18 days till interview!

Exciting! And we have so many plans. My boss is holding a company conference this year! First one since 2009 at the Natchez State Park in Tennessee. Still don't know the location of this year's conference. Hubby is a good driver, I mean really good, and he LOVES to drive. They drive on the same side of the road and sit in the same side of the car as we do. So the transition will be easy.

The main difference, here we have more stop lights, stop signs and police. We have fewer people walking everywhere, crossing streets whenever and wherever they please. In Kosovo there are few street lights, many round-abouts and mostly just a lot of speed bumps on the MAIN ROADS for cryin' out loud instead of police! I think I only saw one stop sign in all of Prishtina. Most intersections have nothing other than a slightly busier street intersecting with a less busy street. Everyone just drives AT IT from 4 directions and slows down, courteously allowing the heavier traffic to pass while nosing their car in until the other guy stops and lets them proceed. It's all like a courteous traffic jam---no road rage.

This would not work in America! But we have the lights and stop signs to control the traffic. I was explaining this to hubby and he said, "American drivers are better drivers." I replied, "No, we just have more laws and lights and signs...like herding cattle." He laughed. Honestly, the traffic in Prishtina is similar to downtown Chicago or downtown New York. Hubby drives a stick shift! In this crazy traffic! Traffic moves there like a school of fish, artfully dodging and darting in all directions but never hitting one another (well 99% of the time).

It's amazing that Albanians can all drive among each other like this and no one gets angry, and that nosing into traffic causes others to yield politely. When we were in a round-about in Prishtina I saw a vehicle sitting there, the mystified driver wondering how in the heck to enter. Must have been a foreigner. I would have done the same.

Interview in 19 days!

Hubby's medical exam is scheduled for the 19th. Thankfully his doctor reconstructed his immunizations based on when and where he went to school. Everyone's medical records were destroyed when the hospitals were sacked and burned in the war. Thankfully the embassies know that, and allow reconstruction of records.

I can't wait till hubby is here!!! He sent me this link to some Kosovo Recipes. I know how to make the beans (but I don't use veal), the veggies and the salad but not the Flija. Hubby says we will cook together he will show me how :) he is such a sweetie. He also knows how to make baklava the Albanian way which is WAY better then the too-sweet Greek way. His mom made it for me and found out I love it so guess what, next day she sent a whole plateful lol!!!!

The Immigration Journey

The immigration journey requires

And money. I have no sympathy for the 11 million people who are here illegally.

Soon!

Medical exam scheduled for the 19th

21 days until interview! The interview will take place 465 days from the date I filed the I-130. Who knew it would take over a year.

Fishing Story

When I was married to my first hubby his parents had a waterfront cottage near Briggsville, Wisconsin, on a sleepy body of water called a slough, which is, as I remember it, a long, narrow lake with a slight current. Actually it was part of Neenah Creek that had been dammed by the Native Americans for growing wild rice. The western bank was ringed by cottages. The opposite side was swampy woods populated by deer and hoot owls. 

It was morning, the mist was still rising from the water. The sun was warm and there was no breeze. It was quiet. You could hear a pin drop. My husband and his dad had taken the boat out to do some early morning fishing. I'm not sure the actual name, skiff, v-hull aluminum something? It had a small motor, and oars. They had rowed and drifted some distance away to the Big Bend when my mother-in-law and I wandered down to the pier with our coffee. 

Suddenly the silence was split with GET YOUR LINE OUTTA THE WAY!!! #@@$%$#@ PULL IN THAT @#$$# ANCHOR!!! @$$%##$ DON'T TOUCH THAT!!!! GET THAT OAR OUTTA THE WAY!!! $%#%$%#$  %%$#@#$

My MIL and I are watching in amusement as my FIL is playing a fish that is literally pulling the boat back toward us! My husband was dutifully trying to get all objects out of the way of the line while trying not to rock the boat too much all the while his agitated, red-faced father was cussing loud enough for everyone to hear him a mile away! 

We held our breath the moment when dad was shouting at son to net the fish! My poor hubby was dammed if he made one slip and lost his dad's prize. Judging by the cussing he was certainly between the net and a hard place. All ended well with a sigh of relief when the fish was landed. The boat had been pulled about the distance of a couple football fields at least, all the way back to the pier. FIL was out of breath, smiling from ear to ear and hubby held up his catch. It was a blue channel catfish. I don't remember the exact weight but 29 pounds comes to mind.

So that's my best fishing story.

Just a little immigration humor

Someone on the immigration forum posted this, said this is how they picture the immigration service centers. I thought it was funny. No disrespect to the government workers who process thousands of visas every year. But for us who are waiting and waiting to immigrate our beloved LEGALLY this is how it feels:

Countdown to My Hubby's Visa Interview

INTERVIEW DATE FEBRUARY 28!!!!!!! We are excited. Hubby can't wait to get it over with (little bit of stress---everyone has it). If your first reaction is yay, he can get on a plane right after the interview, right? The answer is NOOOO. When he is approved (I'm not even saying "if") the visa will be issued about 3 business days later. I say "about" because nothing is promised. The embassy may decide to make him wait longer while they double-check our papers. They say never buy a ticket until you have the visa in your hand.

The abbreviations:
USCIS - U. S. Citizenship & Immigration Service
I-130 - form to apply to bring an alien spouse to the USA
NVC - National Visa Center
AOS - Affidavit of Support
DS-230 - the visa application

Our timeline:
17-Aug-2011 Our Wedding Day in Kosovo
07-Nov-2011 filed I-130, paid fee at lawyer's office
21-Nov-2011 I-130 received by USCIS this is our "priority date"
28-Nov-2011 case updated (noted on website)
21-Apr-2011 Expected Approval date (5 months)
10-Jun-2012 contacted USCIS via email about delay
22-Jun-2012 email from USCIS - security checks pending
23-Aug-2012 APPROVAL! Finally after 9 months
05-Sep-2012 NVC case created
17-Sep-2012 NVC case number arrived by email
21-Sep-2012 paid AOS and DS-230 fees to lawyer
22-Sep-2012 I leave for my second trip to Kosovo
24-Sep-2012 AOS and Visa fees show as paid online
02-Oct-2012 returned from visit to hubby with signed DS-230
08-Oct-2012 brought papers to lawyer
31-Oct-2012 signed AOS
02-Nov-2012 police cert lost, hubby mails new one
16-Nov-2012 received new police cert in the mail
21-Nov-2012 papers sent to NVC
13-Dec-2012 NVC requests passport photos - resent
10-Jan-2013 CASE COMPLETE!! via email
15-Jan-2013 case leaves NVC (notified by email)
18-Jan-2013 Skopje embassy receives (DHL tracking)
28-Feb-2013 interview - Result_________
xx-xxx-2013 visa issued
xx-xxx-2013 Port of Entry - Chicago O'Hare