What if we don't have all that...

[sabi 148]

@Harpa Timsah

@bigdog

@photomile

@J and S

Thank you guys... it calmed me down a little knowing that we can just be ourselves and still having chances to be together soon

[bigdog 376]

Good Luck, you will do fine.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Not to put too fine a point on it... I didn't even know people had engagement parties before I read this thread! As said, don't do anything that isn't natural, and I doubt it would be an issue

It depends very much on the country. In some countries it's a cultural imperative. East Asia and India, for example. If it's something that a local couple would be expected to do then the consulate will expect an American petitioner to have done it with his/her fiance/e, as well. For example, if local customs dictated that the intended couple needed to drink yak urine and bark at the moon then the consulate will expect to see pictures of this important event.

The point is that the consulate is supposed to apply both American and local customs and traditions when weighing the bona fides of the relationship. If a relationship wouldn't pass the smell test with a typical local person then the consular officer isn't likely to buy it, either. They call this the "reasonable person" standard. The problem with some consulates is they aren't flexible enough with their expectations. In Vietnam, for example, what's considered customary varies a lot depending on where the beneficiary is from. Arranged marriages are still common in rural areas, and strict observance of traditions is expected. In a small village it's everyone's business if somebody is getting married. In the big cities it's not uncommon for a couple to skip the traditional customs and have a more western style courtship and marriage. Consular officers there don't usually take this sort of stuff into account, and judge everyone with the same yardstick. To some degree, people are forced to play by the consulate's rules if they expect to succeed, even if it's not what they would have otherwise done. Foreknowledge of what the consulate expects can be a huge advantage here.

[Gosia & Tito 199]

Mamy oscypki ale nie jak z Zakopany.

That's just too bad....nothing probably equals what I had in Zakopane!

[Gosia & Tito 199]

I think I will be smiling nicely to you in a while... I can see you know all the best places to visit around Colorado, we would do with a little help and suggestions of what's worth seeing

Lived there for almost 10 years and it is the only place in the world I find myself going back over and over. Kept my house in Denver so I can go frequently and eventually move back.

It is hikers paradise: easy, medium and serious hikes. Mountain biking and skiing complete the picture.

Closer to Alb would be Mesa Verde and Cortez (camping would be best here); if you also like mountain biking then you must go by Durango. Then North on I-25, by Trinidad, just across to North border on I-25 and West of it, La Veta. The best part of Colorado is West of the Rockies. There are relative many hiking spots around Colorado Springs and Denver. Then you have Rocky Mountain National Park, a must see, if in Summer, worth spending a week camping and hiking. A bonus here is at the entrance of the park is the town of Estes Park, famous because of the Stanley Hotel, where The Shining was shot. Hotel is functioning actually.

Of course, all that is in Summer, Winter is snowshoeing and skiing.

Once you make it here, feel free to contact us...This posting is too short to make it any justice.