Colombia Club

[CamyCar 0]

I am new here and it shows as I still do not know how to post. I started a new thread when I wanted to post to this one. Jajajajajajaj

Here was my intended post: I am realitively new to VJ, but the one thing that seems to be missing (Unless I have overlooked it) is a spanish speaking version in VJ. I know there is a Spanish Colombian Club, but according to my fiancee it is lacking in content. I am only making a suggestion out of ignorance to Buck, Willie, Charles and others, so please pardon me. But since you are looking for your wifes to find connections here in the USA to their culture, and there are fiancees in Colombia looking for guidance and transitional information about the USA, it seems to me to be a perfect forum. My Carina does not speak English and I am doing all I can to prepare her for the culture shock, but I know that it would be more reassuring coming from Paola, Maria, Lorena and others that have already arrived here. Does this sound feasable?

Cameron

[Brian and Yenys 0]

We have just rec'd a letter from the embassy stating they have our K1 Visa application. Our question is a How long will it be before she gets interview and hopefully her visa, and can anyone tell us how long this will take

252 days for us, way too long !!!

CONGRATULATIONS !!!!

Best of luck to you

Merry Christmas and God Bless !!!

Brian and Yenys

[Brian and Yenys 0]

Awesome buck... keep enjoying your new life together.

Maria and I have been making strides on the home front... mainly its her free hand at decorating as she sees fit (she called my previous apartment a college bachelor pad...), my complete willingness to accommodate her needs from a cultural point of view, and of course, surprising her with spontaneity any time its possible that have kept the fire engine going better than we had ever hoped. We truly see each other as royalty to be pampered.

We found a paid English course that meets three times a week at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico here in Chicago- they have a satellite campus. Very cheap and very, veeery effective. She has surprised me with the amount of English she never thought she knew and more of what she is learning. Furthermore, I try to explain certain English redundancies down to the linguistic roots... since more than half of the English language is derived from Latin, then this helps... but also it gets tricky when some common words mean different things when they come from both Latin and Germanic roots... so I try to give her a little historical foundation in the English language that way on top of the Mnemonic tricks I give her using Spanish. She is more outgoing now in English and the willingness to learn more is absolutely amazing. So I in my part have become a very happy tutor.

What is starting now is the weather. Chicago has very unpredictable weather... this last weekend a marathon runner died of a heart condition while on the run while almost 300 people succumbed to heat stroke and had to stop... today its in the 50s and with the wind feels like 40s... people are coming around the corner with flu already. Try to keep your significant others busy inside but do expose them to the great outdoors if at all possible and make sure they're taking plenty of Vitamin C to stave off the inevitable health downturn from the weather. So far its been ok for us...

Also, road warrior spouses should consider taking the new spouses on the road with them if at all possible. Remember, in many cases these are new experiences for your new spouses waiting to happen. We'll be in NYC in a few weeks and then off to Puerto Rico to visit my family next month for the Thanksgiving break... her first Turkey will be boricua-style.

Anyway, best of luck with the entire transition to life in America and do stay up to date with the AOS procedures here.

Willie

CONGRATULATIONS !!!!

Best of luck to you

Merry Christmas and God Bless !!!

Brian and Yenys

[buck501 0]

I am new here and it shows as I still do not know how to post. I started a new thread when I wanted to post to this one. Jajajajajajaj

Here was my intended post: I am realitively new to VJ, but the one thing that seems to be missing (Unless I have overlooked it) is a spanish speaking version in VJ. I know there is a Spanish Colombian Club, but according to my fiancee it is lacking in content. I am only making a suggestion out of ignorance to Buck, Willie, Charles and others, so please pardon me. But since you are looking for your wifes to find connections here in the USA to their culture, and there are fiancees in Colombia looking for guidance and transitional information about the USA, it seems to me to be a perfect forum. My Carina does not speak English and I am doing all I can to prepare her for the culture shock, but I know that it would be more reassuring coming from Paola, Maria, Lorena and others that have already arrived here. Does this sound feasable?

Cameron

CamyCar..................This site is pretty amazing, serving people from all over the world. I agree it would be "nice" to have a spanish version, but, I think it is not really feasable. I do not even know who maitaind the site or where the money comes from to keep it up. Having a button to push to translate any part of the site to another language seems like a complicated task.

I have used www.freetranslations.com for some things off of this site to give to Paola when we were in the K-1 process. It was helpful, but it does not translate perfectly.

[buck501 0]

So what are your plans for Thanksgiving with the new gals in town?

We're planning on making it Colombian style. I already got a Colombian recipe for the turkey, Spanish rice, mashed potatoes with cilantro, grilled corn on the cob and brazo de reina for dessert.

My husband said he will help. Oh yeah baby!

Diana

Paola had her first Thanksgiving day meal. She does not care for pumpkin pie or cranberries. LOL. Of course it is hard to out do McDonalds fries and ranch dressing.

It is cold here now and she is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEzing. She is past being pretty sure she will die from the cold and is now totally convinced. LOL. She was sick with a high fever yesterday and thinks it is because of the cold weather.

We can not find Colombian food of any sort here. I have been looking for Colombian recipies, they are hard to come by. Paola has been cooking Colombian, with out the correct food though.

She continues to go to english classes every day and is really improving fast. I am so proud of her.

She has had several things happen back in Colombia, like her son having to be admitted to the hospital twice, some family issues involving her motorcycle. I guess since she is gone they figure it is theirs now. LOL. Paola does not think so. LOL.

No homesickness yet, yes, she misses home and family, but it has not caused any propblems. We are working on the AOS and hopfully soon she can travel back for a month's visit. I seem to be having more problems adjusting then her. LOL>LOL. Overall, I, we, I should say, are very happy and I am so proud of her.

[parkpapa 0]

Welcome CamyCar. I'm not sure how it would work to have a "Spanish" section or site, but VJ is doing well to keep things going strong in ONE language! lol... Frankly, Lorena doesn't much like the time I spend on VJ, but that's largely a result of the frustration we've felt with the immigration process - not the site.

Buck, my friend! I got a chuckle out of your Thanksgiving replay. I fixed a "traditional" turkey-day meal for Lorena and the boys. She did like the cranberry sauce (a little). They all loved the turkey, though we had to convince the little one that it was really an over-sized chicken. Otherwise he wasn't going to eat anything!

As for the cold, I'm surprised how well they've done with it so far. But, then again, it's only just started! Lorena and the boys were as excited to see the first frost on the ground a couple of weeks ago as they were with the first light snow last week. They really went crazy over seeing a small pond frozen over, though. I had to go ask the owner for permission for the family to just go touch "natural" ice - something they've never seen before. It is truly amazing to see the world you take for granted through the eyes of another person.

Charles

[CamyCar 0]

I am new here and it shows as I still do not know how to post. I started a new thread when I wanted to post to this one. Jajajajajajaj

Here was my intended post: I am realitively new to VJ, but the one thing that seems to be missing (Unless I have overlooked it) is a spanish speaking version in VJ. I know there is a Spanish Colombian Club, but according to my fiancee it is lacking in content. I am only making a suggestion out of ignorance to Buck, Willie, Charles and others, so please pardon me. But since you are looking for your wifes to find connections here in the USA to their culture, and there are fiancees in Colombia looking for guidance and transitional information about the USA, it seems to me to be a perfect forum. My Carina does not speak English and I am doing all I can to prepare her for the culture shock, but I know that it would be more reassuring coming from Paola, Maria, Lorena and others that have already arrived here. Does this sound feasable?

Cameron

CamyCar..................This site is pretty amazing, serving people from all over the world. I agree it would be "nice" to have a spanish version, but, I think it is not really feasable. I do not even know who maitaind the site or where the money comes from to keep it up. Having a button to push to translate any part of the site to another language seems like a complicated task.

I have used www.freetranslations.com for some things off of this site to give to Paola when we were in the K-1 process. It was helpful, but it does not translate perfectly.

Buck, sorry, I did not make myself clear. What I meant was another thread in Spanish. Looking at some of the comments on this thread, a common theme is helping your wife's assimilate without having them become discouraged with no contact with other Colombians. It would give your wife's connections and it would also serve the Colombianas that are still in Colombia. Having gone through the process, I think the wifes here could give much needed support and act as mentors to those still waiting in Colombia. There would be a connection with Colombians and those still in Colombia could ask questions and be more prepared for their journeys. I know that Carina, my Colombiana would be thrilled with the contact. She is a radio and TV personality in Medellin and she loves this site, but is frustrated that she cannot visit with others in her native tongue. Does this make more sense??? Cameron

[CamyCar 0]

Welcome CamyCar. I'm not sure how it would work to have a "Spanish" section or site, but VJ is doing well to keep things going strong in ONE language! lol... Frankly, Lorena doesn't much like the time I spend on VJ, but that's largely a result of the frustration we've felt with the immigration process - not the site.

Buck, my friend! I got a chuckle out of your Thanksgiving replay. I fixed a "traditional" turkey-day meal for Lorena and the boys. She did like the cranberry sauce (a little). They all loved the turkey, though we had to convince the little one that it was really an over-sized chicken. Otherwise he wasn't going to eat anything!

As for the cold, I'm surprised how well they've done with it so far. But, then again, it's only just started! Lorena and the boys were as excited to see the first frost on the ground a couple of weeks ago as they were with the first light snow last week. They really went crazy over seeing a small pond frozen over, though. I had to go ask the owner for permission for the family to just go touch "natural" ice - something they've never seen before. It is truly amazing to see the world you take for granted through the eyes of another person.

Charles

Charles, thanks for the welcome. This is an awesome site that has given me much encouragement and a wealth of knowledge, thanks to people like you that have blazed the trail. I did not correctly phrase my question earlier. Please review my response to Buck to see if this sounds better. Thanks.

Cameron

[parkpapa 0]

Thanks for the explanation, Cameron. (Good name! My grandson is named Cameron, also.)

Yes, I agree with your idea - it would be a help. The only thing to do, then, is simply start such a thread! You may have to work at it at first to keep it going, but if you open it to all Spanish speakers, I think it would take on it's own life.

Charles

[CamyCar 0]

Thanks for the explanation, Cameron. (Good name! My grandson is named Cameron, also.)

Yes, I agree with your idea - it would be a help. The only thing to do, then, is simply start such a thread! You may have to work at it at first to keep it going, but if you open it to all Spanish speakers, I think it would take on it's own life.

Charles

Thanks Charles. The name has served me well. I think I am one of the oldest Camerons out there! I appreciate your response and suggestion. I will ask my novia to start a thread and see where it goes. Good luck to you, from what I have read of your journey, you have paid your dues, and it is time for something to go smoothly for you.

Cameron

[Mononoke28 135]

Cameron,

The K1 thread in the Latin American forum is about 99% in Spanish, so she can start going there. She can also PM me if she wants to.

Diana

[CamyCar 0]

Cameron,

The K1 thread in the Latin American forum is about 99% in Spanish, so she can start going there. She can also PM me if she wants to.

Diana

Diana,

Thanks. It would be so appreciated. She has been in the Spanish forum of Colombia Club and could not connect with anyone. It would be a huge boost to her to speak with someone from here. She is highly intelligent and is always asking questions 2 steps ahead of time!! She is the Communications Director for a hospital in Medellin, has a radio talk show, and does many interviews on Teleantioquia. She is always trying to filter information she is receiving from Colombia, that is always incorrect and she loves the VJ format, but so much is lost in translation. Thank you for everything you have done in the past and all your contributions. I will have her PM you. Her name is Carina and she will be thrilled!!!

Cameron

[HAL 9000 96]

I smell a VJ Facebook group coming soon...

Its all about integrating.

BTW

Maria had her first official snowstorm yesterday! Not bad considering last week she was at the beach with me in Puerto Rico. Today she woke up to sit in the car while I scraped 6 inches of snow off the car.

[buck501 0]

Paola got to see snow for the first time this weekend. We had to take the long way to Seattle since I-5 was closed cuz of the floods. We went up a mountain pass and it was almost a blizzard!! It snowed like 5 inches in one hour. She was like a little kid. LOL>LOL.

We went to a friends house for "fight night",(HBO boxing) about 30 people there, had lot of wine and fun. Everyone was practicing their spanish on Poala ans she was practicing her english. She had a GREAT time and was not near as shy as she has been.

She left the hotel while I was in a meeting and went to the mall to go shopping all by her self. Sounds simple and easy, but for her it was a big deal. I am very proud of her.

[parkpapa 0]

Hi guys. It is really a unique experience to see and feel the joy and wonder of a "first snow" through the eyes of another person. We had enough snow here this past week that the boys were finally able to use a snow saucer and slide down a small hill near the house. They were both soaked wet and freezing.... .but still had big smiles on their faces.