Turbo - Keep us Posted . . .

[Admin]

As I recollect, today is the big day with VWRW having her interview - right?

Please let us know how things go - and wishing you guys the best.

- Dan

[Turboguy]

You have a good memory Dan.  I sent you a pm with some info but will keep everyone else in suspense till I have the full story myself then I can post in a little more detail.   I am not meaning for anyone to take this as a sign that anything went wrong I am just saying when I have the full story to post of how it went I will share it.   Besides a little mystery is good for traffic.

[BC]

Ok.. time's up.  Spill the beans.

[Turboguy]

OK, I have a more full report now.  We don't want to count our chickens until the visa is in hand but it looks like all went well. 

She arrived in Moscow bright and early on Sunday morning, checked into the apartment and took a walk through the cold and rain to locate where the clinic was so she could find it the next day.  The medical went fine.  She made friends with a few women there and after the medical they took a walk together and she showed them where the embassy was.   The women told her they thought she would do fine in the interview because she was very communicative and always smiling.  She spent the evening going over the list of questions I had sent her that others had been asked in the past and felt comfortable with all of them.

She arrived at the embassy the next day.  There were about 17 people there for visas about 5 of which were for fiancee visa's.   She had to wait a while and was finally called to the window.   She had a male C/O which made her happy.  She felt a man might be more understanding of the age difference.   

The C/O was very kind and smiling.   He asked her 4 questions.   The first was if she spoke English.  The second was how she was.   The third was what had happened in her previous K-1.   Then he made a big mistake.   His forth question was If I had been to Russia.  She decided to tell him the whole story of our meetings so he would not have to ask more questions and she had the feeling he really regretted asking that question by the time she finally stopped talking.  After that he just said, Visa approved,  You will receive it in a week.

So anyway that is the story.  Everything seemed to go well.  They did not ask to see any evidence or even look at the photos.   We have not had any discussions about details beyond this point and don't plan to buy any tickets until the visa is in hand.   I think we are both a little gun shy after all the problems we have had. 

[KenC]

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!
Turbo & VWRW,
KenC

[catzenmouse]

and she had the feeling he really regretted asking that question by the time she finally stopped talking.  After that he just said, Visa approved,  You will receive it in a week.

Well that's a new one. Visa approved for self defense by the CO! 

Look Out Beaver Falls! The Barnul version of the Tasmanian Devil is whirling into town! Film at 11. 

Congratulations VWRW and Turbo! I'll be looking forward to hearing about the transition and acclimatization to life in the Big City!

Ken

[Son of Clyde]

T/G & VWRW,
Very best wishes for a bright and happy future together.
I hope we can get together in the not too distant future.
I may be moving soon.

[Gator]

Fantastic!!!

You have taken the longest route to get to this destination.  You have gone outside the box, and you have sufferred sometimes along the way (especially in the form of criticism from some of your peers here).  It is so easy to pick on you because it rolls off your back and you do not retaliate.

VWRW has also taken a long route.  She obviously impressed the CO, and I imagine that she would impress many here if they had the pleasure of getting to know her.

So that journey is over, and a new one begins.  But in the new one, the two of you can walk side by side and smell the roses together (and let VWRW pick a few).   When will VWRW announce her candidacy for Mayor of Beaver Falls?

You better hurry up and fix that little house - the one where you will sleep when VWRW kicks you out of your home when you misbehave!  Just kidding, and definitely in poor taste.  But I thought I would say in jest what a few may be believing.

Seriously, I wish you the best.  I know you will continue to post here, not just because you are loquacious, but also because you have made many cyber friends here.  Soon you can write how you would never recommend that another man your age take this route (and meanwhile you are loving ever moment).

So my sincere congratulations, and I wish both of you the best.

P.  S.  Did you ever learn why you were held in administrative review for months at the National Visa Center?

[Shadow]

Congratulations Turbo and VWRW.

[Turboguy]

Thank you Shadow.   Thank you SOC.   Don't move too soon.  At least wait until she gets here and we get down that way to visit.  Thank you KenC and Ken,  I am sure Beaver Falls will never be the same.

Thank you Gator.  Not too sure the mayor of Beaver Falls is a good idea.  If I recall correctlty they burned down the house of the mayor before the current one.  The one before that was a lady and they about tarred and feathered her.  It almost sounds like everyone in Beaver Falls belongs to the KKK but enough are too well tanned to believe that.

To be honest Gator, I think we were caught up in the campaign for higher immigration fees.   Almost every applicaton coming through NVC around the 25th of January ended up in A/R.   Nearly everyone of those exited A/R on June 25th.  I think they just backed up a tractor trailer in Late January and loaded it up with applicatons and parked it somewhere until the end of June when the new fees were approved.   That way they could say they needed more funding to process all the cases in A/R and preserve the safety of the country.  Nothing motives action like a crisis.

[Makkin]

Hello Turbo,

  Very happy to hear you are getting things finished in the visa process.

  We wish you the best of everything in life and a smooth road down the aisle of marriage.

  Really happy for you M8.

Makkin

[jb]

I think they just backed up a tractor trailer in Late January and loaded it up with applicatons and parked it somewhere until the end of June when the new fees were approved.

I rather doubt the USCIS is so devious, we filed my wife's N-400 the 1st week of June just before the deadline for higher fees and her app went through without a hitch.  Please submit evidence of such misdeeds before letting the accusations fly.

[tjk]

Hey congratulations turbo. Sounds like good times are ahead........

[Turboguy]

Makkin,  Thanks for the good wishes.  It is really a relief to have that process behind us and to be able to make plans for our future.  It is still hard to believe that we have made it through that all.

I rather doubt the USCIS is so devious, we filed my wife's N-400 the 1st week of June just before the deadline for higher fees and her app went through without a hitch.  Please submit evidence of such misdeeds before letting the accusations fly.

jb,  I have a feeling the government can be pretty devious when it suits them.  I was not making an accusation.  It was merely speculation.   During the time that we were in A/R I spent a lot of time on VJ reading every thread of anyone in A/R trying to learn more and trying to find some timelines which were so diverse that there was little to try to gauge how long the process might last.   I did post my experiences a few places and when I read about someone else's problems I often posted good wishes and my signature showed my journey through A/R.  

I received pm's from a number of people in A/R and we were all interested in comparing notes hoping to learn.  I heard some sad tales.  One guy was in A/R at NVC for two years.   They finally sent his file onto Moscow.   His fiancee had a good interview and was told she had the visa but instead they went back into A/R at the embassy level and were in it for two months more there when I last PMed him.   Another guy had been in it for 5 years.   I did notice something strange.  About 75% of the people I was in touch with went into A/R between the 24th and 26th of January as we did.  

I called NVC right before we left for Grenada and did not call for a while once we arrived because I had little hopes of exiting and it is not as easy to call from there.   Not long after we arrived virtually everyone who had told me they started A/R during the same time in January sent me a pm and said they had cleared A/R on June 26th.   I did not call again until Friday the 13th of July.   I had a little hope when I called based on the fact that everyone else had exited on June 26th.  When I called I asked if there was any news and she said with a smile detectable in her voice that yes, there was news.  That we had cleared A/R and our file had been sent to Moscow.   I never did find the date we cleared but based on our interview date I would make a good guess of June 26th.  

I also read a report on the USCIS website about their concern about the large number of people in A/R and the slow processing time.  If I recall there were 313,000 people in A/R with 75% or so who had been in for nearly a year.  It said one of the major reasons for wanting increased fees were to spend more money on A/R and speed up the process.   They also said they felt A/R did little good and was basically a waste and that almost no risks to the country had been uncovered by the process.  

My comment about the truck was based solely on the fact that so many started and ended on the same date.  There had to be about a truckload of applications with about the same timeline.   If it was intended to justify the increased fees is something that was pure speculation.   The timing would add some credibility to my speculation but it was pure speculating.

Remind me to ask you for proof on all the things you say jb.  That should be interesting.

Thanks tjk,   Hopefully some good times but I am sure there will be a lot of work, challenges and adjustment ahead as well.   Whatever is ahead, I am looking forward to it and I am happy that the time for the next steps are a little closer.

[Jet]

I rather doubt the USCIS is so devious, we filed my wife's N-400 the 1st week of June just before the deadline for higher fees and her app went through without a hitch.  Please submit evidence of such misdeeds before letting the accusations fly.

jb, I just spoke to the national number yesterday because we filed the little guy's AP renewal a month ago and haven't received a receipt, nor have they cashed the check. I have confirmed that a "J. Smith" signed for it in early August at Chicago. I was told to wait another 60 days before getting worried as they are absolutely deluged from everyone that tried to get different applications in prior to the fee hike, and they are WAY behind. By contrast, Lil filed her EAD about the same time you guys filed the N-400 and it sailed right through in about 8 weeks, so really, who the hell knows  :noidea:

[Turboguy]

Yes Jet, I agree that there were a lot of people who filed to meet the deadline and save some money.   That was a heck of a big increase and I can't blame anyone.   

The bad part when it comes to K-1's are there are likely some who might have spent more time together but rushed because of the higher fees which may increase their risk.

[Jet]

Turbo & VWRW,
Glad to see you two are on the road to the "next big thing" and our family wishes yours the best of luck in the days and years to come 

[Turboguy]

Thank you Jet.  I apprecaite that. 

[vwrw]

Guys, thank you for congratulations and good wishes! Although, I think it is still early to celebrate the victory, so as my passport with the visa is not in my hand yet.

Before, when I saw foreign men using the term - Smoke-hot-kova - when they speak about FSU women, I thought the men were not fair. I was in America, France, Italy, and some other countries and until my last visit to Moscow I could never understand why many men concluded that in comparison with foreign women the FSU women are smoking a lot. Now when I saw the shocking number of smoking women on streets at Moscow and taking into consideration that many men have not been beyond the Moscow I understand why they use term – Smokehotkova.

To the guys who visited only Moscow – please, do NOT think that a lot of smoking women on street is a sign of FSU women. Rather, the women are a sign of Moscow (as for example, a lot of yellow taxi is a sign of New York). At my village (it has only one airport and only 750 000 population) if you met one smoking woman on street per a week it could already be more than it is usually.

[Jazzyclassy]

Vwrv

you interpreted this term  a  bit wrong, as smoking hot , does not necessarily mean  this person is smoking

smoking is used here as emotional colouring of the word hot , emphacising this word

well that is how I understand this

[Gator]

VWRW,

I understood you.  And we should follow the Russian custom of not congratulating you until DHL delivers you your visa.

Moscow women are indeed HOT.  The reasons:

1.  Moscow women know more than village girls about how to dress, apply makeup, style their hair, posture themselves, etc.  They see examples every day among their peers, hair salons are better trained, etc.
2.  There is more money in Moscow, and RW can make a better salary there than in villages.   They have more discretionary money for looking good.
3.  In fact, there is an incredible amount of money in Moscow.  And many women are sponsored by wealthy men.  Part of keeping a woman is dressing her up.  There are kept women in villages, but the keepings are less.  I was waiting near a club late one night, and chauffeured Benz after Benz drove up with long-legged beauties dressed to the nines (most with a much older and not so physically fit man). 
4.  As in New York and Los Angeles, many young women with a pretty face and bolshoi aspirations migrate there from the villages, so the "hot" DNA is improving in Moscow and sliding in the villages.

Except for reason number 4, the only difference between village women and Moscow women is money and knowledge.  However, those two factors are HUGE.  They command so much importance in life for people everywhere. 

There are many diamonds in the rough waiting to be discovered in villages. 

Based on personal observations, I do not believe the women in Moscow are as HOT (on average) as they were 5 years ago.  Then again, I do not go out at 2 am when the real partying just begins.

[KenC]

Guys, thank you for congratulations and good wishes! Although, I think it is still early to celebrate the victory, so as my passport with the visa is not in my hand yet.

Before, when I saw foreign men using the term - Smoke-hot-kova - when they speak about FSU women, I thought the men were not fair. I was in America, France, Italy, and some other countries and until my last visit to Moscow I could never understand why many men concluded that in comparison with foreign women the FSU women are smoking a lot. Now when I saw the shocking number of smoking women on streets at Moscow and taking into consideration that many men have not been beyond the Moscow I understand why they use term – Smokehotkova.

To the guys who visited only Moscow – please, do NOT think that a lot of smoking women on street is a sign of FSU women. Rather, the women are a sign of Moscow (as for example, a lot of yellow taxi is a sign of New York). At my village (it has only one airport and only 750 000 population) if you met one smoking woman on street per a week it could already be more than it is usually.

VWRW,
Please use this post as a lesson for your future life in America.  You have a lot to learn before you pick up all the subtle nuances of the English language as used by Americans.  Be confident, but not overly so.

Smokinhotkova has absolutely nothing to do with cigarettes.  "Smoking hot" really means "very sexy."  The "kova" is added to make reference to Russian women.  So literally, "Smokinhotkova" means very sexy Russian woman.
KenC

[Turboguy]

Jazzy, you are correct and thank you for letting her know but she was joking about that term and giving it another meaning.  

I don't want to take this off topic.  There is another thread where there have been discussions about Russian and Ukrainian women and they are talking about the fact that Russian women (particularly Moscow women) consider themselves far above Ukrainian women.   To take that a little further.  People from Moscow not only consider themselves as more sophisticated, better educated and to have more class than women from Ukraine they also see themselves and above women from Siberia.   VWRW's clever use of the term "smoking hot" was a comment that in her city women believe it is low classed to smoke in the street and would never do it.   In Moscow she was shocked to see it everywhere.  

Gator, I have to agree with you that women in Moscow have more money to spend on clothes and accessories and that they also have some wonderful basic material to work with (their own beauty).  As usual you were right on with your comments.   I have had enough time for girl watching in my life that I am quite content to give up that hobby but having spent a lot of time in Moscow I will probably always believe that it is the best girl watching city in the world although many cities have good scenery.   I can always think of a Moscow trip that was one of my early ones and did not go quite as well as I hoped so I had a lot of time to wander around watching the scenery and it did give you quite a case of eyestrain.   That particular trip I stopped for a week of sightseeing at another city which I won't name since someone may be from that beauty forsaken city and I don't wish to insult them.   Wandering around that city that was never a part of the FSU I did not see one woman that was above a 3.  It was a night and day difference from Moscow.   Truthfully I was shocked.  Yes, I also agree there are many beautiful women in all parts of Russia and Ukraine.  They may be diamonds in the rough but there is far more diamond in them than rough.  Russian women anywhere are head and shoulders above most anywhere else in the world.  In the USA, Texas and California are the closest and the only place that could rival Moscow for girl watching that I have been is Hollywood thanks to the influx of wannabes.

Ken, sorry the joke went over your head as well.   When it comes to cross language jokes probably the most difficult ones are plays on words.   I see it as a good sign of her growing language abilities that she can now attempt those.   Another sign of her growing language ability is that in the interview she was the only one who had the interview in English without either her or the C/O needing to ask for anything to be repeated. 

[KenC]

Yeah, right Turbo.  If that was an attempt at humor (which I doubt) it was a very poor attempt.  Which only further makes my point, that she needs to have a much better understanding of English before she tries to play games with it.  It really was her over confidence that did her in on her little identity scam before.  I would have thought she learned from that.
KenC

[Blues Fairy]

Except for reason number 4, the only difference between village women and Moscow women is money and knowledge. 

You never mentioned education level which is on average higher in Moscow.  The brightest kids from the province have always come to Moscow to study or to work after graduation, or to forward their career after working in their home towns.  

I hope you include education level and professionalism in your list of HOT characteristics.