Moving onto year 2!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

They let me back in! I get to play at being a pseudo-American for another year!

For those of you who don’t know, I’m a Montreal native who moved down here last March to be closer to my boyfriend, a wonderful guy I met online who unfortunately happened to live way down here in the Baltimore/DC area. I found a job as a medical technologist at a local hospital, fought like hell to get a work visa so I could move down, got myself an apartment, and started setting up my little life far from home. And I got to start having a normal, “dating” relationship with my boyfriend, instead of having to book a flight and try to squeeze months of our relationship into a few three-day weekends a year.

I just got back from renewing my work visa, which is sadly only good for a year at a time, and despite my paranoid panic that they’d decide not to let me back in, everything went very smoothly and I’m onto my second year. So now I can focus on packing up all my stuff for next month’s move… because he asked me to move in! Wheee!! :slight_smile:

I’m just happy and wanted to share with you guys. Who’s got stories of immigrant visas and long-distance love to share? Who has advice for someone moving in with a boyfriend for the first time ever? Who just wants to “wheee” with me???

2

Very nice for you! :slight_smile:

Welcome to America. Guns are on the right, Bibles are on the folding table. Please limit yourself to three of each.

3

Seriously, now, who needs that many bibles? We should let her take 1 bible and 5 guns, if she wants.

4

Thanks very much for your thoughtful presents, but considering I haven’t lost my “eh” yet, I don’t think I’ll blend in either way!

5

Sorry, my bad. Being one of those New England commie liberals, I’m sometimes unclear on the rules.

6

Duh, the guns and bibles are for helping you blend in. Maybe a few car magnets too while you are at it.

7

Heya there kiddo. How come we both have +3000 posts and I feel like I never see you? Good to hear you’ll be stateside for another year. I wish you, your bf, and your cat another good year.

And thank you for not bragging about the whole currency rate thing. I appreciate that.

8

Whee!

I recently moved my bf in, first time for me doing that as well, and it’s been absolutely wonderful. Keep doing the stuff you guys liked to do together, as opposed to forgetting to spend time together anymore because of the increased availability. Will that do for the advice bit?

Don’t worry, I’m a native Detroiter and still say “Eh” too. I blame it on being Windsor’s ghetto or repeated viewings of Strange Brew in my misspent youth. :smiley:

Oh, and wheee!

9

Holy St. Tim has it been a year already! It’s time to get together.

10

Definitely. There may be a housewarming party after my move-in - I’ll keep you posted. Oh, and speaking of St. Tim, imagine how elated I was to get up there and find out it’s roll-up-the-rim time!! Not that I’m addicted to the stuff. The fact that I called my cat Horton has nothing at all to do with anything.

bbs2k, I’ve been slacking in my Doperly duties lately, I know. I’ll try to get my butt back on here for my adoring fans. :stuck_out_tongue:

11

Antigen, are you staying with us here in the States for another year?

12

Here is a link to the thread I recently posted about advice for living with someone for the first time. It was helpful to me so hopefully it will be helpful for you too!

13

I was living in Vancouver, when I met my now-wife online. She was in DC. We wrote back and forth as friends for several months until my job transferred me out to ON. I took a long weekend off and drove down to visit her, and we’ve been together ever since.

For six months, I drove down from Hamilton to DC every Friday night, leaving at five pm for a 9.5 hour drive. I’d leave on Sunday around noon to get back home around 10 pm for work the next day. Sometimes I’d do it every week. She came up a couple of times. I proposed in June of '99, and she accepted.

Seeing as how I had no transferable skills, we decided to apply for a K1 (Fiance) visa. To get ready for my arrival, we rented an apartment in Takoma Park in MD, and I moved in with my parents so I could pay the rent in DC. I was there for 6 months. One of the longest, most stressful 6 months in my life, and, I’m sure, for my parents. I finally got the visa in February of 2000, and moved down on March 18th. We were married in May of 2000. Problem was, of course, my work authorization was only good for 3 months, and the application process for a permanent work authorization was a 3 month wait. So after the original authorization was approved, my new wife supported me, while I stayed at home and kept the house clean. And mowed her parents’ lawn for $50 a pop.

Anyways, I got the authorization, and a good job, and finally got my green card, whereupon I noted they’d spelled my last name incorrectly. So I made an appointment at the Baltimore INS office to get the correction made. The appointment was for 1 pm on 11 September, 2001. Needless to say, I didn’t go, nor did they fault me for not doing so…

We moved out West in June of 2002, and have been here ever since! This May will be our 9th anniversary, and we’re expecting our first child, a daughter, at the end of June. And that’s the long story, cut very short.

I remember when Ginger noted on the boards that she was getting married, and we wrote back and forth a few times talking about immigration issues.

Congrats on the visa, and best of luck with the moving!

14

Only the phone bills . . .:eek: