Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Philippines	I joked that she'd need a wheelbarrow to take her stuff to the interview	One of the most popular things my wife and I brought to the interview was a picture of my family holding up a "Welcome To The USA Jena!" sign. Both the Filipino screener and the CO commented how nice it was to see my family was waiting for her arrival. We also had a picture of them holding up a Filipino flag, but they were holding it upside down "meaning they are at war!" We didn't include that photo! Remembering that interview day still brings a tear to my eye.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-05-30 12:54:00
Philippines	Have you sampled Balut (philippines delicacy duck embryo	Hmmm might be its too easy for us to get dried fish here. And according to her and her friends, I cook really good dried fish. Yes you can tell when dried fish is bad, I really couldn't say how we know, its just not right. Smells stinky in the wrong way I guess. There are so many different types of dried fish, my favorite is actually dried squid. Second is Dangit. They're my wife's favorite to, so we stick to just those two types. There are others I don't really care for much. I would guess if your wife had a source of good dried fish, her interest would jump up sharply. If the dried fish is bad, such as spoiled or poorly made in the first place, then its really really bad. Cooking it wrong can make it bad to. I'm surprised the dog would eat it, we've gotten some our dog refused after we wouldn't eat it. Although normally she's all excited when we finish eating dried fish because she gets dried fish in her dinner afterwards. She usually gets a little treat in her dinner after ours, but she really gets excited when she smells dangit, even resorting to a few barks to remind me to move faster serving her dinner I was just thinking about dried fish from 2011, so its at least 7 months old and up to a year and half. I don't think I'd want to try that myself. I think you might still be stuck with if after those Filipinos come for the weekend. Or maybe the dog can take of it for you. Stopped by the Filipino store on my way home yesterday and picked up pasalubong, a package of dried fish and a package of smoked fish. We cooked it outside on the grill in a pan. I ate one dried fish and two smoked. I didn't care for the dried fish as usual. Jena really liked the smoked fish, she said it was the type her Grandfather used to make for her and it was her favorite. We'll probably stick to the smoked fish from now on and I might try smoking some salmon on the electric smoker tonight.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-07-19 10:18:00
Philippines	Have you sampled Balut (philippines delicacy duck embryo	Thats a loosing battle. Get yourself an outdoor grill and a pan dedicated to dried fish cooking. A camp stove would work to. If she's been cooking it there, she's going to want it when she gets here. She understands it smells strong, she'll understand cooking it outside. But she's not going to be happy if you declare no more dried fish. And if your wife isn't happy, you're not going to be happy either. I totally understand not wanting dried fish to be cooked in the house, and I like eating dried fish. Believe it or not, Jena is pretty much over dried fish. She just celebrated her 5 year anniversary of arriving in the USA yesterday. On our last trip to Phils in 2011 she brought back some dried fish and stuck it in the fridge. Just the other day she tried grilling some and ended up feeding it to the dog. We were trying to determine if it had "gone bad" but how do you tell? I'm sure she'll eat some on our next trip but as far as going out of her way to get it here and grill it at home, I think she's done with it. We're having about 10 of her Filipino friends over to camp at our place in a couple weeks. She'll try to get rid of the rest of the dried fish on that weekend.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-07-18 10:09:00
Philippines	Have you sampled Balut (philippines delicacy duck embryo	I ate balut on my first trip and my third trip. The first time I had it I didn't care for it but I had to try it again the last time I was there. I actually liked it last time. I've had way worse palutan than balut. The "snakefish" I ate on my last trip was NOT good after sitting around for a couple hours with flies on it. I had a couple bites to be polite and that was enough. Thankfully I shipped some good scotch whisky ahead before our last trip. That might of had something to do with liking the balute last time.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-07-16 10:37:00
Philippines	Flying from Manila.	If there were a direct flight from Seattle to Manila, we would take it. We're thinking about flying PAL from Vancouver, B.C., direct to Manila. Seattle to Vancouver, B.C., is only a 40 minute flight. Even though the overall Seattle-Vancouver-Manila travel time on PAL takes longer than the Seattle-Narita-Manila Delta travel time, at least you nearly get it all over at once on the PAL flight. Other flights we would be interested in: A couple of days in Frisco followed by the PAL flight direct to Manila. A couple of days in Vegas followed by the PAL direct flight to Manila (is this one still non-stop?). We flew through Vancouver last year on PAL. Consider my post before you take that route. PAL was fine, the rest was not. Hope you don't have the problems we had if you go that route. http://www.visajourn..._1#entry4717389	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-07-24 12:57:00
Philippines	hospital and advanced terms	Kevin... Darren did not say that Gretchen answered any questions on the form the opposite way of how she was feeling during her pregnancy. According to Darren's story, Gretchen's only misunderstanding was that she thought the form covered the duration of her pregnancy rather than the past seven days. That gives the impression that she had been depressed during her pregnancy. Maybe that explains why Darren said "this is something she did not want me to know." As usual, it's easier getting a tooth pulled than it is getting a straight answer from Darren. I know we all choose to interpret statements in our own way. The way I read this statement: The form is looking at the past 7 (SEVEN) days. My wife thought it was SINCE THE BEGINNING of the pregnancy (hence coming to USA) is that his wife had a bit of depression at some point after arriving in the states. From what I've read on VJ and in my own experience, many people, my wife included, emigrating to a foreign country experience similar feelings. If Gretchen had a brief bout of depression after arriving here because she was homesick or for whatever reason, her answers may have been misinterpreted by the reviewer as depression related to pregnancy. That's just my take on the comment. I'm trying to give Darren the benifit of the doubt here. In any case, it's something expectant couples should talk about during the pregnancy.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-07-10 13:17:00
Philippines	hospital and advanced terms	^^^ Darren...I have a feeling that you're not telling the whole story. ^^^ Hmmm...Gretchen "didn't want you to know"...hmmm...I have a feeling that you're still not telling the whole story. ^^^ Hmmm...a "misdone form"...hmmm..."misunderstanding"...hmmm...not doing things "properly"...hmmm...Filipinos can't understand a simple explanation about CPS...hmmm...still very vague...hmmm...I'm still waiting to hear the rest of the story. Answering B_J's question would be a good start... ^^^ That's what it sounds like to me. ^^^ I'm thinking the same thing. Darren...Here's a standard form many hospitals use to check for depression. Is this the one Gretchen filled out, or is it similar? Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. I have to defend Darren on this one somewhat. My wife was asked to fill out that (or very similar) survey 3 months ago and asked for my help on several questions. She would have answered a couple of the questions the opposite of what she actually was feeling and she's been in the US since '07. Her pregnancy wasn't stressful at all and she was never depressed and yet, had she answered the questions the way she almost accidentally did, there probably would have been some sort of investigation. A good friend of mine had twins many years ago and since she was on bedrest for the last 3 months of the pregnancy, DCFS visited their house several times to make sure everything was ok in the home. Evemtually my friend kicked them out and told them not to come back without evidence of a problem. They never came back.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-07-10 06:36:00
Philippines	hospital and advanced terms	Jena likes to walk behind me sometimes, usually when we're shopping. That way I don't notice when she darts into the dress, purse, or shoe section! She says, "yep, that's true!" BTW, Jena grew up in a small province town (in N. Samar), rode in a boat to school and her grandfather made his living fishing. She's 20 years younger than me and I met her online when she was 21. Her mothers family is not far from Gretchen's families island. At face value it would seem our situations are very similar. In actuality our relationships couldn't be more different. I'd suggest Darren that you just consider your relationship very unique. Congratulations to you both on your new baby daughter!	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-07-09 18:33:00
Philippines	Job in Philippines	Our NOA1 date is 5/24/12 and my timeline says, "your I129f may be adjudicated between November 12, 2012 and November 17, 2012", assuming no RFE. Unfortunately, her mother told her she needs to get a job and she tells me that every job is a contract for at least a year in the Philippines. And if you break that contract, you can be in some big trouble and possibly jail time. My questions are, is this true? And if so, if I get the NOA2 around November/December, will we be able to stretch everything out until August 2013? I think I read that you can interview up to 90 days after NOA2 you can travel to USA within 6 months of approval. That would take it to about August if what i read is true. Please help thank you! I wouldn't worry about it at all but I would find out the reasoning behind her mother's request. What kind of job would she be applying for? It sounds like her parents aren't ready for their daughter to leave to me. Edited by kev_n_jena, 01 August 2012 - 03:24 PM.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-08-01 15:22:00
Philippines	CFO SEMINAR	Jena attended the CFO seminar in Cebu about 6 years ago. She didn't have near the horror stories I've read here. We got her sticker afterwards in Manila. She brought consent letters from both parents but wasn't asked for them. I think she was 22 at the time of the interview. I warned her about what to expect in the seminar.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-08-02 13:00:00
Philippines	American vs Filipino	Sorry, but the "Untrained, Untouched" is a late-bloomers fantasy that's really overrated and kind of creepy. If a 21 y/o girl anywhere is still that way, it's not because of morals or last-minute resistance; it's because nonody's ever tried. But if that's your thing, throw some patis on it and shuck away... Just curious... if there are "Many oysters in the world to choose from", why go halfway around the world to pick one when there are many here already? Don't the seasonings and spices work just the same? LOL My wife and I have to strongly disagree with this comment (in bold). All of her female friends and cousins would also disagree. We aren't offended but feel that you may be ignorant when it comes to the subject.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-06-23 21:33:00
Philippines	American vs Filipino	I am going to start looking for one of these.... never heard of it until now.... the only potato dispenser I heard of was called a "potato bin" usually in the basement.... you send the kids down to get potatoes when you need them.... 07/04/12	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-06-15 10:14:00
Philippines	American vs Filipino	a Difference i noticed... In America, A dad jingles the car keys saying "who wants to go for ice cream?" then loads up the gang, and drives for some 15 to 30 minutes to the local drive-in for ice cream cones.... In Philippines, a dad asks who wants ice cream (or frozen milk), then sends one of the kids to go get for everyone from the local sari-sari (on credit)....and pays for it later on.... It wasn't that many years ago when store owners sold small items on credit in the US. In the 60's and early 70's the small grocery store in my home town would do that. Looking back further in US history, stores in rural communities sold on credit all the time, especially to farmers that only got paid at harvest time. Today the creditor is usually a credit card company but many stores thrive on rent to own with very high interest rates. Have you ever had a Sears or JcPenny's card? I'm sure you could find an item in those stores that cost less than a couple ice cream treats and charge it to your store card. Just sayin...	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-05-31 15:27:00
Philippines	Your First Movie Together?	I was just in the Philippines and I wanted to take my sweetheart to a movie... Star Wars I - Phantom Menace is released in 3D. I just about fell out of the Jeepney when she told me she had never seen Star Wars <<PERIOD!>>. I never had to explain Star Wars backwards before (Episiode I to correlate with Episode IV) It was quite interesting when she didn't know what "The Force" is. I invite you all to try that. What was your first Motion Picture together and what was her reaction? Just ran across this topic. The first movie Jena and I went to was quite surreal to say the least. It was my first trip to meet her in person and we were in Iligan City, Mindanao. The movie we went to see was WORLD TRADE CENTER and I was the only Kano in the theater! It was a very strange feeling, but things got stranger after that. We hopped a bus to a small town several miles from Iligan. It was the first time Jena took that bus and we missed our stop. We ended up getting off the bus out in the countryside by a small sari sari that was actually closing! It was getting pretty late, maybe 11 pm. and there had been violence not far from there in the recent past. I must say I was pretty nervous standing around in the county with many thousands of pesos in my pocket. Luckily we were able to get through by cell and they were able to pick us up. Jena caught h*ll for it, they thought she was going to get us killed luckily, alls well that ends well.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-08-16 21:01:00
Philippines	Reasonably Priced Vacation Spots	It is Bantayan Island and Malascupa Island. Me and my fiance went to Bantayan Island and stayed at a very nice, cheap place right on the beach. It was around 1500peso per room with breakfast. Look up Placid Beach Resort Bantayan Island. Thanks for the tip. Look what I found:	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-08-18 06:35:00
Philippines	Reasonably Priced Vacation Spots	Where are her relatives located? Theres lots of places and lots of coastline in the fil so it depends on how far you are willing to travel. We'll probably be starting the trip in Iligan City, Mindanao, picking up her mother and sister, and ending it in Laoang, N. Samar where they will be staying. Somewhere in between we'd like to have a "vacation" rather than staying at relatives. Any location in Phils is possible as long as it's safe. I'm not going south of Iligan this trip. We've been to Cebu and stayed the day a couple times on a ferry layover. The resort we went to was VERY NICE but too expensive to stay for two weeks for all of us. (4 or 5 people) One or two nights in a nice resort might be ok since Jena's little sister has never been to a place like that. I'd rather find a person with a house for rent or something if that's possible. I just don't know much about it since we've always stayed with her relatives. Keep in mind, this trip may fall in the Christmas season 2013. I like to plan ahead Edited by kev_n_jena, 17 August 2012 - 01:24 PM.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-08-17 13:20:00
Philippines	Reasonably Priced Vacation Spots	Hi All, Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced vacation spot in Phils where I can sit on a beach and have cheap mixed drinks brought to me for a couple weeks? Jena and I are planning a trip next year. We'll be taking our young son and probably pick up a few relatives in Phils to take with us. I guess what I'm looking for is a place to stay near a beach with a few things to do for the rest of the family without breaking the bank. I'd appreciate suggestions or links to threads here from people that have actually been to the places described. Thanks!	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-08-17 10:25:00
Philippines	Our Son is born!	Our son is born! wife had a rough time and ended up with a c-section due to the babies weight, 9lbs! Big boy. We are all at home now , surviving the floods. I can finally rest easy knowing it all worked out. Congrats! What relief it is when everyone is healthy after such a traumatic event. Pictures?	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-08-10 10:33:00
Philippines	Learning Tagalog?	I started but here is my quandary. My wife is primary Cebuano speaker. Our friends are both Visayan and Tagalog. All the Visayans speak Tagalog, but few of the Tagalogs speak Visayan. So they swap back and forth all the time. I wold have to learn two languages to figure out what they are saying. All of them speak English. Almost every Pinoy I know speaks good English.. So I gave up. Yep, about the same here. My inlaws speak Waray Waray in N. Samar. Her mothers side of the family all speak Visayan in N. Mindanao and her friends here mostly speak Tagalog. I've picked up words in all three and mix them up every time I try to use them. We plan on teaching our son a little Tagalog so maybe I'll pick up some more myself. I bought a book and cd's on Tagalog when we first started dating. I didn't put in the effort though. Edited by kev_n_jena, 04 September 2012 - 09:06 PM.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-09-04 21:05:00
Philippines	Roosters in Talisay	The roosters never bothered me. As a matter of fact we have roosters and hens here in the states. We love the rural life. The goats are more annoying than the roosters here. Two out of the five goats are gone now. Our Filipino friends came over and butchered one in the back yard last week and another one last night. I usually just drink and watch and joke with them. We keep chickens for eggs and when they get too old to lay, our friends come over and butcher them. We're going to try to get some pigs next spring. Mmmmmm Lechon Baboy!	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-09-28 20:37:00
Philippines	When to buy plane tickets through K1 process	Back in '07 I took the gamble and got lucky. The way I remember it, I bought the tickets as soon as we had the interview date for 14 days following it. I landed in Manila a day before the interview, she got approved and we flew to Samar the next day. We paid for our hotel to keep the room while we were in Samar and left most of our luggage there. We flew back to Manila and waited at the hotel for the visa. After it arrived we went and got the CFO stamp. We had about 3 days to kill in Manila before our flight. I'm not telling anyone to do it that way. I'm just explaining what we did. It could have turned out badly if there was a problem with the visa production, delivery, or approval.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-06-11 10:34:00
Philippines	aos picture	We always printed our passport style photos at home on our printer. The only time they weren't accepted was when Jena renewed her passport at the Philippine embassy in Chicago. They took the photo for that.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-10-08 20:09:00
Philippines	ATTN: ALL Filipinos in the US. WHAT DO U WISH U BROUGHT WITH YOU IN THE US?	I would've wanted to plant our very own siling Bisaya from the Philippines. I haven't found those at Seafood City in Eagle Rock, West Covina, and Carson City. Luckily the common Thai chili is popular enough. I also should've brought more jogging pants/sweatpants and skinny jeans from the PH. I am only 5'3" and most sweatpants here seem too long for comfort. Jena grows the little red peppers here. She got seeds from a friend here. They grow very easily in a pot in the house during our cold Illinois winters.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-10-29 13:12:00
Philippines	ATTN: ALL Filipinos in the US. WHAT DO U WISH U BROUGHT WITH YOU IN THE US?	If you are a small clothing size you might want to bring a few extra pairs of jeans. Jena had a hard time finding jeans that she liked here and ended up buying several pairs on our first trip back to Phils.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-10-24 13:35:00
Philippines	ATTN: ALL Filipinos in the US. WHAT DO U WISH U BROUGHT WITH YOU IN THE US?	I will have to wait for Anne to answer this but we just had the corned beef conversation! I would suggest hair and skin items because it may be hard to find one that she likes and works. Some acne may become an issue. Especially with winter upon us... Guys, get some nasal spray and saline, vaseline and lip balms( get a few different ones) because your girls sinuses and lips will dry out and be uncomfortable and hard to breath. FYI, when we came back through Vancouver last time we "had" to give up all the Filipino canned beef. I'm not sure about the US, we didn't get that far with it. The dried fish were ok to bring in though.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-10-24 13:30:00
Philippines	Yay finally in the U.S. now	Welcome to the States.... My fiancee is worried about the cold as well as she has been cold. It has snowed a couple times already here and below freezing temps. It's funny to see the peoples reactions when they find out she has never seen a temperature below 65 degrees.. Jena during her first winter here showing off. Edited by kev_n_jena, 30 October 2012 - 01:22 PM.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-10-30 13:20:00
Philippines	Yay finally in the U.S. now	Yay so I'm in U.S. now and it's cold hahaha and my babe said its normal for them .. I'll be freezing to death when it's cold for him I guess hahaa ..) so btw about the travel tax that a posted about before I go here .. I did paid it like P 1,625.00 even if it said on my ticket that it's included .. well I did bring some extra.. POE was nice .. just the line was too long hahaha.. you need more patient.. the immigration guy was nice .. (even got serious face) laugh when I said the date of my wedding .. hahaha I dunno what's funny with the date.. and I was like "what? its a unique number haha" then in the customs the guy there that asked me if i bring foods.. meat .. vegie .. was funny he asked me if I did bring some balut .. hahah and said that I should let my hubby try it.. I was like nah .. he don't like it hahha.. So i love it here .. I just need to adjust with the weather and food (mostly) and ofc I love being with my babe he makes all the stuff easy for me .. Love you so muchies my babe.. P.S. Thank you again to all the members posting all the k-1 info. here. -cath Congratulations on your arrival to the USA! Our best advice for cold weather is to find some Cuddl Duds. The best place we've found for selection and price so far has been JCPenny. Cuddl Duds are very warm underclothes for women. They're a little expensive so we watch for sales and stock up! http://www.cuddlduds.com/womens.html Edited by kev_n_jena, 28 October 2012 - 05:34 PM.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-10-28 17:34:00
Philippines	Why do Filipinos don't greet each other?	Jena and I have been discussing this topic. She has some interesting observations. When driving home through the rural area we live in, many people will wave at you and of course I always wave back. When Jena first arrived, she would ask, who is that? I'd say, I don't know, just a neighbor. She found that extremely strange! We live in the last house on a dead end road with about 14 houses on it. I only know the last 4 families. She would ask me, who lives there? Who lives there? I'd have to say, well, according to the mailbox it's blah blah blah. She was very surprised we lived on the same road and didn't know each other. Jena also mentioned, if you say hi to someone from her area that you don't know, they might think you're wierd. If it's a guy saying hi to a woman they don't know, the woman might think they're hitting on them. Kevin	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2011-07-11 20:23:00
Philippines	Banking In The Philippines	Go for BDO, PNB, Metrobank or BPI. They're very credible in terms of remittance and online banking. If you're from Catbalogan here's the BDO address. Samar - Catbalogan Del Rosario St. cor. Allen Ave., 6700 Catbalogan, Samar (055)251-5477251-5541356-1706(02)702-6000loc. 52246 Fax: (055)543-9110 8:30 - 5:30 PM Mon - Fri I had a checking and savings account before with China Bank, it's really hard to deal with them esp if you're into online banking. If there's a problem with your bank account, you have to go to you're branch of account. With the banks I mentioned, they have remittance center in the US. We'll probably go with PNB since deposits need to be made in Catarman unless someone can tell me of a bank in Laoang, N. Samar. Thanks,	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-11 00:25:00
Philippines	Banking In The Philippines	you may want to try Banco de Oro (BDO). we have an account there and my husband uses online banking to transfer money from there and have been locked many times but all we do is call the customer service and they just verify the identity so we can reset the password. good Luck. Thanks, unfortunately I think the nearest branch is in Catbalogan which is too far. I think these are our choices: Philippine National Bank China Banking Corporation City Savings Bank First Consolidated Bank Edited by kev_n_jena, 10 November 2012 - 04:16 PM.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-10 16:15:00
Philippines	Banking In The Philippines	One stipulation we must make when considering a new Philippine bank is that it must have a branch in Catarman, N. Samar or preferably Laoang, N. Samar. I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to make deposits from Laoang to a Philippine bank right now without incurring large expenses. Most of Jena's relatives don't have any experience with banks so I'm kind of on my own when trying to set this up. There is a "M Lhuhillier" down the street from Jena's relatives, maybe they can deposit from there?	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-10 11:51:00
Philippines	Banking In The Philippines	Philippines banking is terrible you are better off to send them moneygram if you want to send money to avoid the issues If you read my original post you will see why we opened the account.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-10 00:33:00
Philippines	Banking In The Philippines	Hello, Did you use bancnetonline.com to check your china bank balance? The password for that is your 6 digit ATM card PIN. It is not the same with other banks like BPI and BDO wherein you need to nominate a password. Maybe you can try again using a different internet connection/IP address? If your wife still remembers her atm PIN. Since it uses PIN, it is usually impossible to change it by phone unlike BDO and BPI wherein you can just call them and after answering specific questions that would assure them that you are the account holder, you can nominate another password thereby allowing you to do onlinebanking from anywhere. Also, an account will not be closed as long as it has funds in it still but it will be charged a dormant fee but you said your relatives do deposits in that account so in that case i guess it won't be charged a dormant fee. Your wife's account will surely remain active until your visit next year Thanks for your reply, the account is a savings account and she was not issued an ATM card. If we are lucky the account will still be active next year when we visit since there is still activity on the account.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-09 23:17:00
Philippines	Banking In The Philippines	If they've locked your account down and they require an in person appearance, you're kind of stuck. There is no way to view it once an account is locked down. The problem is in their methods to unlock it. Don't expect them to budge on that. I'm not sure if you've been able to move up the line to a manager, but if you can talk with someone in authority, maybe they'll understand an be able to unlock the account for you. The Philippines way of doing business is not via phone or internet, its still mainly based on in face transactions. Our only fear is that if the account has no activity for a certain amount of time they might just close it. I don't know what the law is on dormant accounts.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-09 16:23:00
Philippines	Banking In The Philippines	Hi all, I'm looking for some advice and first I will tell you our situation. In June of 2011, while we were vacationing in The Philippines, my wife opened a savings account at China Bank. The main reason she did this was so that a relative could make deposits for a loan that she gave them. We were supposed to be able to check the balance online in the states. Our first problem was trying to check the balance while on a Virgin Mobile broadband internet connection. We couldn't get through and were blocked. The next time we tried from my internet service at work and we were able to get through to the server but she forgot the password! We tried 3 different passwords and then the account was "locked" from internet access. We've talked to people at the bank several times and they tell us to get a new password we need to show up in person. Well, that won't happen until late 2013 and I'm hoping the account will still be open by that time. In the meantime the relative continues to make deposits so I assume the account is still open. Does anyone have any suggestions on how we can check her balance? With all the fraud these days I don't blame the bank for requiring an in person appearance with picture ID. Is there a better bank to open an account with next time? Thanks for any suggestions.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-09 14:27:00
Philippines	Age Conflict?????	Well we will just have just disagree I guess, when a old man is trying to get a K1 visa for a very young woman of course this is going to cause a issue, and of course this will set off a red flag at the interview, and yes the CO will make sure the relationship is bona fide. Always been that way and will always be that way as long as K1 visa is one of the fastest ways to immigrate to the USA, and some are willing to commit visa fraud to get them here. Do you think this imanginary red flag will make it less likely that a K1 application gets approved the larger the age gap is? I'm referring spefically to K1 applications filed for a women from the Philippines. My wife and I (20 yr. gap) went through this process in 06 and 07. I've met MANY (probably 30) filipina/american couples here over the last 6 years and I've never met a couple with less than a 10 year gap in person. I think the CO's see couples with a significant age gap more often than they see couples the same age or where the woman is older than the man.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-03 08:48:00
Philippines	Filipina	http://bbfaa.org/bbfaa/page.html The above group is from Tallahassee. It looks like they are very active. Their Christmas party is December 8th! Hope you find some nice people there. Good Luck! Edited by kev_n_jena, 16 November 2012 - 04:05 AM.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-16 04:03:00
Philippines	Zero American Pride!!!!	Welcome home...I flew KAL again back in Sept. They rock. No way I get on another plane. Plus they are direct ATL-Korea-Cebu That's interesting, you avoid NAIA/Manila all together? I didn't realize that was an option. We'd still need to fly or ferry from Cebu to CDO or Iligan on our next trip but it's something to think about.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-17 06:24:00
Philippines	Zero American Pride!!!!	When you have a culture with servitude and docility as a principal component it is no surprise that you like their "service" better. Consider the fact that many foreign airlines impose restrictions on how old their attendants can be and even whether or not they can be married. While you may balk and blame "unions," consider also the corresponding rights and freedoms the employees of US carriers have and the abuses that foreign employees often endure. FWIW - Delta has always been fine with me. You're right, the employees of the US carriers probably have more rights and freedoms. On the other hand, to take advantage of union negotiated job security by displaying the attitude to customers that I've experienced first hand is uncalled for and unacceptable to me. That's why I choose to take advantage of my freedom and fly a different airline.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-16 19:27:00
Philippines	Zero American Pride!!!!	Every time i have went to the philippines i have always flown Korean Air. This time around i choose to go with United Airlines to save a few dimes. That was the biggest mistake of my whole visajourney so far. I am going to venture to say that all American owned Airlines are like this one. I cannot stand these Union Card holding B!tch employee's. They are the nastiest rudiest people i have ever had the displeasure of being served by. Each way there and back i had four legs of flights and on ever flight me and Monreal were disrepected by an employee from United Airlines. I have never had this kind of experience on Korean Air. Who the Hell am i going to call to make some serious complaints, oh what a second. If i call United Airlines i get to talk to someone from the philippines at a call center. How the hell can you chew out a philipina? You just cant. I really hate the fact that when someone holds a union card, they can be a B!tch to you and get away with it because they are protected. I will never fly any American owned airline again. I agree. We had an awful experience the last time we flew United through Vancouver to The Philippines before and after connecting with Phiilppine Airlines. http://www.visajourn..._1#entry4717389 It's funny you mention unions. I think they may have had their place in the American work force years ago and did some really good things, but I think they've been the ruin of many American companies in the last few decades. Our public schools are no exception imo. We may pay an extra $400 per ticket next time and try Asiana Airlines.	kev_n_jena	Not Telling	Philippines	2012-11-16 03:43:00