USCIS: The Future Looks Brighter

Things are definitely changing - for the better - at the USCIS.  Recently some of my friends received their conditional green card in less than 5 months.  What a difference from the past. My husband and I had to wait for more than 19 months. 

Now there is a catch: 

When my husband and I got our interview, we had been married for almost 2 years, we had filed taxes twice together, we had bought a house together, we were expecting a baby, etc.  As a result, my husband and I did not have to answer a lot of additional questions during our interview.  After all, we had plenty of proof our marriage was not a sham.  

My friends, on the other hand, had only been married for a few months and did not have that much proof.  They had to answer quite a bit of questions but nothing like the movie Green Card.  My friends had met at college.  The officer asked them if they had brought along their transcript as proof that they both had studied there. They had not.  In the end the officer asked them a few additional questions and approved their case.  My friends advice: prepare well and bring along ANY possible document supporting a relationship.  

Click here to read more about my immigration adventures.

La Vie en Rose

I always wanted a KitchenAid stand mixer but I never came around buying one. I never did a lot of baking and I could get by without a mixer. Well, kind of. It took ages to mix and in the end the dough was never perfect.  Now that my daughter is 3 years, we often bake and decorate cookies.  I first thought about buying a hand mixer but I quickly realized that was not an option.  In no time my daughter would claim it. I could do without a tantrum let alone the danger factor. I knew the KitchenAid stand mixer was the answer.  But it is so expensive.  I looked around and then I came across a bargain. I found a brand new 5 quart KitchenAid stand mixer for $160.00 instead of $369.99 at Kohl's (a combination of a regular sale, a shopping pass and a rebate).  Of course, there was a little catch: it was a pink one.  I first thought: no way!  I am really not that much into pink.  I thought about it long and hard and then I realized that this was a bargain too good to pass up.  The next day I dropped by Kohl's and bought the last pink KitchenAid stand mixer.  I am so glad I did.  It is not only a wonderful appliance but the color blends in well with the rest of the kitchen.  I already registered the KitchenAid stand mixer online and I was glad to see that KitchenAid will donate a part of the purchase price to the Susan G. Komen foundation.  Another good reason to go pink (now and then).

Crash Course

I used to speak Korean pretty well.  I lived in Korea for quite some years.  I always thought Korea would be a part of my life - forever. But then I fell in love with an American, moved to the US and got married.  I thought my Korean adventure had come to an end.  If only I knew!  A few weeks ago I signed up for the Georgetown University Language Exchange program.  This is a free service provided through the Office of International Programs designed to connect individuals who wish to practice and improve their foreign language skills (click here to read more).  The Office of International Programs set me up with a native Korean speaker.  Tomorrow we will meet for the first time.  At first I was all excited. But then I got a panic attack: I am supposed to speak Korean! This morning I ran around the house like a chicken without a head.  I tried to introduce myself in Korean (to my wall) but I would not say the words came easy.  I soon realized there was no point trying to sit through my Korean language Rosetta Stone DVD in one afternoon. O well, I just hope my Korean friend will be patient.  To be continued.  

New In-State Tuition for Military Members and their Families

Next Spring I am planning to go back to college.  When I talked to a counsellor at the university, he asked how long I had been living here.  He wanted to make sure I had been here for over a year so I would qualify for in-state tuition. Luckily this rule no longer applies for members of the armed forces on active duty.  Since July 1, 2009 members of the armed forces on active duty and their family qualify for in-state tuition after 30 days.  Click here to read more.

Back to the Gym

The past few days I ran around feeling grumpy.  I quickly realized I was missing the gym.  I was reluctant to go back while my calf muscle was still feeling a bit tight. But I also knew sitting at home was not an option either. I was missing my weekly step class. Maybe I could just do some of the exercises.  I had a quick chat with the teacher before class on what I should do and especially not do.  She told me not to bounce or jump on the step.  I maybe did not get a full workout but at least I could walk home on both legs.  I feel so much better now.  I will definitely take it easy for a few weeks and hopefully soon I can go back to my regular routine.     

Product Review: Guillow's Jetfire Model Planes

As I shared in my previous post, my husband, my daughter and I visited the National Air and Space Museum in Dulles VA.  On our way out we dropped by the gift shop.  My husband picked up a box with two Guillow's Jetfire model planes (among other things).  When we got home, it was almost bedtime.  The next day my daughter found the box on the dining table.  I told her to wait until papa returned from work. It was "their" little project. We decided to paint airplanes until my husband got home. 

My husband and my daughter assembled one of the model planes together and then tried it out inside the house.  What an excitement. Once my daughter understood how to hold it and more importantly how to let go, they tried it again but now outside.  They had the best of time together. Next time my daughter gets invited to a birthday party, we will definitely include a box with two Guillow's Jetfire model planes.  Fun and inexpensive. Click here for store locations.  

Full Circle

When I was in middle school in Belgium, I learned about Hiroshima and the atomic bomb.  I never really understood the pain until I visited Hiroshima many year later. I also visited Nagasaki.  I returned home with a feeling "Never Again." 

A few years later I drove by the city of Oak Ridge in TN, about 25 miles west of Knoxville. Some people refer to Oak Ridge as the Atomic City, the Secret City, the Ridge and even the City behind the Fence. Oak Ridge was established in the early 1940s as the base for the Manhattan Project - the massive U.S. government operation that developed the atomic bomb. (Source: Wikipedia). 

In 2004 I read about a link between Oak Ridge and Belgium in the papers. Who would have thought Belgium played a role in all of this? A Belgian historian uncovered that the United States had a secret deal with Belgium to buy uranium that was later used in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Source: Access My Library). 

Yesterday my husband, my daughter and I visited the National Air and Space Museum in Dulles VA.  I had no idea they had the actual Enola Gay on display! On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb used in combat on Hiroshima, Japan. (Source: National Air and Space Museum). 

When I was in middle school learning about Hiroshima, I had no idea that one day I would be able to visit all these places linked to the atomic bomb. At that time it all sounded a bit abstract. Atomic bomb? Japan? Leukemia? So much information all at once. 

I hope one day I can tell my middle school teacher all about my visits.  She introduced me to this important chapter of history - and her inspiration is still lingering on.