Two years ago, on my way here in the US, one of my stop over was Hawaii. That time I kept wondering how beautiful this place is because everytime I hear people talk about it, they always mention the word "paradise".  Out of curiosity, I made a promise to myself that one day I will go there to see what this place really looks like and just learn everything about it.

I have been away from my computer this past few weeks because my husband finally took me to Hawaii for my Valentines present. Actually, he was gonna see somebody he knew from there and so he just kind of like brought us with him because he was gonna stay there for a week anyways, might as well have a family vacation with us.

Kona, Hawaii is specifically the place we went to. It is also called " the big island " . It takes 7-8 hours flight to get there that's why when we got to our hotel we were all exhausted including our 13 months old baby.

Hawaii is a tropical island which is sort of like the Philippines except for the pollution matter. It's not surprising really since Hawaii is a US territory that's why it's so clean and well maintained.  I'm actually surprised that 13.6 % of the Hawaiian population are Filipinos which has the highest rate compared to others.

We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel which is by the way a great hotel to stay at. We really like the location and the fact that it's by the ocean with a huge swimming pool, jacuzzi and slides is just so perfect for us. My baby really likes the 10 cm graveled pool and it's fountains. They also have rooms with a terrace  overlooking the ocean which is really nice.

The people are nice except some of these folks who work at some chains or hotel stores. A lot of these people that we encountered there were kinda rude and just mean. I don't know what their problem were but they're just really mean like they were intimidated by us. They should even be more polite and hospitable since we were tourists there and as far as I know, tourism is the main source of income of most people in Hawaii so I really expected way too much friendliness from them from the very beginning and I hate to say that it's one of the things that really disappointed me from our vacation. I guess you can always find these kind of people anywhere in the world. It's just that you wouldn't expect meanness from people who are trying to make money from their customers.

Another disappointing thing too about the big island is the limited number of beaches. We went to a few but it's too rocky and there's not even any white sands at all which they are famous for on the other island, Oahu. There probably are a few too but we just didn't find it.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the "way too high" price of everything in Hawaii. Hey, what would I expect from a tourist place, right?  In terms of foods, there's not so many cheap restaurants there. But you know they said, you can always eat  anything you want when you're on vacation and not worrying about the price.

With all the disappointments I have, there's actually a bunch of other nice things about Hawaii which I won't post here because there's just way too many to mention. The only thing I can say is that, it's worth going there although, if we have to go back there, I'd go to Maui or Honolulu. I bet it's nicer there coz it's more famous I guess.

I was surprised today to see the list of countries that has the most number of illegal aliens here in the US. It showed that there are 270,000 illegal Filipinos here in America. Really when you think about illegal immigrants, you will usually think of Mexicans.
The top largest group is from Central America with Mexico on the the number one spot and Philippines took the 5th place.

It's hard to believe that the fifth largest illegal aliens are from the other side of the world. I wonder how they got here because I know from my own experience that it's not easy to get a visa to leave the Philippines to come to the US. Maybe some of them have a Tourist Visa or Work Visa and just never went back. They can't walk or drive across the border like Central Americans do.

I have read in some forums too about Filipinas who got scammed or just played by an American. The American guy promised to marry them when they get here but once she's here everything just changed because the guy has another girlfriend or the relationship just didn't work out, etc. The girl now is searching for options whether to stay in the US or not. A lot of them have asked what to do to legally  stay here in the US without marrying their petitioner although, they came here via K-1 Visa which is so impossible because with K-1 Visa, the beneficiary is supposed to marry the petitioner within 90 days of her arrival otherwise, she has to go back to her country so she won't be out of status and be addressed as an illegal alien and get deported if caught. Once deported, he/she will be banned to travel back to the US for up to ten years.

How do they get a job though? As far as I know, the law requires employers to get proof of legal ability to work in the US like Proof of Citizenship, Work Permit or a Greencard.

Although, I keep wondering how these people did it, I'm certain that they all have thier own valid reasons why they choosed to stay here ilegally and I respect that. Valid but still unexcuseable  and scary because they are violating the law.

Since we moved down here in Colorado we try to influence ourselves to outdoor activities as means of exercise. Last year, we came down here to visit and my husband's son and his girlfriend took us Climbing at the Red Rocks. When I looked at how steep the rock was, I hesitated at first but then my ego kicked in and I didn't wanna be embarrassed and be called a chicken, I fearlessly started to hit the rock and grab anything I can hold on to with my hand. Although it was scary, it was actually very safe because of the gears that they let us use.

The rock was probably 75 feet in height and for a first time climber, it's pretty high. I actually almost got to the top but I chickened out and decided to come down because my legs were already shaking. I was scared that I might have peed on my pants that time:)). At least I've learned some climber lingo which I already forgot, peace. It's weird that I felt the fear of climbing when, when I was in the Philippines, I used to climb the mountains a lot on the way to my grandpa's farm. Well I guess it was easier there whereas here, you are literally climbing a rock.

Rock climbing is kinda cool. It does really make you sweat not just from the heat or the exercise itself but the feeling of fear especially when you are getting farther and farther from the ground. Gravity is something that everybody should be scared of. This kind of activities are not that easy and even with the gears, there is still a chance for these gears to malfunction so, you just really gotta have to be always careful everytime you do this kinda stuff.

I filed and submitted my I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjustment of Status a month after me and my husband got married in year 2008. We organized our forms in one folder and put tabs on each contents so they can be easily found.

The Package contained the following requirements:

·        Cover Page titled “Immediate Relative (Spouse) Family Based Adjustment of Status signed by me stapled in the folder’s front outside cover.

·        Cover Letter titled “Petition for Adjustment of Status” signed by my husband fastened at the folder’s front inside Cover.

·        A check worth $930 for the I-485 fee and another $80 check for Biometrics paid to the “Department of Homeland Security” or “DHS”.

·        I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status filled up online signed by me using my married name.

·        Photocopy of my Philippine Passport (biographical page as well as entry stamps).

·        One  photocopy of my K-1 Visa from my passport.

·        One  photocopy of my NOA2.

·        One  front and back photocopy of my I-94.

·        One  photocopy of my NSO Birth Certificate.

·        One  Original copy of our marriage certificate.

·        Two white background passport type photos of me with my full name on the back. We put them inside a plastic bag labeled with “Photo of  (my name)” and we placed it behind the form G-325a.

·        One  Copy of form G-325a  signed by me.

·        One  Copy of my I-693 Vaccination Sheet.

·        I-864, Affidavit of Support form signed by my husband.

·        Husband’s 2007 Tax Return.

We didn’t file an Application for Employment Authorization because my husband didn’t want me to work back then.  On the other hand, we filed an Application for Travel Document and we actually received the Advanced Parole 2 months after we sent our I-131 application which was good for one year and is now expired and we didn’t even get to use it.

We received a mail from the USCIS for my biometrics appointment around 5 months after filing the I-485 application.

September 2008, we drove three hours all the way to Charleston South Carolina for my Biometrics. The Charleston USCIS office is located at Suite 130, 1 Poston Road, Charleston, SC, 29407.  I brought with me my Notice of Appointment, Passport and  Marriage Certificate (photocopy is ok but bringing an original copy was advised.)

After passing the security check, we went inside and got a number. When my number was called at the counter, they gave me a form (which I unfortunately forgot what type/kind) that I  needed to fill out. After filling it out, I gave it  back to the attending lady at the counter and I waited again for whatever was next to be done since the lady just told me to just sit back down.

When they finally called my name again, this time it was already the guy who called me and asked me to sign something. After that, he assisted me throughout the entire fingerprinting process.  When it was done, he took a picture of me and then that was it.

Meanwhile, for almost six months of waiting, my 2 years Greencard arrived in the mail and that was another big day for me.

Now that I have my driver's permit, I started my driving lessons today instructed by my dear husband. Adjusting the seat up towards the wheel was the first thing we did because I couldn't see the road. Reaching the gas and brakes was a problem to me as well. I guess that's what I get from being a 4 footer, lol.

Today, I learned a lot about how to turn and where and when to stop. The problem though is, I easily panic everytime there's a moving car towards me. This is so new to me because I haven't tried driving before. There's really not much people of my age in our province who learns how to drive so, if I was still living there until now, I'd be the first one.

It was a mixed emotions while on the road. There's a lot of excitement and fear. I'm scared that I might hit someone or those cars parking on the side of the road. I kept asking my husband every now and then how to estimate the perfect distance between my car and somebody else's car because everytime I look at them, they seem to be far but then, my husband kept telling me that I'm getting really close to them and might even hit them if I won't move quickly away from them.

We practiced driving just by the neighborhood so there's not really that much traffic which is good coz I still have a lot of things to know for sure about driving and I want to be confident first on these roads before I start practicing on the busy highways.

I'm just so thankful that my husband is such a great, calm instructor otherwise, I'd be more scared coz nobody can focus with a yelling instructor next to you. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll do better. I'm getting so anxious already to confidently drive on my own. I just don't want to bother my husband all the time when he's at work to take me to the store everytime I'm bored and want to get away from the house for an hour or something.

Colorado DMV was fully packed with crowds today. We got there at around 1:30 pm and my name was called at 3:50 pm which really was a long wait. At the counter, the lady there asked me for a valid identification document and I handed her my State ID. I told her that I wanted to take the test for the driver's permit. She then gave me a test paper and told me to come back to her after I get it all answered. The questions were pretty easy, thank God. I was surprised about the test paper because most of my friends said that mostly you take your test on a computer.

There were actually three computers there by the waiting area and I really thought it was that said computer where you take your test but it wasn't. I'm still wondering until now what it was for.

It was a 25 item test and unfortunately I only got 23 correct answers which is still a passing grade. I may haven't perfected it but just the fact that I passed that test on my first attempt felt really good.

After I finished answering all the questions, I handed it back to her. She scored my test paper and told me that I passed it. She asked me to step forward closer to the eye test machine and had me read the letters that showed up on the screen. Then, she said that all that's left for me to do was to pay 14 something dollars for the permit and I'll be all set. The lady by the photo section asked for my signature and took my picture. Lastly, she gave me a temporary card and punched a hole in my State Id.

So, that's all we did today. It just made me so happy that I finally got my driver's permit and I can already start my driving lessons anytime now.

I know that there's a lot of people right now who are going through this roller coaster ride kinda feeling because of all the wait getting approved with their K-1 Visa Petition. Until now, I still can't believe that I'm already here in the USA with my husband together with the new addition of our family, our son.

I could still feel the morning breeze as well as the crowing of the chicken outside our apartment in the Philippines that morning when I got up and received one of the best news ever. My husband, then fiance, woke me up with his phone call at around 8:00 A.M telling me that our petition was approved. I can't believe how excited I was that time that it even made me jump up and down my bed. I thought, "Well, this is it. I'm really getting closer to the day that I'm gonna be with my fiance, forever". Thirteen days later, we found our appointment dates online and another eleven days after that, I received the packet 4 from the Embassy. The packet 4 contained documents from the embassy including the letter of appointment and some forms that I needed to fill up and bring with me to the Consulate during my interview.

I was so nervous but at the same time, there was this undescribeable feeling of excitement deep within that I just really can't explain. I then started gathering all the required documents that I needed to have with me for my medical and interview in Manila.

Two months later after that, was my medical and the following week was my interview which I have actually posted already in my previous posts.. It was such a nerve-wracking but really exciting moment of my life. Matter of fact, it's a Dream Come True especially when my visa arrived in our hotel room and I even thought about making a humungous copy of it, put it in a frame and put it up on our living room wall.

I think it is a lot different when you are finally together with your fiance/husband because you wouldn't really be that anxious anymore about any approvals especially with immigration stuffs compared to when you were still in your country waiting for that special moment, for that golden letter of appointment from the embassy. So, I guess the only thing you need to do while waiting for the approval of your petition is relax and just keep in mind that no matter what, you will be together with the love of your life.