Just Turkish

[awaterlily 0]

Yep, many do move on or, unfortunately, get divorced.

I love this site! I don't know many people dealing with immigration or that have foreign spouses. This is a great resource for sounding off Qs, help with various VJ issues and assembling perfect immigration packages. esp, with our Turkish-American friends here who travel a similar life path.

You've had a fairly smooth and quick process, Debra - one of the lucky ones for sure! We had one problem back in the beginning (when VSC lost our file) but things have been moving along well (although slowly) since. No complaints.

I know.... People move on when they come together, put the pain of it behind and move forward. Once together all the other processes are nothing compared to being separated. I don't know if you remember but it was hard for me and I had so much support here, very thankful for that...I am just an emotional soul and we didn't have any problems....I feel so bad for those of you who have not moved right along thru this process. I pray this year bring you all together.

[wendya 0]

Merhaba Herkes!!

I just got off the phone with the Embassy in Ankara (my eyes are a little blurry, it is 4:20 AM here in PA!!)

Can you believe it, they have not received Yilmaz's waiver approval from USCIS yet. And of course they don't have a time frame of when they will. She said we can start to get ready for when they schedule another interview for Yilmaz. We have to prepare the same K-1 papers as before!!!

Oh well, what is that saying, "Good things come to those who wait". Well there must be some awfully good things coming our way!!!!

As an aside, when I called, I missed the prompt for questions on the immigrant visa and was switched to the switchboard. The lady very nastly said, "Didn't you listen to the message" and just clicked me back to the start again! At least she didn't disconnect me, but geesh! Not very nice!!!

Have a good day everyone!!

[awaterlily 0]

Perpetual waiting

On the up side of it all, you DO have the approval.

I'm sending you positive thoughts and good vibes and pray this will be over very soon. :::hugs:::

Merhaba Herkes!!

I just got off the phone with the Embassy in Ankara (my eyes are a little blurry, it is 4:20 AM here in PA!!)

Can you believe it, they have not received Yilmaz's waiver approval from USCIS yet. And of course they don't have a time frame of when they will. She said we can start to get ready for when they schedule another interview for Yilmaz. We have to prepare the same K-1 papers as before!!!

Oh well, what is that saying, "Good things come to those who wait". Well there must be some awfully good things coming our way!!!!

As an aside, when I called, I missed the prompt for questions on the immigrant visa and was switched to the switchboard. The lady very nastly said, "Didn't you listen to the message" and just clicked me back to the start again! At least she didn't disconnect me, but geesh! Not very nice!!!

Have a good day everyone!!

Edited January 13, 2009 by awaterlily

[tanyakaraman 0]

Wow, wait...wait.....wait.....and more wait. Oh, and just when you thought you were done waiting, you get to wait some more! How frustrating!

Are they sending the letter from the US or from Athens? I wonder why Yilmaz got his letter already and they didn't get theirs? Weird. Hope they get it soon!

~Tanya

Merhaba Herkes!!

I just got off the phone with the Embassy in Ankara (my eyes are a little blurry, it is 4:20 AM here in PA!!)

Can you believe it, they have not received Yilmaz's waiver approval from USCIS yet. And of course they don't have a time frame of when they will. She said we can start to get ready for when they schedule another interview for Yilmaz. We have to prepare the same K-1 papers as before!!!

Oh well, what is that saying, "Good things come to those who wait". Well there must be some awfully good things coming our way!!!!

As an aside, when I called, I missed the prompt for questions on the immigrant visa and was switched to the switchboard. The lady very nastly said, "Didn't you listen to the message" and just clicked me back to the start again! At least she didn't disconnect me, but geesh! Not very nice!!!

Have a good day everyone!!

[wendya 0]

Wow, wait...wait.....wait.....and more wait. Oh, and just when you thought you were done waiting, you get to wait some more! How frustrating!

Are they sending the letter from the US or from Athens? I wonder why Yilmaz got his letter already and they didn't get theirs? Weird. Hope they get it soon!

~Tanya

Merhaba Herkes!!

I just got off the phone with the Embassy in Ankara (my eyes are a little blurry, it is 4:20 AM here in PA!!)

Can you believe it, they have not received Yilmaz's waiver approval from USCIS yet. And of course they don't have a time frame of when they will. She said we can start to get ready for when they schedule another interview for Yilmaz. We have to prepare the same K-1 papers as before!!!

Oh well, what is that saying, "Good things come to those who wait". Well there must be some awfully good things coming our way!!!!

As an aside, when I called, I missed the prompt for questions on the immigrant visa and was switched to the switchboard. The lady very nastly said, "Didn't you listen to the message" and just clicked me back to the start again! At least she didn't disconnect me, but geesh! Not very nice!!!

Have a good day everyone!!

It seems like the letter is coming from the US, because she said that USCIS didn't forward this information to them yet. So I guess Athens sent it to the US and then it will get sent to Turkey. Got to love how things work in government!!

[tanyakaraman 0]

I've a question...Ozzy is leaving today to visit his parents in Turkey for a week. I made sure he had his passport, green card and the letter from the Turkish military service stating that his service is postponed until 10/2009. He should be good with those 3 things, right?

My major concern is that all he needs to get back into the country is his green card, correct? This is his first time leaving the country since receiving the green card...we had his advance parole papers before...so I just want to make sure the GC is all he needs to get back in.

He's leaving for the airport in about an hour, and of course procrastinated packing until the very last minute, so I hope he's got everything!!

Edited January 14, 2009 by tanyakaraman

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Yes, he is good to go.

[tanyakaraman 0]

Thank you Debra for putting my mind at rest

Well, mostly.....he just called me from a gas station somewhere and I tried (unsuccessfully) to explain over the phone how to put air in a car tire. Ugh!

Yes, he is good to go.

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Touching story..........

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5503544.ece

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Your welcome...

LOL.....I hope he was able to figure it out.

Thank you Debra for putting my mind at rest

Well, mostly.....he just called me from a gas station somewhere and I tried (unsuccessfully) to explain over the phone how to put air in a car tire. Ugh!

Yes, he is good to go.

[tanyakaraman 0]

Wow, how sad. I guess you just never know when it's going to be your time to go. Prayers for baby Aya...I'm sure she's going to have lots of challenges ahead of her.

~Tanya

Touching story..........

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5503544.ece

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Blessings little Aya.....and her father.

"If Allah shuts one door, he opens another one"

Wow, how sad. I guess you just never know when it's going to be your time to go. Prayers for baby Aya...I'm sure she's going to have lots of challenges ahead of her.

~Tanya

Touching story..........

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5503544.ece

[ErikaAndHamit 73]

Wow how sad that story was....Aya means miracle...how sweet and appropriate.

On another note, Tanya that sure is funny about Ozzy....I know I will have similar problems I'm sure...Is this the first time you two will be apart since he arrived? I hope some kind of a solution is found regarding your FIL (Not your elephant)

On yet another note...where did you stay Tanya when you went to Ankara? Which hotel? Anyone else?

We had a helluva time getting a hotel in Istanbul who would take unmarried couples...it was so annoying. I even got on the phone with one of the owners and he explained to me how prostitutes could come and get a room for you know what...how do we know you aren't one they said... I said but we are engaged we cant get married because of the visa we applied for...he tells me "you think that will help you get a room?...good luck" and he laughed. They didn't care I was American and Hamit was my foreign fiancee....grrr. He wanted to see a marriage license! I am sure Ankara is no different. Anyhow, at least it is funny after the fact....I kept my reservation and never called him back and canceled my card so he couldn't charge me...he was a jerk.

[tanyakaraman 0]

Wow how sad that story was....Aya means miracle...how sweet and appropriate.

On another note, Tanya that sure is funny about Ozzy....I know I will have similar problems I'm sure...Is this the first time you two will be apart since he arrived? I hope some kind of a solution is found regarding your FIL (Not your elephant)

On yet another note...where did you stay Tanya when you went to Ankara? Which hotel? Anyone else?

We had a helluva time getting a hotel in Istanbul who would take unmarried couples...it was so annoying. I even got on the phone with one of the owners and he explained to me how prostitutes could come and get a room for you know what...how do we know you aren't one they said... I said but we are engaged we cant get married because of the visa we applied for...he tells me "you think that will help you get a room?...good luck" and he laughed. They didn't care I was American and Hamit was my foreign fiancee....grrr. He wanted to see a marriage license! I am sure Ankara is no different. Anyhow, at least it is funny after the fact....I kept my reservation and never called him back and canceled my card so he couldn't charge me...he was a jerk.

Yeah it is the first time we've been apart since he got here...well, other than a couple days he spent in NYC for work. I'm feeling a weird mixture of sadness & jealousy. It was so hard to see him all excited looking for airline tickets when that was me just a couple years ago, and the tickets were taking me TO him and not him AWAY from me....then feeling a bit jealous cause I love to travel and I'm getting left behind this time...

Silly/selfish of me I know. He is going where he needs to be going and his dad needs him...and I think he feels guilty too that he hasn't "been there". I sure hope they can help his dad too.

I remember the first time I went back to Turkey to visit Ozzy....I couldn't even stay at his apartment 'cause his landlord didn't approve...and yeah, we drove from hotel to hotel until we found one that would give us a room, two young ppl living in sin! The standards there are very different, aren't they? We didn't have a problem like that in Ankara tho (and didn't need a reservation either). We just asked the taxi driver to take us to a place near the American Embassy. I don't remember the name of it. Apparently there was some kind of "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" deal going on between the taxi driver and the hotel though. They charged us an inflated price and gave a cut to the taxi driver. Ozzy was really mad about that and he was planning to cuss out the owner before we left, but I guess after he got his visa, he decided to just let it go LOL.

regarding your FIL (Not your elephant)

Going off track a lil here, but isn't it funny the number of common English words that mean something completely different/really bad in Turkish?

Edited January 15, 2009 by tanyakaraman

[awaterlily 0]

so tragic. Life will be filled with questions for little Aya. I love her name.

TY for sharing, Debra.

Touching story..........

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5503544.ece

Edited January 15, 2009 by awaterlily