MJ3lasvegas

when i first got here, i cant stand the smell of american food. its not because they smell awful but there seem to be something mixed to it (herbs and some other stuffs i have no idea what they were) and when i tasted them, it seemed like there was "something missing"

..but this only lasted for a week, im sure your fiance will get used to it.

i didnt do american fastfood right away though..but my hubby took me to some places which served lighter meals. then moved to introducing me to TGIF, olive gardens, red lobster, then we went to casino resto which serve pastas (my favs)..but of course, as my hubby is also filipino, we take weekly trips to the filipino store (seafood city or manila market - las vegas) for fish, shrimps and crabs. we also pick out some finger snacks like chicharon, boy bawang and sky flakes! lol..

went to canada to visit my aunt with my passport and GC. hassle-free trip..

hahahaha..butangi!

you can find good deals everywhere, like one poster said, find them at walmart, target, costco and even 99 cents. probably spend about an hour looking through the shelves so you can find good deals. kasi if you just look around briefly, you may miss some really nice deals.

why not try ROSS too. you can find neat but cheap stuffs like shoes, jackets, sweat pants & shirts, baby stuffs, perfumes and MORE for more than half lesser than how much you get them at malls. they carry branded stuffs too like old navy, abercrombie, billabong, sketchers, puma, addidas and soooooooo many more neat stuffs. its a pasalubong haven. hahahaha...plus, with the quality they have, they would never know you got it cheap.

but dont worry sis, whatever you get them, im sure they will appreciate it.

have fun shopping!!

some just say this to break-the-ice..i was asked by some friends to do this and i was like: "duh, di naman kano asawa ko, filipino din." lol..

but i find it funny when people ask me this.

nakakakilig naman minsa if im playing cupid

just be cool about it, ganyan naman talaga sinasabi most of the time pag papunta kana dito sa US..ride on ka nalang.

did you bother to ask if you could apply for IR1 visa instead?

that way, you could get her to come to the US in less than (5years) the given time she was told told to wait to re-apply for a US visa.

we did IR1, but despite the fact that we were already married, i was still asked about my past and his past relationships. good thing i knew everything about him (from his financial status, circle of friends, past relationships, family, work, EVERYHTING).

i guess it was a misunderstanding between the beneficiary and her CO. i feel for you both, i hope you guys get to resolve this soon..

welcome to the US..

is it just me or the entire scenario..

i got lost while reading the whole thing and even if i did finished reading it now, still im confuse..

hmm, id say it would be best to write the main juices of issue and leave the intricate details behind, that way, we will get to understand where the situation stand and what we'd suggest that you and your mother-in-law should do..

but then again, is it just me??

agreed - and it sounds to me like the husband isn't enforcing discipline by letting the kids run over the stepmother. without him providing open support to her, they can and will run over the step parent because they know they can get away with it.

i cant agree more charles

i dont think they reschedule to an earlier date as you were advise coz there are people in-line before your set appointment date as well.

i know its too late to say this but it would have been better if you guys had your medical a week before or a week and 2days before your appointment day.

i too am from cebu and base on my personal experience, i flew to manila a week and 2days before i was set to be interviewed by the USEM. when i got off the plane, i rested over-night, went for medical the next day, vaccines the next and for the rest of the waiting days, i relaxed and conditioned myself for the big day. i didnt fly back and forth manila-cebu so as to save money and effort..

but i guess theres no harm asking the USEM about it. call them and ask but i doubt they will give you an earlier schedule. why dont you guys just stay there if you have relatives to stay with (as i did that, so again, my entire manila trip for the interview didnt cost us much).

whatever your option is, make sure it will make you guys comfortable in all aspect..financially and physically, thats what matters :-)

well, i hope i helped, god bless you in your journey :-)

no, there isnt any need to reschedule an interview for your hubby.

if the consul just asked him to furnish new set of documents, he just have to come back to USEM once he gets them all and submit it directly to the specified windows (i think its 17 coz this was where i submitted a document they asked from me).

no worries, he just needs to bring back the documents once he has it.

just make sure he labels it well and tell the person-in-charge his case number so it wont get mixed up with other documents they have in there that are still stack in piles! hahaha..

good luck to you guys :-)

i feel terrible after reading this post. its just so unfair for the kids to treat you this way. you seem to be very patient in everything thats going on..i commend you for that BUT this has to stop. you married your hubby to be a wife and a mother to his kids and your kids, NOT a mere object. tell your husband how you feel simple_meh24..tell him how you are suffering so he would know. dont just sit around quiet and cry in one corner feeling sorry for yourself with what the kids are doing. stand up for yourself. dont let them treat you this way.

when he knows, i have a feeling he will do something about it..and just like what the other poster have said, SET RULES for the kids and stand firm to this rules. dont bend them in any way. like lets say getting a peanut butter sandwich, show them how to do it and tell them you cant do this for them all the time coz you have other stuffs to do. make it apparent to them that they are NOT the only things you have to attend to..tel them you have the little kid (2YO) that needs you more than they do.

and if they talk ###### towards you, NEVER CRY INFRONT OF THEM. it will make them feel superior and that they have the feeling that they have control over you. be firm (but not harsh)..show them and tell them that you love them and that they dont need to be acting this way..tel them how you feel in a way that a 9year old would understand..

i feel for you simple_meh24..

just hang in there, pray for the best to happen and be strong..

i was watching this show at TFC one time last week and they were talking about this issue.

i think the lawyer's name was gurfinkle or something (forgive me for the spelling) but if i remember correctly, if an LPR stays more than a year (or a year) out of US (in PI or anywhere), it will simply mean (even if it doesnt) that the LPR is abandoning his status to legally live and work in the US.

i think it is best that you talk to somebody who has a vast knowledge on this issue or better yet an immigration lawyer who can expalin everything to you before you leave for PI. this way, you guys can avoid any mistakes. :-)

VJ Member's don't be so biased on what her story tells us. I know this girl and she is so nice, really really nice, she also has chatmates who is also probinsyana like me but we didnt came fighting to the end. Maybe because you also hurt her feelings s well and maybe because you are the one who is being arrogant in the first place thats why she got angry and told you things like that. Better have an insight of what happened between the two of you ending up like that. Asked your conscience... Nobody will react that way if you didnt hurt her feelings as well. She's a nice girl and i've been chatting to her so many times and really helped me a lot through our journey by sharing her knowledge that she learned here in Visa Journey.

i am not trying to win any sympathy raissa..

and i guess you're the one being bias right now with all due respect,

maybe you've heard her side, but have you asked me about the ENTIRE story "MY SIDE" (as i guess you wanna call it)

do you know me..

get to know me and you will understand why i'm so upset...

im not as bad as you think i am, but still, i know i can never please everyone

but still thank you, for saying out your piece..

but let me tell you, ever since i touched american lands, i have never been ashamed of my ethnicity..

i have never denied to anybody my being filipina, i have never americanize myself in any way

i do look back with great respect towards my roots,

you ought to know that..

this will probably my LAST post regarding this issue,

if she was hurt, as you have mentioned,

i apologize

but DOES SHE KNOW I WAS HURT FIRST?

i guess not..

i rest my case..

i feel so bad right now..

i talked to this girl @ YM whoose from VJ too, shes from paranaque.

she was so mean when we talked, i never expected her to act like so.

she even called me probinsiyana and a b!tch..

i feel bad about the whole thing

she has not been interviewed yet but she acting so mean and arrogant..

im sorry guys if i had to vent this out to you..

i just feel bad about people who act superior just because they're NOT from the province

kahit promdi kami (cebu)..my parents never taught us to be mean to people from manila, bohol or paranaque..

she even told me "nangangarap ako ng magandang buhay"..

i hope shes reading this post..

i really dont wanna brag but i just wanna defend myself kahit dito lang sa OT:

look alexkat,

i NEVER dreamt of having a better life when i married my husband (filipino din)

to be honest, my life in pinas was great..

i have people do things for me..

i came here in america for the 1st time when i was in elementary..

so please dont brand me as a gold-digging probinsiyana ####### coz im not

america is nice but its NOT all dreamland..

people here work hard to earn good,

if you let your arrogance beat your character, i doubt you'll get along with people from here..

even filipinas

if youre a nurse,

im a nurse back there too but when i got here, im not, and thats gonna be the same in your case

i dont need any apology..(coz i know youd not even thing about that)

but please, be human..

even if im a probinsiyana, im filipina and i have feelings..

id agree to one poster saying PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE..indeed it is, plus, if i were you guys just enjoy the last few days of your stay in the philippines, i tell you, when you get here, you'll miss it.

true that you will be inseperable with your wife/husband/fiance, but everything here in the US is different from back home. at first it would be exciting thinking that you'll be leaving for a foreign land, see the person you truly love, explore the american lands but mind you, life here is FAST. its not always about pleasure and enjoyment..plus the economy is not even improving yet..(hopefully obama's strategic plans will bring positive effect to the economy..). if you have any plans of working when you get here, i'd say tough luck, people are getting laid off, prices of basic commodities are getting higher and gas too..

i don't wanna sound so discouraging with everything i just said, but i guess right now, just be thankful to god you passed the interview and hopefully in a week or two you'll get a knock on your door that your visa is being delivered..

maybe take a trip to boracay or palawan, or maybe baguio or anywhere you can unwind to take your mind ff the visa process pressure..trust me, taking time off is worth it..

hey guys, im back..after a long hibernation.

i miss you all guys!

i hope everyone is doing well..

Yo Gurl!!! How are you??? I was in LV last Nov. 13 but just to see my Aunt, they live near Summerlin and went back to California that night, didnt get a chance to go to the strip though , anyways might be there again this December, I will give you a buzz..so how's everything? Happy Thanksgiving!!!

im perfectly fine, got my SSN and state ID and currently looking for a job..part time job that is. PM me when youre coming, send me your YM okey so i can give you my number so we can hook up when you visit vegas again..

sorry sis late reply.. but excess baggage nowadays are not being paid by kilos but by boxes it costs $200.00 per box

no problem..i got through without paying a penny!

if your fiance lives in manila, give it 3-5 days. but if she lives outside manila (cebu, davao or other key cities), give it 7-10 (smetimes 14 days) days until she recieves it. this is working days key..some get it sooner, some get it late. it all depends..but the estimate days i gave above is the usual/standard waiting time for the visa to arrive.

good luck!

it will be my first thanksgiving and although my husband and in-laws are pure filipinos by birth they want me to experience the whole thing even just this once, hahaha..they said it will be sort of my welcome party. im not quite excited, more anxious coz i saw the guest list and i dont even know a single person on it. but i guess ill be fine..just not sure what to expect, but im looking forward to tasting my first thanksgiving turkey! hahaha..

hey guys, im back..after a long hibernation.

i miss you all guys!

i hope everyone is doing well..

i'll be flying through HA, i guess i'll be paying the excess tomorrow..hmmm

so for the excees baggage i get to pay 39 php per kilo huh..

this sucks..

hi everyone..

i'll be leaving tomorrow for vegas. i'm from cebu, i'm taking a domestic flight from cebu to manila through PAL. i weighed my bbb and bag, all just about right for the international baggage allowance, however, i'm worried for the domestic flight through PAL. the bbb weighs 48 lbs and my trolley 38 lbs. so i have a total of 86 lbs.

i have to pay the domestic flight excess baggage right? so given the excess baggage rate of 39 PHP per kilo, i get to pay 2769 PHP right? please tell me if i missed any vital infos, it's my first time to be traveling with excess baggage since i have been used to traveling light..

help me?

i'll be satrting my new life in LAS VEGAS tomorrow..