Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	I th?nk we got the v?sa	I am so happy for you two!!!! Congratulations!! That's terrible though that they would only conduct the interview in English after he chose Turkish. I am sure I would have reacted the same way...total panic...if the reverse happened to me. Ozzy also requested Turkish and our interview was given in English instead. I thought it was just because he started speaking to the interviewer in English but now I realize it probably wasn't even an option to begin with. Well all's well that ends well I guess. Whew!! Congrats again!! I hope you're enjoying the rest of your visit in Turkiye!! Tanya It's been a wh?le s?nce ?'ve posted- I've been ?n Turkey for two weeks now and we had our ?nterv?ew th?s morn?ng at 10 at the Ankara Embassy. (sorry for some typos- I'm nav?gat?ng the Turk?sh keyboard) Where to start? Well there was a very long l?ne and we wa?ted nervously for about an hour. After we gave the med?cal package we were g?ven a number and we wa?ted for about an hour ?n a room w?th about 70 other eager people. We watched two people ahead of us rece?ve blue sl?ps. We could hear there ent?re ?nterv?ew as the quest?ons were asked over a m?crophone. It was pa?nful to hear some of the ?nterrogat?ons. Others seemed qu?te easy and qu?ck. Omer asked to be ?nterv?ewed ?n Turk?sh as ?t ?s the language he ?s most comfortable w?th. When we were called to the w?ndow the woman ?nformed us that she d?dnt speak turk?sh and would be conduct?ng the ?nterv?ew ?n Engl?sh. She also sa?d that I was to go away and that she only wanted to speak to Omer. He pan?cked. I mean really pan?cked. He could barely answer a s?ngle quest?on. I was mort?f?ed as she sa?d the same quest?on over and over. For example- What ?s n?ce about your f?ance? He d?dn't know the word 'n?ce'- amd she d?dnt rephrase (?.e.- what do you love about chr?st?ne? what ?s good about chr?st?ne? what do you l?ke about her-) only what ?s NICE about her- after 8 or 9 repet?t?ons of the quest?on- he sa?d- she l?kes water... I could have d?ed. Th?s ser?es of quest?onn?ng went on for about twenty m?nutes- ?t felt l?ke an etern?ty. I don't know what happened to h?m- he was just l?ke a deer ?n headl?ghts. Then she told h?m to s?t down and called me up. She d?dnt want to see the photos of our engagement party- or of us for the past two weeks. Or any of the papers I assembled- Not one paper was asked for- no or?g?nals of pol?ce cert?f?cate etc... She sa?d to me- How on earth do you commun?cate? I repl?ed that we really speak very well together- we never use the d?ct?onary- somet?mes I have to rephrase the quest?on or statement. I told her he just pan?cked dur?ng the ?nterv?ew. She asked me when we planned on marry?ng- I sa?d December over my chr?stmas break. She asked ?f we reserved a wedd?ng hall or had ?nv?tat?ons pr?nt yet. I sa?d no- ?t would be a small c?v?l ceremony and that next summer we would have b?g wedd?ng. She sa?d OK- go over to the UPS w?ndow- we w?ll ma?l the v?sa today- and that we would rece?ve ?t ?n three days or so. I was ?n shock- I don't have a clue- how we passed the ?nterv?ew. She kept h?s passport and we pa?d the UPS del?very fee. All I keep th?nk?ng ?s that maybe we'll get the passport w?th a reject?on letter or some k?nd of Adm?n?strat?ve Rev?ew letter. It w?ll be a m?racle ?f we actually get th?s v?sa g?ven h?s performance. Thanks for l?sten?ng- I'll post Monday or Tuesday when and ?f we have the v?sa ?n hand. I'm rel?eved we d?dn't get the blue sl?p- but am st?ll a b?t ?n shock. Best to all Chr?st?ne	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2007-07-11 08:40:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	should I attend fiancee interview?	Attendace of the US citizen at the interview is "recommended but not required". I believe it would be a very good thing to go with her if possible. I went with my fiance for his interview (in Ankara, Turkey) and the interviewer asked me many questions as well as him. Going together is probably the best way to prove you have a bona fide relationship. For example, we brought pictures, emails, chat logs, etc., but we were not even asked to show them. I believe this was because we were together and our feelings for each other were obvious. Also, at his interview, I saw and overheard other people's interviews (the interview was conducted in a large room, similar to a bank lobby and you could hear everything being said). I watched several people who were there alone get turned down for lack of evidence of a bona fide relationship, even after their interview appeared to go well otherwise. I watched other couples who were there together (some of whose interviews appeared to go rather badly) get approved in the end, I believe because the US citizen was there saying, "I love this person and I want them to be with me." Good Luck, Tanya QUOTE (Malla @ Dec 21 2007, 12:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> hello everyone, I got aproval letter on Dec 13 from USCIS. Hope NVC will send documnets soon to embessy. I am also going Nepal on Jan 9 for 1 months. Does it make any differnece or negative effect if i aslo go to inteview with my faincee. Should i go or not with her? Need suggestion from you guys. Thanks	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2007-12-21 15:39:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Birth certificate Question for Packet 3.5	Hi Asmo, I would think that if her official birth certificate is in English, then that would be all you would need. Only documents printed in foreign languages need to be translated. If it is common to have an English birth certificate in Pakistan, then I'm sure the embassy will be familiar with this and it shouldn't be a problem. However, if her official (original) birth certificate was in Urdu, you will need it and the English translation. I would double check with the embassy on this, but it would seem illogical to translate a document already in English into Urdu (assuming the English BC is the original, official document). Contact info for the visa unit at the Islamabad embassy is below: Phone: (+92-51) 208-2700 M-F, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM Fax: (+92-51) 282-2632 E-mail: pakivinfo@state.gov Hope that helps... Tanya QUOTE (asmo @ Jan 8 2008, 08:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi All, I have a question. My wife received packet 3.5 from Islamabad embassy. Checklist #1 mention that she need to send birth certificate in urdu and english translation. But she only has English birth certificate. Does she needs to apply for Urdu? or just english will do it?. Any response appreciated Asmo Edited by tanyakaraman, 08 January 2008 - 08:58 AM.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-01-08 08:55:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	PACKET 3 WHAT IS SENT TO CONSULATE?	You can translate...but I'd only recommend it if you're pretty confident about it. Ozzy and I collaborated on the project. He gave me a rough translation and I reworded it to make it sound nice and "official" Just make sure you translate EVERY little notation and phrase on the document including headings and dates, etc. The Turkish birth certificates are quite a bit more involved than ours here in the US (they include every person in the immediate family including their religion, marriages, addresses, etc.), so it's a bit of an undertaking....it took us pretty much a whole day to get it right. Also, attach a page that states something to the effect of " This document was translated from Turkish in to English by xxxxxxx, who do certify that I/we am/are qualified to translate this document by reason of my/our fluency in both English and Turkish and that this translation is true and correct" and sign and date it. I think he paid over $200 to the translator... Let us know if we can help in any way. Tanya QUOTE (ErikaAndHamit @ Dec 4 2008, 06:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (tanyakaraman @ Dec 4 2008, 10:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hi Erika, When Ozzy and I were going thru this portion of the process, he was confused too. This is what we did: I completed all the paperwork that I could (I downloaded the forms from the Embassy website and filled them out for him while having an IM chat with him to verify I was putting the correct answers). The forms I complete for him were: Form DS-230 Part I (“Biographic Data”), Form DS-156 (“Application for a Nonimmigrant visa”) in duplicate Form DS-156K (“ Nonimmigrant Fiance Visa Application”) DS-157 (“Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application”) Form I-134 (Affidavit of Support) with my most recent tax return The last page on that link you sent is a form asking for contact information...I believe I filled and included that too... I added: My divorce certificate from my prior divorce Proof of relationship including photgraphs of us together and printouts of our emails and IM conversations from the time we met until the present time (if you have phone records, include them too) I mailed all those forms (prefilled) to him and instructed him where to sign. I also included a pre-addressed envelope for him to mail to the consulate. I instructed him to add the following things: A complete photocopy of his entire passport, cover to cover One original and one certified copy of his birth certificate (the Nufus Kayit Ornegi) with English translation (hint: Ozzy went to a certified translator to have this translated into English and it was VERY expensive. If you are able to do it correctly, you can translate it yourself, which is what I did for his AOS and it was fine) A police record, along with English translation Two 2 x 2 photographs of the correct specifications I highly recommend that you keep copies of everything and bring them with you to the interview. You may not need them but it'll make you feel better to have them As for packet 4....I forget what's in it now, but I think it has to do with instructions for obtaining the physical exam....? Best of luck Tanya I CAN translate? I will need a dictionary....lol I am not fluent by any means, but I do have a solid basic grasp on the language (I can get by)...lol Hell, you bet I will if I can! How did you do it? Ozzy help?...lol His brother can do it i hope, but he is outta the country when we need him most. How much was the translator?	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-04 21:40:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	PACKET 3 WHAT IS SENT TO CONSULATE?	You do need to mail originals of the birth certificate and police report (they should be stamped similar to a notary stamp), and of course the affidavit of support has to be original and notarized...for everything else I believe copies are ok (however, if they specifically ask for originals, I would send them just to be safe). But definitely keep copies of everything for yourself and bring them with you to the interview if you wish! If you don't need them at the interview, you'll need the info again when you file for AOS... One other thing, send a letter from your employer with the affidavit of support stating how much you make...being a new grad and all... Oh and ha I love you too Tanya QUOTE (ErikaAndHamit @ Dec 4 2008, 06:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (tanyakaraman @ Dec 4 2008, 11:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> PS: All you need to carry to the interview with you is: Both of you need to have your passport with you You must bring your receipt for the Visa fee, which you pay ahead of time You must bring your appointment letter (I believe this comes in packet 4 also) Bring the envelope from the medical exam (excluding the x-ray film) Bring some means of paying for the visa delivery--for us I believe it was ~10 or 15 lira...? Bring any additional evidence that you didn't already submit If you wish, you may bring copies of everything you already sent...you just never know... Tanya!! I LOVE YOU! I finally received an email from Ankara and you said exactly what they said but with details...thank you thank you thank you!!!!! I remember reading somewhere that originals are NOT sent, but this damned packet 3 says to mail originals...it doesn't say anywhere that copies are allowed only that originals are required...what a load of sh$%.....I don't think so!!! Yea right so they can lose em....ha! Thanks for your help! Still working on my blogs...one day it will make for some great reading material...one day..lol School is about out for the semester...enjoy!! Big hugs and thanks for taking time to answer Tanya!	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-04 21:27:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	PACKET 3 WHAT IS SENT TO CONSULATE?	PS: All you need to carry to the interview with you is: Both of you need to have your passport with you You must bring your receipt for the Visa fee, which you pay ahead of time You must bring your appointment letter (I believe this comes in packet 4 also) Bring the envelope from the medical exam (excluding the x-ray film) Bring some means of paying for the visa delivery--for us I believe it was ~10 or 15 lira...? Bring any additional evidence that you didn't already submit If you wish, you may bring copies of everything you already sent...you just never know...	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-04 13:39:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	PACKET 3 WHAT IS SENT TO CONSULATE?	Hi Erika, When Ozzy and I were going thru this portion of the process, he was confused too. This is what we did: I completed all the paperwork that I could (I downloaded the forms from the Embassy website and filled them out for him while having an IM chat with him to verify I was putting the correct answers). The forms I complete for him were: Form DS-230 Part I (“Biographic Data”), Form DS-156 (“Application for a Nonimmigrant visa”) in duplicate Form DS-156K (“ Nonimmigrant Fiance Visa Application”) DS-157 (“Supplemental Nonimmigrant Visa Application”) Form I-134 (Affidavit of Support) with my most recent tax return The last page on that link you sent is a form asking for contact information...I believe I filled and included that too... I added: My divorce certificate from my prior divorce Proof of relationship including photgraphs of us together and printouts of our emails and IM conversations from the time we met until the present time (if you have phone records, include them too) I mailed all those forms (prefilled) to him and instructed him where to sign. I also included a pre-addressed envelope for him to mail to the consulate. I instructed him to add the following things: A complete photocopy of his entire passport, cover to cover One original and one certified copy of his birth certificate (the Nufus Kayit Ornegi) with English translation (hint: Ozzy went to a certified translator to have this translated into English and it was VERY expensive. If you are able to do it correctly, you can translate it yourself, which is what I did for his AOS and it was fine) A police record, along with English translation Two 2 x 2 photographs of the correct specifications I highly recommend that you keep copies of everything and bring them with you to the interview. You may not need them but it'll make you feel better to have them As for packet 4....I forget what's in it now, but I think it has to do with instructions for obtaining the physical exam....? Best of luck Tanya	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-04 12:47:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	If wait time for removal of conditions surpasses GC expiration...	Oh well that's a relief!! Thanks so much! Tanya QUOTE (Cassie @ Sep 5 2008, 01:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (tanyakaraman @ Sep 5 2008, 12:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> First of all, what is your status if your application for removal of conditions is not approved before the conditional green card expires? Are you able to travel outside the country? Are you able to continue working? Since many, if not all applicants do not get approved before the GC expires, you should receive a letter that extends the validity of your GC for one year. If you do not (because there were people that never received their letter), you need to get an INFOPASS appointment and go to your local District Office with proof that you sent in your petition to get the I-551 stamp in your passport which does the exact same thing as the letter. You are allowed to travel outside the country and continue to work.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-09-05 12:16:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	If wait time for removal of conditions surpasses GC expiration...	This might be a dumb question, and if so please accept my advance apology...but.... I've noticed a lot of people experiencing very long wait times for approval at the Vermont Service Center. This is a little concerning, and although my husband's timeframe to remove conditions is at least a year away, I guess I am thinking ahead, and I have a couple questions. First of all, what is your status if your application for removal of conditions is not approved before the conditional green card expires? Are you able to travel outside the country? Are you able to continue working? Also, would it be prudent/possible to file earlier than the recommended 3-month window before the 2-year GC expires? Thanks for any input! Tanya	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-09-05 12:10:00
Middle East and North Africa	Does your muslim husband mind if you drink?	QUOTE (caybee @ Aug 5 2008, 09:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Jenn! @ Aug 5 2008, 09:18 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (TamaraLovesAdam @ Aug 4 2008, 10:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> But I would assume the majority of the muslim men as the majority of christian men do not accept drinking alcohol. and that in that given situation the men would not want their wife to drink either. Do you really think that's true? I haven't gotten that impression at all. Nor have I. It's frowned upon in some denominations or individual congregations but accepted (in moderation) in others. I've been in Protestant communion services where wine was served, with grape juice as an alternative. From my point of view, I was raised Baptist and drinking was strictly forbidden. To this day, I do not drink in front of my Christian mother, out of respect, because she would be horrified. When taking communion in church, we were always served grape juice (our preacher even went so far as to suggest that whenever "wine" was mentioned in the Bible, the term was really referring to grape juice). On the other hand, my Muslim husband and I have drinks together a couple times a week...usually at his suggestion! Then again, drinking alcohol is somewhat of a cultural norm for Turks (Turkish raki). I think that makes a big difference.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-08-05 15:20:00
Middle East and North Africa	Advice needed! What do I do?	Erika, Our interview was scheduled ~1.5 to 2 months after we submitted packet 3, but that was in 2007. It could be different now depending on their caseload. Maybe check other's profiles who have had more recent interviews in Ankara to get a better idea of what timeframe to expect. Oh, and if you can't make the first interview date they give you, you can request another one and they say they will do their best to accomodate your requests, although an exact choice of dates is not guaranteed. As for the income thing...I just checked the instructions for the I-134 to refresh my memory. With the affidavit of support, you only need to show your current income correct? Only those who are self employed need to submit prior tax returns with the affidavit. So you won't be presenting your W2's until the interview. So just put down your current income on the I-134 and attach a letter from your bank showing a total of all deposits during the past year along with a letter from your employer stating your current salary. By the time your interview is scheduled, you should have your 2008 W2's to back all that up! I personally think you're going to be just fine! The only thing I can see going wrong for you is if they schedule your interview before you get your 2008 W2's...and if you send packet 3 in around the endish of December, that shouldn't happen, unless for some reason, your employer delays distribution... But lets think positive here and say that's not going to happen!! GL....and sana da Iyi Bayramlar!! Tanya QUOTE (ErikaAndHamit @ Dec 7 2008, 09:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it I know I don't have to go, but I want that extra assurance and in case something goes wrong I am there for questioning as well-.....i.e; if they think our relationship isn't bona-fide. I have heard many times that if this should be the case, the CO questions the USC as well and most of the time the visa is granted. ...but if I'm not there and this happens it is bad news. Ankara allows the USC in with a passport, but it's up to the CO if they let the USC sit in on the interview (not usually and I don't want to anyway...lol))...anyhow....this stinks not knowing the interview date and that it could be up to 3 months?!! wow...so I have more questions for anyone who is willing to give any experiences or info...I would be so grateful How long until your interviews were scheduled after turning in packet 3? Did you get any say in dates? Are they flexible? Anyone have the same problem with previous income beng insufficient, but current income excellent? (Damn, and it is so close to tax time wish I could just take an all new I-134 showing my $50,000 for 2008 and NOT my 2007 $17,500 which is very insufficient-I was in school) Thanks again everyone and Iyi bayramlar!...or Happy Eid in English...lol!	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-10 14:11:00
Middle East and North Africa	Advice needed! What do I do?	Actually, it depends on the consulate/country. In Turkey, the USC is allowed into the interview and usually is interviewed as well if she/he is present. I went with my then fiance and the CO questioned both of us. I personally, based on what I observed at my fiance's interview, feel it can be beneficial for both to go together if they are able. With that said, obviously not everyone is able to go...and in some countries, as you say, you're not allowed to go (although I can't imagine being a US citizen and not allowed into the US embassy for ANY reason!), and I'm sure CO's take that into consideration. QUOTE (MrsAmera @ Dec 7 2008, 04:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think the difference is that you were married. I have heard much more often of married petitioners being allowed to interview together but hardly ever for K1's.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-10 13:51:00
Middle East and North Africa	Israel vows to keep up Gaza attacks	How absolutely shameful that these attacks are allowed to continue, or even be condoned by our govt! And worse yet, these poor innocent people are dying due to a lack of blood and medical supplies!? That alone is inexcusable in this day and age. Let those innocent human beings who want to leave, leave...and give them access to the medical care they need!! QUOTE (rahma @ Dec 29 2008, 02:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> More first hand accounts/reports from people who have contacts in Gaza. Please be aware that some of these links contain graphic pictures: Gaza Eyewitnesses from the BBC <a href="http://&quot;http://occupiedlove.blogspot.com/&quot;" target="_blank">From Occupied Palestine with Love</a> Live from Occupied Palestine	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-29 14:55:00
Middle East and North Africa	What Rumors/Stereotypes Did your MENA SO hear about American Spouses from MENA Friends, Family, etc?	My husband for one has not told his sisters & brother that I was married before and have children. He says they would "look at me differently". His parents, however, know the full truth and are fine with it. (seems like it should be the other way around, but what do I know?) He says "slowly, slowly" we'll tell them... I can't say it doesn't bother me a lil, but I guess that's his way of "defending my honor" by witholding information from them that would predispose me to being negatively stereotyped... QUOTE (Staashi @ Dec 29 2008, 05:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So I guess that their families make just as many stupid/asinine comments as your families do? I just have to wonder how many of the men take true offense and stand up to their families and friends like you guys do, or do they chuckle at it and blow them off. Although I must say that as much as I would hate for my spouse to be continuously thought of as a potential terrorist, it stings just as bad or worse to be thought of as an actual #######, who is expendable and will be dropped as soon as my spouse has their GC. But that's just me.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-29 21:26:00
Middle East and North Africa	What Rumors/Stereotypes Did your MENA SO hear about American Spouses from MENA Friends, Family, etc?	Apparently someone told my hubby this one too...and I hope he wasn't too disappointed to learn the truth! As for him taking a second wife, he has a laptop that is practically a fifth appendage attached to him at all times...the brand is an Acer, pronounced the same as the Turkish female name "Hacer", and we jokingly refer to "Acer" as his second wife Another one...a LOT of Turkish ppl he meets here automatically assume that he only married me for the visa... QUOTE (just_Jackie @ Dec 28 2008, 05:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ok, I totally thought I had nothing to contribute but JUST today my husband said something that made me ROTFLMAO! He had dinner with his friend Fady last night and his friend asked him if it was true that ALL american women want sex EVERY night Edited by tanyakaraman, 29 December 2008 - 10:32 AM.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-29 10:27:00
Middle East and North Africa	I'm back and have more questions..	Wow, I clicked in here thinking someone actually had a question.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-09 12:16:00
Middle East and North Africa	UN: Humanitarian Crisis Worsening in Gaza	From Yahoo News today...makes me so sad http://news.yahoo.co...el_palestinians UN, Red Cross curtail Gaza aid, criticize Israel The U.N. and the Red Cross curtailed aid shipments in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after accusing Israeli forces of firing on their drivers, killing one. The threat of a wider conflict arose when militants in Lebanon fired two rockets into northern Israel. One rocket crashed into a retirement home, but there were no serious injuries. Israel responded with mortar shells. During a three-hour pause in the fighting to allow in food and fuel and let medics collect the dead, nearly three dozen bodies were found beneath the rubble of bombed out buildings in Gaza City. Many of the dead were in the same neighborhood where the international Red Cross said rescuers discovered young children too weak to stand who had stayed by their dead mothers. The aid group accused Israel of an "unacceptable" delay in allowing workers to reach the area. Relations between Israel and humanitarian organizations have grown increasingly tense as civilian casualties have mounted. The United Nations demanded an investigation after Israel earlier this week fired shells at a target next to a U.N. school filled with Gazans seeking refuge from fighting that has left nearly 750 Palestinians dead, according to Palestinian hospital officials and human rights workers. Israel said militants had launched an attack from the area, and then ran into a crowd of civilians for cover. Nearly 40 Palestinians died. "We've been coordinating with them (Israeli forces) and yet our staff continue to be hit and killed," said a U.N. spokesman, Chris Gunness, announcing the suspension. The U.N. is the largest aid provider in Gaza. Israeli police, meanwhile, said militants in the Gaza Strip fired 24 rockets into Israel on Thursday, injuring four people, one of them seriously. Militants fired larger numbers of rockets in the early days of the conflict. The Israeli military said one soldier attached to a tank battalion was killed by gunfire in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Twelve Israelis, including nine soldiers, have died since the Dec. 27 beginning of the offensive against the Hamas militants in charge of Gaza, meant to halt years of Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel. But with roughly half the Palestinian dead believed to be civilians, international efforts to broker a cease-fire have been gaining steam. Israeli envoys traveled to Egypt on Thursday to discuss the proposal being brokered by France and Egypt and now backed by the U.S. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said any time lost will play into the hands of those who want war. "The weapons must go quiet, the escalation must stop, Israel must obtain security guarantees and leave Gaza," he said in Paris. The U.N. provides food aid to around 750,000 Gaza residents — about half of Gaza's population — and runs dozens of schools and clinics throughout the territory. They have some 9,000 locally employed staffers inside Gaza, and a small team of international staffers who work there. Elena Mancusi Materi, UNRWA's spokeswoman in Geneva, said the suspension concerned all truck movement in Gaza. "If someone comes to one of our food distribution centers, we will give that person food," she said. "If people come to our clinics with injuries, we will treat them." For a second straight day, Israel suspended its Gaza military operation for three hours to allow in humanitarian supplies. Shortly before the pause took effect, however, the U.N. said one of its aid trucks came under fire from a gunner on an Israeli tank, killing the driver. U.N. spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said the U.N. coordinated the delivery with Israel, and the vehicle was marked with a U.N. flag and insignia when it was shot in northern Gaza. The Israeli army said it was investigating. In Geneva, the international Red Cross said it would restrict its aid operations to Gaza City for at least one day after one of its convoys came under Israeli fire at the Netzarim crossing during the three-hour lull in fighting Thursday. One driver was lightly injured. Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Palestinian Health Ministry said 35 bodies were discovered Thursday during the three-hour pause in fighting in several areas around Gaza City that have seen fierce fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas militants. He said it was unclear how many militants were killed because the remains were in poor condition, but that women and children were among the dead. Hassanain said 746 Palestinians have died in Israel's 13-day offensive. Many of the dead found Thursday were in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood, where the international Red Cross said it found four small children alive next to their mothers' bodies in the rubble of a home hit by Israeli shelling. The aid group says a total of 15 dead were recovered from two houses in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City on Wednesday. A Red Cross spokesman says rescuers had been refused permission by Israeli forces to reach the site for four days. It said the delay in allowing rescue services access was "unacceptable." The Red Cross statement was a rare public criticism from the aid group, which normally conducts confidential negotiations with warring parties. The Israeli military said in a statement that Hamas militants used Palestinian civilians as human shields, and that Israeli forces work closely with international aid groups to help civilians during the fighting in Gaza. In other Gaza violence, Israel killed at least 12 people, including the U.N. driver and three people who were fleeing their homes, according to Palestinian medical officials. The rockets from Lebanon raised the specter of renewed hostilities on Israel's northern frontier, just 2 1/2 years after Israel battled the Hezbollah guerrilla group to a 34-day stalemate. War broke out between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006 as Israel battled Palestinian militants in Gaza, on Israel's southern borders. No group claimed responsibility. Lebanon's government condemned the attack, and Hezbollah — which now plays an integral role in Lebanon's government — denied any responsibility for the rocket fire, which lightly injured two Israelis at a retirement home. "The rocket entered through the roof, hurling the water heaters into the air. It went through bedrooms upstairs and then into the kitchen," said Henry Carmelli, the home's manager. Israel has repeatedly said it was prepared for a possible attack on the north since it launched its bruising campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza, to the south. Israel has mobilized thousands of reserve troops for such a scenario, and leaders have warned Hezbollah of dire consequences if it enters the fighting. "We are prepared and will respond as necessary," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told reporters. The Israeli offensive has reduced Palestinian rocket fire, but not stopped it altogether. Several barrages were reported Thursday, including one strike that damaged a school and sports center in the southern city of Ashkelon, police said. Both buildings were empty. For Israel to accept a proposed cease-fire deal, "there has to be a total and complete cessation of all hostile fire from Gaza into Israel, and ... we have to see an arms embargo on Hamas that will receive international support," said government spokesman Mark Regev. For its part, Hamas said it would not accept a truce deal unless it includes an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza — something Israel says it is not willing to do. Israel and Egypt have maintained a stiff economic embargo on Gaza since the Hamas takeover.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-08 15:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	Children of Gaza	I'm not sure if the same applies to Gaza, but I remember reading that there was a similar situation in 1990's Afghanistan. Many, many orphans and it was very difficult to adopt them because one had to "prove" that the parents were truly dead, many of whom never had death certificates issued. Plus, the government was in turmoil, as I'd imagine it is in Gaza as well, and processing foreign adoptions - especially to prospective parents from different ethnic/cultural/religious backgrounds - was quite low on their priority list, or not there at all. Many, many children grew up or died in orphanages as a result. Still, it is a very worthwhile thing to consider, and worth checking into. It is so heartbreaking to see these innocent little ones are in such a terrible situation. Edited by tanyakaraman, 17 January 2009 - 09:13 AM.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-17 09:11:00
Middle East and North Africa	Who are you??	I'm Tanya...I work in a children's hospital as a medical transcriptionist, am in school to be a nurse, am mom to 3 kids and wife to a wonderful Turkish man... ...and sometimes I even get to sleep a little My husband, Ozgur, is in school for network engineering & works in a local pizza shop owned by 2 Turkish brothers (everyone who goes in there sees dark hair & hears foreign accents and just assumes they are all Italian LOL) Oh yeah, and I'm an amateur chocolate taster too...	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-29 20:57:00
Middle East and North Africa	green card marriages, ladies beware	I'm so sorry to hear of things like this happening. Unfortunately, being used is a risk you take when you lower your guard and allow yourself to love someone....whatever country they're from. It's not a risk that's unique to Visa Journey, although I will say, this process makes it *very difficult* to really get to know someone prior to marriage. An American man can misrepresent himself and his intentions just as easily as a foreign man can (just ask me about my American ex-husband...he had me in a very similar situation as the person who started this thread!). Many a wealthy older gentleman has realized the same about his much younger wife/girlfriend. Just as there are gold diggers out there, there are visa diggers, and people who marry for a variety of other ulterior motives aside from love. Sad but true. I for one am not sorry I took that leap of faith. I realize I'm not "out of the woods" so to speak, but I think no one ever is really. A marriage is a work in progress. The past couple years with my husband have been the most wonderful in my lifetime and I certainly hope I never look back and think differently.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-02 21:21:00
Middle East and North Africa	A 10-Year-Old Divorcée Takes Paris	How sad...but what a strong little girl!	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-02-04 12:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	Is abuse ever OK in a relationship?	I have been in an abusive marriage before. I will say that I think it's never ok. Also, at least in my experience, you never get past it...not really. You may stay in the relationship, but the whole dynamic changes immediately once abuse rears its ugly head. It may be months or years between incidents, and the abuser may apologize, cry, and swear to change, but things are never really "normal" again. Once that line has been crossed, it's all too easy for the abuser to cross it again and again...and to a greater and greater extent. Also, abuse takes many forms....physical, verbal, emotional, financial, etc. I'd define it generally as using any hateful tactic to belittle or control or intimidate another person. No form of that is ok. Divorcing that man was the best gift I ever gave myself!	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-02-19 16:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	What is the stupidest thing you have heard because your with a MENA SO ?	QUOTE (Ash * Habibati @ Dec 23 2008, 09:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes Tamara I totally forgot about that! Everyone is convinced he's Mexican or of Hispanic descent and in the street they try to speak to him in Spanish. We have a large Mexican population in our town and at least a few times a week someone will walk up to him and start speaking in Spanish and he says, "I don't speak Spanish!! I speak English, French and Arabic" So they keep talking and talking (thinking he's hiding the fact that he secretly does speak Spanish ) and so he says " Estoy de Tunisino. Soy arabe " And they give him a major look Haha Ozzy gets that too...he made his first acquaintance in the US while walking down the street. Some Puerto Rican guy stopped to offer him a ride 'cause he assumed Ozzy was Puerto Rican too. On the other hand, an acquaintance of my mom's, upon first meeting Ozzy, came up and greeted him with "As-salamu Alaykum" right off the bat.... Then there are my grandparents, who sent Ozzy a book "The True Quran" or something like that as a Christmas gift last year. Apparently its a Christian book written for Muslims that was meant to try to get him to convert.... Such an appropriate gift for someone, right?	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-23 14:53:00
Middle East and North Africa	What is the stupidest thing you have heard because your with a MENA SO ?	Some ridiculous comments from my friends & co-workers: Do they eat turkey in Turkey? You're not going to change your religion, are you? Haven't you seen Midnight Express? He's going to kidnap you and keep you as a slave. He probably already has another wife or two that he's hiding from you. ...and the prize winner: Co-worker: How many miles away is Turkey? Me: About 5,000 miles Co-worker: Wow, how long does it take you to DRIVE there?? QUOTE (caybee @ Dec 23 2008, 01:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> From a classmate, when I came back from visiting my then-fiancé (but she didn't know why I had gone): "Where did you go?" "Morocco." "Ooooooh! Those gorgeous beaches and grand casinos!" "Uh, no, that would be Monaco." This woman's husband had recently spent some time in Egypt on business. Bet he knew where Morocco was. Within a month of my husband's arrival, he started looking for informal soccer games, and the games he found had mostly Spanish-speaking players, some of whom spoke very little English. One of the first to try to speak with him asked him where he was from, and he replied, "Morocco. Marruecos." The player grinned and responded, "Ah! Bin Laden!" What got me about that exchange was this man had surely dealt with discrimination and disparaging remarks himself, and he was ready to dish it back out to someone else, although I think he was probably just joking. Or else it was just soccer trash talk. That's hilarious! The Morocco/Monaco mixup... Edited by tanyakaraman, 23 December 2008 - 02:28 PM.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-12-23 14:26:00
Middle East and North Africa	If you had known then what you know now??	QUOTE (amal @ Jan 7 2009, 11:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (childress_london @ Jan 7 2009, 08:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (amal @ Jan 7 2009, 02:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thats what I'm most worried about. My son gets really down coz of it. Now, just to clue u in on him (my son) a little bit...he REFUSES to go outside. This stems from when he was sick early in his life. It drives me crazy and I tell him all the time that he needs to go outside and make friends and he wouldn't be so bored all the time. I do worry about what he is learning from seeing hubster constantly on the laptop.... Amal how old is your son? I remember when my daughter was little, she was afraid to go outside for the longest time. I don't know why. It was like a phobia. One day when I made her go outside with me for a few minutes (she was about 2-1/2 at the time) the wind was blowing a little. She got really scared and pointed to the trees swaying in the wind. When I asked her why she was afraid, she said because the trees were moving and making the wind! I realized she was seeing the world from a totally different perspective. She's a teenager now, but still not very outdoorsy (no outdoor phobia anymore though - LOL). My son is 9 now (almost 10). He doesn't like to go outside because he says he gets bored and has no friends to play with. It always seems that if he actually does go outside, there are NEVER kids out there to play with. I don't know how to fix this problem. It makes me sad. When I was young, I didn't like to be INDOORS. I was outside from the buttcrack of Dawn until the streetlights came on at night. I would only go inside to eat and then was back out again. My sons hatred to the outdoors came around when he was about 2 years old and came down with Severe Aplastic Anemia and was soooooo immunodeficient that he couldn't leave the confinement of the house/hospital. He had to wear masks at one point to ensure that no germs got to him. He spent a good 3 months not being able to move at all because the medications made his bones hurt severely so the only thing he could do (that didn't hurt) was watch tv and play video games. This was all during that 2 to 5 years in the beginning of a childs life when they get their personalities and attitudes towards life that sticks with them forever so this disease really screwed with his idea of fun. My older 2 kids are like that. They used to go outside all the time when they were little. We had to move and lived in an apartment for a year. There, there was nothing for them to do outside and no kids to play with and I guess they just got used to staying indoors. Now we live in a more kid-friendly neighborhood and I have to force them to go outside...and when I do, they are back in 5 minutes or less saying it's too hot, too cold or too boring! One time a few months ago, I got them to go out and my son actually made a friend. They were playing tag and having a good old time and I was so happy! Next thing I know, my son got pushed over on his head and we ended up in the ER with him with a concussion! And that was the end of that... My little one, on the other hand, is my little social butterfly. She knows every kid in the neighborhood including the ones who are much younger or older than her. I can't keep that girl in the house and half the time, I have to scour the neighborhood to find her at dinner time! I'm not sure whether to be happy or worried about that....	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-08 09:15:00
Middle East and North Africa	If you had known then what you know now??	LOL...some of these are soooo familiar. QUOTE (JeanneVictoria @ Jan 6 2009, 09:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ok, this is what I have learned since we have been married. I'm not gonna say what our situation is other than that he is from a MENA country. I will say he is very self-centered and usually looks out for himself. So my advice is totally from that (and only MY) perspective. I envy those of you who have a calm, even-keeled man who will take responsibility for his actions. So please don't think all MENA men are like this but there are more than a few around. He has been on his own for a good many years, so he is as set in his ways as I am in mine....lol 1. Get him Arabic Satellite TV. That has been his lifeline. [/color]Mine figured out how to watch Turkish TV on the internet, including live soccer games...don't ask me how he does it, I have no idea. 2. See if there is somebody he knows living in the USA that he can talk to for free. It is too dang expensive for them to talk to their buddies overseas for very long. ...or get Skype! Mine calls his family/friends for free on the computer 3. Don't leave him alone if you don't have to to get in trouble on the computer--(don't even ask!!!) LOL mine doesn't get "in trouble", but he takes it everywhere...including the WC (he will even talk by webcam while sitting on the John!) 4. English classes are good, but his didnt' have enough people to keep them going after a few months. Mine is taking ESL....or I am, I'm not sure which, as he fenagles me into doing all his homework for him! 5. Get him a cellphone, but be sure to tell him the limits. When you are paying, they sometimes don't really care about costs. Yes! And it must be a fancy/expensive one too! 6. He will think he should be able to get a job for a lot more than minimum wage. Yeah, I know they said before they got here they will do any kind of work. BS Yeah, we went thru this too.... 8. Get him studying for driving test for your state. If he has no experience, get permit, not license. Don't forget to add that he will be learning to drive YOUR CAR (and you will be cringing, as I did, when he throws it into Park while you're still moving along at 20 mph!) 9. Expect him to want to start his own business and expect it to be wildly successful, either here or in home country, expecting only to invest a small amount of money. Yeah, BTDT.... 10. Expect him to want to send money home to family, especially during Ramadan and other special days. He will also need to send money for family medical problems, etc. Yesss.... 11. If he smokes, good luck getting him to do it outside of the house. Get him to the doctor ASAP and get him a prescription for Chantix! Mine supposedly quit on that stuff, but I suspect he still smokes occasionally when I'm not around...however, the mere fact that he claims to have quit prevents him from smoking in the house any more... 12. Give him a good part of the closet. Sooo true! Mine has more clothes (and more expensive clothes) than I do...and at least 5 times as many pairs of shoes!! And is VERY particular about how his clothes are washed. 13. If you own the house, expect him to want you to put his name on it too or he won't want to put any effort into taking care of it. He expected to give me $50 for expenses for the whole month. He doesn't see it as fair that I have worked all my life and worked my butt off for what I have. Also, keep in mind that he may not understand the concept of cutting the grass and will not see the point of doing so... 14. Expect him to be totally shocked at the difficulty of applying for and interviewing for a job. He has been used to just showing up and asking around for a job. The concept of applying online was totally foreign to him...took awhile to convince him that's the way its done here, and spent many a night filling out applications for him. 25. We did better when he got his own checking account. Many fights were over how much he should pay for expenses and poor thing, he couldnt' save most of his pay check. Welcome to the real world, baby. [color="#FF00FF"]He couldn't believe they actually charge fees for overdrafts...and stilll does not feel comfortable writing checks. He says only the rich ppl wrote checks in Turkey. More to come You have more??.....love to all!!! OMG!! I asked Wael if he was SURE he was from Egypt!!! This is just unbelievable what you have written. I just don't know what to say. My hubby is NOTHING like you have written. But he's still the best thing since sliced bread...	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-07 14:30:00
Middle East and North Africa	If you had known then what you know now??	I love it when my husband picks up new slang too! Especially the stuff he gets from rap songs LOL. For awhile there, he was calling me "shawty" all the time...with his accent and stuff...just cracked me up. Then there was the time he was telling me a story that happened that day at work. He was saying,"I was cutting the cheese and...." I, being the goofball I am sometimes, interrupted and asked him if he knew what "cutting the cheese" meant here. After I explained, he continued the story, "So while I was FARTING...."	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-06 21:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	MENA men and style	QUOTE I dont get too crazy with primping but I do have the things I cant live without. If my husband has the means....he will go all out and have no problems primpin himself I.E. facials and waxing of eyebrows. Ohh I forgot to mention the eyebrows & stuff! Mine'll go with me to those little nails/eyebrows places and get himself a mani and a pedi and an eyebrow wax! He has that poor little Chinese lady *earning* that $10 too for his eybrows....it takes at least 30 mins to wax his eyebrows and he won't leave until they're perfect to his liking. He's a good little spa buddy tho....like a girlfriend and a husband all wrapped up into one	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-23 17:00:00
Middle East and North Africa	MENA men and style	Hahaha, my hubby is the same way.....completely, hopelessly addicted to fashion! He has a whole closet full of clothes and shoes (actually, so many shoes that they don't FIT in the closet)....and don't even get me started on sunglasses and cologne..... and all must be brand name (albeit they are mostly fakes, but that doesn't matter to him as long as they are well made of quality material - and he is an expert on this BTW - and proclaim their brand name labels!). He also uses hair gel/wax and spends hours crafting a perfect goatee...very metrosexual... We can't leave the house even to go to the grocery store without him changing outfits a couple times LOL. I must admit I love it though...I'm a complete pushover for a sharp dressed, good smelling, well groomed man...	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-23 12:30:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	QUOTE (MrsAmera @ Jan 16 2009, 09:47 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have a question about the Manti - if you boil it for 15 minutes doesn't the dough get slimy and fall apart? Is it possible to precook the meat, stuff the dough and then boil or would it mess it up? Maybe 15 mins is an overestimate. That's what I have written down, but in reality, I just boil them, tasting one occasionally, until they're soft. Still, some of them do inevitably fall apart, especially if you try to boil a whole bunch at one time...they're still just as yummy tho. They can be frozen and cooked later as well, much like ravioli. Just coat them well with flour to prevent sticking. I'm not sure if it would work to precook the meat, mostly 'cause the soft uncooked meat allows you to fold the dough around it more easily (the dough is best if rolled out very, very thin and it's really delicate). It's also key to chop the onions very small, otherwise, big chunks will poke holes in the dough as you fold it over. The meat does cook just while boiling the manti as long as you don't make them too big...Hershey kiss size at most, and the smaller the better (although more time consuming and tedious to make as well!). We always start out making them really tiny, then as we get tired of working, the manti mysteriously get bigger and bigger ~Tanya	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-16 13:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	Ooooooh that looks delicious! I'll have to try it! QUOTE (awaterlily @ Jan 15 2009, 08:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ohhh, I love Kisir! My SIL was here last summer and taught me her recipe. Very easy to make! Here's a pic of mine: QUOTE (ME~n~HIM @ Jan 12 2009, 01:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Some Turkish recipes from my classes: Kisir (wheat salad) 1 C bulghur (cracked wheat) 1 C hot water 1 T tomato paste (I like it spicier, so I used chili paste instead) 2 T veg oil 1/2 chopped green onion 1-2 chopped tomatoes 4 large lettuce leaves (optional - I'd leave them out & add to individual servings or use lettuce leaves to serve salad in) Salt, Lemon juice, dry mint, black & read pepper **we also added chopped (seeded & peeled) cucumber & chopped parsley and/or cilantro Pour hot water on to the bulghur & cover; let sit 10 min. Chop onion, lettuce & tomatoes. Add oil & tomato paste into bulghur and mix. Let bulghur absorb oil & tomato paste. Add salt, spice, salad mixture, lemon juice & mix. Kisir is ready to serve and eat. *This makes a lot! If you have leftovers & there is lettuce in there, it will be soggy and not so good later. That's why I suggest either omitting it or adding it individually.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-15 20:23:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	Here's one of my all-time favorite Turkish recipes. It's pretty time consuming, but soooo worth it! I'm going to try to include pics....my measurements aren't exact (we kinda just wing it), so hopefully the pics will help. Sorry if they end up being really huge...I wish I knew how to make thumbnail pics on here! Manti 1. Mix a heap of flour (maybe 3 or 4 cups), 3 eggs, ~2 or 3 Tbsp. salt, and enough water to make a soft pliable dough (add water slowly until dough is soft enough to work with but not sticky). Separate dough into fist-sized balls 2. In a separate bowl, mix together ~1/2 lb uncooked ground beef (or ground lamb), one finely chopped onion, salt, pepper and a fistful of parsley, chopped. 3. One at a time, roll dough balls out very thin (the thinner the better). With a pizza cutter, cut into squares ~1" x 1". 4. Place small wads of beef mixture in center of each dough square. Fold corners together at each end, then bring all 4 corners to meet in the middle. Pinch all edges closed. The finished manti will look kinda like a Hershey kiss, but in more of a 4-point star shape. Place manti in a flour lined pan while you work. 5. Boil manti in salted water for ~15 minutes or until soft. 6. While manti are cooking: a. Make yoghurt sauce: Mix ~1 cup plain yoghurt, 4 cloves of minced garlic, salt to taste and maybe ~1 Tbsp. water. b. Make red pepper sauce: Melt ~2 Tbsp butter in a small pan. Stir in 2 blobs (~1/3 to 1/2 cup) of Turkish red pepper paste (maybe harissa would be a good substitute). Cook and stir until hot and bubbly. 7. Strain manti and place in a bowl. Smother with yoghurt sauce then top with butter/red pepper sauce. 8. Eat it! This stuff is soooo good, I literally can't eat it with my eyes open! LOL. Edited by tanyakaraman, 15 January 2009 - 08:16 PM.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2009-01-15 20:11:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	Haha...I might be in there again tonight, now that I've printed Henia's recipe for the Yellow Sqash Fritters and am in need of some harissa I've never had harissa before. Hubby likes spicy, but I like spicier stuff than him! They have a spicy tomato paste in Turkey too...I wonder if its similar? The prices were really great. Most of the things I bought didn't have a price tag that I noticed, but I think I only spent $20 in there and I got 2 pretty big bags of stuff! As far as mosques, we haven't been to one in the US yet. I IM'd my husband with the address for the one in Smyrna and I think he's really interested. So thanks for sending the info!! QUOTE (Ash * Habibati @ Aug 29 2008, 10:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> WOOHOO!! I told you the big guy in Lasani's rocks my socks!! He really has anything you could want and if he doesn't he will order it! He's also a halal butcher so all the meat in there is 100% halal!! I am so glad that you found it and I think it will save you a lot of trips to Paterson. We save Paterson for special occasions because of the length of the drive and just go to Lasani for most other things. I don't know if your hubby likes spicy but he has the best Harissa I've found (Tunisian hot tomato paste like sauce) and his prices can't be beat for most things! Just be careful with some of the grains/rice/couscous I did find a small bug one time but in truth the bag was totally sealed ( I checked it ) so it must have gotten in there before he got it, so for that I can't totally blame him. We are going to go up this weekend to get some things for Ramadan so I'll wave if I see you in there Who hasn't gotten lost going to Paterson? Those roads are hopeless... I hate Jersey driving, but it's worth getting lost. I only tried Smyrna Pizza one time and it was okay but I'm forever loyal to Bella Villa Ernesto and Tina are old school buddies so I have to go in there.. Jihed's in love with their food at Trevis I just wish it wasn't sooo expensive!! But Bella Villa is much cheaper and Momma knows my orders without me having to speak!! There is supposed to be an Islamic society / mosque in Smyrna but I never checked it out? Masjid Uz Zumar Rt 1, Nbr 500 Smyrna - Delaware - 19977 Have you? We mostly stick to the one in Newcastle off Churchman's Road, by the German club. I know all about the job frustrations and their frustrations at how slow things move here I hope that things work out and that he can get a position he enjoys really soon inshallah!! QUOTE (tanyakaraman @ Aug 29 2008, 09:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sorry I didn't get a minute to reply until now.... Well...Lasani's was awesome & I'm SO glad you told me about it!!! Much thanks! I found so many things in there that I have been looking for...everything from henna to chopped pistachios to the kunafa food coloring...and lots of other very interesting things I want to try . They didn't have the nabulsi cheese, but the guy called his supplier & ordered it for me on the spot! He said that if I stop back in a day or 2, they should have some in stock. Soo...I made a trial run of the kunefe using a mixture of mozarella, ricotta, and half & half and it was very good! Not exactly like Antakya, but very good anyway. My kids and husband loved it. I can't wait to try it again with the correct cheese. Also, not sure if they do this anywhere else, but in Turkey, they serve the kunefe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Sooo delish!! Yes, you're right, it is Paterson LOL my bad....yes I love it there too. If only it weren't such a haul. One time we went up there in the winter, just after a fairly heavy snow. We stayed until after dark and got on the highway to come back home only to find the highway shut down because of ice! We totally lucked onto another route after driving aimlessly for an hour or so. As much as I love visiting there, I wasn't too happy over the prospect of having to spend the night... Yeah, I know what you mean about Smyrna...there is a very small population but its definitely more "obscure" than other places. There is a Turkish family that owns Smyrna Pizza (they love Ozzy & give him free pizzas LOL...I sent him there to "buy" dinner last night), and I think a Pakistani guy who owns the 7-11, but that's it that I know of. Ozzy was really frustrated over the job search too. He did finally land a position in Sears, but he was/is just very frustrated in general about how slowly the wheels seem to move around here....	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-08-29 11:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	mmmmm....that's making me hungry! I may just make that for dinner tonight! Thank you Henia QUOTE (Henia @ Aug 28 2008, 12:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I made this last night with zucchini, OMg delish! Yellow Squash Fritters with Mint and Harissa Recipe: Serves 4 - 1 pound small yellow squash, grated (You can use green zucchini as well) - 2 cloves garlic, minced - 2 eggs, lightly beaten - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour - 1 small bunch parsley, chopped - ½ tsp cumin, freshly ground - ½ tsp coriander seeds, freshly ground - 1 tsp Harissa paste - 10 mint leaves, chopped - Salt and freshly ground black pepper - Olive oil Squeeze the grated yellow squash dry by wring it out in a towel. (Using a towel is the best way I’ve found to get rid of the excess water, which you can use to water your plants) In a large bowl, combine the yellow squash with the rest of the ingredients. Heat a film of olive oil in a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. For each fritter, pour a generous tablespoon of the squash batter into the pan. Turn them over after the bottom turns golden. Cook on the other side until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve right away.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-08-29 09:06:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	Sorry I didn't get a minute to reply until now.... Well...Lasani's was awesome & I'm SO glad you told me about it!!! Much thanks! I found so many things in there that I have been looking for...everything from henna to chopped pistachios to the kunafa food coloring...and lots of other very interesting things I want to try . They didn't have the nabulsi cheese, but the guy called his supplier & ordered it for me on the spot! He said that if I stop back in a day or 2, they should have some in stock. Soo...I made a trial run of the kunefe using a mixture of mozarella, ricotta, and half & half and it was very good! Not exactly like Antakya, but very good anyway. My kids and husband loved it. I can't wait to try it again with the correct cheese. Also, not sure if they do this anywhere else, but in Turkey, they serve the kunefe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Sooo delish!! Yes, you're right, it is Paterson LOL my bad....yes I love it there too. If only it weren't such a haul. One time we went up there in the winter, just after a fairly heavy snow. We stayed until after dark and got on the highway to come back home only to find the highway shut down because of ice! We totally lucked onto another route after driving aimlessly for an hour or so. As much as I love visiting there, I wasn't too happy over the prospect of having to spend the night... Yeah, I know what you mean about Smyrna...there is a very small population but its definitely more "obscure" than other places. There is a Turkish family that owns Smyrna Pizza (they love Ozzy & give him free pizzas LOL...I sent him there to "buy" dinner last night), and I think a Pakistani guy who owns the 7-11, but that's it that I know of. Ozzy was really frustrated over the job search too. He did finally land a position in Sears, but he was/is just very frustrated in general about how slowly the wheels seem to move around here.... QUOTE (Ash * Habibati @ Aug 27 2008, 02:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> How is that going? I'm not sure how long your hubby has been here.. I thought about moving back to Smyrna to be closer to family, but I don't know... a town like Smyrna..... my arab husband named Jihed..... What do you think? Not that Middletown has been a lot better... Certainly hard to find work around here for him. Pederson, NJ? Did you mean Paterson, NJ? We were talking about that just yesterday in another MENA thread! I love me some Paterson!! You are right.. It's totally "Little Turkey" or "Little Syria " or Little Egypt or Little Morocco.. Very heavy populations there and you can get anything you could get in a MENA country. Can't wait to hear your update! I'm hoping that you can find it somewhere in Delaware.. Would certainly save a 2 hour or more drive to Paterson!! *fingers crossed for you* QUOTE (tanyakaraman @ Aug 27 2008, 01:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wow, we are leading parallel lives! I grew up in Middletown and my family still lives there etc. Now that you mention the Dollar Store and the redneck bar, I know exactly where Lasani's is! I can picture the shopping center in my head LOL...guess that says a thing or 2 about me Also good to know there is another halal meat place. Up until now, the butcher in Dover (I believe it's called Sameera?) is the only place in DE we have been able to find lamb... When my husband first came here, we were driving 3+ hours up to Pederson, NJ to do our grocery shopping! There is a whole middle eastern section of town there complete with markets, butchers, restaurants, barbers, the whole works! Its really awesome but that drive sure got old fast. We'd pack the kids in the car and make a day of it...told them we were going to "little Turkey" LoL Anyways, thanks a bunch & I'll give you an update tomorrow on how the great DE cheese hunt goes Edited by tanyakaraman, 29 August 2008 - 08:44 AM.	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-08-29 08:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	Thanks so much! If my quest for Nabulsi is unsuccessful, I'll try it with the ricotta...we'll see if he can tell the difference Tanya QUOTE (Henia @ Aug 27 2008, 12:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I believe you can use ricotta cheese as sub for Nabulis cheese and add some nigella seeds in it for the "look" but it will tast different ... but still good! BTW you and your man are cute together! Good luck with your petitions!	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-08-27 12:22:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	Wow, we are leading parallel lives! I grew up in Middletown and my family still lives there etc. Now that you mention the Dollar Store and the redneck bar, I know exactly where Lasani's is! I can picture the shopping center in my head LOL...guess that says a thing or 2 about me Also good to know there is another halal meat place. Up until now, the butcher in Dover (I believe it's called Sameera?) is the only place in DE we have been able to find lamb... When my husband first came here, we were driving 3+ hours up to Pederson, NJ to do our grocery shopping! There is a whole middle eastern section of town there complete with markets, butchers, restaurants, barbers, the whole works! Its really awesome but that drive sure got old fast. We'd pack the kids in the car and make a day of it...told them we were going to "little Turkey" LoL Anyways, thanks a bunch & I'll give you an update tomorrow on how the great DE cheese hunt goes QUOTE (Ash * Habibati @ Aug 27 2008, 12:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> OMG I grew up in Smyrna... Went to highschool there, my family all lives there and I am there every weekend! LOL And for a long time I made that same commute - Smyrna to Wilmington, but now it's Middletown to Wilmington - Small World ! I spend a lot of time though on 202/ Concord Pike. I didn't know about the Egyptian Market in Dover.... That's new for me, but I would recommend that you go to Lasani's and check out what he has.. He's always getting new things in and sometimes you might get lucky!! Just a tip, as you are going there, you make the right (or left turn, depending on which direction you are going) and you are almost going to miss Lasani's - there is no big sign, but you will see a big red "Family Dollar" sign and he's right next to them in the same little shopping center.. Between the Family Dollar and a little redneck bar If you see Pat's Pizza you went too far down the road, turn around, go back and look for it on your right! Lasani's Abdul Chaudhary Indo-Pak & Middle Eastern 18 Marrows Road Newark DE 19713 Phone: (302) 738-4910 Also check this website : http://www.isdonline.org/ It's for the mosque in Delaware (one of them) and it has a Community Links area on the side where you can look for food, clothing, schools, all kinds of things and they update it alot. The other store I was talking about is called Halal Meats and Royal Market.. It's on Kirkwood Highway, just outside of Elsmere, across from Panera Bread. Again they do a lot of Indian/Pakistani but he has a large refrigerated section that you might score some things in. The guy there isn't really knowledgeable about what he's selling though, so it might be easier to take your husband in so he can poke around.. That's what I had to do. Now I'm going to have to get to Dover and check out the Egyptian market on Lockerman (if I can find a place to park I hate that street! ) There are a lot of places in Philly, other parts of PA, and Falls Church, VA that are going to carry more of what you want. So if you really have no luck and are up for a hike like that, let me know and I will get you information!! Good luck on the great cheese hunt! QUOTE (tanyakaraman @ Aug 27 2008, 11:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Haha...I bet we do the same commute...I live a little southward too (Smyrna) and work in Wilmington on 202. Thats funny. I just mapquested Lasani's & I am headed there right after work today! I have been going to Abe's market on 896 in in Glasgow/Newark, which is a Turkish market/restaurant, and there is an Egyptian butcher/market in Dover on Loockerman street. It's so hard to find Middle Eastern groceries around here! I have been googling all morning LOL. Thank you *so much* for your reply & it's great to meet you too!! Tanya QUOTE (Ash * Habibati @ Aug 27 2008, 11:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Another VJ MENA person in Delaware?? Hehe I'm in Delaware too. Work in Wilmington and I live a little bit further south. What markets are you using? Did you try Lasani's? There's another one on Kirkwood Highway, but it's probably not going to have what you are looking for.. It's more Pakistani minded. I'll ask around though about the Nabulsi cheese and see what I can find!! Nice to "meet" you QUOTE (tanyakaraman @ Aug 27 2008, 11:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> First I want to say hello to everyone & thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes! I want to try one of the recipes from the Sultan's kitchen...Kanafa, or kunefe as I know it (the Turkish spelling), but I can't find Nabulsi cheese to save my life! I live in Delaware and there is a Turkish market and an Egyptian one near me, but so far no luck at either one. I've also looked on some of the online stores such as Tulumba and can't find it there either. Can anyone tell me if there's an online grocery that sells Nabulsi cheese, or if not, recommend a suitable substitution? My husband's family is from Antakya, Turkey which is very close to the Syrian border, and kunefe is a regional specialty there. I'd love to surprise him with it one night. Thanks so much in advance! Tanya	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-08-27 12:20:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	Haha...I bet we do the same commute...I live a little southward too (Smyrna) and work in Wilmington on 202. Thats funny. I just mapquested Lasani's & I am headed there right after work today! I have been going to Abe's market on 896 in in Glasgow/Newark, which is a Turkish market/restaurant, and there is an Egyptian butcher/market in Dover on Loockerman street. It's so hard to find Middle Eastern groceries around here! I have been googling all morning LOL. Thank you *so much* for your reply & it's great to meet you too!! Tanya QUOTE (Ash * Habibati @ Aug 27 2008, 11:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Another VJ MENA person in Delaware?? Hehe I'm in Delaware too. Work in Wilmington and I live a little bit further south. What markets are you using? Did you try Lasani's? There's another one on Kirkwood Highway, but it's probably not going to have what you are looking for.. It's more Pakistani minded. I'll ask around though about the Nabulsi cheese and see what I can find!! Nice to "meet" you QUOTE (tanyakaraman @ Aug 27 2008, 11:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> First I want to say hello to everyone & thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes! I want to try one of the recipes from the Sultan's kitchen...Kanafa, or kunefe as I know it (the Turkish spelling), but I can't find Nabulsi cheese to save my life! I live in Delaware and there is a Turkish market and an Egyptian one near me, but so far no luck at either one. I've also looked on some of the online stores such as Tulumba and can't find it there either. Can anyone tell me if there's an online grocery that sells Nabulsi cheese, or if not, recommend a suitable substitution? My husband's family is from Antakya, Turkey which is very close to the Syrian border, and kunefe is a regional specialty there. I'd love to surprise him with it one night. Thanks so much in advance! Tanya	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-08-27 10:57:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sultan's Kitchen	First I want to say hello to everyone & thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes! I want to try one of the recipes from the Sultan's kitchen...Kanafa, or kunefe as I know it (the Turkish spelling), but I can't find Nabulsi cheese to save my life! I live in Delaware and there is a Turkish market and an Egyptian one near me, but so far no luck at either one. I've also looked on some of the online stores such as Tulumba and can't find it there either. Can anyone tell me if there's an online grocery that sells Nabulsi cheese, or if not, recommend a suitable substitution? My husband's family is from Antakya, Turkey which is very close to the Syrian border, and kunefe is a regional specialty there. I'd love to surprise him with it one night. Thanks so much in advance! Tanya	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2008-08-27 10:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	One-way flight OK for K1 visa holders?	Thank so much everyone for your advice! Ozzy is purchasing his ticket today. At his insistence, we confirmed this with the US Embassy in Turkey, and they also assured us that it doesn't matter and he should buy the ticket that is most convenient for him, whether it be one-way or round-trip. I'm still awaiting the final details from him, but he's tentatively planning to arrive at JFK on Sept. 22! Not so very far away now. I'm SO excited...but secretly a lil nervous too. I want to make him feel as relaxed and at-home as possible after he arrives. I'm afraid he's going to be in for a huge culture shock going from busy Istanbul to my little farming/residential town in the middle of Nowhere, USA!! Any hints or suggestions from people who've been through this? What helped you or your SO the most in making the adjustment to life in the US? I would love to hear from you!!	tanyakaraman	Female	Turkey	2007-08-28 11:46:00