I know this isn't...

utopiacowboy says on Feb 7, 2005, 11:46:

I have a question. Why would you ask a bunch of perfect strangers for advice on your relationship? I have received email from people telling me that listening to advice on this forum was the worst thing they have ever done.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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N2Aquatix says on Feb 7, 2005, 11:50:

Experiences not advice My experience is that listening to other people's advice is usually a bad thing in general, but learning from other people's experiences is an entirely different thing altogether. ;-)

Jay

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ARMacleod says on Feb 7, 2005, 11:52:

Nothing but good vibes I have only known one Colombian lady (In the biblical sense) and from a living together point of view. I hate to say this but she beats the hell out of anyone that I have ever met. In every way. Gringo or otherwise. But then again, I am prejudiced.

I love her.

I know her friends and relations fairly well and from that point of view, they all seem to be a little special in some way. But then again, I am prejudiced.

I love their friend.

Being of unsound mind and dubious disposition, I cannot be held legally liable for any indiscretions."¡El diablo me hizo hacerlo!" But don't worry, be happy.

The brain is like a parachute, it only functions correctly when it is open. Pax vobiscum.

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N2Aquatix says on Feb 7, 2005, 12:00:

Thanx for your input James. My lady seems to be very special indeed. She would hardly let me do anything for her until I insisted by saying, "Hey, I'm only going to be here for a few days, so you might as well let me take us some places." Then she reluctantly agreed to let me spoil her, which I did! Hehehe ;-)

Jay

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Lionheart says on Feb 7, 2005, 12:07:

why asking for personal advice doesn't work Aside from UC's comment, which is true as well, why would you trust people you don't know personally? I don't trust 3/4 of my family, my ex's, and most of my "friends."

But my point is very different: No two people are the same, nobody else here is like you, and nobody else here is like your girlfriend. At least I hope not, because then you would be clones. so your relationship is special and unique, and only you two can make it work.

The only advice here is stereotyping, generalizing, and based on some stranger's experience. Personal affairs and love shouldn't be influenced this way in my opinion. It is different if you ask about culrtural traditions for marriage, school, shopping, or killing somebody. Travel and work experiences from people who experienced that themselves is valuable. It is also good to know how to hold up a bus, pick a pocket, mug a granny, and knife a neighbor ... or how to avoid that.

Nevertheless, I wish you a lot of success with your girlfriend, and wish me good luck too. I ain't darn listening to advice in regards of my novia, and I reckon I wear rosa glasses according to some, but I am a stubborn ol' mule ... Cali here I come, and Elmo, shush

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N2Aquatix says on Feb 7, 2005, 12:23:

Thanx, and good luck Lionheart Hmmm......I guess maybe I didn't state the objective clearly enough. I will attempt to clarify. Obviously there are many people on here with many different experiences. Through learning about other people's experiences I have in the past educated myself on matters ahead of time. I'm just wondering if there are some huge gigantic diffences here other than the obvious ones that any moron could plainly see, i.e. third world country, very traditional society, some obvious poverty issues, strong family ties, etc., etc. ;-)

Jay

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Lionheart says on Feb 7, 2005, 12:55:

Many differences I haven't been to Colombia yet. But from traveling and living in many countries I learned one (sometimes hard) lesson. I'll translate a German expression that tells it best: Der Teufel steckt im Detail = The devil is in the details.

Like you I normally try to find out as much as possible about my travel goal. Which is how I wound up here. I would recommend doing searches in the threads using the Google search on the top right of the page. Many of the posts show big differences. But no matter how much you read, the real experience happens when you are there in person.

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N2Aquatix says on Feb 7, 2005, 13:04:

Lionheart Yeah, I agree. I went down there to meet her last fall and it was an awesome experience. I found her to be very sincere and really honorable. It was like a breath of fresh air. I guess in a way I'm wondering if other people's experiences were similar. There seem to be a lot of negative posts on this site regarding marriage between a citizen of the USA and a Colombian national. My gut instinct tells me that a lot of the confusion has resulted from people who set their sights too high then get dissappointed which is fairly common anywhere in the world.

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 7, 2005, 13:33:

N2Aquatix, now you're talking! I met my wife about two years ago and we have been married a year and a half. It's a dream come true - the most harmonious and blissful relationship that I have ever known. Everybody likes to post about the cultural differences and the linguistic difficulties and how hard it is and blah, blah, blah....

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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N2Aquatix says on Feb 8, 2005, 03:34:

Red Tape I really appreciate all of the information that you have passed along UC. It will be very helpful as I muddle through the red tape of bringing my girl here to the states. She seems very mature for her age, but still loads of fun to be around, and all of her mannerisms are very cute. She is truly the most adorable woman I have ever met. I'll try not to bug you too much with 10,000 questions about the immigration process, but please try to understand that for those of us who have not been through it, it can seem a bit over-whelming at times. A lot of the information on the websites is conflicting so it really helps to talk to someone with experience. Thanks again. ;-)

Jay

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utopiacowboy says on Feb 8, 2005, 12:23:

Fire away, dude! There's always someone here who's been through it. I know exactly what you mean about "cute" Sometimes my wife does something and I think, "How is it that she is even roaming the earth? She is just too damm cute!"

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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N2Aquatix says on Feb 8, 2005, 23:07:

Bureaucratic BS Thanx buddy. It looks like your suggestion regarding marriage down there followed by filing the I-130 here may be the way to go for me. I'll have to look into the details involved, but it looks like it may be the most promising scenario to avoid a bunch of the red tape. Buying plane tickets is no problem, I just don't have a lot of patience when it comes to governmental bureaucratic BS! ;-)

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lpdiver says on Feb 9, 2005, 05:50:

But Cowboy... It is hard. It stays hard. We BOTH enjoy that.

LMAO

Antony

"cook some rice!"

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N2Aquatix says on Feb 9, 2005, 05:57:

Hehehe Alright, alright.........you guys are killin me! I gotta get back down there quick!!! ;-)

Jay

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