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My story; Proposal, Papers, Marriage, Papers and ?Green Card.?
 I?ll try to make this relatively short. When I returned from the Philippines I was very tired and ready to get back to my bed and a sense of normality. As some of you may remember I was, at that time, 54 and had only been married for a short time many years before. I had just spent three weeks with a wonderful girl/woman thirty years my junior and was expected by her family and her to ask her to marry me. I was scared. After I spent a month debating whether or not I should marry this wonderful woman I made up my mind. I invited my best married friends over and I called her and asked her to marry me. This was the end on August. It took me about a month and a half  to get every thing ready to send in. It got to INS/BCIS the middle of October 2002, where it it sat and sat and??you get the picture. I am told that it was at this time people were pulled off their normal work to work on changing the system due to 911. For those that don?t know, there is a way to check your status online. In March I visited my congressman?s office. They were friendly, but said that they couldn?t help much. BTW, I live in Port Isabel Tx. and we have a lot of immigration from Mexico.  
  During this time, because Era?s aunt and several friends are married to Kanos, Era was working on the papers that she knew she needed. Finally, the day that she arrived in Davao from Cebu for her brothers wedding, her papers arrived in Cebu. This was in May. Her appointment for her interview in Manila was in June. She goes to Manila, passes her medical exam and has her interview. At this time she is missing only a copy of one of my tax returns. I could have faxed it to her, but she got another appointment for august.  I?m not exactly sure, but I think that she was approved in June, and just waiting for my tax return. Now we wait again. About three weeks later, she gets her Visa. I send her a ticket, Era arrives and ten days later we get married. She had never flown before. I mention this, because she didn?t know that cokes, juice or water was free on the plane. She also didn?t know hoe to use the earphones. She only had Pisos and was to shy to ask. If this sounds like someone that you might marry, advise he accordingly.
 After Era had been here a couple of months, I filled out all the papers that I thought I needed, sent them in and waited. About this time her visa ran out. I got the papers back, REJECTED! I needed to write different checks for different forms ?Green card,? multiple re-entry (because we live next to Mexico), and work permit. I sent them in again, REJECTED AND AGAIN REJECTED!! I forget now which order, but mainly because either the form had changed or the amount. It may be more settled now but I would advise calling the BCIS help line or asking here before one sends off any thing to make sure that it is correct. I sent them off one more time and they were REJECTED again. I was so frustrated at this time that I sent them to my best friend, who happens to be an attorney. He looked through them made a few minor changes and sent them back to be signed. At this time we only sent of the residency/ change of status. Finally we got a letter asking her to get finger printed. At this time I?m not sure if she was interviewed or it was just friendly conversation but she was questioned about ?us.? At this point her visa had been expired for almost 8 months and I was a little worried. Another thing was that we couldn?t travel because we live on the border side of the 20-mile limit and must pass through a Border Patrol checkpoint.
 Here is a cute story about my wife. Until last Christmas there had never been official snowfall in Port Isabel. Believe it or not, On Christmas Eve, after we had gone to bed, IT SNOWED!!!! It was her first snow and my first white Christmas. She said that she prayed for snow. I told her next time pray LOTTO! Finally, in January, we had our interview and she was welcomed to the US! Of course she had been here over a year.
 My marriage is wonderful and a real learning experience. I don?t believe that I could have married a more beautiful wonderful person. It truly gets better every day. Thanks for your indulgences capt david    

... in response to My story, posted by capt david on Aug 4, 2005

Hi Capt David,

It's GREAT to hear that everything has worked out! I know how you feel!

Dave H.

P.S. Let me know about those LOTTO numbers! ;o)

... in response to My story, posted by capt david on Aug 4, 2005

Congratulations!!! What website did you meet your mahal on? or did someone introduce you?

... in response to My story, posted by capt david on Aug 4, 2005

And a good lesson for the newbies thinking about getting into this process.  It takes a bit of patience and perseverance to push thru the paperwork maze, but it can be done.  Congrats!

... in response to My story, posted by capt david on Aug 4, 2005

Good news.  Glad things finally worked out.  

BTW,  I'm in Houston and we often go to Corpus Christi (like to camp at Lake Corpus Christi, visit the Texas Sealife Museum by the USS Lexington and of course Padre Island).  Only been to Port Isabel once - nice beach though.  Maybe we can get together sometime.  

Best Chinese resturant in the world is in Callen.

The Bear Family

... in response to My story, posted by capt david on Aug 4, 2005

Good for you Captain!

Like many of us you probably couldn't imagine that it could be so wonderful.  The learning experience is required, of course, because the cultural differences add an extra dimension.  For me it took almost two years to get good at dealing with being married again and the unique aspects of being married to an asian woman.  It wasn't all her being the problem, I was half the problem.  Specifically, my reactions to situations needed some adjustment.  Once I figured that out this relationship went to a higher level and now I truly feel that "soulmate" thing.

Jim