak their language so there is no sense of concealment or bad manners.

By the way, I accidentally pressed "+1" when intending to reply. I take it back

Nobody said anything about 'white' or 'non-white' babies, so don't start! Is there a "-1" button? if there were i'd hit it.

My point is thus: Your employment opportunities are limited if you do not become fluent in English. By all means speak Italian, Spanish, Chinese or whatever you want but being fluent in English will enable you to have better opportunities and therefore the chance of a better life for your family. Being Bi-lingual/tri-lingual will be a huge benefit to you even if you later move to Italy or Spain or stay here. Many companies want people who can speak spanish in their ranks but not at the expense of English.

With those blouse bunnies you don't need policies!

I'm lucky that I can confidently give two weeks notice knowing full well that they will let me go the same day and pay me out on the two weeks + any outstanding vacation. Win-Win situation when I finally do find something new.

I would usually err on the side of caution too unless I felt couldnt take two more weeks of a bad situation. In that case I would just walk away.

No, most places here in the US, if not all, don't ask for apostilles on documents. You can also check places like Education Credential Evaluators to see what they need to evaluate school transcripts. According to ECE's website all they need is photocopies but other places may need originals. Required documentation Colombia.

Diana

I would get several copies if you can. You will want to keep them sealed in their original envelopes from the school too as it makes them unofficial if you open them. Working in a University Admissions office I see this on an almost daily basis, its a hassle and some countries are tough to get these documents from and sometimes take months. Do it now.

Note: ECE is one company, look at www.naces.org for a list of reputable companies that many colleges accept. Some will need original sealed transcripts sent from the home country direct to the evaluator and some will work with copies. However, those that accept copies still have the right to ask for original sealed copies if they desire. I would also get a full course-by-course evaluation, its more expensive but covers more bases.

Surely if you will be living in the US it would make sense to make every effort to make English your primary language. I just feel like you would limit your opportunities any other way.

They wouldn't do you the same courtesy so get out immediately.

It sounds like you already have a long list of hobbies and activities to keep you busy and occupied, not sure what more you can do in that respect. My advice is just always keep the communication lines open, talk about how you feel to your friends and family and here on VJ. My situation was very different, back in the days when the K1 was issues in 3 months so i was not separtaed for as long. However we spoke on skype everyday, even if it was 3am due to conflicting schedules and time zones. Seeing them and hearing their voice everyday will help and if you can afford it (without going into debt or jeopardizing your financial security) go visit as often as you can.

Apart from that, good luck and stay positive.

It's not about where they're from, it's about 2 things:

1. The type of person the beneficiary is. I've read a lot of "it's because most of the country lives in poverty" which is just a BS excuse. While it's not uncommon for a family to depend on one member working overseas to support the whole family if you're with someone who wants you for you then they won't be doing this.

2. How level headed the US Citizen is. So many of these stories start with stories of how they were stricken by the beauty and attentiveness of their "Exotic Asian Beau" and as the story unfolds you realize how little they actually know of the person. If you've got your head on straight and are looking at the situation objectively then you can easily avoid this kind of woman.

When I met my wife (from the Philippines) she was living off savings she had accumulated while working. Her son was deaf and she was enjoying being a part of his life while she didn't have to work. She never asked me for a single penny and was looking for work as she was abut out of savings.

I made the choice to support her so she could be with Gabby. She protested and even sent receipts for every little expense to show me that she wasn't living large on the town despite my instance that she didn't need to provide such proof.

We're 4 weeks shy of knowing each other for 3 years and will celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary in January, not once have I regretted the day I met her.

Just to be clear it's not my intention to tarnish a whole group with one small brush. I know many philippinas and know it's not true of most. However from my limited experience there does seem to be a cultural difference when it comes to relationships and the expectations of not only the spouse but the spouses family. It's just I see a lot of this on VJ, unless its the same people posting the same stories again and again.

Red flag!

I have to say thats not the first time on VJ someone has told of how their SO demands more money, either for themselves or their families. They always seem to be from the same part of the world too.

Not to say all are like this but you'll be hard pressed to find an american woman or europena or south american woman doing the same.

I think Gary's post is very informative and I agree that people should be thinking about this stuff as it is both necessary and a way of keeping occupied and moving forwards. Unfortunately he just seems a little emotionally immature about it and the tone he strikes is a little aggressive and impatient. Just my opinion.

Wow, some people have such a short term view. His books represent his education which will hopefully lead to a better career and a better life for him and his wife. Or take the limited, short term view and blow money you don't have now and screw the rest of your life.

Clearly the second option is the best option for all reasonable men and a way to demostrate your undying love and commitment to your future life together.

Theres a line though and that line stops when it comes to the way i speak, my accent, my Geordieness. I love my Geordieness and i be damned if im giving that up.

Good luck with that. It's harder than you think. Not being understood gets frustrating at times, especially on the phone. If I didnt need to be on the phone and be understood all day in my job then I would still have a more pronounced english accent than i do. Some things won't change though, tomato, banana for example. I caused some confusion in Subway the other day as I asked for tomato in my sub, she reached for the Mayo so I repeated that i would like tomato not mayo. So she reached for the jalepinos. I ended up describing a tomato to the poor girl.

Historical FICTION based on events that could've happened... or didn't happen.

Doesn't necessarily mean it's inaccurate.

If it's a story about a fictional character set in during the revolutionary war then I would agree with you. When the people and the events are pure fiction it cannot be described as innacurate, which in the case of the Patriot is partially true. If however the people and their acts depicted are real and altered for entertainment sake then it is historically inaccurate. Even if thecontext and the background events are real but altered for entertainment value then it is historically innacurate in that respect.

They get around it by 'loosely basing' it on real people and real events. A slight of hand.

Do it at a major sporting event in front of thousands of people. Guaranteed to work.

My fiance literally could not believe I was only going to get one week off after my first year of working. Hm.....

I am lucky to get 2 weeks. pah! I have an option to buy an extra week, which of course I do, at 85% of a days pay for each day. It's wortth it but I wish i didnt have to pay for the extra days. Also I am rarely sick so my sick/personal days go towards regular days off too so I get over 4 weeks when all is said and done. I do miss the standard 5 weeks form England but I honestly don't know what I did with all that leave when I was in the UK. Frittered away here and there probably, i appreciate time off work more now.

I agree on the 'live to work' thing. People here are so worried about what they do for a living and how it defines them in the eyes of everybody else (my wife is like this). I come from an attidiude that is considerable different and my work doesnt define who I am. It's actually become more noticable the longer I am here and I constantly feel under pressure to advance my career.

Otherwise its the family and friends thing, I love NYC and don't see my self back in England any time soon.

I started out as a sales associate in a retail store. It was a temporary job (in the days of the employment authorized stamp on my I94) and then I found an employment agency and they hooked me up with a temp-to-perm position at the company I still for. It's a University so I was able to get my MBA for free too, I worried that the foreign bachelors would count against me so going back to school has insulated me from that a little.

If your objection is to the fact that stupid people exist, you're in for an unhappy life. That's never going to change.

Tell me about it!!