I realise this hread is for assistance in wading through the multitude of requirements of the Aus Imigration Service, but I thought it useful for potential partners of Chinese wives to give a little insight on some of the lesser known quirks you will find as you go through this journey.
It is not an exhaustive list, but is a chronicle of what I have found after now being married to Ming for nearly 3 years.....
The good news is that, over time you will get used to them, the bad news is that if you want to change any of them she will smile sweetly, pat you on the head...and do nothing....
1) At least 3 pairs of slippers WILL be placed at any door inside your home, This is likely to extend to 5 or 6 pirs beside the front door. Remember, for a Chinese person, if your bare or stockinged feet touch the
floor...you will die.
2) Various bits of dangly stuff will appear all over the house, they are mainly red in colour and signify the protection you will get for enough food, enough health and enough money, they can be on doors, plants,
bed-heads, mirrors...anywhere.
3) At the slightest hint of rain, wet washing will appear in many places inside your home, if rain falls on washing outside it will be ruined and you will die.
4) There is NO translation from English to Chinese of the words "I am not really hungry, I just want a snack" ALL meals will be full-blown monster productions with snacks taken at hourly intervals between meals.
Snacks are only marginally smaller than full meals.
5) Any left-overs from meals will be kept in the fridge because waste is not allowed. If these remnants begin to glow in the dark, or exit the fridge unassisted, then and only then can they be grudgingly fed to the
dog/cat/parrot.
6) Pets are a waste of time unless they can be eaten. There is no justification to give a pet any more than half a teaspoon of old rice per day.
7) All horizontal surfaces in your home MUST be covered with something....table cloth, old magazines, adverts, bowls of fruit and nuts, purses, bags and the like.
Electricity, Water and gas are magical things that appear from holes in the wall and can be used with gay abandon......turning the oven on high heats the kitchen better than the air-conditioning...showers MUST
take at least 40 minutes.....if you are not squeaky clean...you will die.
9) If you dont get at least 15 phone calls and 25 SMS texts per day, there is something badly wrong with your social circle.
10) All items purchased at the Supermarket will be scrutinised microscopically for flaws, expect to stand around like a shag on a rock whilst this embarasing process is played out, and pretend you are looking for
your wife (who is NOT the one digging to the bottom of the huge pile of oranges looking for the best ones.)
Well, that's the first 10, I will post some more as they come to mind, but right now I need a cold beer and a lie-down !!!