Interview Date

[remiel6]

Thought I would update for those who might want to know.

So after several weeks of waiting and lost mail packages. My fiance today scheduled her interview in kiev for December 9th. So barring some unforseen circumstances she will arrive in the US before Christmas and I will feel like a schoolboy nervously waiting for what "santa" brought me for Christmas.
needless to say this is the best Christmas gift ever 

[HiTech]

Congrats, things will go very quickly for you from here.

When did you do your filing?

HiTech

[remiel6]

we filed the original paperwork in July, on the 13th I think. So, its been 5 months. It has gone quickly. To think she will be here in but a few weeks now. We are very excited. Now I move from worrying about one thing to worrying about another. Like why is it they charge more money for the one way flight than the round trip flight?  She's never been on an airplane before so this will be an interesting first flight for her. I wish I could fly with her, but as she will be traveling during my finals week it will be impossible. Besides she should have no problems. Although I am trying to avoid flight options that send her thru airports that I think are confusing and increase the odds of getting someone lost. Charles De gaulle (think I spelled that wrong) in Paris comes to mind as does JFK. I might fly her into Chicago and pick her up there and then drive together back to Minneapolis for Christmas with my family and then head back to Michigan around New Years. For those who might be curious to know some of the costs
AOS: (which I obviously haven't done yet) 1000
K1: 455
interview: 130
Medical: 130
costs of my two trips to Ukraine: 5000 (give or take a foot)
plus  there have been translation costs, agency costs in the beginning which I think comes to seven or eight hundred dollars or so.
costs of English language lessons: 200 - 300 dollars
plus I bought her a computer for skype issues(500)
engagement ring
cost of her trip to kiev for interview: 600
her airfare back here: 900 (haven't bought the ticket yet, but am eyeballing the costs so far)
all in all I am shy of 10K for this venture so far.
I would add in that I have been extremely lucky in this. This I think is the least amount of money possible to spend on this venture and I pretty much visited and got engaged to the first girl I wrote too. I have been extremely lucky in this venture which I realize when I read others trip reports. I will offer my controversial advice.
If you do not like writing letters and have difficulty expressing deep emotions in them then this venture becomes very risky indeed. To me writing and being very personal in those letters is a cheap way of weeding out incompatible people before you ever step on an airplane. Yes things can go wrong even if you do, some people are just different in person. This whole venture requires gargantuan patience, luck, and two people who really like each other a lot.

[groovlstk]

Congrats, Remiel.

My wife arrived just before Christmas a few years ago. It can be overwhelming at times because of all the parties and friends/family gatherings. Don't worry about the POE stuff, I know a lot of men do backflips to make their fiancees' arrival and entry as smooth as possible, but the entire experience - good or bad - will likely be forgotten the next day.

I flew back with my wife since she really wanted me with her when she said goodbye to her family and friends, and pretty much everything that could go wrong, did. They lost our luggage, we were missing a form at POE and had to wait in a long queue with a pissed off Egypt Air flightcrew, got stuck in a monster traffic jam on the ride home. None of it mattered the next day as her new home, new neighborhood, and new life took front and center.

[remiel6]

Thanks for the advice. I expect that I will worry a lot until the moment I see her step out of customs and then jubilation. 

I have never left the Ukraine without encountering problems. Trip one had a canceled flight that led to me having to basically hitch a ride to Donetsk to catch the flight from there to kiev.
Trip two involved a six hour delay in my flight from kiev that caused me to miss my connecting flight at JFK.
So I expect something to go wrong, its only a matter of what and how to prepare a woman who has never flown before for the thing to go wrong.
I did conclude that if I had to fly her into JFK that I would wait until my exams were over to fly her there and I would travel to JFk to meet her. I got lost at JFK and english is my first language 
of course my problems at jfk were that because of the layover I had a hotel stay. The Delta rep pointed to a door and said go out that door the bus to the hotel will meet you there. They neglected to tell me that it was out the door and over three terminals 

[Gylden]

I have a suggestion about flights.
Look at Wizz Air from Kiev to Oslo and then Iceland Air from Oslo to Minneapolis. Oslo is a beautiful smaller user friendly airport and the flight from Oslo stops in Iceland for maybe 1.5 hours, which is a nice break. The airport in Iceland (Rekyavik) is very small and also user friendly. I love this way and use it often.

[tim 360]

Remiel6,  Don't worry some things will go wrong (delays, luggage etc) but you will be strong.  Small stuff in the big picture.  Nice to hear it is going so well for you and your fiance.  Soon the real work will begin...after she gets here, but true love is a beautiful thing.

[JR]

YAY dude ! ! !

[remiel6]

seems the wizzair and iceland air flights only operate at certain times of the year.  I will figure it out somehow, I always do

as for now, less than 24 hours till her interview and I am very nervous as is she. The medical went fine, not that I was worried about that. They need a nervous emote icon lol

[tfcrew]

Costs of everything are over the top since I've done all this.
& I even went to the visa interview [they were in Warsaw back then]
 The stay in Poland was memorable.
Also I thought it would be neat to bring her back rather than having her sent for so to speak........

Good luck
Karl