Havana, Cuba

[KJG]

Avana.....weekend trips are awesome......like you said people do it to vegas and to new york city...etc.....and I tell you it is alot quicker to cuba than it is to vegas!!!! Until this year I only had 3 weeks paid holidays so it was work alot of overtime to accumulate extra days off....this year I got 4 weeks and I am still running a week short!!! My boss does not like me to be gone at the end of the month or the beginning of the month so sometimes it is hard...this time it was like I am taking the first week of October off .....my husband has the interview and I am going......he was cool with that.....not much he could say really cause I didn't ask!!!!

That is a very cute idea your husband has....I like it.

Yes your flights out of Montreal are not so much as Toronto that is for sure.

October 4th.....my 3rd child's (2nd son) birthday....hoping it brings us like.....and yes there is nothing like a Cuba countdown going on. The past three years I have lived for them.......like I said this past few months were the toughest because I did not have a predetermined date so it was like double the agony waiting...but all is good....amazing how one phone call can change lives......

I have to say if someone told me 4 years ago what was ahead for me I would have thought they were "loco"....but I have learned in the past three years never to say "never" again.....!!!!

 

[TSauretBaxter]

KJG I didn't know you had 4 kids either!! You're busy!

When I first met my husband two years ago.. I would have never thought this would be our journey. What a struggle and a roller coaster! You have to take a leap of faith sometimes!! As difficult as it has been sometimes.. I wouldn't trade it.. and it certainly makes life more interesting!

 

[KJG]

KJG I didn't know you had 4 kids either!! You're busy!

When I first met my husband two years ago.. I would have never thought this would be our journey. What a struggle and a roller coaster! You have to take a leap of faith sometimes!! As difficult as it has been sometimes.. I wouldn't trade it.. and it certainly makes life more interesting!

TSB....you are so right about this being the ride of a lifetime....up and down and all around and the odd loop de loop..that is for sure and like you I wouldn't change it for the world!!! .

 

[TSauretBaxter]

TSB....you are so right about this being the ride of a lifetime....up and down and all around and the odd loop de loop..that is for sure and like you I wouldn't change it for the world!!! .

But just to be clear.. the ride can stop anytime! lol So glad you'll be getting off soon!!

 

[KJG]

But just to be clear.. the ride can stop anytime! lol So glad you'll be getting off soon!!

hahaha...I agree 100% on that........yes I can't wait to be in control of my destiny again....LOL

 

[sassylassie]

Good Morning everyone!!

TSauretBaxter...OMG your spouse will be here tomorrow!!! Congrats! I hope you have the most amazing reunion!

KJG 4 kids?! Bless you!!! : )

Avana:
So I met my husband last year when I took my mom away for my birthday. I had not had a vacay away since 2008 and really needed one. There was supposed to be a group of 10 of us. Slowly as booking time came everyone backed out for one reason or another. We had all planned to go to Jamaica. I was torn between not going at all and going on vacation alone. I felt strongly that I needed to get away so I booked a one week to Cuba (never been before) but have been to many other all-inclusive Caribbean resorts. At the last min mom was able to get the time off work so I bought her a ticket and she came.
My husband worked on the resort that we went to. At first we were just chatting about music, dancing and Cuban life. I felt a strong connection to him but of course tried to ignore it and be realistic. When it came time for me to go home I requested that we find a way to stay in touch. And that we did, like every day.
That was in November and I went back in December (my Christmas gift from my boss). I am very lucky. He said he could see that I needed to go back to see someone. At first I tried to deny it. I asked to go meet his family and see his town that December.
From there we just built our relationship through calls, texts and visits.
As you guys know only we can know ourselves the genuineness of a relationship. At first my family was supportive but of course concerned about the heartache and distance we would face. My mother already knew him and liked him. When the rest of my family and friends met him and saw us together that first time they were all convinced too.
I would have to say, if his English was not as good as it was then our relationship would not be a relationship today. My Spanish is very basic, and I need a man who can challenge me and be on the same level as me. That is hard when there is a language barrier.

Of course there are more details to our meeting story…but this is the basic story : ) What about you???? How did you meet your man?

Avana...how do you find your flights? Do you use a website? I just looked and saw Cubana Air does fly from Toronto! Whooo hoo! I always wanted to get away for a long weekend, but I always booked online with flightcentre and only see flights through Air Canada, Sunwing and Air Transat. You have given me renewed hope!!!! Seriously I am like Can I get away for the weekend before the baby is born??? I know I know I should not fly in the last trimester...but damn I am tempted.

One question I wanted to ask you guys.....what is the process for staying in your spouse’s home after marriage? When I was at the consulate they said "oh you just fly on the visitor’s visa and when you land go to the immigration office to switch your visa?!" to me this seems risky non? Anyone had experience with this? BTW the 25KG talk earlier in the week scared the crap outta me. How am I to travel with a baby for 3 months on only 25kg?!? Are they going to charge me for having all those diapers?!? Grrrrr

Oh and yes....it sounds like we are on the same page with $1000 plus phone bills, again we have found ways to curve that.

Ok one more question....application related.....on the top of the sponsorship form it asked if you are not approved do you want to cancel the application and have all fees minus $75 refunded?!? I choose no, continue with the application. Just wanted to get your thoughts on this. Does this mean they will still review his application and may give him perm residence based on his own merits? Just curious how you guys handled this question. To be honest I am not concerned about the approval part. There are really no reasons for them to deny me. I make well over the min. At this point live alone and have no one else to support, and have never sponsored someone.

Ok ladies have a fantastic day!!!

 

[KJG]

Hey SassyLassie.....sounds like a famaliar story....LOL......but like you my husband speaks very good english and that definetly was a big factor in our relationship.....and it is important that you challenge one another and have some common interests for sure....

And with respect to the 25kg....diapers are exempt!!! Believe it or not they are it is at the bottom of the page....LOL....but I have a friend arriving back from Cuba this weekend and she took extra luggage and I have another friend arriving back on Monday and she took extra luggage....they both fly into Varadero so I will find out if they are hitting the tourists at all or just the cuban nationals.........

So to stay at your spouse's residence when you fly in.....that day or the next if it is a weekend you go down to the local immigration officer and pay $40 or $50 cuc and they put a little sticker on the back of your tourist visa......you have to bring your passport and your husband must bring his id card......so no worries there........it is time consuming but not hard

And yes you checked the correct box.....what it basically means is if they say you are not eligble to sponsor the file still goes to Havana for processing and in the meantime you can try and clear up about why they said you are ineligble...so it is better to do this otherwise the file just gets shipped back to you and once you clear up the problem you start all over again.

Hope that helps!!!!!

 

[sassylassie]

KJG

Perfect! I was worried about the diapers lol!

Please keep us posted on your friends when they return. My husbands cousin who is an american citizen (left cuban in the 1980's) told me he thinks it is really just being enforced on Cuban Nationals.

Thank you for the explanation on the family visa and the application question.

So how many days till you leave ? : )
I am jealous of all of you!

 

[KJG]

KJG

Perfect! I was worried about the diapers lol!

Please keep us posted on your friends when they return. My husbands cousin who is an american citizen (left cuban in the 1980's) told me he thinks it is really just being enforced on Cuban Nationals.

Thank you for the explanation on the family visa and the application question.

So how many days till you leave ? : )
I am jealous of all of you!

10 days = 245 hours till I see my husband's smiling face and get to taste his sweet lips.......can you tell what is on my mind

 

[sassylassie]

10 days = 245 hours till I see my husband's smiling face and get to taste his sweet lips.......can you tell what is on my mind

Oh my KJG! We do not have to guess what is on your mind you smiley with the waging tongue demonstrates it all!!!

 

[KJG]

Oh my KJG! We do not have to guess what is on your mind you smiley with the waging tongue demonstrates it all!!!

well aren't you just the sassylassie!!!

 

[ccunnington]

well aren't you just the sassylassie!!!

hmmm...i wonder what you and hubby will be doing soon!!!!

 

[KJG]

hmmm...i wonder what you and hubby will be doing soon!!!!

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

 

[ccunnington]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Wait...let me guess....you're going to a quilting bee!!!

 

[KJG]

Wait...let me guess....you're going to a quilting bee!!!

actually cuban cooking lessons.....