August 2012 AOS Filers

[Frenchican 13]

quick poll!! (just for fun)

who is in the forum the "intending immigrant" and who is the US citizen?

me: I am the immigrant. I think many times it is the USC spouse that does the paperwork because of language, in my case I did ALL the paperwork. He just signed. He said I was the smart one as an excuse not to help much! but it's ok.

Edited September 18, 2012 by Frenchican

[iaia 8]

I am from Argentina, husband is the USC (and also the kids). I also did ALL the paperwork and he signed since "I can't understand this stupid paperwork and your english is better than mine (?)"

My Bio appt is on friday. Same day I plan on calling USCIS again and let them know I don't have my letter. Infopass appointment was schedule for October 1st

[Kim & Gesner 14]

quick poll!! (just for fun)

who is in the forum the "intending immigrant" and who is the US citizen?

me: I am the immigrant. I think many times it is the USC spouse that does the paperwork because of language, in my case I did ALL the paperwork. He just signed. He said I was the smart one as an excuse not to help much! but it's ok.

I (Kim) is the USC and Gesi is the immigrant from Haiti. He didn't know anything about immigration except that he had his visitor visa long before we ever met. He had worked in Turks and Caicos Islands for the last 13 yrs. He did land surveying with a big company out of Chicago but when work got slow, he took a job at Beaches Resort part time as a bartender. I went to Turks for a wedding. Everyone had signed up for a snorkling cruise and being that I could care less to snorkel, I didn't sign up. My friend (who I live with, lol) signed me up anyway so I went and actually had a blast (even though I didn't snorkel).

Long story short, the DJ on the cruise invited our group to his show that night. Only me and one another girl in the wedding party went, everyone else was hung over from the cruise (after snorkling it was all you can drink on the cruise back to the island) so anyway, I saw Gesi when he walked in, he looked at me, we both smiled and passed smiles back and forth for a few hours. At 2am his friend told me Gesi wanted to talk to me, not to leave. I stayed and he got off work at 2am. We walked the beach, he took me around the resort and then walked me to my room. We saw each other every night until I left.

I guess you can say I ended up with a lifetime souvineer

So that's my story... I would love to hear how everyone else met!!

Edited September 18, 2012 by Kim & Gesner

[iaia 8]

We met when Sean was in Buenos Aires for work. He was hanging out with some of my friends in a bar and I was having dinner with my girlfriends in another place. One of the guys wanted to meet one of my friends so we joined them. No one was speakingin English so Sean felt left out of the conversations, so I started to feel sorry and we started chatting. That was his last night in Argentina. (october 6, 2008). He left, found me on Facebook and we kept talking. In April 2009 he came back to see me, we spent 1 week together, left, came back in august, 2 weeks living together, he met my family and by December 2009 he moved to Buenos Aires. Over 2 years later and fraternal twin girls, we came to Chicago since he got a job offer. And here we are :-)

[Kim & Gesner 14]

We met when Sean was in Buenos Aires for work. He was hanging out with some of my friends in a bar and I was having dinner with my girlfriends in another place. One of the guys wanted to meet one of my friends so we joined them. No one was speakingin English so Sean felt left out of the conversations, so I started to feel sorry and we started chatting. That was his last night in Argentina. (october 6, 2008). He left, found me on Facebook and we kept talking. In April 2009 he came back to see me, we spent 1 week together, left, came back in august, 2 weeks living together, he met my family and by December 2009 he moved to Buenos Aires. Over 2 years later and fraternal twin girls, we came to Chicago since he got a job offer. And here we are :-)

What a lovely story!! My mother always told me to never chase a man, IF he is interested, he WILL find a way to contact you!! lol She is right!

[iaia 8]

Exactly! And he did. Now I'm taking one for the team and moved here

[mymarriagejourney 113]

I'm a July filer, but...

I dated a guy I met here locally for 3 years. He is a permanent resident, but originally from Jordan. During the course of our relationship, I "met" his family and friends, generally over the phone or web. One of those friends was one of his best friends from Jordan, Y, who was studying in Malaysia. I became friends with him, too, and even after my ex and I broke up, I kept in contact with Y. Eventually, Y introduced me to his brothers via Facebook. One of his brothers, O, was studying the same thing that I studied, and we became friends online. After several months, I wanted to do an internship as part of my degree, and O helped me to arrange it at his university and assisted me with all of the local arrangements. I travelled to Jordan and O was my guide. I spent 3 weeks there. I helped O and his friend prepare graduate applications at US universities. After I returned to the US, a mutual interest developed. I returned to Jordan for another internship six months after the first one. By this point, O and I were a couple. Only a few weeks after I left Jordan, O's F1 student visa was approved, and he came to the US two months later. His transition to the US was a little rocky at first and he had a lot of family stress, and we decided that our romantic relationship wasn't logical and we would just have a friendship. That didn't work. We got married a year later. And, here we are.

[Dani&Jo 3]

I'm a sap, I love hearing others love stories!

I(Dani) am the USC and my husband(Jo) is the immigrant - I did all of the paperwork. I am much more organized then my husband so he didn't have a choice! He is Afrikaans but speaks fluent English.

I met my husband in June of 2008. I was in veterinary school and went for a wildlife conservation medicine course in South Africa. I was expecting an incredible, life changing experience, but definitely not to fall in love. My husband was the associate veterinarian at the practice, but since the owner who usually teaches the course was out of town my husband had to spend all of his time with us. We immediately clicked - we are both huge nerds (gamers) and love the outdoors and animals. When we were boarding the plane to leave Africa, my best friend looked at me and said "you will marry him" and I remember bursting into tears. I thought surely that I would never see this hunky Indiana Jones-type man again...but low and behold I had an email waiting for me when I got home! The rest, as they say, is history.

[Kim & Gesner 14]

Such great stories!!!!

[iaia 8]

We should print this page in order to have a little more "proof of bona fide marriage"

J/K

[Frenchican 13]

so... my story

i was had been in a long relationship for 14 years, since I was 18, living together, no kids. 2009, I came to grad school. It was supposed to be for 18 months, nothing would change, I would be going home every break. 6 months later he broke up with me by email. I was miserable, started dating some americans without any intention to get back into a relationship for a few years.

I had met this guy a few times before at a jazz bar I go in town, he was a friend of a friend, he was interested but knew I had a boyfriend. 10 months after that breakup, I ran into him again, talking about music, he asked if I was interested in hearing some band that plays every week. we were all friends there, so I didn't even realize it was a date. he sent a message the day the band was playing if I wanted to grab a bite before and told me about this place he liked. When I told to a friend what restaurant she laughed at me and said I was going on a date, and that was a fancy restaurant. And that I should stop the whole thing because knowing him he was going to all in love and I was supposed to go back to my country 5 months later after grad school, plus didn't wanted to date someone.

anyway, first date, we had a great time, kept seeing each other, ended up dating. My friend kept telling me to break up but he didn't care if I was leaving, and said I would change my mind about getting into a relationship.

For those 5 months I repeated it wasn't serious, and I was leaving, he just said: yeah, sure, you're fooling yourself but if saying that makes you happy, go ahead. At the end of grad school, I was offered teaching for a year at the university, so I got the 1 year work permit. My lease was finished, so I moved in with him.

During that extra year, I used to tell him half joking if he would visit me at home when my visa expire, and he used to answer sort of joking: you're not leaving, we'll be married.

After a few months joking, we decided to get married, didn't tell anyone, went to get the license the next day, and made the courthouse appointment for days later. We told our parents the night before. His dad was in town, his mom called off work and drove 4 hours to come. I just told 2 friends to come as witnesses. After the marriage, we went to that fancy restaurant we first went, just the two of us (spent like a party of 10!) Went to our usual bar still dressed up and told all our friends there, and sent a massive text message to all the people that wasn't there and who joined us. They were all chocked by the unexpected but not that surprised (we had been together 1.5 years, and 1 living together). That became the wedding party!

[Tanja08 11]

Well I have to join in too!

I'm the immigrant and my husband is the USC.

We met, when he was training in Germany for his company.

It was late October and I just got off work ( I was a bartender in a restaurant), anyways I had to stay and supervise the new girl.

I was sitting at the bar when he came in and I remember thinking; " what idiot only wears a t-shirt in tempetures like this" ( he was born and raised in California, so he must have thought that cold weather doesn't exist (just joking they lost his luggage)).

Anyway, the bartender after me didn't speak any English, so he asked me to translate a couple things for him.

Seven hours later we didn't even realize that it was only us left in the entire restaurant!

We have been inseparable ever since!!!

We have been together for 5 years now, married for almost 3 and we have a beautiful little boy!

Wouldnt trade them for the world!

[Kim & Gesner 14]

so... my story

i was had been in a long relationship for 14 years, since I was 18, living together, no kids. 2009, I came to grad school. It was supposed to be for 18 months, nothing would change, I would be going home every break. 6 months later he broke up with me by email. I was miserable, started dating some americans without any intention to get back into a relationship for a few years.

I had met this guy a few times before at a jazz bar I go in town, he was a friend of a friend, he was interested but knew I had a boyfriend. 10 months after that breakup, I ran into him again, talking about music, he asked if I was interested in hearing some band that plays every week. we were all friends there, so I didn't even realize it was a date. he sent a message the day the band was playing if I wanted to grab a bite before and told me about this place he liked. When I told to a friend what restaurant she laughed at me and said I was going on a date, and that was a fancy restaurant. And that I should stop the whole thing because knowing him he was going to all in love and I was supposed to go back to my country 5 months later after grad school, plus didn't wanted to date someone.

anyway, first date, we had a great time, kept seeing each other, ended up dating. My friend kept telling me to break up but he didn't care if I was leaving, and said I would change my mind about getting into a relationship.

For those 5 months I repeated it wasn't serious, and I was leaving, he just said: yeah, sure, you're fooling yourself but if saying that makes you happy, go ahead. At the end of grad school, I was offered teaching for a year at the university, so I got the 1 year work permit. My lease was finished, so I moved in with him.

During that extra year, I used to tell him half joking if he would visit me at home when my visa expire, and he used to answer sort of joking: you're not leaving, we'll be married.

After a few months joking, we decided to get married, didn't tell anyone, went to get the license the next day, and made the courthouse appointment for days later. We told our parents the night before. His dad was in town, his mom called off work and drove 4 hours to come. I just told 2 friends to come as witnesses. After the marriage, we went to that fancy restaurant we first went, just the two of us (spent like a party of 10!) Went to our usual bar still dressed up and told all our friends there, and sent a massive text message to all the people that wasn't there and who joined us. They were all chocked by the unexpected but not that surprised (we had been together 1.5 years, and 1 living together). That became the wedding party!

How cool is that!! That's cool you guys went back to the same restaurant

Well I have to join in too!

I'm the immigrant and my husband is the USC.

We met, when he was training in Germany for his company.

It was late October and I just got off work ( I was a bartender in a restaurant), anyways I had to stay and supervise the new girl.

I was sitting at the bar when he came in and I remember thinking; " what idiot only wears a t-shirt in tempetures like this" ( he was born and raised in California, so he must have thought that cold weather doesn't exist (just joking they lost his luggage)).

Anyway, the bartender after me didn't speak any English, so he asked me to translate a couple things for him.

Seven hours later we didn't even realize that it was only us left in the entire restaurant!

We have been inseparable ever since!!!

We have been together for 5 years now, married for almost 3 and we have a beautiful little boy!

Wouldnt trade them for the world!

Awwwww how sweet ! I love hearing all of the stories

[Timon 26]

Awww you guys have such amazing stories. Mine isn't anything as romantic lol. I am the immigrant from Dominica and my hubby is USC. We were introduced and met 2 yrs ago at a bar in the city by his best friend. We hit it off from the beginningJust an update.... He was impressed by the fact that i knew so much about sport and i could keep up with him(and still be able to stand) in taking shots, and he loved my accent. We were inseparable the entire night but we never exchanged number or gave each other any kind of indication that we were interested. My cellphone rang the next day, when i didn't answer(never answer my phone if i don't know the number) he sent a text me letting me know it was him. Anyway long story short he took me to dinner at this Hibachi restaurant where he knows everybody down to the chef. We had a lovely dinner we spoke about his family, mine, our childhood. When we were leaving the restaurant he handed something to our server and told him to give it to whomever. When i asked him what that was all about he said it was his declaration LOL. Four days after dinner (November 18) at the restaurant and speaking tirelessly day and night he left for Dominica Republic with his best friend for a wedding. He was barely on the plane and i was missing him like crazy. I tracked his flight online from take off to landing. As soon as he landed he called me and told me that he missed and he couldn't imagine his life without me and asked me to be his GF.

After our wedding we went to that same restaurant he took me to for our first date, and he retrieved that napkin he'd given to our serve. On it was written the date we came in and " You've made my heart smile the moment i saw you walk through that door. You don't know it yet but i'm gonna make you my wife, never again will i ever be without you". That's my story

[Frenchican 13]

...After our wedding we went to that same restaurant he took me to for our first date, and he retrieved that napkin he'd given to our serve. On it was written the date we came in and " You've made my heart smile the moment i saw you walk through that door. You don't know it yet but i'm gonna make you my wife, never again will i ever be without you". That's my story

Cmon! shots & sports! what's more romantic?! kidding! napkin story is awesome!