Emma and I have been trying to figure out an easy and cheap way to stay in touch (other than email) with all of our family members and friends while we are in Mexico. I was introduced to and used Skype for the first time this past Spring quarter in my Goetechnical Engineering Lab. We used Skype to video chat with a Civil Engineer in Japan. Skype allows you to Instant Message (IM), make free calls, and make free video calls to other Skype members no matter where you or they are.
We recently downloaded Skype and purchased a $40 webcam and gave it a shot. We have talked to our friend Paul who is in England through video call twice and it works well. The only problem that we have found is that if you have a slower/older computer and/or slow internet the video quality you transmit from your webcam will be choppy. In other words, the person on the other side will see a very slow and choppy video. Paul has a new Mac Laptop so the video he was transmitting was amazing, making the video we saw of him perfect.
We will be able to communicate for free with anyone who has skype while we are in Mexico. If you have a webcam you can make free video calls to us anytime you are connected to the internet. If you don't have a webcam or cant purchase one you can use a headset or microphone to make free calls anytime you are connected to the internet. Emma and I plan to post a calender on our blog with days and times that we will be available for free calls through Skype. We will also be posting a calender for regular phone calls for those who wont have access to Skype.
We hope that as many of you as possible can download Skype, create an acount, and try it out so we can hear and hopefully see each other while we are in Mexico. We currently have an account with skype with the screen name jose.emma.mederos. Search our screen name in the directory and give us a ring!
-Jose
Download Skype Free!
Windows: http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/
Mac: http://www.skype.com/download/skype/macosx/
Monday, July 27, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Appointment Date in Mexico
We were just notified of our appointment date in Ciudad Juarez--Monday August 31st, 2009.
Jose needs to get a medical exam in Ciudad Juarez before his Monday appointment,so the latest he can get it is on Thursday August 27, 2009. It looks like we will be flying from San Francisco to Ciudad Juarez on August 26th. This appointment is basically just to confirm that Jose is in Mexico, who he is, and that our marriage is valid. I'm not allowed to attend the appointment. We will be staying with a Mexican family who lives in Ciudad Juarez. The wife is the sister of Mr. Delgado, who I worked with in the Arellanes Junior High English as a Second Language class. The husband is a pastor, and I believe their daughter is 18. They live in a nice area of the city, and according to Mr. Delgado, they have never experienced any violence in their area. They have offered to pick us up and drop us off from everywhere we go.
Once Jose gets his medical exam and has his appointment on Monday, we will fly to Mexico City on Tuesday September 1st. It looks like we may take a bus to Manzanillo, Jalisco, because there is always an 11 hour layover in Mexico City to get to Manzanillo. Our friend Bianca's mother has offered to pick us up from the Mexico City airport, take us to the bus stop, and help us get the correct tickets. It's only 55 dollars per person on a luxury bus from Mexico City to Manzanillo. Then we will take a bus from Manzanillo to La Manzanilla, where we will live in Joelle's house.
Six weeks after Jose's appointment in Ciudad Juarez, he will have another one there again. This will be where he presents all the evidence about our life in the United States, and what would happen to our life if Jose was not allowed to return to the U.S. Here is where all the letters everyone is writing comes in. The immigration officials will read the letters, view pictures of our life in the United States and what our life in Mexico would be like, and look over other documents. The officials will decide if our case is strong enough to let us return quickly or not. Three- five days later, Jose will be mailed his Mexican passport that will either contain a visa to return to the United States or not. If there's no visa, we will be living in Mexico 13-15 months longer, while waiting for the visa. We're preparing for both situations, but hoping to be able to come back quickly!
-Emma
Jose needs to get a medical exam in Ciudad Juarez before his Monday appointment,so the latest he can get it is on Thursday August 27, 2009. It looks like we will be flying from San Francisco to Ciudad Juarez on August 26th. This appointment is basically just to confirm that Jose is in Mexico, who he is, and that our marriage is valid. I'm not allowed to attend the appointment. We will be staying with a Mexican family who lives in Ciudad Juarez. The wife is the sister of Mr. Delgado, who I worked with in the Arellanes Junior High English as a Second Language class. The husband is a pastor, and I believe their daughter is 18. They live in a nice area of the city, and according to Mr. Delgado, they have never experienced any violence in their area. They have offered to pick us up and drop us off from everywhere we go.
Once Jose gets his medical exam and has his appointment on Monday, we will fly to Mexico City on Tuesday September 1st. It looks like we may take a bus to Manzanillo, Jalisco, because there is always an 11 hour layover in Mexico City to get to Manzanillo. Our friend Bianca's mother has offered to pick us up from the Mexico City airport, take us to the bus stop, and help us get the correct tickets. It's only 55 dollars per person on a luxury bus from Mexico City to Manzanillo. Then we will take a bus from Manzanillo to La Manzanilla, where we will live in Joelle's house.
Six weeks after Jose's appointment in Ciudad Juarez, he will have another one there again. This will be where he presents all the evidence about our life in the United States, and what would happen to our life if Jose was not allowed to return to the U.S. Here is where all the letters everyone is writing comes in. The immigration officials will read the letters, view pictures of our life in the United States and what our life in Mexico would be like, and look over other documents. The officials will decide if our case is strong enough to let us return quickly or not. Three- five days later, Jose will be mailed his Mexican passport that will either contain a visa to return to the United States or not. If there's no visa, we will be living in Mexico 13-15 months longer, while waiting for the visa. We're preparing for both situations, but hoping to be able to come back quickly!
-Emma
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