Giggles
-
Posts
200 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Partners
Immigration Wiki
Guides
Immigration Forms
Times
Gallery
Store
Blogs
Posts posted by Giggles
-
-
When we lived in the States, we took a MAC flight for a holiday in Germany and England. We went from Washington DC to Germany and then to England. On the flight to England we flew in a refueling tanker. I got to sit in the cockpit for take-off. It was pretty awesome!! It think the MAC flight round trip cost about $100 for the two of us (taxes). We paid a couple hundred each for the flight back from England to Germany because we flew on a commercial airline as there was no MAC flight the day we wanted to go back to Germany.
-
Your fiance is lucky! We are in Japan for another 2 years and then he'll go back to shore duty for another 3 year and then retire. I think he'd probably like to stay in for 30 years if he could (for the money and pension) but we both agreed that it's not worth it. Neither of us want him to miss out on seeing our baby grow up. If he stays in longer than 25 years he'll have to do another sea tour. We are planning on moving back to Australia soon after he retires. What about your fiance, is he staying in for the long haul?
My husband won't live on base because he sees his co-workers enough at work and doesn't want to have to see them when he's at home. It's nothing personal against his co-workers or other sailors but I agree with him about that. It's nice to get away from military life. One of my friends said she wished she lived off base so she wouldn't have to put up with so many of the b*tchy wives.
Living off base we save more than we would on base. We get more COLA and there's always money left over from the allowance we get for utilites. The first 6 weeks in Japan was the worst for us but once we were settle in our house and bought a car it was a lot better. We were in a hotel for 6 weeks (4 of those were in a tiny Japanese hotel because the one we were at on base closed for renovation). It sounds funny but we were so sick of having to eat at restaurants or get takeaway. It's good you both have a positive outlook about moving to South Korea. I totally agree about having to make the most of the situation.I use to watch Army Wives. I use to get all teary at times when watching it.
I love baking too and my mum told me years ago that I should start a business. I had to go through the legal office on base to get my business approved and I'm only allowed to sell to SOFA sponsored people. I wish I could sell to the Japanese because they would love my cakes and cookies.....I'd make a killing! They'd be prepared to pay more than what the Yanks are too. It would be too much hassle to get legal/permitted to sell to the locals. You should look into it too if that's what you are interested in. I guess you'd have to go through the legal office too. Here they will only permit someone to have a home business if it doesn't directly compete with the NEX, Commissary or MWR. That mean I can't sell just regular cakes or plain cookies like the Commisary or NEX. When I moved to the US I did the Wilton cake decorating classes they teach at Michael's and Joann's craft shops. For me they were great to get started in cake decorating.
I will be almost 33 when I have this baby and it's my first. There are sooo many young mothers here (19-20 year olds with kids) and I was kind of shocked. I'm sure it's probably the same at any military base. I sort of felt like I was going to be an old mother at first. Most of my family, friends, co-workers from home and even my sisters-in-laws in the States all waited until their late 20's or 30's before having a family. Sound like the perfect time for you to start a family if that's what you want.
I had every intension of learning Japanese when I got here but I've hardly learnt anything. I'd love to learn it but it's just so foreign, I find it hard and honestly I'm not really interested in it. I learnt French at school (which I was much more interested in) and to me it was much easier because they at least have the same alphabet and sometimes the words are similar.
-
The whole visa process can be a little overwhelming sometimes and so can PCSing.
Haha! Too funny! Yeah my husband doesn't mind a romantic comedy now and then too. I've totally got him sucked in to some of the British shows I watch too like Downton Abbey
1 deployment in 13 years!!
I'd say he's been very lucky! My husband just had his 20 year anniversary of being in the navy. One day he worked out how many years he'd actually been at sea and it worked out to be something like 12 years!! He did quite a lot of 9 month deployments and several back to back sea duties. The ship he's on now usually only deploys about 5 months of the year. We really like living in Japan and we chose to live off base too. But like anywhere, some love it and some hate it. Usually the ones that hate it are the type of people that don't like getting out of their comfort zone and the kind that rarely ever leave the base. There are lots of those kinda people.
I miss things about living in Australia and the US but I feel fortunate that we have the opportunity to live in another country and travel more. I haven't been to South Korea but my husband's had a few port visits there. We were talking about taking a MAC flight there sometime but haven't got around to it. Maybe you could take advantage of that too because I think they go several times a week between South Korea and Japan. I hope you like South Korea when you move.I have a small business that I started here just to keep busy and make some extra cash. I make and sell fancy cakes and cookies. I got started earlier this year and it was going really well. Now we are expecting a baby and for about the first 3 to 4 months the smell and even just seeing a cake made me gag. I'm feeling much better now. Hopefully I can start back up again once the baby arrives and is settled. I was going to teach English here but in the end I decided against it because I'd be going home twice a year for long periods during deployments. I didn't really think it would be fair to the students having to switch teachers all the time. A lot of wives teach English and the pay is pretty good. Not being a US citizen makes it harder to get a job on base with a decent pay. Working for $7 to $9 per hour at the NEX or MWR is not very appealing to me.....it kinda seems like slave labour!
-
Sweet! Sounds like you'll have plenty of time then
Haha! That's funny he watched The Proposal and is thinking about what to say at the interview. I didn't get an interview for AOS or removing conditions, maybe you won't either and your fiance will have spent all that time preparing and practicing his lines
Being together and then separated is a part of military life. It really makes you appreciate the time that you do have to spend together. Part of the reason we chose to come back to Japan was the deployments are usually shorter than ships that are stateside and it's much closer for me to go home when my husband is deployed. Are you looking forward to moving to South Korea?
-
I lived in the US for a year and half before we PCSed to Japan. By that time I had already done my AOS and received my conditional green card so I don't really have any advice for you about doing that while PCSing. I can't see it being a problem though if you are on you husbands orders and move to South Korea during AOS (even without AP). You'll still be considered as being in the US and it still counts towards your time. When are you planning on getting married? I'd say getting married and being put on your husbands orders in time should be your biggest concern. If you can you should try to get married as soon as possible after arriving in the US so you can be put on your husbands orders. It would be awful being a new immigrant and left behind in the US on your own. I have a couple of friends here that were married after their husbands already had their orders to Japan and the process to get them here was a real pain in the butt and can take some time.
There are benefits for military dependants stationed overseas. I just removed conditions and received my 10 year green card. It took 2 months in comparison to non military for VSC takes about 8 or 9 months so I've read. Also once you have your PR, if you plan on becoming a US citizen I believe you can apply for expedited naturalization instead of having to hold your PR for 3 years and then apply (as long as your husband has overseas orders for more than 1 year). I haven't applied for expedited naturalization as I still haven't decided if I want to become a US citizen.
-
I had a copy of my fiances LES, TSP and a letter from the bank. We didn't get a letter from his command.
-
I just added myself to the list (I hope I did it correctly). Mine definitely got approved quicker than normal. It took just over two months from the date I mailed my I-751 to getting approved
California Service Center (# of applicants)
VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date.....Biometrics.....Approved.....GC Received...
SCOTT AND MHAY...........03/30/12..........04/06/12......--/--/12.......--/--/12.....--/--/12...... (sent from Aviano AB, Italy)
VJ Name............--/--/12..........--/--/12......--/--/12.......--/25/12.....--/--/12......
VJ Name............--/--/12..........--/--/12......--/--/12.......--/25/12.....--/--/12......
Vermont Service Center (# of applicants)
VJName.............Date of I-751.....NOA1 Date.....Biometrics.....Approved.....GC Received...
GIGGLES............05/22/12..........--/--/12......XX/XX/12.......07/31/12.....08/09/12...... (Applied while stationed overseas. Didn't receive NOA. No biometrics as I sent fingerprints with I-751)
Deb+Steve..........07/10/12..........07/13/12......--/--/12.......--/25/12.....--/--/12......
VJ Name............--/--/12..........--/--/12......--/--/12.......--/25/12.....--/--/12......
IMPORTANT!
* Make sure that your VJ Text Editor setting is set to Rich Text Editor.
* Go to the MOST RECENTLY POSTED VERSION of this list (go to the last post and scroll UP) and "Reply" to it, deleting the "quote" tags in your reply.
* Please DO NOT change the font, font size, add colors, stuff like that.
* Please PREVIEW before posting to make sure it is properly formatted.
* Please check that you have not deleted anyone's NAME & DATA.
Date of I-751 = The Date you sent your application
NOA Date = The Receipt Date on your original NOA letter
Biometrics = The Date of your biometrics appointment
Approved = The Date your case was approved
* Please Capitalize your VJ Name when adding it to the list.
* When you're on this list, please come back to update your information accordingly.
* If you cannot add your information yourself, please ask another VJ member to help you do so.
-
I received my new green card on August 9th. Can someone update the list for me please? Thanks!
-
I have good news.......I called USCIS and I got approved yesterday (31 July) and card is in production. YAY!!!!!!! I guess I was worried about nothing!
-
Hey! your hubby's military too? YEY! yea I am sure it'll be quick.. When did you submit your application? Last time I called USCIS i think it was last week or something the guy didn't know what he was talking about it was ridiculous.. He also told me that I need to wait 5-6 months for my application to get approved. I'm so glad I checked my status online yesterday
Let me know if there's any update on your status okay? Yeah. He's in the navy and we are in Japan. I sent my package on 22 May but I haven't received a NOA yet. I'm hoping it just got lost in the mail. I meant to call USCIS this morning but I didn't wake up early enough.....darn time difference! I've been worrying that I don't have enough evidence with my application. When we moved here everything had to be in my husbands name because he's the sponsor - the house, utilities, car, insurance, everything. I'll let you know when I hear something
-
Welcome to May filers!
You should definitely contact them. You should've not only receive NOA but also the Biometrics letter too!
Thanks
Actually, I don't have to do biometrics. My husband is in the military and we are stationed overseas, I've done the fingerprints already. I hope I get some good news when I call USCIS later today.
Yurika and Jim: yayy! I know! Thanks to Military lol im happy!
)Wow! That's fast! I hope mine is approved as quick as yours.
-
Hello,
I'm new to the May 2012 Filers group. I mailed my I-751 package on 22 May. The cheque was cashed but I haven't received a NOA or anything from USCIS. I was looking at the list for May 2012 filers and I should definitely have received a NOA by now so I'm getting really worried
I guess I'm going to have to wait until Monday now to call USCIS and find out what is happening. -
Hey guys! I just found out something I didn't know and thought I would pass it on.
My mother and I were discussing getting her a passport and there was a section on the form I found interesting. It was the section where it talked about her birth certificate details
It stated that if she was born after the 20th August 1986 that her Australian birth certificate was not enough to actually GAIN Australian citizenship. In Australia the rule is anyone born after the 20th August 1986 MUST have been born to Australian citizens (by birth or naturalisation) or to Australian legal permanent residents. It went on to explain to that if the child was still in Australia on their 10th birthday then they gained Australian citizenship automatically.
I don't know about anyone else but I think that's GREAT news!! I wish I'd know this before. Can't believe I didn't!! My brother and sister are born after that date so it's a good thing mum has her birth certificate proving she's an Aussie otherwise they wouldn't be able to get a passport! Well they can also show a passport issued on or after 01/01/2000 for themselves or they need their parents proof of citizenship/LPR status but still!
The USA definitely need to adopt this law too. I know they are working on changing the immigrations laws but it seems stupid to me that a baby that is born here is automatically a US citizen regardless of their parents citizenship or immigration status.
On another note, I saw today that Australia ranked no. 2 on the list of "The World's Best Places to be a Mother" (savethechildren.org) which I thought was interesting. Norway took the no. 1 spot and NZ came in at no. 6. The rest in the top 10 were European countries. The US was ranked no. 31. The worst was Afghanistan at no. 164.
-
Guys I have FABULOUS news
I was out shopping today and bought this book: http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Murdoch-Books-Test-Kitchen/dp/0681026081 (in case the link doesn't work it's called "Baking: A commonsense guide"). It started out as a joke 'cause it was only $5 at borders (well $4.99) and I wanted to get something for my sister who is 29 and only JUST learning to bake and stuff. She's doing well, I just thought this would be funny 'cause of the whole "commonsense" part... I like to pick on her
(she put 2 minute noodles in the microwave... without water... TWICE!)So I started flicking through the book to check whether or not the recipes are too American (which is kinda pointless to send to Australia) and I noticed some of the recipes were listed weird. Like "plain (all-purpose) flour" and "icing (confectioners) sugar" and I realise that the bracketed words are the American ingredients so I think "huh.. this must be a UK book" and try to find the location and it's AUSTRALIAN!!
Even better than Australian guess what's inSIDE the book?? LAMINGTONS!! ANZAC BISCUITS! SCONES!! QUICHES! And on and on. So I ended up buying one for myself and one for my sister. So if any of you are in the vacinity of a Borders go and check it out
I'm super-dooper excited to have Aussie recipes (and good ones) "translated" for me to make here in the US Hahaha!! Cooking 2 minute noodles in the microwave without water is hilarious!!!
Those recipes sound good....I love scones with jam and cream. I've been meaning to make lamington cupcakes - yum! I had so much trouble trying to find desiccated coconut here - finally found it at an international supermarket, in the Latino and also Indian sections. I've been wanting to start my own cookies and cake business for a while but I've had to put it on hold because my husband is up for new orders soon....we were going to Japan but that's uncertain now after the earthquake and tsunami I'd love it if someone could tell me where to get Caster sugar.
Caster sugar is called extra fine or super fine sugar.....you can get it at any supermarket.
We just just got back from our first holiday together since we've been married so it was kind of our honeymoon and we had our one year anniversary while we were in London too. We had an amazing holiday in Germany and England (my first time to Europe). We went on military space available flights so we practically got our flights for free (round trip from Baltimore to Germany cost about $80 for the two of us and Germany to England was free). A lot of people in the military don't take advantage of this perk. We went from Germany to England in a KC-135 refueling tanker - it was so cool.
-
Deb, That is so sad for your friends. It must have been awful for them being so far away and not knowing if their home was flooded and being unable to do anything to save it. I can imagine it would have ruined the holiday.
Btw, congrats on the bun!
-
I'm glad I wasn't the only one getting teary too. Sometimes I feel silly crying over the tv. Tomorrows (actually it's today's now) episode of Oprah is going to be a real tear-jerker. It's about American families coping with the invisible wounds of war. I was crying just watching the ad.....very sad
CareBear, It's basically spaghetti with vegemite or marmite, butter and parmesan cheese. I found the recipe online for you http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/spaghetti_with_marmite_06786 I've always loved spaghetti with just butter and heaps of parmesan. The addition of vegemite gave it a nice flavour.
Vanessa, the "I Still Call Australia Home" was one part where I got real teary.....we all understand
Good idea to keep a record of all trips outside the US. I'm going to start a file now so I'll have all the info handy for later. I was away from the US for almost 2 months last year too. I still count that time because I was just on holiday...not away permanently.
Astrid, congrats on your anniversary too!
-
Happy Aussie Day!!!
Did anyone else watch the Oprah Aussie shows last week? My husband and I watched it together every day. It made me really miss Australia and reminded me of what a great country we come from. There were a few times where I got a bit teary.
So tonight, to celebrate Australia Day I'm going to make vegemite spaghetti for dinner
I haven't made it before but I saw it in Nigella Lawson's new book so I'm sure it's good (the recipe is for marmite but she said she has switched to using vegemite now). My husband think it sounds weird but I bet he'll like it too.On another note, yesterday was my 1 year anniversary of coming to America and permanently being with my man
-
-
I've also been glue to Ninemsn since Monday. I was supposed to start my job search this week but I've been too distracted.
My family's houses are all in very close vicinity to the river but thankfully they were not flooded. They were very worried because other houses in their streets went under. Luckily their houses are on higher ground. My family owns another house in Brisbane that is not occupied at the moment but had some of our furniture and belongings in it. They think it went under but the flood waters are still too high for them to get to the house to see the damage. It's going to be an awful mess to clean up. It's truly heart wrenching and devastating seeing the destruction this has caused to so many peoples lives and not to forget the poor people that lost their lives. 3/4 of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone. I feel helpless being so far away and not being able to do anything to assist my family, friends and the people of my home city clean up the aftermath. I am thankful that my friends and family are all safe.
Astrid, how are your folks? Aren't they in the Centenary area?
-
I hope everyone's loved ones are safe too. It's devastating what's happening....some of my friends have also had to evacuate their houses and my sister's house may go under too. It's so scary.
-
Especially since, my big news, I was told I would never be able to have a child. Well Im pregnant, at the age of 40!!!! Now who would have thunk it!! Happy jiggy dance
Congrats on the baby news CareBare!!! How wonderful and exciting!!!!
A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
I have been swamped over the last month sampling the US Medical system and I am still sampling it while they work out the issues. I have to say the medical system here works really well and after being in hospital for a few days I was terrified for the bill...the insurance statement arrived....$39K for 4 days....we only have to pay $250 of the entire amount. So I am pretty happy with that.
OMG Terri!! Thank goodness you have good insurance. I've heard stories before when families have gone broke because a child got sick, spent a week in hospital and cost them $100K because they didn't have insurance. It's crazy!! No one should be without insurance.
-
Thanks KiwiBird and Astrid. That's the way I thought I should do it.
KiwiBird, I definitely won't be spraying it with perfume. Lol. It reminds me of that movie Legally Blonde when she submitted in her essay on strawberry scented paper
I like the idea of printing the resume on coloured paper but all the articles I've read online or resume writing websites they say to put it on white paper and don't use any fancy fonts or colours.....boring!! I like things to look pretty. -
Happy New Year!! I hope 2011 is a great year for everyone! My husband and I were reflecting on 2010 and what an amazing year it was. We have some exciting plans for 2011.....one thing is we are moving to Japan!! Woot woot!!
My new years resolution is to find a job
If I was asked to put my SSN on any applications, I did. But really, you only need to do that if you are applying with an actual form, because on applications they ask if you are legally able to work in the USA, and part of that is having an SSN. If you are going for office type jobs, they shouldn't be asking for your SSN until you are doing your new hire paperwork.
On any cover letters I didn't state anything about my immigration status. When I got to the interview stage, people asked about my accent, and thats when I explained that I had immigrated.
Thanks Astrid. The application where they asked for the SSN was an online application for a temp agency. I have no problem giving them my SSN at the interview stage but I didn't think it was appropriate when applying online....there's a possibility they won't even call for an interview. When applying for government jobs you have to give your SSN, which I can understand.
I'm thinking about handing out my resume at some stores at the local mall which I've never done before. Those that have, do you include a cover letter or did you just hand them your resume?
-
I know I'm late but I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope you all enjoyed the holidays
Surprisingly I lost 1 pound over Christmas. That's not normal...the scales are supposed to go the other way It has been quite a while since I've been on VJ. I've been so busy with Christmas recently and I also just got back a few weeks ago from a 5 week holiday in southern Africa visiting my family which was amazing!
I was just reading everyone's posts about the wages situation here in the US.....it totally sucks! I haven't got a job yet but I will be seriously looking in the new year. It makes me depressed knowing I'm going to have to possibly work for $12.50 an hour (or less) when I use to earn more than double that. I tell my husband that it's like slave labour. Lol. But it's somewhat comforting to know I'm not the only one in that situation. I've notice some companies will ask for your Social Security Number when applying online for jobs online. Has anyone else seen this and just given them your SSN in online applications? I don't feel comfortable doing that with all the identity theft and fraud that goes on these days. Another question when applying for jobs, did anyone write on their cover letters that you are a permanent resident of the US? When a potential employer looks at my resume, they are going to see that I've not worked in the US before. Do you think it's important or do you think the employer would assume I have the authorisation to work here?
Removing Conditions I-751 (AD Military Spouses)
in Military Immigration-Related Discussion
Posted
Hey! I haven't been on VJ in ages hence the reason I didn't respond. Yes, I think we did leave Australia around the same time. I left in January 2010. Any news on your removing conditions yet? I think mine we through so quickly because we are stationed overseas.