Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
United Kingdom	Education System - UK compared to US?	Having been a teacher, I don't agree if you are blaming under-performance on the teachers. I've been the white teacher in an all black ghetto school and taught the richest kids in town at another. There's a lot more to it than the teacher. I'm not blaming the teachers and my experience has led me to believe that good students make good schools and not the other way around, but a good teacher is more likely to be able to get the job teaching APs in a rich suburb and less likely to have to teach remedial classes in the ghetto unless he chooses to. That having been said, the major point I was making is that the reasons that poor districts provide poor educations has little to do with funding.	SBB	Male	China	2012-09-07 00:42:00
United Kingdom	Education System - UK compared to US?	US schools are funded by the area they are in I believe. So if you live in a "poor" area the school generally isn't as good- teachers, facilities etc. School's are not federally funded like other parts of the world so their are great disparities with the quality of the education. I would look at 1) where you are planning to live and review the neighborhood schools, 2) review private options if you can , 3) compare what your daughter wants to get out of the school to what the school can offer IE/ if she wants to go to beauty school and just finish HS and get her HS diploma or if she wants to study medicine - those things will help you determine between what schooling options are available and appropriate. Lastly, I just want to say, I had the same notion when I came here about the schools but was pleasantly surprised by the standard in my area, however I went to a less fortunate area of California to visit new family and saw some schools there and there was great disparity between what was offered and the caliber of students each establishment produced. So it really really does depend on the area. I would also have your daughter do some testing at the school she is looking to go into, she may test ahead. I know the UK schooling system is generally quite good so she may end up in the year above The problems of schools in poor districts are largely unrelated to funding as few of said districts are actually "underfunded" in any meaningful sense. Washington DC public schools spend tons of money per pupil and still suck. Check http://www.state.nj....ion/guide/2012/ for some data from my home state of New Jersey. Compare a poor district like Newark, Camden, or Irvington with a fancy suburban district like Millburn, Bernards Township, or New Providence and you'll see that per pupil costs are frequently lower in the richer districts. Poor districts tend to have worse teachers because the good teachers would rather teach well behaved and eager students in rich, suburban districts than deal with the disciplinary problems and safety hazards inherent in teaching in poor, urban ones.	SBB	Male	China	2012-09-06 23:22:00
China	Calling China	My wife uses a prepaid calling card service to call her parents (http://www.1stphonec...cfm?productid=1). It's something like 1.8 cents per minute.	SBB	Male	China	2012-11-05 03:20:00
China	Can MIL stay longer than 6 months?	Extensions are only granted for a valid reason and just wanting to hang out in the US for a year is rarely considered to be one.	SBB	Male	China	2013-02-28 22:15:00
China	HOT DRY NOODLES	Wuhan Hot Dry Noodles (Reganmian), Shanxi Sliced Noodles (Daoxiaomian), Guangxi and Guangdong Yifu noodles (Yifumian), Sichuan Dan Dan noodles (Dandanmian)and Noodles with Soy Bean Paste (Zhajiangmian) in the North together are known as the five famous noodles in China. The Wuhan Hot Dry Noodle is a snack with apparent local flavor of Wuhan. The recipe for hot dry noodles is different from cold noodles and noodles in soup. Firstly mix the cooked noodles with oil and dry them aside. When you are about to eat the noodles, scald the prepared noodles in boiled water, mix them with condiments, and the noodles will be ready to eat. The finished hot dry noodles are firm and chewy, golden and oily, savory and fresh, and quite inviting. In 1930s or so, there was a person from Wuhan who made a living by selling bean noodles and noodles in soup. One day, worried that the noodles left over would go bad, he fished out the cooked noodles, spread them over the chopping board, and accidentally pushed down the sauce boat with sesame oil. As a result, the noodles were covered with the sesame oil. The next day, he scalded the almost cooked noodles in boiled water for a while, fished them out into a bowl, and mixed them with shallot and other condiments. The noodles turned out to be extremely tasty and savory. In this way, the man invented the hot dry noodles now well-known all over China by accident. I eat them almost every day here in Wuhan, streetfood places recently raised the price to 3.5RMB a bowl. We even buy the lunch packs of them on Taobao for a quick fix, a pack of 8 for 25RMB... A couple other recipes: http://tofoodwithluv...noodles-re.html http://wuhanstories....le-is-most.html All the Chinese markets near me sell the Hankow brand, which costs about $7-8 for an 8/pack. They sell it in three levels of spice and my (born and raised in Hankou, Wuhan) wife and I (normally both chili fiends) think the second level ("Sichuan" flavor) is the best compared to the overpoweringly spicy "Hunan" flavor or the mild "Hubei" flavor. I typically add a packet of preserved veggies as well.	SBB	Male	China	2013-02-28 22:12:00
China	Travel to China, tourist visa question	Does anyone know if I need to register my marriage with the Chinese authorities (at a local consulate or whatnot) to apply for a long term L visa or will my US marriage certificate be acceptable for that purpose?	SBB	Male	China	2013-03-15 15:54:00
China	Translating hukuo documentation here in USA	Sorry for late reply. Is it worth doing the 485 and 30 seperetely? No.	SBB	Male	China	2013-02-15 16:27:00
China	Translating hukuo documentation here in USA	Unfortunately, you're probably going to have to mail her national ID card and a couple passport photos back to her parents and have them get the birth certificate for you (assuming she's still on her parents' hukou). That's what my wife and I had to do.	SBB	Male	China	2013-02-09 04:19:00
China	How to approach DS-230 question about communist affiliations	Even if they aren't full blown members of the Communist Party, everyone in China is required to join Pioneers and in later grades the Communist Youth League which may fall under the "affiliated with" part of the language in the question.	SBB	Male	China	2013-07-07 14:54:00
China	WHat to do with Hukou?	My wife is still on her parents' hukou, though she's never been on any other.	SBB	Male	China	2013-10-11 00:22:00
China	Why you did NOT use K-1 (Chinese cases)	Because my wife was already in the US on an F-1...	SBB	Male	China	2013-10-27 00:29:00
China	New Chinese Visa Regs	Well, I just got back from picking up my 2-year Q2 visa at the Houston consulate. It wasn't much of an issue except for the whole getting a copy of my father-in-law's Chinese ID card thing. They also wanted a copy of my marriage license, and my wife's ID card and passport information page. This year will be Christmas With Chinese Characteristics in scenic Wuhan.	SBB	Male	China	2013-11-26 13:20:00
China	New Chinese Visa Regs	Has anyone here applied for one of the new Q2 visas? Does it work like the old 2 year multiple-entry tourist visa for people with Chinese spouses that they used to issue?	SBB	Male	China	2013-11-14 22:03:00
China	Obtaining a Chinese Tourist Visa without confirmed travel dates/flight tickets	You should also include your marriage certificate, and a copy of her Chinese ID to get a visa based on your family relations (whether Q or L or any other). If you do this, you MAY not be required to submit an itinerary. If you DO submit an itinerary, the length of stay on the visa may be limited by the duration of your itinerary.   Yes, I know you're not yet married. You'll have the marriage certificate soon.   You can also go to the PSB (Police) Entry/Exit bureau in her home town for an extension       He can't do a Q visa as they aren't married yet and is planning to go to China before the wedding. That having been said, if they want to travel to China to visit the in-laws on a Q visa, he will need the ID of the in-laws as well, as his wife will no longer be living in China. At least for my Q2 application, I had to include the invitation letter from my father-in-law, a copy of his ID, and a copy of my marriage license and my wife's ID (they also asked for a copy of the info page of her passport, but that ended up not being necessary). While a Q2 visa doesn't technically require an itinerary, the invitation letter will need to cover much of the same information.	SBB	Male	China	2013-12-02 17:33:00
China	Family Visa	I don't know if they issue 5 year Q2s, but I just got my 2-year Q2 visa (and a Q2 is what you'll be getting, a Q1 is if you're going to China and never leaving). I needed to bring a copy of my marriage license, my wife's Chinese ID card, my father-in-law's ID card and an invitation letter from my father-in-law (we needed my father-in-law involved since the invitation letter, according to the instructions on the consular website, needed to be from someone actually living in China). They also wanted to see a photocopy of the info page from my wife's passport. I went to the consulate in person, but I guess any of the visa services should work, though they may not be familiar with some of the new visa requirements yet.	SBB	Male	China	2013-12-13 21:40:00
China	What to do with government retirement savings in China?	2. Is Chinese retirement money taxable in US?   All income of a US resident, regardless of source, is taxable in the US unless a tax treaty treats it differently.	SBB	Male	China	2014-01-05 23:29:00
China	Saying hello and requesting info on Chinese Notarized birth certificate	Even if the booklet is lost, there should be a record of your family at the hukou office in your family's home jurisdiction. Hopefully, your sister's ID should be enough to get your birth certificate without having to go through the long hassle of getting a replacement hukou book first.	SBB	Male	China	2014-01-31 01:10:00
China	Saying hello and requesting info on Chinese Notarized birth certificate	Thanks.   I confirmed with my sister and the household registration document has been lost. Can other documents be used in its place to get the notorial birth certificate?   Do you and your sister have Chinese Resident Identity cards?	SBB	Male	China	2014-01-30 19:19:00
China	Original birth certificate versus notarized birth certificate	But how can I tell the lawyer there's no such thing and its not necessary? How is an immigration lawyer likely to listen if I say that. Even if I believe the lawyer is incorrect its difficult for me to argue.   According to http://travel.state....mit-to-nvc.html it says "If your birth record is not obtainable for any reason, a certified statement must be obtained from the appropriate government authority explaining why your birth record is unavailable.".     You have your birth record, that's what that white book is. That's all you need.	SBB	Male	China	2014-02-20 21:31:00
China	Original birth certificate versus notarized birth certificate	There's no such thing and you don't need it. Just send in a copy of every page in the "white book", both the Chinese pages and the English translations..	SBB	Male	China	2014-02-20 16:39:00
China	Original birth certificate versus notarized birth certificate	In that case, there is no "original birth certificate" and the notarial "white book" is all you can get and all you need. In my wife's case, we needed to send some passport photos and her Chinese ID card to her parents in Wuhan who then got the certificate for us.	SBB	Male	China	2014-01-30 22:04:00
China	Original birth certificate versus notarized birth certificate	What do you mean by a "Notarized Birth Certificate"? Are you referring to a Chinese Notarial Birth Certificate? If so, that's most likely the only birth certificate that exists since China didn't routinely issue birth certificates until fairly recently, and should be all you need. If you are the American petitioner asking about your American birth certificate, any certified copy will do. If you have your original use it, if not, order a certified copy from the authority that issued your original one and use that; a birth certificate is a birth certificate is a birth certificate. If you are referring to a certified translation of a birth certificate written in a non-English language, whatever translator you use to translate it will certify it (I don't think it needs to be notarized).	SBB	Male	China	2014-01-30 19:15:00
China	China Tourist Visa	I went to the Houston consulate in person.	SBB	Male	China	2014-06-23 14:42:00
China	China Tourist Visa	What specifically is required to be in one of the invitation letters?  And to whom would it be addressed?  Does it need to be in English?  I assume an email is not good enough and an original signature would be necessary.    The letter we drafted for my father-in-law was in Chinese and basically said the following:   "I [father-in-law's name] (Chinese ID number) am inviting my son-in-law [My name]  (passport number) and his wife, my daughter [wife's name] (Chinese ID number), to visit us in [city name] for the period of [insert dates here]. They will be staying at [address of where you're planning to stay].   You can find templates online for this sort of thing. You will need a paper copy with a signature on it, but let's just say that the Chinese consulate won't put much, if any, effort into authenticating it... Edited by SBB, 20 June 2014 - 04:33 PM.	SBB	Male	China	2014-06-20 16:32:00
China	China Tourist Visa	I will be getting this from my Father-in-Law. We have filled out the invite letter particulars with his needed information left for him to fill out. I will try for a multi-entry 2 year Q1. Hopefully I get that. I did find out if I have two or more years consecutive business visas I can qualify for a 2 year. I like the Q1 option better though as I don't have to rely on my company.   You'll be getting a Q2. A Q1 is for moving to China indefinitely.	SBB	Male	China	2014-06-20 16:15:00
China	China Tourist Visa	If your wife is in China, then she can write the invitation letter. The relevant visa category is Q2 (Q1 would be for if you were planning to move permanently to China). The important thing about the invitation letter is that is has to be from someone who both: A) Is a relative and B) Lives in China. You will also need a photocopy of the ID of the person who wrote the letter to get the 2-year Q2 visa.	SBB	Male	China	2014-06-19 17:21:00
China	China Tourist Visa	Well, the reason they wanted my father-in-law's ID card was because he was the one whose name was on the invitation letter. They want the ID of the person inviting you.	SBB	Male	China	2014-06-18 16:20:00
China	China Tourist Visa	When I applied for a 2-year tourist visa to China, they wanted a copy of my father-in-law's national ID card and the info page of my wife's passport in addition to the invitation letter.	SBB	Male	China	2014-06-17 11:07:00
China	how much cash can i have on me when going through custom?	Bring as much as you want, you just need to declare it on your customs form.	SBB	Male	China	2014-06-26 16:40:00
China	Trouble obtaining birth certificate in China	Did she try to obtain the birth certificate in the area where her hukou is registered?	SBB	Male	China	2014-04-02 15:10:00
China	Best way to call China from US	My fiance is in China and we are in a similar situation. It is very cheap to call them, but an arm and a leg to call us. Also, China mobile wants a huge deposit before allowing international calls Did you have to put down a deposit to allow your mother-in-law to make the initial call before you hang up and caller her back?   One of her brothers has wifi in their apartment but her parents do not, so cell phone only, leaving QQ out of the picture.     I am not aware of any deposit made to their account. They call us on their land line. They have wifi/internet but it's not terribly fast and mostly used for my father-in-law to play beat the landlord online. Occasionally my mother-in-law will send my wife a message on QQ asking her to call, but she's not tech savvy and has trouble with pinyin, so she doesn't do that much.	SBB	Male	China	2014-09-21 12:20:00
China	Best way to call China from US	My wife just pays out of pocket on Skype on the occasion she needs to call her parents as it only costs about 1.1 cents per minute. It's taken us over a year to go through $10 of Skype credit. If her parents need to call her, they just call her cell number and my wife hangs up and calls them back with Skype. Edited by SBB, 04 September 2014 - 06:48 PM.	SBB	Male	China	2014-09-04 18:48:00
China	Q1 visa	Getting the Q visa requires a fair amount of documentation. I needed to bring a copy of my father-in-law's national ID card, a copy of my wife's national ID card, a signed invitation letter, and a copy of our marriage license (untranslated). A copy of the front page of my wife's passport was requested, but proved ultimately unnecessary, and I can't remember if we included my wife's notarial birth certificate or not. Basically you need enough documentation to connect the dots between yourself and your Chinese relative through your spouse. Ultimately, it ended up taking more effort than applying for an L visa since we ended up needed to do most of the same work plus all the family stuff.	SBB	Male	China	2014-10-26 23:04:00
China	Q1 visa	My Q2 is good for two-years, multiple entries (of 180 days or less). Based on your description though, the Q1 is the more appropriate visa. The one catch is that for a Q1 (and Q2) you need an invitation letter and documentation from a relative living in China. In other words, your wife can't "sponsor" you unless she is already in China. For my Q2, we went through my father-in-law.	SBB	Male	China	2014-10-13 15:58:00
China	Q1 visa	I have a Q2. What are you planning to do that would necessitate a Q1 if you're currently going through the ROC process in the US?	SBB	Male	China	2014-10-12 17:53:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Petitioner changing jobs - what will this affect?	As long as your information was accurate at the time you sent in the package, you should be fine. Just bring the letter to the interview in case they want to see it.	SBB	Male	China	2014-08-06 18:44:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Husband is a US citizen and father to our baby born abroad. What to do now?	If the baby is your husband's biological child, your baby should already be a US citizen and should have been able to get a US passport instead of needing a visa. This is what you should have done when your child was born: http://travel.state....iving_5497.html	SBB	Male	China	2013-10-16 20:23:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Deported for an Agravated felony but we think he is a US Citizen? What to do next?	Having trouble finding the source again. But technically they are not citizens of the USA until the report of birth abroad has been completed. They have the right to apply, but they do not have citizenship until its been determined they qualify, and the state department has sole authority to decide who qualifies and gets citizenship.  The CRBA does not confer or grant US citizenship, it merely confirms and documents the citizenship that the child has had all along.	SBB	Male	China	2014-03-05 11:30:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Riyadh Interview	Any input of what you think of our chances of being approved is greatly appreciated. Hi, Just out of curiosity, What are the updates on your case? My case has just been completed in NVC and it is going to be send to Riyadh Embassy. I have read this thread and it seems that the condition is very bad in Riyadh embassy. The last post in this thread was a long time ago. Can someone update his/her status. Is there anyone else who is going through Riyadh Embassy?? Please give some guidelines. 1) My case was completed in NVC on 15 Jan. How long it will take to receive the details of medical and interview dates? 2) Which hospitals are approved for medical exam? Thanks in advance	Aziz ur Rahman	Male	Pakistan	2010-01-20 03:13:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Interview In Riyadh	Hi All, Yesterday I had my interview at Riyadh Embassy. I have posted full details here. http://www.visajourn...howtopic=246075	Aziz ur Rahman	Male	Pakistan	2010-03-10 03:36:00