What did you do while waiting during visa process

[Turboguy 6]

Hi Moose,

We did a K-1 so the process was different and had some problems with spending about 4-5 months in A/R so ours took quite a while. I never went back to Barnaul to see her but we spent a lot of time together while we waited for our visa. I didn't see much sense to go to Barnaul in the Winter and so we spent time in Egypt (not so sure I would go there now) and Thailand. Then when we were in A/R and it looked like we might get stuck there forever (I talked to people who spent years (up to 7 years) in A/R we started to look at alternate places to live if we didn't get a visa. We went to Sochi as one possibility (didn't like it that well) and then spend the summer together in Grenada and Barbados. If we would have had to pick a place to live it would have been Grenada. Toward the end of our stay in Grenada we came out of A/R. Three months later she arrived here and that was 6 1/2 years ago.

My suggestion would be to either visit as much as you can (understanding constraints of time and money) or to go someplace you can be together such as the Caribbean or Thailand.

[Dashinka 24,110]

Katya and I are just starting this process now. Up until out k1 was approved last Friday we both avoided talking about the future together I think more because neither one of us wanted to jinx anything. Well now we have a whole lot to discuss in the coming months. I just left her in the Moscow airport as she is heading home to Krasnoyarsk, and I will be flying back to Detroit in a few hours. During our wait at SVO, we began our discussions regarding the immediate future. Right now she is planning on coming over in later Summer as she wants to clear up some current deals and make sure her mother is set. So I told her we can plan for an early September wedding which will turn out to be one year from when we started the k1 journey, and two and a half years since we really started our lasting relationship. I know what everyone means about limiting expenses before your fiancé's arrival, and I plan to do that. I would love to get over to Krasnoyarsk and see her again in the five months, but another item I need to budget is vacation time from work. I want to make sure I have a big block available a for when she arrives. As to the home, I am fairly set there, but am sure she will want to add some touches, so I have put off any re-decorating until after she gets here. Also, I have told her that she will need to re-learn driving here, so she will begin studying the State of Michigan driving book while she waits. I am sure there will be more preparations as we use up this time apart, but that is what we are starting with.

Good luck to everyone.

Bill

[jaygauss 0]

I also understand you about the Russian Orthodox church ceremony. Zhenya is also Russian Orthodox and would have liked to have gone that route... but we had read that the K-1 was faster, and being apart as much as we have was enough, as is. I'm also finishing school, so I understand your hesitations about moving in the interim. (What are you getting your PhD in? )

There are plenty of Russian Orthodox churches in the States to have a wedding at. We plan on having an Orthodox wedding in the States.

[Amy_and_Victor 159]

There are plenty of Russian Orthodox churches in the States to have a wedding at. We plan on having an Orthodox wedding in the States.

Not mentioning that you can get married legally anywhere (even Courthouse) if it's hard to do it in Russian Orthodox church right away in 90 days for K-1, and then some time later arrange religious ceremony in the church separately. It would be not really different from actual religious wedding in Russia since Russian churches do not do any legal part of marriage (Idk how it's here since I never attended one, I speak about actual Russia). People supposed to do legal part in secular government institution there, and then having proof that they're already married they can go to the church to do religious part. Some people do it the same day, some arrange later (up to few years), most just do legal part and that's it. But as far as I know it's no way in Russia to combine it like here, because Russian Orthodox priests who do religious marriage (we call it "venchaniye") never work as officiants for legal purposes and have no legal rights to legalize any marriage or sign any legal papers, they marry people "on the heaven" only.

- Victor from Russia

Edited March 26, 2014 by Amy_and_Victor