Fernanda O.

Suzy: You can find Inka Cola in the US????? I've ALWAYS wanted to try it and its's stupid how you can find it in the US and not in Brazil, since Peru is right here!! I wanna tryyyy it!!!

So what does Luis think about America so far? I imagine it's a huge change for him.

Leaving on tuesday, changing the way I feel about it every 5 minutes!! I feel excited about it and then devasted because of the people I'm leaving. I thought I'd get rid of the airport drama once I was with Joey forever, but I realize it now, never gonna happen. I'll probably be crying just as much for friends and parents.

My passport is finally on its way!!!!!!

I got addicted to checking status of stuff since I started this process and I'm having a blast checking the status of my passport while it travels through Brazil... its in São paulo now.. Aaaaaaaw it feels so nice!!!!

Is it just me? But I can't wait til Kim comes back to tell us about her weekend. I'm sure it'll be one of those heart warming stories!!

Tarantula:

I'm using air miles for a one way ticket. I did already have the miles after flying there and back so many times, but can't you just buy miles for one way? For Brazil, it turns out to be cheaper than buying round trip.

I think that's really stupid too, I mean, if you're going through all this process, it means you wanna do things right and not just go and stay ilegally, right?

I'm not married yet, we're going through the K1 process and I went to visit twice, with no problems whatsoever. But I did not mention my fiance and I was not asked about him, so I supposed they didn't know about the process. It's really up to you, when I went I knew that was a possibility I'd be denied entry, but since I knew it wouldn't jeopardize my K1 I just took my chances, cause we couldn't deal with the distance. The worst that'll happen is loosing your plane ticket.

Aww Kim, I never thought a visa could be so beautiful!!!!!!

Hhahahaha!! Can't wait to have mineeee! Turns out Joey did have the form at home, just didn't bring it to the interview, cause he thought the H&R block paperwork would be enough. Makes me wanna kill him. Now he's supposed to fax it over but it looks like the embassy's fax machine isn't working. Doesn't it sound like a joke? Hahahahahah!! But it's ok, it's ok, I know it's coming...

KIMMMMM!!!!! So so so happy for you!!!

My interview was pretty easy, Joey was there which made me calmer, but made me wanna kill him later because he didn't bring that form 1040, so my visa is pending!!! I don't quite understand that tax return stuff, all I now is that he didn't get the form because who did it was H&R Block or something, he told me he can print out the form out of the internet, let's hope so... He flew home today and he's going to fax it over to the embassy tomorrow... I'm again just sitting and hoping and praying!!

Workers on most european countries that are what we call lazy because they work a lot less hours than we do in Brazil are more productive and spend less time playing patience, more time actually working. Can't wait for Brazil to get there!!

S&D, Ana, and Kim:

I talked to my doctor today about the pappiloma virus vaccine and I'm more comfortable about it now. It has been approved in Brazil over a year ago, it just isn't available for our public health system yet because of how much it costs. She says they have been researching it for a long long time and it's difficult to get a vaccine approved here, so she doesn't think anything will go wrong.

Ok, great, but now, how do I pay for it?!!

It's only given in private hospitals, so they charge pretty much how much they want to, it costs around 800 dollars total here.

Kim, do you remember how much it costs there?

Again, anyone knows anything about the papiloma virus one? Is a new vaccine, I heard lots of bad things about it, and I´m scared to take it. If it´s not proven safe, I really don´t wanna take it. What happens if I refuse to take it?

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEII KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM

So happy for you!

Talking about vaccines, I´m worrying about the papiloma virus one... The embassy doesn´t require it, but I´ll need it for the adjustment os status, and I´ve read so many bad things about it... Some people say it´s more likely that you die from something caused by the vaccine than from actual cancer caused by HPV. Anybody have a clue?

I´ll tell you my point of view, if that helps. I´m the beneficiary and I´m from Brazil. Brazil has lots of problems and America might be a a better place to live in many ways. Lots of brazilians move to the US looking for a better life, and lots of brazilians do the marriage thing for a GC (though the most commom situation is actually paying somebody for marrying them).

But those are usually people who had a hard time in Brazil. I have a bachelor degree (my fiance doesn´t), a wonderful family, lifetime friends, and a comfortable life, a lot more comfortable than I´ll have with Joey on the beggining.

I think in Orlando I´ll be able to get a good salary quicker than I would in Brazil (being just out of school), but I wouldn´t think of moving away from all I know, my country, my parents, my friends, my language, for that.

I wouldn´t give up the dream of living 5 minutes away from my parents and having them see my children anytime they want. I wouldn´t give up walking on the beach with my mom everyday. I wouldn´t give up having my kids go to the same school I went to. I wouldn´t give up having a maid (hahahaha, I know, shallow, but common and cheap in Brazil and hard to get used to not having them). I wouldn´t take the risk of my kids not speaking portuguese and thinking about Brazil as a far away thing. I wouldn´t give up the afternoons laughing and enjoying the intimacy of a lifetime of friendship with my girfriends cause of a little more money. I wouldn´t give up knowing my best friend will be with me in 10 minutes, even if it is 4am if I need her to. I would´t give up my window with a beach view. I would give up brazilian barbecue, beaches, underwear, people, lifestyle, food, night outs, for living in America. I wouldn´t move to a country where people ask me if Brazil is in Africa... or Europe... or don´t even ask, even though they don´t know. I wouldn´t move to a country where most people don´t care about learning about my culture. I wouldn´t cry so very often just thinking of the possibility of never making such good friends as I have here. I wouldn´t be scared with possibilty that my parents are denied a tourist visa to see me. I wouldn´t be scared with the thought that if I ever break up with Joey, I´ll have nothing. I wouldn´t try so hard to move to a country that obviously wish I woulnd´t. I wouldn´t go through that stupid K1 process. I wouldn´t be scared to death when people are rude to me on the embassy. In fact, I wouldn´t take it. I wouldn´t give up family lunches on sundays. I wouldn´t give up calling America a imperialist ###### (hahahahahahah just kidding). I wouldn´t go somewhere I have nothing but ONE person, when here I have everything.

I could go on and on about things I wouldn´t do if it wasn´t for Joey.

I´m sure all the other foreign fiancees will have a list of things they´re not happy to leave, from people they love to everyday silly things that do make a difference.

So if we ever hear anybody say we´re after a GC, we can kick their butt!!!!

I´m sure there have being people who married a GC... But I think the risk the us citizen is taking is as big as the risk the foreign is taking, leaving everything behing.

Susy,

Communication is a strange thing! When I´m with Joey, I don´t even remember I´m not speaking my native language, I understand everything he says and he understands me... We do get some laughs sometimes, but even when I get stuck and can´t find the word for what I´m trying to say Joey knows exactly what I´m talking about, completes my phrases and everything, I don´t remember not being able to communicate an idea to him ever, even on subjects I don´t have enough vocabulary in English, like politics and stuff.

But then sometimes when I´m talking to other people in the US, they don´t understand me, I don´t understand them, I can´t find the words and I keep saying and hearing "sorry, what?" "repeat that, please?"

Isn´t that funny? Maybe Sigmund Freud can explain it. =)

Or it is just loveee

I hope Joey can speak good portuguese one day, it´s such a shame, I´ve always being so proud of speaking and writing beautiful proper portuguese, and being able to express my ideas in portuguese in a more clever way, when in english sometimes I just sound and write like a child! Being able to express my ideas beautifully is a side of me he may never know...

Suzy,

Too bad a part of your family isn´t happy for you. If I were you, I wouldn´t care at all, invite them all to the wedding, act as the good daughter and happy fiancee I am, I´m not the one who has a problem, they are! And that would give them a chance to see how great Luis probably is. If they don´t see that, again too bad, you did your part and I mean, who cares, anyway? They can´t know what´s going on in a relationship if they´re not IN it.

My family and friends didn´t quite believe how serious I was until I actually told them I was getting married. Before that, they thought it´d be over sooner or later. Now they´re happy for me, my parents are scared to death, though, and my mother cried (not out of happiness) when she knew about the approval. I guess it´s normal, I´m also scared of moving out of Brazil and sad to live my parents... Awww such a daddy´s girl, I am.

Brian,

So they changed their minds on your approval?? Can they really do that? It´s ridiculous! It´s like worse than taking away candy from a child!

Well, I guess they can do whatever they want, but I´m mad for you, if that helps.

I hope it goes fast now!

My parents have been to Istambul, they loved it... And through the pics, I´d say it looks fantasticcc!!!!

aaawww that was a little mean!

but I have to say it is much more difficult to stay slim in america then it is here in Brazil.. I just loveee junk food and I´m looking forward to Ben and Jerrys, twizlers, taco bell, mac and cheese, cinnamon roll and stuff =)

Kim, I hope they work allll weekend in Vermont and come up with your approval monday morning.

My interview date is September 16th, but I´m actually happy about it. It´s so much easier to wait when I know exaclty when and it gives me time to gather all the paperwork and say loong loong goodbyes!

Approved!!!!

Actually, we got approved more then a week ago, I was in Orlando so we got to be together for the approval!! Yeii!!! We didn´t actually get to celebrate, though, cause I was working 24/7 as a tour guide for a group of brazilians, but still.

Just a comment: something creepy happened at immigration. I didn´t have any problems, they didn´t ask about the fiancee visa or anything, but last time I was there, the last question I was asked was what I did in Brazil, but it was so informal, the officer was so nice, it felt like he was just making conversation. Anyway, I worked as a teacher and I told him that. Guess what was the firtst thing the officer said when I got there this time: "Hi, teacher". And it was another officer, and even if it wasnt, last time I was there was more than 2 m,onths ago. They had that information on the system!!!!!!!! CREEPY!!!!!!

Anyway, now how long? Are we there yet are we there yet, are we at least almost there yet?????

Apple Bottom is a a brand by Nelly ( nice cloths!!!!! I love them) same as Baby Phat by Kimora Lee Simmons.

seriously? I thought it was maybe a dirty joke, I don´t know... Hahahahah!! thank you for the answer.

What is "apple bottom jeans" supposed to mean, anyway? I don´t get it...

I just love the fuRRRRRRR part !

Kim: you´re such a sweetheart!

Yeiiiiiiii congratulations on the approvals!

It´s close it´s close!!! I can´t help thinking about my waiver... They haven´t updated on the system that they´ve even received it and won´t pick up the phone or answer emails, I don´t even know who to ask if that´s normal! Any ideas?

Susita: you know how spanish has male and female words? like "LA boca, LOS ojos"? Same in portuguese. So first, I taught Joey that for boys, the words frequently end with an "o" like FernandO for a boy and FernandA for a girl, meninO for a boy and meninA for girls (niño y niña). So then I tryed to explain male and female words for body parts... Then he thought that he had "o boca" (lo boca) and I had "a boca" (la boca) because I´m a girl and he´s a boy! Huauhauhauhhauuhauhauhauhauha!!! I SUCK as a teacher!

And you know you´re really mean when you wish the adjudicators were working all day on sunday!