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[Ricca711 1]

Hey yall,

I need suggestions. What did you guys do to help combat your SO's frustrations and boredom while they are waiting to work? Samuel is so calm, but I think it is getting to him. We went to the social security office and was told that they are waiting for the Dept. of Homeland Security to verfiy documents and then they will issue the SSN#. Can I call DHS to find out what is the hold up?

I was looking forward to going to the Ghanafest, but I think I should let him go alone to be with friends. Maybe that will help with the boredom.

Thanks yall.....its hot as hell in Cleveland today!!!

[Ta Ta 1]

When did he get here, he may not be in the system yet. You should wait 14 days before applying. Sorry, I don't remember when he arrived.

[Ta Ta 1]

If you have looked forward to the Ghana fest then I would go, maybe he can catch up with his friends for a while while you do something else but then both of you can still be together for the most part and enjoy the fest.

[Perseverance 1]

my husband was....ummm ok still is a HANDFULL!!!

He drove me crazy when he could not work!! I tried to keep him busy with other things to keep his mind off of it, we found a second hand weight set that someone was getting rid of...that helped, he then spent his time pumping iorn.

P

[chispas 0]

Hola Ricca,

Hope all is great on your end of the US. For the boredom, depending on his interests or what he did in Ghana before coming here, he could do hands on work/volunteer/take free classes or anything to help build up his resume. Even if he is just shadowing someone at their job, it'll add experience to his resume in the meantime so that when he is able to work he can have some US experience. For the Fest, I'd go with my husband and meet other folks as a couple. Even if you do venture off and do your own thing, it would be fine to attend. My Ghanian friends from Michigan go every year and also are part of the sponsors of the event. I asked her and she said definitely go with your husband even if his friends are going with you all.

Take care,

Chispas

[We_Destiny 1]

Ricca The same thing happened to us... the downside is it took 4 weeks for them to send him a denial, and then we went to another office where they knew what an I-94 was and he had the social in 4 days. They often don't know the documents, but if they have you waiting for homeland security it might take a minute.

Sorry for the bad new.....

[Asante Maroon 0]

Ummmm.....I sent you a pm.

[idocare 3]

I know when my ex. got here he really didn't get bored, he jumped right into the community, going to the library, meeting other doctors that I worked with here and taking walks. He actually didn't want to work, he had gotten his 90-day work permit at port of entry but wanted to stay home and study for his medical exams instead.

Some of the things I could think of is maybe asking him to go to the store for the groceries and going and paying the bills, I believe he could get a library card now, that's if that's his kind of thing. Since it's summer time now, it might be a good time for him to get familiar with his new surroundings, u know maybe learn how the bus systems works and trying to get to places on his own while your working, my ex surprised me with his willingness to get out there and learn things on his own. Hope that helps some.

[ForeverAmen 0]

Sorry to hear about the SS #, hang in there.

During this period, my husband kept busy by volunteering at a Nursing Home, and taking a CNA course. He also helped a lot with the preperation of our church wedding, and started a garden. I guess it all depends on where his intrest lies. Also, as Chispas and Omoba mentioned, I too think you should attend the festival as a couple. I've never been to the festival, but I am sure that individually you'll may find different things you like. But at least you will be together as a family.

Boaz

[Ricca711 1]

When did he get here, he may not be in the system yet. You should wait 14 days before applying. Sorry, I don't remember when he arrived.

He arrived on Monday June 16th and we applied on Tuesday.

I didnt read the thread about waiting until the very next day. I guess I was so excited about him being here, that my OCD was on hiatus! LOL!

[Ricca711 1]

Ricca The same thing happened to us... the downside is it took 4 weeks for them to send him a denial, and then we went to another office where they knew what an I-94 was and he had the social in 4 days. They often don't know the documents, but if they have you waiting for homeland security it might take a minute.

Sorry for the bad new.....

Its ok. I guess I thought this process would ease up a bit once Samuel arrived. Silly me right. We talked to a rep at the SS office and as I said before DHS is holding things up. It could be another 2 weeks she said. We were under the impression that we needed the number in order to get married. But someone suggested I call the court where we get the marriage license and they told us just to come in with the letter that he applied. So...... the frustrustions although still there have lessened.

Thanks for the reply.

[Ricca711 1]

Thanks for all the suggestions. He did mention that he wants to become a nurse. So I did find some free CNA classes that last three weeks. I will suggest it to him. I think it would be good for him to get up and feel productive instead of just watching CNN and reading about Ghana on the internet. Which I am sure just adds to him being homesick. He has already started taking walks around the neighborhood, going to the library and the neighborhood parks. But we live in a suburb of Cleveland where most of the community is retired...lol...so that is not much fun. Thanks again guys. I am going to check on those classes first thing Monday morning.

Have a great weekend.

[Ta Ta 1]

When did he get here, he may not be in the system yet. You should wait 14 days before applying. Sorry, I don't remember when he arrived.

He arrived on Monday June 16th and we applied on Tuesday.

I didnt read the thread about waiting until the very next day. I guess I was so excited about him being here, that my OCD was on hiatus! LOL!

Aha, that is what I thought It is best to wait 10-14 days because he won't be in the system and to manually override it and for them to get the info from DHS adds weeks to the process. Hindsight, it would have been better to turn around and leave that office and come back until he is in the system. But all will be ok and he will have it soon, hang in there.

[reeses16 8]

Ricca,

You don't need a SSN to get married. You can get a waiver from a judge. We got married in Louisiana were there the requirements include SSN and a 72hr waiting period. I called the clerk of courts, and spoke to a very kind and knowledgeable woman. She said we could get a waiver from the judge. So we went down to the courthouse on Monday morning to get our marriage license; we filled out the paperwork, took the elevator upstairs to the on-duty judge and got the waiver (free of charge, took 5 minutes...took us longer to find the office than get the approval). Got the marriage license, got married, went to lunch with family, then returned to the courthouse to file the paperwork ourselves so that we could get certified copies the same day.

As far as passing time. My hubby spent that time getting to know Seattle. Taking the bus, walking around, figuring out how to get around. He found a group of guys to play soccer with in the afternoons. He also enrolled in English as a Second Language classes. If your hubby doesn't need that then maybe another hobby or skill based class at a community college might be a good idea.

Also, studying to get a driver's license might be a good use of time. When he does get his work permit or greencard, he will find many jobs will require a license, and it will take the stress of you having to drive him EVERYwhere.

[Kanyiri 0]

My husband also bought weights to work out and then studied for college entrance exams. He also watched a lot of TV which even if he got bored with it, it helped tremendously with learning the American accent and culture.

Those first few weeks/months are hard. It gets easier, I promise!