This December Ning and I will have been married for 4 years. The time flies by when you are having fun, as the old saying goes. Our life together has been really good.

I will have to say I think the reason that we are so happy today is that we did take the time to get to really know each other to begin with. We already had a very good understanding on what the other wanted and needed in a relationship.

Since we were so far apart, and also having to deal with immigration, we had the time to learn about each other. The more we learned the more we know that we did find the right person to spend the rest of our lives with.

I consider myself lucky to have found Ning. It might have been half way around the word, but worth everything that it took for us to be together. I am sure that our next 4 years together will be better than our first, and those first 4 years were great!

For a story on Fiance visa to US citizen, just click the link.

To go back to My Thai Wife home page, just click the link.

To check out all the articles under My Story category, just click the link.

October of 2005 Ning came back to the USA with me. She had her fiancée visa and was able to come in the US. We had 90 days to get married before her visa expired.

We were married in December here, and then needed to apply for Ning’s first green card. We used an agency that specialized in immigration to the US to fill out our forms. We also had to have a few thing translated into English from Thai. This helped out the most having this done locally through them.

Ning’s first green card was good for only two years. After that we had to do a new application for her 10-year green card. We went through the same agency we had used earlier for the 2-year card.

Once Ning held a green card for 3 years, she was eligible to become a US citizen. At the time we did her application you can apply 3 months before the 3 years are up. We filled out her application our selves this time.

Ning with her flowers and new computer

Once filed, we got a notice to go and get Ning’s fingerprints done. They gave her material to study for her citizenship test that the time of her finger prints. Then in just over a month Ning had to go take her test. On May 29 2009 Ning passed her test. We are now waiting to get the notice to go to take the oath to be sworn in for her citizenship. They said it will be around 9 weeks to get the notice, but most people that we know that did this told us it will be much less time than that.

Well it was just 6 days after Ning’s test that we received the letter telling us to be at the courthouse to be sworn in. The day of the ceremony we had to be there at 10:30. There was 10 people total taking their oath to be US citizens. Anything went very smooth and the court even had a little rception after wards.

Ning with her citizen papers

It has been our experience thru this process from Fiancée Visa to US Citizenship, if you give the US government everything they ask for, paper wise, and just wait you will have no problems at all. Every one we had dealings with at the Federal Building was very helpful. Over all it was a very easy process to go through.

To read about Cherry Blossoms dating web site, where I meant Ning, just click the link.

To go to My Story page, just click the link.

To go to My Thai Wife home page, just click the link.

I joined Cherry Blossoms in 2003.  Cherry Blossoms is an online dating service and the world’s first international picture personals business.  Cherry Blossoms got their start back in 1974.  They would advertise in different news papers around the USA.  Back then,  if you joined, they would send you catalogs containing ads from different women.  Cherry Blossoms have profiles for women from all corners of the world.

Cherry Blossoms is well established and provide help to obtain a Visa or Visa information for your fiancé or spouse when the time comes to bring you new found love back to the USA.  Their website contains chat rooms and a full service membership gives you unlimited instant messaging and up to 100 emails per day in your profile on Cherry Blossoms site.

Currently, Cherry Blossoms has around 75,000 members looking for that special someone.  Since 1974, Cherry Blossoms has had well over 200,000 men and women who meet and, eventually, get married!

I found the Cherry Blossoms website very easy to use and navigate. Definitely user-friendly.  The process to get entry visa was very straight forward as long as you follow all directions and answer all questions honestly.  It took about six months to get Nings fiancée visa.  I had to start the paperwork here in the USA and then Ning had to go to the US Embassy in Bangkok to get it finished. That is were the US put her visa in her Passport.  When bringing her into the US, she was able to go up to the custom agents post with me.  She had a sealed package that was given to her by the US Embassy when she was granted her entry visa.  It was to be opened by the US customs in the US.

Once she entered the US, we had to be married within 90 days or Ning would have to go back to Thailand.  After we were married,  Ning had to get her Green Card.  This meant many more forms to complete and several interviews.  The first Green Card is only valid for two years.  When that is up she will have to apply for the next Green Card.  The second Green Card is valid for an additional ten years.  At the end of ten years, she will apply for US citizenship and have to take the test that will make her a citizen.

Cherry Blossoms is an excellent information resource to obtain entry Visa for your bride-to-be or bride if you’ve already married her in her country.  The wait time is different, at different times,  for bringing a fiancé or a bride into the states.  It’s a good ideal to check the current processing times.  This will help you decide if it would be more beneficial to marry her in her country or wait and get married in the USA.   When Ning came to the USA, the process was faster for a fiancé than it was for a bride.

Doug & Ning's wedding photo after their 2006 marital ceremony in Thailand

Ning and I were married in Bangkok at the hospital for the monks. The monks do different services for payment to help with the cost of medical care.

After our Thailand marriage, Ning’s family really opened up to me. I have never felt out of place with Ning’s family, but when we made them part of our marriage that really made me one of them, too.

I would recommend Cherry Blossoms to anyone interested in meeting women from different lands.

To read about when Ning and I chatted for first time, just click the link.

To go to My Story posts page, just click the link.

To go to My Thai Wife home page, just click the link.

]]> http://my-thaiwife.com/cherry-blossoms-dating-web-site/feed/ 2 http://my-thaiwife.com/travel-to-thailand-my-wifes-home-country/ http://my-thaiwife.com/travel-to-thailand-my-wifes-home-country/#comments Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:28:05 +0000 Thai Traveler http://my-thaiwife.com/?p=239

Thailand Buddha

In October 2004, after all the online chats; tons of IMs and calling card phone calls, I decided to travel to Thailand to meet my future wife, Ning.

My plane was due to arrive at Don Muang Airport outside of Bangkok, Thailand at 11:50 PM.  My connecting flight out of Narita International Airport in Japan was 3 hours late. I did not get out of customs till 3:30. This was the only problem I had during my travel to Thailand.  This was on a Sunday night and all of my wife’s family that came to greet me had to go to work that very morning.  Even with this, I have to say this was the friendliest bunch of people I have ever met. I knew, then, that my travel to Thailand was going to be very special.

U.S. citizens staying for less than 30 days do not need a Visa to travel to Thailand. You must have a passport and may be asked to show an onward/return ticket.  Effective Oct. 1, 2006, persons entering Thailand without a Visa will be allowed to stay in Thailand for 30 days per visit.  The total number of days in Thailand for persons who enter Thailand without a Visa cannot exceed 90 days during any 6 month period. Travelers must pay a Passenger Service Charge in Thai Baht when departing from any of Thailand’s International Airports. There are all kinds of Thailand travel deals online. The only Thailand travel warning you will find is about the 3 south most provinces that border Malaysia.

My accommodations in Thailand was at Amari Hotel by the airport for my first night in Thailand.  My wife-to-be was back at my hotel at 7:30 in the morning. For the remainder of my first Thailand trip, we moved from the Amari to the Novotel Hotel outside of Bangkok.

After my first trip to Thailand, Ning and I stayed at the D.C. Palace Hotel.  D.C. Palace is located in the business and entertainment district of Samut Prakan. This province, just outside Bankok is were most of Ning’s family lives.

During my first trip to Thailand, Ning’s family took me to the old Capital in Ayutthaya, Thailand.  Ning and I made several trips into Bangkok to see several Wats (Temples) and the Grand Palace.  Bangkok is packed with places to visit. We also went down to island of Ko Chang and stayed for 3 days and 2 nights at Chang Park Resort & Spa.

Asian food… Thailand has the best!  Thailand is unique for it’s selection of seafood and different fruits native to the land. Thailand food varies from not spicy at all to very spicy.  There is food to satisfy all tastes.  Many Thai people make their living as street vendors.  Take a walk down any street in Thailand and marvel at the different varieties of food and drink available.

So far, I have been to Thailand four times.  My wife, Ning, came back to the USA with me in October 2005.  Our future plans are to return to Thailand for our retirement.  I must say that every time I was there I felt very much welcome by all that I had contact with.  My wife’s family treats me as one of their own now.  The turning point was after Ning and I went back to Thailand and had a Thai wedding in December 2006.  Family is very important to Thai people. They are very proud of their culture.  Besides family, the two most important things to Thai people are their King and Buddha.

If you ever get the opportunity to tour Thailand, don’t pass it up!  Tourism is one of Thailand’s main businesses.  Thai’s will see that you are taken care of.  Thailand is known as The Land of Smiles.  Thailand weather is warm to very hot. Summer in Thailand is very hot and in the winter if you go north it will cool down a lot at night. Remember to pack a light jacket. The best time to travel Thailand is anytime.

To go to My Story post page, just click the link.

To go to My Thai Wife home page, just click the link.

May 2004 is the first time that I chatted with My Thai wife. It was on the Cherry Blossoms web site. I

Doug and Ning

had already seen Ning’s profile and happened to see that she was on line in a chat room. So I thought that I would say hello. Over the next few days we ran into each other on Cherry Blossoms and spent more time chatting.

Later we started chatting on Yahoo and things grew from there. Ning and I spent a lot of time chatting and talking on the phone. Finally after 6 months I made my first trip to Thailand to meet her and get to know her family. After my second trip to Thailand, I started the paper work for Ning’s Fiancee Visa.

Read about how Ning became My Thai Wife, and about our trips back to Thailand. Traveling Thailand with locals is always much better than just being another foreigner going to well traveled tourist sights. Not that they are not worth seeing, but it is good to get off of the beaten path sort of speaking.

You will also find recipes here that Ning will teach you how to cook some delicious Thai food. If you like food with some spice to it, Thai food will be a favorite with you for sure. Ning will show you some dishes too that will not be spicy, this way you still can enjoy the taste of Thai food without the hot spice.

Hope that you like what you see here at My Thai Wife web site. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to just drop us a line or post a comment on any of the posts here. Thanks for visiting us here.

To read about my first trip to meet Ning, Travel to Thailand my wifes home country, just click the link.

To go to My Story Posts, just click the link.

To go to My Thai Wife home page, just click the link.