Colombia Club Part II

[ryna 132]

Welcome Back!!

What are your plans for POE? any dates set?

She'll POE in Orlando, which is my home airport. In addition, it's a nice, easy 3-1/2 hour direct flight from Bogota.

As for when, we're looking at right after the 1st of the year. She has to wrap up her job commitments, take care of her apartment and spend time with her family in her hometown before moving up. I hope to be able to spend a few days with them too since I haven't seen them since last Easter weekend. It'd be nice for us both to spend a couple of nights with everyone before we leave together..

I think it'll pass quickly. We both have busy times ahead of us for the next two months, plus the holidays, and it'll be here sooner than it sounds.

[Robert de Bonda 3]

Best wishes go out to Justin & Sandra who have their interview on Thursday (10/28). Please let us know how it went for you.

[kennym 275]

Best wishes go out to Justin & Sandra who have their interview on Thursday (10/28). Please let us know how it went for you.

Best wishes... Let us know how everything goes..

Kenny

[arizreynolds 1]

Best wishes... Let us know how everything goes..

Kenny

our thoughts and wishes are with you good luck

[ryna 132]

Visa in hand, now I can finally relax 100%... At least until we start making travel plans.

[kennym 275]

Visa in hand, now I can finally relax 100%... At least until we start making travel plans.

AWESOME!

[Robert de Bonda 3]

Visa in hand, now I can finally relax 100%... At least until we start making travel plans.

Way to go!

You might want to start making travel plans now. I was looking at fares for early January and was finding $900 one-way and $1100 rt. Luckily using discount carriers and inconvenient airports, it looks as if that cost can be cut in half.

[ryna 132]

Way to go!

You might want to start making travel plans now. I was looking at fares for early January and was finding $900 one-way and $1100 rt. Luckily using discount carriers and inconvenient airports, it looks as if that cost can be cut in half.

Thanks guys..

Yeah, I want to buy ASAP but we have to settle on which weekend to travel. Luckily, the flights we'll take aren't too bad cost-wise. I usually fly there and back for between $200 and $300 each trip. I looked on the day we were approved and saw a one-way fare of $59 from Bogota to Orlando. Of course, that doesn't include the taxes and would most likely be closer to $150 but I really wanted to buy that day since only one seat remained at that price...

What origins and destinations are you looking at? That sounds expensive but I know I'm lucky to have direct, and relatively cheap, service between our two cities.

[Robert de Bonda 3]

Thanks guys..

Yeah, I want to buy ASAP but we have to settle on which weekend to travel. Luckily, the flights we'll take aren't too bad cost-wise. I usually fly there and back for between $200 and $300 each trip. I looked on the day we were approved and saw a one-way fare of $59 from Bogota to Orlando. Of course, that doesn't include the taxes and would most likely be closer to $150 but I really wanted to buy that day since only one seat remained at that price...

What origins and destinations are you looking at? That sounds expensive but I know I'm lucky to have direct, and relatively cheap, service between our two cities.

I'm looking for between Santa Marta and JFK on January 4, 2011. I did find Barranquilla to Fort Lauderdale on the 5th with Spirit for $259 with an additional $196 from Fort Lauderdale to Albany, NY. If things go as planned, I'll fly down to Fort Lauderdale to meet her and spend a weekend there before heading on to Albany.

[arizreynolds 1]

Way to go!

You might want to start making travel plans now. I was looking at fares for early January and was finding $900 one-way and $1100 rt. Luckily using discount carriers and inconvenient airports, it looks as if that cost can be cut in half.

I'm gonna have to try to buy the tickets this friday because they are getting expensive due to the holiday

[TonyS 0]

I was concerned about Leidys keeping her Paternal name 'Guzman' because of the USCIS, but I didn't want her to have an identity crisis the way my ex-wife did when she took my surname along with hers. In the end, Leidys is known in the United States as 'Leidys Cooke'. In Colombia, she is Leidys Fontalvo G. Her Nombre de Cedula is unchanged. The USCIS? Check your email I sent you last week. The interviewer was a complete Jerk. With Leidys taking my surname, I am happy and proud that she did things "old school."

My feeling is that it just makes everything easier having the same last name. Of course a woman does not have to take her husband last name but we are dealing with immigration here. What about keeping her last name and adding the new surname at the end. I thought it was fairly comon in Colombia to do that.

[Ken y Leidys 20]

My feeling is that it just makes everything easier having the same last name. Of course a woman does not have to take her husband last name but we are dealing with immigration here. What about keeping her last name and adding the new surname at the end. I thought it was fairly comon in Colombia to do that.

There are less issues when it comes to official forms or papers, etc. My Ex-wife kept her name and hyphenated mine. That wasn't good enough when it came to picking up mail from the USPS. She needed to carry a copy of the Marriage Certificate when she picked up mail with my surname attached.

Going to the Bank is less of an issue, because the names line up. Less questioning overall has been our experience. Who has times for hassles, anyway?

[Mononoke28 135]

I think most people are pretty "old school" when it comes to this type of situation and expect the wife to take on the husband's name. The good thing is that it is changing and you see more women choosing to keep their last name or hyphenate it with the husband's. I personally think that places like the post office, immigration, banks, etc., need to stop being so ####### when it comes to proving you're so and so's wife just because your last names don't match. Like I said before, I now have my husband's last name for personal reasons, but just because we have the same last name does not automatically make me his wife, I could be his sister, cousin or just a friend who happens to share the same last name. It's ridiculous.

TonyS,

In Colombia women add the "de (last name)" after they marry but it's not really an official last name. It's just a term they use so people know they're married to so and so, but their documents such as cédula and passport still show their maiden name info.

By the way, did you know that "de (last name)", means "property of (last name)"? It has always been used because centuries ago women were considered a man's property, along with his land, houses, carriages, horses and cattle, and she was not recognized as a real person, much less an intelligent human being. So if you're wife's name is María González and your last name is López, her new name would María González de López, which means María González property of López. Pretty messed up, isn't it?

Diana

[TonyS 0]

I think most people are pretty "old school" when it comes to this type of situation and expect the wife to take on the husband's name. The good thing is that it is changing and you see more women choosing to keep their last name or hyphenate it with the husband's. I personally think that places like the post office, immigration, banks, etc., need to stop being so ####### when it comes to proving you're so and so's wife just because your last names don't match. Like I said before, I now have my husband's last name for personal reasons, but just because we have the same last name does not automatically make me his wife, I could be his sister, cousin or just a friend who happens to share the same last name. It's ridiculous.

TonyS,

In Colombia women add the "de (last name)" after they marry but it's not really an official last name. It's just a term they use so people know they're married to so and so, but their documents such as cédula and passport still show their maiden name info.

By the way, did you know that "de (last name)", means "property of (last name)"? It has always been used because centuries ago women were considered a man's property, along with his land, houses, carriages, horses and cattle, and she was not recognized as a real person, much less an intelligent human being. So if you're wife's name is María González and your last name is López, her new name would María González de López, which means María González property of López. Pretty messed up, isn't it?

Diana

Thanks Diana. My wife's name was Grey Rolong. She told me her name would be Grey Rolong De Smith and I was a little confused. You mean you are "Greys of the Smith?" Now I understand. Yeah it is messed up! I was happy and honored that my wife chose to take my last name but I would have been fine with it hyphenated. Like I said earlier, with some of the issues with the immigration process, I just feel having the same last name makes it a little easier.

[TonyS 0]

There are less issues when it comes to official forms or papers, etc. My Ex-wife kept her name and hyphenated mine. That wasn't good enough when it came to picking up mail from the USPS. She needed to carry a copy of the Marriage Certificate when she picked up mail with my surname attached.

Going to the Bank is less of an issue, because the names line up. Less questioning overall has been our experience. Who has times for hassles, anyway?

I'm with you Ken. I used to work shift work so I got 7 days off every 5 weeks. I loved international travel so I would take off for 3-5 days overseas. I guessed my travels were not considered normal so I started to get hassled. I have been held up for questioning in Norway,Iceland, Canada and here. I told my wfe to always be prepared for "additional screening" as I think my passport is flagged. Now that I have a Colombian wife I feel it made things easier if our last name lined up. By the way how is California treating you? I'm considering the San Diego area in the future.