K1 SURVIVAL GUIDE

[SuperDuper! 230]

Theme song for the OP: "Waiting"

[DiZZyLoX 114]

Enjoy checking Igor's list obsessively because once you get your NOA2, you will miss it! Time flies after that, I promise and there won't be anything to check obsessively!

[Ochili 21]

I'm passing my time by making things for the wedding. Don't have a date set but I know what I want so I figured I'd work on a few DIY projects. Praying also helps!! Good luck on everyone's journey. It's nice to know there are others that can relate to the wait.

[renecherubs 18]

while waiting, I started my own blogspot, registered in tumblr and became active in twitter. Continue being a Private Nurse to 4 patients and become a volunteer at my local Health Center, involved my self in bloodletting campaign and a volunteer teaching catechism to children. And most of the time, chat with my honey.

[HARMONY2012 16]

The first thing is too have that faith in God that He is in Control of this whole process. I pray to Him everyday to show us the way and guide and protect us...He is a faithful God and will NEVER let us down. Also, I am in nursing school, so that keeps me very busy as I am always studying...But now that my summer classes are over, I went out and bought a binder and a photo album and started putting some of the paperwork and evidence together needed for his interview. For me that makes time go by soooo fast....I also try and talk to him on the phone everyday, even if its for 5 mins....

Wishing you all the best of luck...XOXO

[Chynna/gapamix 11]

The first thing is too have that faith in God that He is in Control of this whole process. I pray to Him everyday to show us the way and guide and protect us...He is a faithful God and will NEVER let us down. Also, I am in nursing school, so that keeps me very busy as I am always studying...But now that my summer classes are over, I went out and bought a binder and a photo album and started putting some of the paperwork and evidence together needed for his interview. For me that makes time go by soooo fast....I also try and talk to him on the phone everyday, even if its for 5 mins....

Wishing you all the best of luck...XOXO

Harmony, thanks for the suggestions. Every thing helps...

Chynna

[Rezq n Sarah 0]

Yes, it is difficult the waiting but for me, I just keep praying and having faith that when Rezq gets here from Egypt that it will be God's perfect timing. We miss each other terribly. Today I skipped a family reunion because if I had gone, we wouldn't have been able to talk at ease. Saturday is the only day we can without one or the other suffering sleep exhaustion! LOL! My Rezq stays up until 12:30 am every night to talk with me for a few short moments during the week on Skype. Sunday's are usually busy for both of us so Saturday is our only rest day. It takes a little sacrifice to talk with each other, patience when you hear nothing, and for myself since I am a person of faith, a lot of prayer and reading the Word to get through the time apart. Plus as many hours as we can squeeze in to talk face to face each day through Skype. If we didn't have our time together, it would be miserable! I experienced that last Saturday because I went out on Saturday to watch my youngest brother play baseball and didn't get to talk to Rezq at all. I was miserable!! Chin up, my friend. It will all work out as it is supposed to. We just got to keep faith! Blessings to you!!

[Stuart and Thea 95]

I read posts about the process on here, chat with my fellow March filers on Facebook, look up the city I'm going to be living in to see what it's like. Where's the library, where's the best gym, shopping, etc! I research the schools there, the best moving company, I pack, I'm repainting and remodeling in my house to put it up for sale. I'm going to every festival my city is offering, it will be my last chance! I plan to hang out with friends and family more for that reason too!

My fiance and I will download the same movie and watch it at the same time to have movie night. We have made the same meal and eaten it together over skype for date nights. We joke around a lot, cause what else can you do? We pretend that I'm already there sitting with him, and I'll say something routine, like, "oh, I took your jacket to the drycleaners, it will be ready tomorrow if you want to pick it up after work" and silly things like that, just to have a sense of normalcy, even if it is only pretend, it still feels good. One filer on here says she set her computer up with a webcam and falls asleep with it on her and one on him so that they can see each other sleeping if they want.

We have the rest of our lives available with each other, in the grand scale of things, this is a blip in time, it will barely register when you have been together for years. Just use the time together to get to know each other as well as you can. I firmly believe that we know each other better than couples that aren't thousands of miles apart, because we can do little but talk. Whereas if we were closer, there would be other things we'd be doing instead, preventing us from getting to know each other a little, right????

I say, however much the waiting hurts, however hard it is for all of us, and however unfair, or wrong we feel it is, it's really going to be a good thing on retrospect, as we will end up with someone we love, rather than someone we just kinda stuck with. No one goes through this unless they mean it. (sad for those whose fiances might only be marrying them for the green card, but you know what I mean, this is too hard not to be true love. this is too hard not to be worth it in the end.)

[little_g 35]

My fiance and I talk on Skype all the time. We have been dating "across the pond" for over 4 years so I guess we have practice with being apart, but once you have committed to making this K1 jump the months and days can sometimes feel like years!! Still I can promise you this, when you get to be further into it and you look back at how far you've come there is a sense of great achievement. It's almost like earning a K1 Badge lol Wednesday is the interview and it's so close I can taste it!! But today felt like a WEEK!

Anyway there are so many wonderful suggestions on here. Busy yourself and spend as much time with your partner on skype, email, phone whatever you can to keep a connection to them and support each other. Prepare yourselves for the next steps post NOA2 and then AOS and so on! Best wishes and good luck on your journey

Edited July 10, 2011 by little_g

[DeeDee&Sam 68]

there's no real way of surviving the k1 process, just because if you take your mind off it for 1 day, you'll be frustrated and depressed the other day. so is like 1 bad 1 good no matter what you do. as for me, i draw a lot to make everyday pass. when i get really depressed and cant get over it i drink a beer and watch a movie, cry 1 hour and im back to normal. it really depends on everyone's personality.

[Chynna/gapamix 11]

Hi K1 Survivors,

I think all the tips for surviving the K-1 visa process are and have been very helpfull not just for me but for all the people awaiting. Since this post I have been dealing with the wait in a whole new way.

I just want to say thank you to everyone who added to this thread.

Chynna

[micmac 6]

It definitely gets easier as time goes on. In between NOA2 and packet 3, and it feels like it is finally all happening. my man is getting more frustrated as time goes on weirdly enough...

Skype, facebook, phone calls and all that stuff

and my main one...not only get in as many trips as possible, but take lots of pictures and video on the trips to see each other. On our first trip we didn't take many and I always regretted it.

On a practical note... Even if you are nowhere near NOA2... GET YOUR POLICE CHECK EARLY!

I agree with previous god sentiments. Stuff keeps magically happening for us on our journey! It is all part of a bigger plan!

[Chynna/gapamix 11]

It definitely gets easier as time goes on. In between NOA2 and packet 3, and it feels like it is finally all happening. my man is getting more frustrated as time goes on weirdly enough...

Skype, facebook, phone calls and all that stuff

and my main one...not only get in as many trips as possible, but take lots of pictures and video on the trips to see each other. On our first trip we didn't take many and I always regretted it.

On a practical note... Even if you are nowhere near NOA2... GET YOUR POLICE CHECK EARLY!

I agree with previous god sentiments. Stuff keeps magically happening for us on our journey! It is all part of a bigger plan!

Lucky you get to skype and facebook. That would make it so much easier if I could just see him and chat.

The cyber cafes in haiti arent safe so our primary way of communication is through phone calls.

Now about the police check...I though it gets done for me between NOA1-NOA2. When is it done?

Chynna