Guangzhou trip for Visa interview

After we submit the petition for fiancee visa on July 2009, got our first package on October 2009, send back documents required on March, and got our second package with our interview schedule, and more documents to fill, and medical exam to be done, and actually getting it all done, we are ready for the interview.

Interview took place at Guangzhou, 2 hours flight from Shanghai, on April 21st, 2010.
We got all of our documents ready, which is the part that really drained my pocket, got our tickets ready, and our stuffs ready to go.

On April 20, I leave office at 2pm, with all the best wishes from my boss, GM and my colleagues to Hongqiao Airport.
The flight is at 17.45, but before that I should got to China Citic Bank to pay for the interview fee (USD131) and get some instant picture done (5cm * 5cm)
I took a bus to the Terminal 1, and arrived there so bloody early.
Walk straight to McDonalds to have lunch (cheeseburger, large french fries, 2chicken wing + 1 coke), and reading my book for a while.
I head to the check in counter, but I find that they will start to let us check in on 16.30, which is still more than 1 hr to go. Bill is not arrived yet.
After smooth process on check in (we pay extra 20RMB/pp to get the front seat on the flight), we go to the security check, and thats when the officer throw away my body lotion -_-". It was 118ml, and they only allow 100ml on the flight, and we didn't get our bags checked in.
We wait on the waiting room for a while, then they call us for boarding.
Our seats is 8B & 8C. It was a cheap flight with Spring Airlines, which is like Air Asia in Indonesia.
The distance between the front seat and yours is very close. That day, I feel so happy that I'm short :)

People are on board, but the weather is getting bad. The flight got cancel for 2 long hours, and people are started to get angry. They are yelling to the steward/ess, and they demand to get off the plane (which of course they can't)
Me and Bill are having fun, we play games on his IPod and also NDS-ing.


Flight finally took off and we arrived in Guangzhou 2 hours later. Exhausted and hungry.
I called the hotel which I already booked just to know that they room has been cancelled because they tried to call me at 21.15, and my phone was turned off, and they will only keep my room till 21.00. Crap !, thats what I thought. But the hotel staff are pretty nice to help me to find another one, not so far away from the consular. So we head there. Home Inns hotel, is a chain hotel in China, cost RMB220/night, cheap and clean.
Must love it.

The bus ride to the city center is crazy. The driver was so determined not to press break at all (or at least thats how it feels), but we arrived safely, grab a cab, then head to the hotel.
It was already 24.00 when we checked in, and head straight to get dinner nearby the hotel.
We got bbq pork and a fried squid with rice. It was so good.

April 21, 2010,
1 am, and I have to wake up in 4 hours to get ready for the interview. I slept really well.
5am, the alarm woke me up, and I go straight to shower, get dressed, check the documents once again, then we head out.
We stop at the convenient store to buy some water, then we taxi to the consular, about 15 mins away from the hotel.
It was only 6am when we arrived, but I'm already the 13th person which stay in line.
As the line grow longer, and diverse into several interview time (mine is at 7.15), finally they check our passport, and our interview invitation letter, and let me in. Bill has to stay outside, which as we agreed, he taxi back to the hotel.

I was only wearing a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers while waiting in line, but interview is an important thing, so I wear my turtle neck while taking the escalator which bring me to the 3rd floor.
I have to wait in line to get my stuffs checked, turned off my phone, and hand them to the security.
Then I got in.

I sat in the chairs provided, on immigrant visa section, wait for my name to be called.
At 9am, they ask all of us to stand up, and all of us should said a sworn, that we will tell the truth during the interview.

It took a while to get my name called, but when they do, I rush to window 14, and hand my documents to the officer, and she hand me a number, 1067.

I got my number called again to get my finger print taken, and they sent me back to my seat again.

I sat for another 1 hours, till they finally called "1067, please go to window 22"
So there I goes.
I got interviewed by a lady, and below is how the interview :

Interviewer (I) : Why are you applying from China ?

Tessa(T) : Because currently I am working from China

I: Where do you work?

T : I work in Indonesian owned company which have a branch in Shanghai, so it's convenient to apply from China

I : What do you do at work ?

T: I report directly to my boss, I do the purchasing, helping the sales team, things like that

I : How do you know ur fiance?

T : He was my classmates back in Beijing, back in 2006

I : Is he been in China all the time ?

T : Yes, he's been in China ever since, and right now he is working in Shanghai, and we've been living together. He only go back to US for holiday

I : Holiday ?

T : yes, such as christmas holiday, summer holiday

I : Ok, Marinska, you visa has been approved, congratulations

T : Thank you !

 

SO I GOT IT !!!!!

A visa to US, fiancee visa !!!

as simple as that :)

I am so happy, I rushed out immediately, got the form to send my passport back filled in, got my phone back and called Bill. :)