Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Middle East and North Africa	Any Egypt Embassy interview experience???	Thank you all for your help. I feel so much better now as we can have some sort of idea what to expect in his interview. I pray every day that all things go well for us. And thank you Mohamed and Mounir I pray that you both will get your visa's soon and all things go well for you. Thanks again and take care	JeniLovesMarwan	Female	Egypt	2009-11-26 21:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	Any Egypt Embassy interview experience???	Hi all. I am the USC and I lived with my husband in Egypt for 7 months and we filed the petition DCF and I am now back in the states. My husband will have his visa interview December 22, I was just wondering if anyone had any experience they could share with us as far as what my husband can expect at his interview. Like what documents, prove of relationship, questions they may ask him things like that. If everyone seems to be going through AP and how long it is taking to recieve visas after the interview. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much	JeniLovesMarwan	Female	Egypt	2009-11-25 17:19:00
Middle East and North Africa	Supporting your s/o through the big change...	Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been on the board in a few days and now I see that there a ton of posts. I'm actually getting ready to head out but I wanted to say that I am thankful for all of the wonderful insight some of you have given me. Will elaborate later and respond to specifics.... but just wanted to let you know that your effort has not went unappreciated! Thanks.... be back in awhile!	hayati	Female	Egypt	2009-07-24 10:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	Supporting your s/o through the big change...	QUOTE (Betsy El Sum @ Jul 19 2009, 03:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Really Kentucky is not bad especially if you are moving to Louisville or Lexington. I PROMISE I have all my teeth AND wear shoes. Haha... I'm from Kentucky.... born and raised (well until college which wasn't too incredibly long ago!). I am not from Lexington or Louisville however. Think small rural area on the border of TN. I believe out of the 13,000 residents of the area 4 were Arab... me, my Dad, and my two brothers! Haha, kidding but not by much... I honestly doubt the number of Arabs went into double digits. What area are you from? I believe we'll probably move to Lexington as UK is my top law school right now. I know there is/was a decently sized Arab community (my parents went to EKU so they were part of the Arab network back in the day) but I don't know much about getting in contact with them. He's not afraid of Kentucky at all. He doesn't know the stereotypes. He just sees pictures of beautiful mountains...	hayati	Female	Egypt	2009-07-19 16:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	Supporting your s/o through the big change...	So we're about to embark on the K1 journey. We've finally made our decision as to how we're going to approach our situation and have consulted with my parents for their approval (because they will have to do the affidavit of support since I'm currently working in Egypt where the salary sucks!). We've made the decision. He would much rather we stay in Egypt and start our lives together here... however law school is my dream and he says it would be selfish of him to come in the way of that. So off to the US we go (eventually.... we'll see how long this process takes...). Anyway, now that we've made the decision I can tell that he's getting scared and worried. Sometimes I wonder if he's hesitant even, though he insists that this is what he wants to do - he can't live without me. I've been away from home for awhile... and my Dad went through the same process (immigrated from Egypt to the US) so I have seen how hard it is to live so far from your family. It's heartbreaking. A (we'll call him "A") is really accomplished in Egypt. For his age he has many years of really good professional experience (he's an engineer) and is constantly climbing the ladder and gaining new experiences. He has so many friends and of course his family is here. He has 2 apartments and... well basically, here he is taking a huuuuuge leap and hoping that everything works out. He's afraid people won't like him in America (I assured him this isn't true). He's afraid he won't be able to adapt to the culture there (he's pretty traditional and religious, though surprisingly somewhat liberal....eh, maybe more moderate than liberal but still...). We'll also be moving to Kentucky which... well... that might be an even bigger adjustment than larger US cities. His parents are making things worse.... complaining to him that he is leaving them to die alone. He's afraid he won't be able to find employment and refuses to work at a gas station or McDonalds or something like that. It would be degrading to him since he's worked 9 years as an engineer. I understand that. He's just afraid he will be a failure and I can understand how frightening this experience is for him. So my question is... did you guys experience similar situations? If so, how did you deal with it and help to support your honey? It breaks my heart, to the point of tears, to know that he's doing all of this for me.... and it's causing him so much frustration and anguish and fear. I trust that, though it might be hard getting through the paper work, adjusting, finding jobs and establishing ourselves, in the end things will work out and he will love it (every time my Dad comes to Egypt he misses the US about 2 weeks into his stay). He of course doesn't have the insight that I have... Suggestions? (Sorry this was long... it's like a post/question/vent haha).	hayati	Female	Egypt	2009-07-19 13:46:00
Middle East and North Africa	How to send I-864 papers to my Egyptian husband	QUOTE (JeniLovesMarwan @ Oct 4 2009, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hello I just recently returned to the US after staying 6 months in Egypt with my husband. We just filed the petition DCF and now we are trying to get all things together for the packet 3 for my husband to return to the Embassy. Im getting all the I-864 forms and tax returns together. I was wondering if anyone knew the quickest, safest, cheapest way for me to send all these papers to my husband in Egypt from the US. Thanks so much Do not send via regular mail! It might make it... and it might not! Check with your husband to see what office is easiest for him to access. We have DHL, FedEx, and SkyNet here. I would recommend looking into sending it directly to the office and having your husband pick it up from there rather than having them deliver to the door. That way you can ensure your husband gets it quicker. It cost me 50 dollars to send the I-129F petition from Egypt to the US... but I have a feeling it might be cheaper the other way around, insha'allah. GOOD LUCK!	hayati	Female	Egypt	2009-10-07 14:33:00
Middle East and North Africa	Iey da, Vermont?!	QUOTE (Cheryl & Medo @ Oct 7 2009, 03:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wow that was fast. Congrats! So fast! I'm in shock and disbelief... and not gonna lie, a little confused too!	hayati	Female	Egypt	2009-10-07 14:30:00
Middle East and North Africa	Iey da, Vermont?!	So, we filed our fiance visa in August... it was received by USCIS (Vermon center) at the end of August... around the 18th or so. I wasn't expecting to hear back on the case until January because the time line and wait time on USCIS's website says 5 months... so thrilled that my fiance was approved for a tourist visa in December, we haven't really thought much about the fiance visa since. Well today... I got an email that said the petition has been APPROVED! It has literally been 1 MONTH and 2 WEEKS AT MOST!!!! Iey da, vermont? What is this??? I am obviously NOT complaining though. The sooner I can move back to America (and with A by my side), the better EVERYTHING will be. I love Egypt and all... but it's time to move back for now. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE ELSE! I hope your cases move as quickly as our case seems to be moving (knock on wood... don't want to jinx it!).	hayati	Female	Egypt	2009-10-07 14:23:00
Middle East and North Africa	Has anyone submitted the I-134 2008 revision to the US EMBASSY IN EGYPT!?	FYI - Finally got an answer from the embassy. They do accept the most recent version of the form and the I-134 no longer has to be notarized.	hayati	Female	Egypt	2009-11-15 04:44:00
Middle East and North Africa	Has anyone submitted the I-134 2008 revision to the US EMBASSY IN EGYPT!?	Hi All, We received our packet and it contains the 2004 revision of the I-134. Does anyone know/has anyone tried to submit the 2008 revision to the US Embassy in Cairo? It might sound like a silly question, or I don't know, maybe it is a silly question, but the embassy, who we have always had pleasant experiences with, has been no help whatsoever in answering this question. For a lot of reasons, the 2008 revision is ideal. Primarily because it does not involve me (who is living in Egypt) or our cosponsor trekking around to get the form notarized. It would just make things easier... Alternatively, does anyone know where I can find the 2004 revision online? The state department's website only has the 2008 revision up (at least that's all I could find), though they noted that they do accept the older revision still. Blah. Any help? Thanks guys! You're wonderful! And for those in Egypt, the weather has been beautiful lately, huh?	hayati	Female	Egypt	2009-11-11 04:15:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday	Good afternoon MENA. Tasha and GG I hope you can get some sleep soon. And Jess, hope you can manage to get your schedule turned around. Seems like the board is full of "different" sleeping patterns. I'm having a hard time at the in-laws and with hubby. I can't say I wish I was back home in the States, but ....I wish things were as we discussed them to be before my coming here. You'd think I was the worst woman in the world instead of someone trying to adjust with in-laws in a foreign country where I don't know anyone else, don't speak the language, am unused to the customs and the greasy heavy food, the hgh heat, the incessant mosquitoes and no privacy, a husband who works long hours and me having nothing to do but sit around all day in someone elses house. Sigh.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-29 06:42:00
Middle East and North Africa	Are Muslims in America Unfriendly?	As to the men not saying anything or looking away, as some people said, maybe they found it not right to be speaking with a woman who was not mahram to them. Totally understandable. Some people care, and some don't. I would never say salam to any man here unless it is a family member. As to the general feeling of unfriendliness, I can think of several reasons why it could be. Though who knows for sure. If you live in a Muslim country (born there), you don't go around saying salam to every person that you pass on the street. Your mouth would never close. So even though us converts living in the States might get excited to see another Muslim if we are in a small community, for the person from the other country, we are just another Muslim. It isn't as special to them because they come from a country where almost everyone is Muslim. They don't understand our excitement at finding someone like us! Also, from what I have noticed here in Egypt, I can rarely get a smile out of anyone. Of course I try not to look at men in the eye or smile at them, but for women or kids, I have only got a smile from one kid. I guess it must be something in the culture and maybe Americans are just more "happy go lucky" or something. The area I lived in in the States was mainly Paki/Indian Muslims, and while some were not friendly, some were super friendly and became like my family and were always watching out for me at Eid and other times. They took me in the night I said my shahada at the masjid and we have been close ever since. I am so thankful for them, as they made my transition a lot easier. I guess we just have to allow that everyone is different and doesn't think the same as we do.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-26 14:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Tuesday	QUOTE (jessNgeorges @ Jun 30 2009, 06:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> George loves cold weather--he lived in upstate ny for almost 5yrs....but when the ac hits him he is now telling me his stomach has a cold. lol, I can't tell you how many times I have been told by hubby and his family not to stand in front of the fan if I'm sweating, because that's how you catch pneumonia. Jackie, it was 106 here today, though it's cooled down to 104 now.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-30 10:24:00
Middle East and North Africa	Tuesday	QUOTE (*Maureen* @ Jun 30 2009, 02:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> morning. hard to believe this is the last day of June!where did June go??? at least my allergies are just about gone. Each year they are getting less irritable. Yesterday at work was rough! Being gone for 1 week sure adds alot of catch up to do. I felt like walking right out, just unbelievable! I think I will show them today how to put staples in the stapler. It was like a scavenger hunt for me lol, reminds me of the place I worked at Maureen. No one seemed capable of filling the staplers or putting paper in the copy machine. I hope the rest of the week goes better for ya. It's 106 degrees here in Cairo. I'm thinking I should go crash at Olivia's for the a/c. I think I might ask hubby if we can go to a cafe or something to at least get some a/c tonight. Way too hot. I'm also looking forward to the new Harry Potter movie. It's right by my birthday and hubby knows I want to go see it for my birthday day. I know as Muslims we aren't really supposed to celebrate birthdays (at least as far as what I know says) but that's one day that I haven't quite let go of yet. Much easier to let go of Christmas and other holidays for some reason. Anyways, happy Tuesday everyone.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-30 06:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	Magic Jack	I tried to send one to Cairo in the mail and the customs people confiscated it. They told my husband they were mailing it back to the person who sent it, but I never got it back. 40 bucks down the drain. I did bring one with me when I moved here so that's fine, as I left one for family back in the states. I know some people had no trouble mailing the magic jack here, so who knows, maybe you'll be able to do so. Something else to consider is that at times, the sound and connection aren't that great. I get a lot of static or the line cutting in and out. Not always, but when it happens you really can't have a conversation.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-05-20 04:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	It was true...	Mabrook on the quick visa in hand, and I am more than happy to say that in your case, I was wrong. However, it is unusual based on past cases coming out of Cairo. Casa seems to be different and the wait time coming out of there has always seemed shorter. As someone stated, if they really have quickened the FBI check and cleared up the backlog, maybe we can look forward to more of these quick times for visa in hand, and less torture for the couples waiting. erm... Olivia, I know it is just an expression you were using "cross my fingers hope to die" but.... *ahem*.... well...... Edited by Melly 2, 04 July 2009 - 06:13 AM.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-04 06:11:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday in MENAland	Just be careful about being harassed. I meant to ask, remember the thread you made about what to bring with you? What stuff did you bring that you found you could have left, and what didn't you bring that you wish you had?	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-06 07:53:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday in MENAland	Nagi, sorry to hear about your dog. Hope you'll be feeling better soon. Olivia, are you planning to go out in something he wouldn't approve of if he was there with you?	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-06 07:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	You know your husband's Egyptian when...	Sandrila, don't we all? lol I will say that hubby caters to me pretty well, just in a different way than he likes to be catered to. I showed him the list and he was amused but had to point out that not ALL the points applied to himself. lol	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-05-27 10:25:00
Middle East and North Africa	FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2009	QUOTE (jessNgeorges @ Jul 10 2009, 04:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hope everyone has a decent day. Same ol' here for us. Still feeling.....aggravated. I'm right there with ya Jess!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-10 08:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Anyone get sick after coming back?	If I remember right, Bridget got sick after coming back from one of her visits here. But, as someone mentioned it probably isn't the food. Just coincidence on timing perhaps. Hope you feel better soon.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-10 13:03:00
Middle East and North Africa	Saturday	The Oregon coast sounds like heaven right now. Have fun!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-11 18:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	Saturday	Olivia that's great that you can get your a/c fixed tomorrow. I bet you can't wait to sleep in some cool air. Hubby has some leads on apartments and we should be looking at them tomorrow insha'Allah. I hope we find one by my birthday next weekend. I told him for my birthday I wanted to stay the night in a nice hotel with a/c. I had to come inside from the balcony cos I got 5 mosquito bites on my right arm. Ah, the joys of Egypt in the summer.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-11 17:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Saturday	1:15 a.m. 90 degrees. no wind. = suck. We're out on the balcony and usually the wind has picked up by now but it's just flat tonight. Humidity is high as well. I feel like a wilted flower that someone left out in the hot sun. Hope everyone else is staying cool.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-11 17:19:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sunday, early morning	It's technically Monday here, but since I haven't slept yet and since all y'all are still behind and enjoying Sunday, I'll post here. Tasha, will say a prayer for your son. Hope all goes well and that he will recover quickly. Hubby and I went out to look at an apartment this evening. Hubby made it sound like the Taj Mahal. When I got there and looked around the place, I was so shocked I could barely speak. I just kept pointing. And not in a good way. The evening after that went very quickly downhill, though we have managed to sort that out. I want to look at at least a couple more apartments before I decide. Walking back from the apartment to Pyramid Street, we passed an old man who was sitting on the sidewalk with his wang out and just whizzing right there on the sidewalk. I was already ticked off and not talking with hubby and then I see this crud and all I wanted was to be back in the States where things are clean and there aren't piles of garbage everywhere and people pissing in the street and..... sigh..... Hope everyone else has an "old man peeing in the street" free Sunday. Oh yeah, Olivia, give em heck!!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-12 17:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	Manic MONDAY!	Tasha, glad to hear that the surgery went well, even if it was tough getting him under. Insha'Allah he'll heal quickly. Do you think he'll feel any different about the surgery next time if this one didn't hurt as much as the last one? I hope you can find a solution to make it easier on him. And Nagi, take care!! It is blessedly cooler this evening with a nice breeze, alhamdulillah.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-13 16:31:00
Middle East and North Africa	Manic MONDAY!	QUOTE (a1angied @ Jul 13 2009, 08:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hello all. Kelly and Melly congrats on the paper and apartment! Jax it looks good but I still can't have anything like that. Oh well. Hope you enjoy! Jess glad that tiem is flying by and that you will be in NY very soon. Sara hope your day is awesome. Amanda I remember the feeling, you will get to hold him when you walk in the door. Yeah! Nagi hope all is well. To everyone else I didn't mention have an awesome day and God bless to all. Oh yeah we got the email that the 10 year GG will be sent within 30 days I keep meaning to congratulate you on your weight loss. It's tough no matter how you do it! Good job. And congrats on the 10 year card. Sara, we need some new baby pics! Your girl is so adorable. Sharifah, it is in Giza area? Going on Sudan Street towards Faisel Street - after you go over the bridge and start onto Faisel Street, it's there on the left! I hope Tasha's son is doing well from his surgery! Does anyone know? Oh yeah, and congrats to Kelly on the paper! I hope you do as well on your next one! Edited by Melly 2, 13 July 2009 - 12:32 PM.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-13 12:28:00
Middle East and North Africa	Manic MONDAY!	Happy Monday MENA ladies! It is a bright beautiful (hot!) day here in Cairo. Aaaaaaand, we found an apartment this morning!!!! I'm so so so so happy! Alhamdulillah. I totally couldn't stand the place we looked at last night, and the place we looked at today was so much better. I'm so excited thinking about getting everything ready so that we can move in. Anyways, up an at em ladies, don't let Monday get ya down! Get your coffee and danish and give it heck! Hope everyone has a great day!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-13 06:12:00
Middle East and North Africa	It is official	Assalamu alaykum sister and mabrook!!!! You must be so excited. I hope you keep the feeling for a long time. If you have any questions, there are many of us here who would be more than happy to try to help you out. Rome wasn't built in a day and you can't learn everything right away either. Just remember - slow and steady!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-11 15:45:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happy Birtheday Melly!	Thanks ladies (and guy!) Will see Harry Potter tomorrow night instead of tonight. Mellow day and aside from the heat, not too bad. When hubby got home tonight and asked what I wanted, I said "rain".	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-18 15:36:00
Middle East and North Africa	Saturday	Thanks to all the 40+ ers for the reassurance. It's funny, I thought I would be freaked out by turning 30 but wasn't at all. And I loved my 30's much more than my 20's. Insha'Allah the 40's will be even better than the 30's.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-18 15:38:00
Middle East and North Africa	Saturday	Happy Caturday MENA! Still cool this morning here in Cairo. Hoping it won't get too hot today. Thanks to Olivia for suggesting I clear out my cache. I couldn't access the boards until last night as my browser was being temperamental after the upgrade here. lol And, *ahem*, lol, happy 40th birthday to me! I didn't think I'd be bothered by 40, but I kinda am. I know it's just a number but somehow I feel like all the fun is gone and everything needs to be serious. Silly I guess, but it's making me sad. We should be going to see the new Harry Potter tonight and maybe out to dinner. Hubby wants to know what I want for my birthday but I can't really think of anything except maybe clothes. Boring right? Okay, enough griping from me, I know some of you are facing much worse problems than my mid life crisis. Nagi, hope things get settled for you and you can get back on some insurance!!! Tamara, so excited for you! Moving is so much fun and you'll be back with family and friends. Nawal, when do we get to see pictures of your new place? Sara, thanks for the new pic, adorable as always. Olivia, I've had the same problem trying to find tortilla chips here. I miss them sooooo much!! I may just try making them. Tasha, what happened with your son?? Everyone, have a wonderful Saturday, may God keep you well.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-18 03:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sunday	Good morning everyone and happy Sunday! GG I feel your pain about packing. How does one know what they will be in the mood to wear? What if there's too much a/c and you freeze? Or you never have a/c and you're burning up all the time? I always feel better about overpacking. I think the most exciting thing that happened yesterday was reaching level 32 on farmtown. lol I was hoping I could send red crocuses then but I guess it's not til another level or so. Hope everyone has a wonderful and relaxing day.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-19 06:27:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday	Amy that's really sweet of you to offer. I can't think of anything at the moment. I just had my mom send me a package full of stuff. Thanks for offering!!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-21 07:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday	QUOTE (amysaid @ Jul 21 2009, 05:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> She has pretty severe allergies, so she's taken Benadryl plenty of times in the past... but she's one of those kids that 50% of the time it'll knock her out, and 50% of the time it'll amp her up and just make her antsy and cranky. I don't really want to risk that 50% chance of Crabigail, so i decided to just skip it unless she needs it. I'm still going to bring it, in case she ends up with motion sickness or something (she's never flown before)... who knows, maybe 8-10 hours in i will change my tune That just totally cracked me up, Crabigail. Do you call her that out loud or just to yourself? Hope you find a good solution for the flight.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-21 02:47:00
Middle East and North Africa	Tuesday	QUOTE (amal @ Jul 21 2009, 04:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ahh the joys of restaurant city...I'm a totally addicted player and it's loads of fun. add me! *pulls out old soap box from under the keyboard, steps on it, taps the mic* excuse me, everyone (one one one one)....I'd like to have ur attention (tion tion tion ton)... Amal is having her first attempt at "hijab" today! Not the whole thing.... the underpiece. It's better than nothing. I gotta inch my way to full wear. So far, so good! Alhamdulillah! Woohoo!!! That's great news! Very proud of you! Insha'Allah you will love it and keep moving forward! And as you have already discovered, you don't need to spend so much time in the morning on hair!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-21 09:23:00
Middle East and North Africa	Tuesday	Good morning MENA!! Happy Tuesday and thank goodness Monday is finished yeah? Jess, that ring is so beautiful mashAllah!! Congrats. And Kelly, belated happy anniversary to you! Hope you had a good night celebrating. We walked around in the heat yesterday and looked at appliances for our new apartment. Found a stove and fridge I like, still working on finding a washing machine. I want a full automatic not a half automatic, but it seems most of the full ones come as a front loader, and the drum size is soooooo tiny it's unbelievable. If I get a top loader the drum size is twice the size of the front loaders, and closer to the size we have in the States. Plus it's easier to reach on the top loaders instead of having to bend over and fish clothes out of the front loader. Hmmm..... Speaking of Farm Town, I tried the other farm app and didn't like it as well. But I did find something that looked like it might be fun, I think it's called Restaurant City? I didn't try it out yet so I'm not sure. Has anyone else tried it? Hope everyone has a relaxing and wonderful Tuesday. For those ladies in the hot temps, stay cool!!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-21 03:00:00
Middle East and North Africa	HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESS !	Happy birthday jess!!! Hope you had a nice day today and that your cake was yummy!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-22 15:11:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happy Anniversary Tamara & Adam	Happy anniversary!! Wishing you a lifetime full of blessed and happy years to come.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-22 15:14:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thursday!	Amal, you go girl!!! I know it's hard when you first start and you're doing so great and I'm so happy for you and so proud of you for sticking to it, even though it's tough!!! May Allah keep you steadfast and make this easy for you ameen!!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-07-23 11:00:00