Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Middle East and North Africa	Wednesday	Boy, that will work you up an appetite first thing in the morning yeah?	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-10 09:38:00
Middle East and North Africa	Wednesday	Happy birthday Nagi!!! So sorry to hear about your fingers but insha'Allah they'll heal soon. Terrie and the Seattle gang, have fun and I would say be good but..... Jess - it's funny and not at the same time right? lol I'd much rather clean things myself than have someone else come in and just move the dirt from one place to another. Edited by Melly 2, 10 June 2009 - 08:05 AM.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-10 08:03:00
Middle East and North Africa	Wednesday	Good morning MENA. Or afternoon rather. I had to send hubby a text message (he's still in Kuwait) and ask him to call his mom and tell her not to let their cleaning lady clean in our room. I had come in to the bedroom to plug the laptop in, and I found the shutters wide open, letting in the very hot sun and plenty of flies. After standing on the bed and dresser to reach out and get the shutters to close them, I could hear the cleaner in the room next door dusting and decided I didn't want her making a dust cloud in here with all my stuff, or trying to move my things from the floor (still living out of a suitcase). I honest to goodness don't understand the way they dust here. Hitting the dust with a rag does not make it magically disappear, it just makes it fly up into the air and then it will settle right back down. Arggghhhh!!!!! So, hubby called his mom and she came back here where the lady had started to clean the balcony floors and I don't think she understood why I didn't want her cleaning and I kind of feel guilty but all the same, I don't need any more dust flying in the room. *Ahem* Anyways, that is more than enough excitement for one day around here. lol I hope everyone is doing okay. Tasha, how are ya? Always wishing you well. Glad to read that Olivia seems to be feeling better. Tamara, that is crazy about the fire alarms. How is it coming with the credit stuff? Are they any closer yet to figuring out who .... argh... she is in here and dusting right around me. what the freakin helllllll.............. good lord, someone stop me from beating this woman. Please...... um... anyways... I think I better stop now.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-10 06:59:00
Middle East and North Africa	I don't know if I can make it...	QUOTE (UmmSqueakster @ Jun 9 2009, 06:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Honestly, it's best to come to terms now. You probably will have AP. Almost everyone I've seen go through Cairo has been in AP. And, you will most likely be approved. I can't think of a single case where someone going through Cairo has been denied. Yes, there will be a wait, but inshaAllah at the end your sweetie will be here to annoy the crud out of your every day of the week. This is good advice. I have never seen anyone come out of Cairo without AP. I guess it happens but I would say RARELY. Usually it seems to be somewhere around 3 to 6 months, but you never know. It could be less, and it could be a lot more. I would rather see you be surprised by him getting his visa at the interview, then upset and disappointed that he didn't. Wishing you the best in getting through this time.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-09 11:35:00
Middle East and North Africa	Will they let me in Egypt now?	They are still checking everyone who flies in to Egypt, but considering they have confirmed cases of the flu in the country (that got past the airport detectors at that!!), I hardly see how they can be so paranoid about not getting it anymore, it already happened. They can't just close the whole country down. I wouldn't worry about it at all. Just make sure you're healthy when you fly.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-11 11:15:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happpppy FRIDAY!!!	Hi ladies. Hubby should be coming through the door any time now and I'm so excited. Thanks for your replies about the gift. I will not say anything to him, and just be grateful that he is coming home to me safe and sound.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-12 09:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happpppy FRIDAY!!!	Alright MENA, we've made it to Friday at last !!!! I hope everyone will get through the day with a smile on their face and start the weekend off right. My hubby is coming home today, I'm so happy!!! But um... I have a question for you ladies. I know that he bought me a gift, because he told me, and also told me what it was. However.... he also bought the same thing for his sister. Now... I'm so appreciative that he bought something for me, and I don't want to complain but... shouldn't I be more special than his sister, like couldn't he get me something different or put some thought into it? I mean... is this called a man being lazy, or he doesn't know what to get, or he didn't think about how it would make me feel? Or am I just being PMS? I'm having some real issues with his sister.... *sigh*. Alright, bring on the coffee and pastries and lets get this thing rolling!!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-12 04:32:00
Middle East and North Africa	Good Morning! It's Saturday!		Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-13 04:37:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sunday!!	Egypt in summer without a/c = armpit of hell Welcome to Sunday.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-14 05:06:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims and Public Displays of Affection	QUOTE (Rosalinda @ Jun 12 2009, 11:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hello MENA Everyone has always been helpful and knowledgeable I need advice and stories... I don't want to sway you so I won't offer any information. If you have Quran verses feel free to input and men please feel free to comment. Your input is greatly appreciated. Thanks It might help if you were a teensy more specific with what you were looking for. In your effort not to "sway" us, you've left quite a broad and very open topic. If you are really looking for something about your specific situation, or the situation of someone you know, you could probably be a little more specific without swaying us and I'm sure it would benefit you much more than leaving it so open. I mean... you just want an answer of "no it's not okay" or "yes it's okay"??? You only want answers from Quran and sunnah, or opinions are okay as well? Also, despite what the Quran or the prophet salallahu alayhi wassalam might have said, this question/answer will vary depending on country, age, customs, etc. What is okay or acceptable in one country or age group is not with another, or among more conservative people as opposed to very liberal people.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-12 04:25:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thursday	Amanda, it's a good thing you weren't going through Cairo. You'd still be waiting on that visa for some months in all likelihood. lol I can't imagine the amount of anxiety meds you'd go through waiting for that! Anyways, nice that you won't have to wait too long.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-18 08:54:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thursday	Good afternoon MENA and happy Thursday to you! I just had my first experience with threading and halawa. The threading was great, the halawa, not so much. I had her stop after about 15 seconds. Which doesn't sound like long until you have someone pressing a ball of sugar wax around on your arms and yanking the hair out. Ouch. Wax please, much nicer and the pain isn't prolonged like with the halawa. Hubby will be thrilled with the bruises she left on my arm as well. Even if a professional salon here is more expensive, I guess that will be my next stop when I need something done. Hubby found a net for my/our bed yesterday. It worked wonderfully last night. Sakes alive I love that man. If anyone is interested in getting one, let me know and I can ask hubby where he got it. It was only like 33 pounds or something. Well worth it for a night of mosquito free sleep and also with no chemicals. Tasha I was happy to read Malek got his cast off. I hope he's healed up nicely. Hope other things are going well for you too. Amanda, congrats on the visa. I hope your stress level will come down now. lol IHaveQuestions, sorry if I seemed testy about my reply in the "what to bring to Egypt thread", but I guess we just have different ways of dealing with things. I prefer to go in prepared with anything I might need. Maybe I'm a control freak. Anyways, I didn't mean to be testy, I just prefer my way, and you prefer yours. What is the boy scout motto? Be prepared? lol. That's me. Everyone, have a wonderful day. One more day til Friday. Yipppeeeee!!!! Edited by Melly 2, 18 June 2009 - 07:17 AM.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-18 07:14:00
Middle East and North Africa	Tatoo Discussion	It seems my way with words isn't always so great, though I always mean things in the best way, when it comes to Islam. I just need to learn a better way to say them.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-10 11:55:00
Middle East and North Africa	Tatoo Discussion	QUOTE (UmmSqueakster @ Jun 10 2009, 07:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ehm, I'll state the elephant in the room. No, we do not and we will not. [elephant]Because it's the generally accepted islamic position that it isn't allowed.[/elephant] All right, that's out of the way, so carry on I'm glad someone else said it. Last time we had a discussion on tattoos here in the MENA section, I stated it and got bitched at for it. I do however have a tattoo that I got when I was around 20 or 21 (almost 20 years ago). I honestly wish I had never gotten it, but until I can get it removed in the best way, it will stay. I don't want to have a scar in place of the tattoo.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-10 11:30:00
Middle East and North Africa	What do I need to take?	QUOTE (Ihavequestions @ Jun 16 2009, 11:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Melly 2 @ Jun 15 2009, 03:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Some small tissue packets to carry around in case you need the bathroom outside the house and there's no TP available. Street children sell those for 75 piesters, much cheaper than buying them and bringing them here. A small first aid kit, or at least some bandaids. (I'm sure you can buy them here but they came in very handy for me while my hubby was at work one day and I wouldn't have been able to go get them by myself) Pharmacies sell bandaids and you can buy one or two if you want and they're cheap. Cables/batteries or anything needed for camera/laptop/etc. - would be a good idea to get any voltage converters in the states before coming if you're bringing things that need to be plugged in. Also plug adapters since the prongs are different and your plugs won't work here without the adapters. I've never used a converter for anything I have - my phone, my laptop, anything. I just buy the prong adapters from the light store for 1.5 LE each and I've not had one problem, ever. It very well might be that street children sell tissue but it's also possible they won't be around when/if she needs them. I didn't think it would be that much more of an expense or trouble to bring a couple of packets. As to band aids, I already wrote that they came in very handy for me. What if her husband is away and she needs one and her Arabic isn't good enough to get by and she can't find the pharmacy? What's the harm in coming prepared with a few band aids? It saved my husband having to take a half hour to come home from work because I brought some with me. It's great that you never had a problem with your electrical items, but many people do. I would never recommend to someone that they plug their electrical items in without a converter. Maybe your items happened to be compatible with the current that is used here in Egypt, and that's why you didn't have any trouble.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-16 16:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	What do I need to take?	Nothing like hot sweaty jeans stuck to your skin. lol I had the same trouble with trying to find light fabrics to wear here. I'm normally in long sleeves but in the States it's not a problem as there's basically a/c everywhere. At least where I lived. Here it is not so, and when my brother in law is home and I have to be in long sleeves and hijab I kind of roast. I've "borrowed" one of my hubby's long sleeve shirts as the fabric is lighter than my long sleeve knit shirts. Maybe someone in his family (sister, aunt, mom) can take you shopping here for some lighter clothing. For sure bring bug spray if you don't mind using it. If you don't like bug spray, I've had many people recommend Avon's Skin So Soft to repel the mosquitoes. Some small travel size bottles of hand sanitizer. Some small tissue packets to carry around in case you need the bathroom outside the house and there's no TP available. More underwear than you think you'll need. Very good deodorant. Comfortable walking shoes and good socks for them. A small first aid kit, or at least some bandaids. (I'm sure you can buy them here but they came in very handy for me while my hubby was at work one day and I wouldn't have been able to go get them by myself) Cables/batteries or anything needed for camera/laptop/etc. - would be a good idea to get any voltage converters in the states before coming if you're bringing things that need to be plugged in. Also plug adapters since the prongs are different and your plugs won't work here without the adapters. The airport is a piece of cake, don't worry about that at all. It's really simple. As to the shots, I would sincerely recommend getting the hepatitis A and B shots. For real. Make sure to drink bottled water while you're here, or else boil it. I always heard you boil for 10 minutes, though I'm not sure why so long. I'd recommend either Nestle brand or Siwa brand. There have been troubles with some of the other brands. Oh yeah, don't forget your patience and a very large dose of humor. Hope you have a great trip!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-15 15:33:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sunday in MENA	Sorry to hear about your friend. I've been doing a lot of research on the little buggers and it's really quite interesting. Well, maybe not. lol Still, glad your friend is back home now away from the biting.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-22 06:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sunday in MENA	Good morning ladies. Happy Sunday MENA and happy fathers day to all the dad's out there. Hope everyone enjoys their day. Here's the new mosquito net hubby bought for the bed. I guess they don't want to make a hole in the ceiling so it's just hanging from the drapery rod.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-21 07:35:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday!!I	Good afternoon MENA!! Seems that everyone is feeling a bit like this monkey today. But, cheer up, the world aint such a bad place. At least, not all the time. lol Have a bowl of something smiley! Or get excited with this little guy! Or just laugh at this fella. Looks like he's got a guilty look on his face while trying to stuff that whole thing in his mouth. Hope everyone's day goes better.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-22 06:00:00
Middle East and North Africa	Egypt stun world champions Italy	Yah Olivia, what gives??? Hubby and I were out for a walk and the cafe's were packed with people, but when we got home it seems we can't get the game on satellite, only local tv, and it's so full of static we can't see it. I guess it's almost over by now anyways. Does anyone know when it will re-run on satellite here in Egypt?	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-21 14:42:00
Middle East and North Africa	Islam and Chicken Marsala	It seems to be a common misconception that the alcohol put in food evaporates as it's cooked. It is, however, a misconception. I've quickly found three articles, and could find many more if there were any point, but I think 3 should suffice, to show the actual facts about this subject. site 1 site 2 site 3 I'd advise you to stop bugging your wife about this, since she is doing what is right.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-18 04:37:00
Middle East and North Africa	Single martial status	There was a BIG problem with this in Egypt for some time, but they finally started allowing the forms again (single status affidavit). It did cause quite a lot of trouble for anyone from the States wanting to get married to an Egyptian during that time though. I don't think anyone was able to get married at the Ministry of Justice during that time because of it, though I'm not certain. In any case, I'm not sure how things work in Lebanon so I don't think I can offer any advice. Hopefully someone else will be able to give you some good information. ** By the way, which one of you is honey, and which is sweetie? Edited by Melly 2, 23 June 2009 - 05:25 AM.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-23 05:23:00
Middle East and North Africa	tuesday	QUOTE (~Flower~ @ Jun 24 2009, 01:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I tried koshary once as well and didn't like it but he loves it. Like comfort food. I have a feeling he'd really like Mexican food in the US. I don't know why I just get that intuition. He puts ketchup and hot sauce on most everything so I can't wait to really introduce him to what spicy foods really means. My hubby is the same and it just kills me!!! I told him why should I bother to cook him anything special if he's just gonna douse it with hot sauce all the time? He said that the hot sauce "enhances" the flavor of what he puts it on. To me, it just makes it taste like hot sauce, not the food you put it on. *sigh* I'm kind of a purist when it comes to food and he's totally not. Oh, and happy Tuesday MENA Well, Wed morning for me	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-23 18:02:00
Middle East and North Africa	Visa approved, alhamdulilah!	Mabrook!!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-23 03:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happy Wednesday!!	Afternoon MENA, happy Wednesday. Forecast for today: 98. Actual temperature right now at 3:56 pm: 106. Wait... that's not funny. lol At least hubby and I got a few hours of a/c yesterday at the movies/Arcadia mall. I can't wait til we can move and live somewhere with a/c. Olivia isn't the only one camping right now. Hope everyone enjoys their day today. Great to hear so many approvals coming lately.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-24 07:58:00
Middle East and North Africa	NO AP EGYPT APPROVED!!!! HUMDULLA!!!!!!!!	Unfortunately, that is the standard reply that they give to almost everyone coming through Cairo. It is also common for them to take the passport. I hate to put a damper on things, but I have a feeling that you will have AP just like everyone else. I hope I'm wrong and I'm sorry to be the one to say it. Insha'Allah there won't be too much waiting and he will have the visa soon. Edited by Melly 2, 24 June 2009 - 05:38 AM.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-24 05:37:00
Middle East and North Africa	NO AP EGYPT APPROVED!!!! HUMDULLA!!!!!!!!	Wonderful news that he was approved, congratulations. What did they say to him that you are thinking no AP? It just is highly unusual to have no AP/AR out of Cairo.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-24 04:20:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thursday!!	Hmmm, not sure why the video isn't showing, I used the youtube option under "insert special items". It's Judy Garland in a clip from The Wizard of Oz singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Trying to post again as I'm not sure why it wouldn't work before. Hmmm.... Seems it's still not working but I don't know why... Edited by Melly 2, 25 June 2009 - 06:48 AM.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-25 06:47:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thursday!!	I was laying on the bed yesterday evening and thinking of this song and it was making me cry. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-25 05:35:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday	Thank you again ladies Hubby and I had a long productive talk last night, to be continued, and I think we are both feeling some better. I've only been here since mid March, so not that long. No immediate plans to move anywhere except possibly Kuwait. I don't think we're ready for the States, but maybe some day. At least if we move to Kuwait, there is a/c everywhere and we would be right near the sea. Tamara, hope you are feeling better soon!!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-30 01:48:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday	Thanks ladies. It makes me feel better to know I'm not alone in these feelings. Things are very strained at the moment between hubby and I and I could use all the prayers and well wishes I can get. Jackie, glad to hear that you are fully recovered.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2009-06-29 15:38:00
Middle East and North Africa	Would You Move to ME/NA?	Heya Jenn, how goes? Sounds like things have settled down on your end! I actually am planning on moving to Cairo sometime early next year. It wasn't the original plan (which has changed many times), but it is the current plan. I think we will live in the city for a while and then find a place further out, somewhere like 5th October or one of the new areas. I'm excited and nervous and happy and scared all at the same time. lol Insha'allah everything will work out okay.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2008-10-17 17:28:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslim and interested in going Vegitarian	Hello My advice to anyone who wants to go from a meat diet to a non-meat diet, or even restrict the amount of beef that they are getting, is to be extremely careful about making sure that you get in all of your vitamins and minerals. In particular, you are not going to get enough vitamin B12 from your plant foods and you can't get it from combining proteins either. You can get small amounts from dairy prodcuts and chicken, but not in the amount that your body needs every day. The easist source to get it from is liver, beef, some sources of seafood, or you need to take a supplement for it. I can't stress this enough. I was vegetarian for over 20 years and I'm just now finding out about the vitamin B12 deficiency, as it takes many years to show up in your body. I'm now eating chicken and may start eating beef, or taking a supplement. The reason I originally stopped eating meat back when I was a teen, was from reading the book Diet for a New America. I'm glad that I didn't eat meat all those years, in many ways I think I'm healthier for it and my cholesterol is totally awesome! I guess my advice would be all things in moderation. Maybe watch how many times a week you eat it or make it a smaller part of the meal as Rahma and her husband do.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2008-11-12 14:45:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!	QUOTE (Olivia* @ Nov 23 2008, 09:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Rosalinda @ Nov 23 2008, 06:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (ME~n~HIM @ Nov 23 2008, 08:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Olivia* @ Nov 23 2008, 07:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Rajaa and Rosalinda are the same? Rajaa are you talking to yourself? No, they are different people. I just cant get this little box to show so i copy maybe i got it now AND whos eating ice cream and not sharing QUOTE (HisLittleMasriyah @ Nov 23 2008, 06:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Melly 2 @ Nov 23 2008, 09:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just thought I'd pop in to say hi. Seems that everyone is doing fairly well. Hi Melly 2 Who is Melly 2? Same as Melly, but I asked the mod to disable that account a long while ago. I don't come by so often or post much. Just check in from time to time to see how everyone is doing.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2008-11-24 09:25:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!	Just thought I'd pop in to say hi. Seems that everyone is doing fairly well. Edited by Melly 2, 23 November 2008 - 09:53 PM.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2008-11-23 21:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	Selling everything	lol, adventure for sure. I guess I will start looking at craigslist and see what I can come up with. Perhaps for the larger more expensive items I will try a consignment store, though I will have to find out what kind of percentage they take. Thanks to everyone for replying.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2008-11-28 21:21:00
Middle East and North Africa	Selling everything	Hello MENA peeps I know this probably doesn't really fit in this section, but since I know many of you I feel better posting it here than in another section where I don't really know the posters. The current plan for me is to move to Cairo sometime in the next few months. I am not shipping any furniture there and very little besides clothes. So, that means I am selling most of what I have. I really can't afford to keep things in storage here while I'm living in Egypt, though I might just store a couple of boxes at my folks house. Anyways, I have lists of things that I will sell, but... I've never been in this situation before, where I need to sell a bunch of stuff. I can't have a garage type sale, it's not allowed in my townhome complex. I thought perhaps I could sell stuff on ebay or craigslist, but I have not done either before so I'm not sure exactly how easy that is. And also, I don't really want people coming to my place to check things out since I live alone for the most part. Also not sure how to price things. Anyways, does anyone have any suggestions? I'm so eager to go I wish I could just sell everything and take off now.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2008-11-28 00:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	It's that time again!!!	lol, I left for some minutes to go upstairs and when I rejoined it was empty! Jackie I hope you are getting some good rest. Will be looking for the good news in the morning.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2008-12-01 02:00:00
Middle East and North Africa	Ibrahim's K3 interview results	Mabrook!	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2008-12-01 09:24:00
Middle East and North Africa	Fry-day	QUOTE (charles! @ Dec 12 2008, 04:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Aymsgirl @ Dec 12 2008, 05:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Morning Olivia and Charles! Charles...how's your wife feeling? It seems like yesterday when you said she was expecting. Time is really flying by! Olivia...I can't imagine it. It sucks! I hope that the two of you get reunited soon. I don't know how I would handle it if I were you. Hang in there! i guess she's doing ok, i see her when i get home and she goes to work shortly thereafter. i leave for work when she gets home - ah the joys of working night shift. but as of midnight tonight i'll have 51 hours overtime for this week. Charles, I think all the girls here want to know, with that much OT worked, what are you getting all of them for Christmas.	Melly 2	Female	Egypt	2008-12-12 09:43:00