ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Middle East and North AfricaArabic learning Enthusiasts
What I'd like to find is a decent online Arabic-English English-Arabic dictionary. The ones I've found don't provide a transliteration, plus I'd want to see what the "official" definition of the Arabic word is before using it.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-04-15 16:16:00
Middle East and North AfricaNotice
I'll put 'em on notice!



rclouseMaleMorocco2009-05-20 16:01:00
Middle East and North AfricaHonor killings in Morocco?
OK, thanks for the information. That's pretty much what I thought, that "honor" killing is not a Moroccan phenomenon.

Lots of people on the intarwebs think it's an Islamic thing, but IMHO it's more of a cultural thing. Perhaps those perpetrating it try to find religious justification, but really there is nothing in Islam permitting or approving it.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-04-14 17:22:00
Middle East and North AfricaHonor killings in Morocco?
I've heard of so called "honor" killings in some Arab countries (Jordan, Egypt) but I've never heard of one in Morocco. Has anyone here heard of one there?

I'm thinking if not, that's good evidence it's a cultural phenomenon. Similar: I've never heard of female genital mutilation in Morocco but have heard of it in Egypt. And of course it's endemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-04-13 17:00:00
Middle East and North AfricaA match made in the old ways
Could she marry him to uphold "family honor", then get a quickie divorce?
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-06-08 12:11:00
Middle East and North AfricaWhat kinds of gifts should I take?



wink.gif
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-06-09 15:50:00
Middle East and North AfricaHow did your MENA SO propose marriage?
I proposed to my MENA woman here:


rclouseMaleMorocco2009-06-04 10:57:00
Middle East and North AfricaMuslims and Public Displays of Affection
My MIL stayed with us for nearly 6 months helping us out with our new baby. When I took her back home two and a half weeks ago, my FIL didn't even kiss her and barely hugged her. But there were tears in their eyes.

/still thinks modesty like that is ridiculous
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-06-15 15:24:00
Middle East and North AfricaSummer Reading ~ sizzlin' favorites?
QUOTE (Henna Rose @ Jun 4 2009, 10:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rclouse @ Jun 4 2009, 10:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I needed a book for the plane, so I got "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin. If you're into fantasy, it's an excellent read.

Seven books planned in the series, four published so far.



WOW ! This may be the next book to screen franchise ! I am eagerly awaiting the next Harry Potter movie due to release in July !


According to Wikipedia it's been picked up by HBO and the plan is to make it a miniseries. Kind of like "Rome".
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-06-05 11:15:00
Middle East and North AfricaSummer Reading ~ sizzlin' favorites?
I needed a book for the plane, so I got "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin. If you're into fantasy, it's an excellent read.

Seven books planned in the series, four published so far.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-06-04 12:42:00
Middle East and North AfricaArabic translation needed
I need to have a few statements & questions translated into Moroccan Arabic. Please IM if you can help. Thanks.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-09-10 20:22:00
Middle East and North Africadeclaring marriage to the moroccan consulate.
We went through this. My wife (the then-Moroccan) hated it, and the Consulate.

Anyway, she called them and they gave us a list of things we needed. What I can remember off the top of my head was our US marriage certificate, my conversion letter, and the letter we got from a mosque stating we were "Islamically" married. And money, in a money order (forget how much). We FedExed the stuff there, then they USPS Expressed it back to us after a couple weeks on our dime. Now we have a shiny piece of paper we can show to idiot hotel clerks so we can stay in a room together over there.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-03-03 13:03:00
Middle East and North AfricaHigh school transcripts from Morocco
I've got a related question. My wife got a Bachelor's degree from Mohammed V university in Rabat, now she wants to go to graduate school here. Can she get her college transcripts by email/phone without having to physically be there? Or can a relative go there and get them for her?
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-05-18 15:57:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures1-900 Numbers for Interview Appointment
That's news to me. I'd assume it was a scam of some kind.
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-07-25 09:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI want to marry a US citizen

Wow, You guys are like 'oh my God! He wants a green card' It's hilarious. But thank you for all your comments. Here is the situation: I am a guy wanting to marry a Beautiful USC, A girl I met a few months after I arrived, So yes, it is for love,


My apologies for casting aspersions. From your original post, it sounded like you were looking for someone in the US to marry. We get these kind here every now & then, and those people are why this process is so slow and so difficult.

Good luck in your quest. Here, have an avatar:
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-04-04 11:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresI want to marry a US citizen
It sounds like you want to marry a green card. I doubt you'll find many people here who are too sympathetic to your goal.
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-04-03 17:25:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresIF I DONT MARRY AND GET BACK,

HELLO FRIEND..
I WONDER. IF I DONT GET MARRY,CAN I MAKE THE K1 VISA AGAIN WITH ANOTHER MAN??

ALSO, I REPRESENT STANDARD PETROLEUM OF NIGERIA. OUR CEO DIED RECENTLY AND LEFT THE SUM $15,000,000 (FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS) IN A SECRET ACCOUNT. WE ARE SEEKING AN AGENT TO HELP US IN MOVING THE MONEY OUT OF THIS ACCOUNT....
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-11-20 14:09:00
Mexico, Latin & South AmericaI'm having a baby with another woman..filing K1
how is babby formed?

how girl get pragnent?
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-06-10 10:20:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionInterview
According to the FAQ:

- Fee $45 USD for EACH visa in the form of postal money order or a certified
check payable to the US Treasury. Personal checks or cash NOT accepted.


That sounds low to me. According to the fees page, it's $335 for the visa application and $45 for the visa surcharge. There's also a visa petition fee of $170, but I don't think that applies, since your husband has already filed a visa petition for you.
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-06-26 10:47:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionIs this enough to bring to the interview !!!
Photographs are more important than phone or internet records. The more you show of the two of you together, the better.

Do the interview in English, not Arabic. You want to show them you and your husband have no problems communicating.

And finally, don't worry so much! Your situation far exceeds the minimum required for getting a K-3. Just be confident, clear, and honest and you'll do fine. :)
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-07-24 16:30:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussionwhich language did your husband or wife interview in?

I was interviewed in English ..I think when you speak the langague you use to commuincate with your spouse in the interview that gives stronger impression about the relatiosnhip.

Ditto. I told my then-fiancee to do the interview in English so they wouldn't question how we communicate.
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-11-15 11:48:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionHow Much time it takes to get citizenship from the day you apply
This sucks. My wife can't apply until July and she was looking forward to voting for Obama.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-03-27 16:11:00
US Citizenship General Discussionwhen to take ctizenship prep course
Cool, thanks for all the replies.

Wow, only four months from application to interview! That's a lot faster than I had heard.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-10 12:06:00
US Citizenship General Discussionwhen to take ctizenship prep course
Her English is fine, it's her knowledge of US history and government that needs improvement.

There are free ESL-related citizenship prep courses available in our area, they're typically a three month course. So it looks like she won't need to take it until probably next year since they're so backed up. tongue.gif

Thanks for the info.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-09 13:03:00
US Citizenship General Discussionwhen to take ctizenship prep course
My wife will file for citizenship this coming July. When should she take a citizenship prep course? I figure not right now cause it'll take probably a year before she has the test.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-09 10:27:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionMy Interview
Congrats!

QUOTE
3. what is the most important right given to a u.s. citizen


That question is awfully subjective. What answer did you give, and was it judged "correct"?
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-05-13 17:02:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN400 question-have you ever been detained by a law enforcement officer?
In that instance I would say I was delayed by a police officer, not detained.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-05-28 13:06:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionFinally mailed it in!
We finally got my wife's N-400 in the mail today. That $675 check was painful!

Any clue or timetable on when we can expect action? It was sent to the CSC.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-07-14 12:17:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionTravel after getting Permanent Green Card?
We had to get my wife a Schengen visa when we visited Paris in February 2007. We could have gotten one at the airport but didn't want to be stuck there for a long time so we got it here before the trip.

Have fun! Bring lots of money, it's even more expensive there now.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-07-17 16:51:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionWhat do we bring to the oat ceremony?
QUOTE
What do we bring to the oat ceremony?


Cinnamon and brown sugar?
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-08-15 15:14:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionDoes spouse attend the interview?
For us in Santa Ana Tuesday we watched one spouse be turned away by the officer, then when it was my wife's turn they turned me away as well.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-11-21 16:25:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionGot oath letter
QUOTE (Marcel_25 @ Feb 4 2009, 02:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congrats!
I just had mine in L.A. on January 29th. Mine was at 1pm and there were over 5900 new citizens+guests. Traffic to and from the LA Convention Center was insane, so be prepared. The actual ceremony won't start until about 2pm.
Funny thing is you should try to be one of the last people to come in for the ceremony, this way you are nearest to the Naturalization Certificate Hand-out Lines and out of the door. The Lines are on the left wall and they start seating people starting on the right. So If you were sitting down first you will get your certificate last.
If you are one of the first ones with a certificate and you wanna apply for a Passport then do it right away. If you are in the back...don't even try.The process takes forever. They tell you to bring 2 passport pictures for the application, but once you are there they will take pictures anyway. So, of course, a whole bunch of people will get their pictures taken or taken again and everything will start to stall. It will look worse then Security Check lines at LAX during rush hour. I just went to my local Post Office the next day and got it done.

I hope it helps a little.

We were at the same ceremony. Ditto on everything he said. I'd add, bring two cellphones so you can find each other afterwards. Don't try to park off of Figueroa, park off of Cherry. You'll have to walk from one end to the other but that's actually faster than the huge wait you'll have turning right from Chick Hearn Ct. to Figueroa then driving south on Figueroa. The ceremony is held in Hall A. They give you a voter registration card but it's for LA county, we were SOL as we live in The OC.

If you want to buy one of those certificate holders, wait until after the ceremony. Price goes from $10 down to $5. smile.gif
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-02-04 11:35:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionHere is a good one ....
At my wife's ceremony the judge congratulated the new citizens immediately after they finished reciting the oath.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-02-11 16:42:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 JULY 2008 Filers
QUOTE (Lyuba @ Apr 30 2009, 08:05 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Now I am in the process of obtaining the security clearance and it is more paperwork than I have ever done for my green card or citizenship. wacko.gif


I had to get one, too, but it took a lot less time than I expected. I was really nervous putting down all my "foreign" family down. And I had to get my current and expired passports to list all my foreign travel. But a couple months later it was done and approved.

Make sure you hold on to that clearance. Makes you eligible for a lot more jobs out there.

BTW, congrats Kingsylva! Give us a play-by-play of your ceremony.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-04-30 17:36:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 JULY 2008 Filers
QUOTE (sirch320 @ Feb 3 2009, 06:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE


Thanks, and to you too!

Did you notice the price of the certificate holder went from $10 before to $5 after the ceremony?


Thank you!

No I did not notice it because I did not buy one. I bought one for my wife when she naturalized four years ago and it was a waste of money because she did not use it. Her certificate is now in a bank safebox.

Did Aicha apply for her passport yet?

I applied for mine by regular processing on 01/29/09 at a local post office.


No, not yet. She needs to have pics taken first and she's extremely picky about them.

But soon.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-02-03 17:20:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 JULY 2008 Filers
QUOTE (moonhunt @ Feb 2 2009, 05:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rclouse @ Feb 2 2009, 03:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Did you notice the price of the certificate holder went from $10 before to $5 after the ceremony?


Certificate holder ?
Man, I just bought self-adhesive laminated pouch for letter size, then seal the certificate of naturalization with it.
Of course, I did scan it and saved it as encrypted PDF file. whistling.gif

So I won't have any problem with the certificate of naturalization with moisture or anything. Except fire?
Then I can retrieve encrypted PDF file for copy, and request new one if necessary. devil.gif


Yes, certificate holder. It's actually a pretty decent way to display it, yet still easy to get at when you need to.

I scanned it also, though didn't bother with the encryption.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-02-02 18:24:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 JULY 2008 Filers
QUOTE (sirch320 @ Feb 2 2009, 12:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rclouse @ Jan 30 2009, 10:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (moonhunt @ Jan 29 2009, 11:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rclouse @ Jan 29 2009, 07:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
All done! Aicha is a citizen. She and 5,995 other people took their oath around 2:00pm at the LA Convention Center today.

Now to get a passport.

Buh-bye USCIS!


Congratulations! kicking.gif kicking.gif kicking.gif

Did you meet sirch320 at the LA Convention Center ? whistling.gif


Nope. I seem to recall he had an earlier time, but it would've been pretty difficult finding him among nearly 6,000 people.


Hahaha! Yes, I had my oath in the morning. There were 6,118 new US citizens that morning.

Congratulations Rclouse and Aicha!


Thanks, and to you too!

Did you notice the price of the certificate holder went from $10 before to $5 after the ceremony?
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-02-02 16:26:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 JULY 2008 Filers
QUOTE (moonhunt @ Jan 29 2009, 11:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (rclouse @ Jan 29 2009, 07:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
All done! Aicha is a citizen. She and 5,995 other people took their oath around 2:00pm at the LA Convention Center today.

Now to get a passport.

Buh-bye USCIS!


Congratulations! kicking.gif kicking.gif kicking.gif

Did you meet sirch320 at the LA Convention Center ? whistling.gif


Nope. I seem to recall he had an earlier time, but it would've been pretty difficult finding him among nearly 6,000 people.
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-01-30 13:25:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 JULY 2008 Filers
All done! Aicha is a citizen. She and 5,995 other people took their oath around 2:00pm at the LA Convention Center today.

Now to get a passport.

Buh-bye USCIS!
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-01-29 20:34:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 JULY 2008 Filers
QUOTE (Lyuba @ Jan 12 2009, 11:56 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The ceremony went well. Both my husband and my mom who is visiting from Russia attended.


Hmmm. The paperwork Aicha got says only she can attend the ceremony. Did they get to stand near you or was there a separate waiting or observation area for them?
rclouseMaleMorocco2009-01-16 09:36:00