Visa
Hi folks. Suzy had her visa interview yesterday, and it went pretty well overall. The actual face-to-face interview was only maybe 10 or 15 minutes out of the 4 hours she was at the Consulate, but that’s to be expected.
They couldn’t approve her visa on the spot, though. We have to do yet more paper shuffling, which involves having stuff mailed to me from the USA, etc. etc. etc. Very frustrating, especially since the papers they want are around 95% identical to the ones we already freakin’ gave them. But whatever… The visa interviewer said that if Suzy gets these papers in, that should be the last we need for her visa to be approved. Here’s hoping.
Thank You, New York Times
Finally, some actual science to back up my bitching and moaning. When I worked at the UPS Store, we would always turn off AC at the whim of the ladies, who never believed me and my fellow male slaves when we would claim to be burning up and sweating like mad:
Q. It seems as if women complain about feeling cold more than men do. Is there a gender disparity when it comes to temperature’s effects?
A. Women do tend to feel colder in air-conditioned offices — for reasons of physiology and fashion, said Alan Hedge, an ergonomics professor at Cornell University. The muscles of the body generate about a third of its heat, he explained, and women tend to have less muscle mass than men. In addition, women are often freer to wear clothing that leaves their arms, legs and the neck area exposed. (The ankles, he said, are particularly vulnerable to cold.)
Guangzhou NightThe Visa Chronicles
Hola. My lack of updates around here have been mostly due to the lack of anything interesting to say. However, the last couple of days have been so busy that it’s beyond words to express.
Basically, on Saturday we got an express letter from the US Consulate in Guangzhou telling us that Suzy has her visa interview date. We also realized we had little more than a week to get our shiznit together to present during her interview. So, all of Saturday night, Sunday, and a good 7 hours of running around today have been devoted to getting all our loose ends tied up. “Scrambling” would be my word of choice — scrambling to print, copy, and certify things; scrambling to acquire the appropriate letters and records we may need; scrambling to get last-minute questions answered.
Anyway, we’re 95% ready, I think. Still some things to sort out, but I think we’re golden. Suzy’s sparkling personality, combined with the sheer volume of papers and evidence we can throw at the Consulate, should get things done if we’re lucky. Just gotta keep our fingers crossed that we didn’t forget some critical piece of paper, or misunderstand something. If we blow it this time around, it may set us back a few weeks or months before we can get it all sewed up and get her visa in hand.
Cross your fingers, toes, and your eyes for us! Suzy’s interview is next week, and I’ll post a thumbs up or thumbs down here when we know how it’s worked out. Until then, it’s going to be a l-o-o-o-o-n-g week.
Apple seeds don’t produce lemon trees. When we behave positively, we get positive results; when we cling to questionable values, we get questionable results.— Lama Surya Das, Awakening the Buddha Within (p. 198)
Suzy and I, near the Fisher Girl in Zhuhai (珠海)