Thanks for the help, but we definitely don't want go to go Africa after spending two years getting her out. Neither of us wants to visit Africa. She really wants nothing to do with South Africa.
She is interested in Dubai. I'm not. It's a last-resort destination for me. It's like they took a big sandbox where there was nothing to do and added tourist attractions. She claims Zambians go to Dubai so they can see if KFC is better there! I don't even like KFC in America. The food has been no good since about 1970. They stopped frying chicken in beef fat and started using powdered potatoes.
Unfortunate, because as I said above, "I used to live there, and there is no way I will go back even briefly unless the other option is death." I really hate that city. I won't go even for funerals.
We have a consulate interview coming up. Hoping for the best. Surely they can tell the difference between a wife who hasn't left Zambia and a permanent US resident in Florida.
Our solution to the problem of being forced to provide airline bookings, which is impossible in the US without paying for the tickets, is to buy refundable tickets, get our visa, and then return the tickets and buy cheaper ones. Buying fraudulent tickets is sort of unfair to the airlines, but we didn't make the rules. We also booked a bunch of refundable rooms. I can't even recall all the times we've canceled reservations because she could not get a visa.
We went to Mexico recently to get her some dental treatment. They let her walk right in. Unfortunately, it's a pretty bad destination for tourists, except for American kids who like to get drunk in loud bars. The cops kidnapped three American girls while we were there and made them pay ransom. The dental clinics are great.