Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Middle East and North Africa	So does it really suck when they get here or what?	Hachemi lived in a household with mom, dad and 2 sisters. Mom and sisters waited on the men hand and foot. I remember when I was in Algeria at his family's home, he unwrapped a piece of candy and threw the wrapper on the floor. I noticed he did that often. I told him to pick it up and put it in the garbage. I said you mom and sisters work very hard taking care of you, and his poor mom after cooking and cleaning all day would be exhausted at the end of the day. I reminded him that is exactly why his mom is so exhausted. I let him know that he would not be doing that at our home and he would have responsibilities. He usually picks up after himself now and helps me out a lot. Since he is in school full time, I kinda let it slide because I want him to concentrate on his studies. He had no adjustment problems and only recently after a yr and a half mentioned being (his words) "sick at home" (homesick) . He said not missing Algeria, but missing his mom. Our only and biggest fights where when I was teaching him to drive. He would not listen to me and would get mad and defensive if I tried to tell him something. He scared me so bad that I thought I was going to die many times, lol. If your SO needs to learn to drive, I suggest driving school, lol. He now drives very good, but I still have flashbacks. lol. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-04-08 09:09:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sons and middle east culture	QUOTE (AlHayatZween @ Jun 9 2008, 08:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (kerewin21 @ Jun 9 2008, 01:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I guess I haven't noticed this that much. What I have noticed in Morocco is that the boys are free to sit on their butts while their sisters cook and clean. ha! ain't that the truth... not all of them, of course, but i know what you are saying, Kerewin, sometimes it seems that way! Hachemi had 2 sisters at home and he took full advantage of them. I had a lot of reprogramming to do once he got here. I pretty much got him out of that habit since the 2 years he has been here. Hey Henia, I have missed you. Glad to see you posting. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-06-09 17:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	MENA WCs	Hachemi's family had a nice big bathroom with a very large tub, and hand held shower head. It had an American style toilet in a seperate little room. It had a faucet next to the toilet to get water for cleaning. They only had running water from about 7am to around 1pm. So water was stored in a big blue container. After the water was shut off you would have to fill a bucket to pour in the toilet to flush it. No TP, but I sent Hachemi to the store to buy some just for me. His grandfathers house had the Turkish style toilet. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-06-13 16:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	In Algeria, a Tug of War for Young Minds	Interesting article. Thanks for posting. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-06-23 20:47:00
Middle East and North Africa	How Muslims Are Treated In USA	QUOTE (SHAPE OF MY HEART @ Apr 8 2008, 01:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> i watched the video, im so touched .. I just couldnt believe that guy/employee treated customers like that?#######! QUOTE (Meriem_setif @ Apr 8 2008, 11:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Watch Video The guy behind the counter and the Muslim girl were actors. They were filming the responses of the customers to the bad behavior. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-04-08 13:13:00
Middle East and North Africa	How Muslims Are Treated In USA	QUOTE (sereia @ Apr 8 2008, 01:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> "pork spray" haha! retarded! I agree! I think those people really thought that was a real product.	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-04-08 13:10:00
Middle East and North Africa	How Muslims Are Treated In USA	Link to another video. This one is done as a comedic stunt in Australia I think. He does another one about Iraq and Muslims called "stereotypical dumb/stupid Americans" You can see the thumbnail in the video list next to this video . He goes around asking questions to the most backwards people he can find. lol Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-04-08 12:53:00
Middle East and North Africa	How Muslims Are Treated In USA	QUOTE (estadia @ Apr 8 2008, 11:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Meriem_setif @ Apr 8 2008, 10:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I live in a very small rural town. I am afraid to wear hijab because it would elicit the same responses as some of those in the story. I would not only fear for myself, but for my son. I am sure he would be ridiculed. In all the time I lived here in this town I have only seen one women in a hijab, at Walmart. I spoke to her and she was from another town about 15 miles away. Hachemi also feels I would get more attention if I covered. So for now I dont wear hijab, although I would love to. Meriem im sorry that it is like that for u........we live in a town that only has 600 people......we have no problems at all.....with the exception of the school........my younger sisters can not wear hijab to school........it is a policy no hats or head scarfs to cover the head but they do wear the shawl and Muslim clothing they had to get permission to dress differently for track meets as well........but the biggest problem is the lunch's and breakfast that is served at the school.......one day all three of the smaller girls sat in the lunch room not eating just looking down........the teacher asked them why u not eating so the eldest of the three said it has pork we can not eat it and when we told the lunch lady she told us it was sausage not pork......so they got the girls something else to eat..........they were told by the school to provide pork free meals for my smaller sisters and brother.......but it seems the people that provide the lunches either do not know what is pork or they do not care.......that is about the biggest issue that we have is the school meals.........my smaller brother has a great net work of friends he is last year of middle school......they were playing football on lunch hour one day.......a new kid walked up and said oh u a (the n word) u think ur cool his friends stepped forward and said not only is he part black but he is Muslim u got something to say the kid backed down....they never tease him because he can not go to dances or eat what they eat they protect him like he is their brother and they are not Muslim...........in a way it is funny because he is almost six feet tall we call him the gentle giant he does not fight and is very respectful........i think alot of how we are accepted as Muslims is in how we carry ourself.......if we carry our way of dressing and acting with pride with out care of what someone might say to us it helps but it does not mean that we should not be careful because there are bad people out there that would hurt a Muslim person or any other person for what ever reason that they have in their minds......ok i have surpassed what i normally say in one days time time for me to stop lol I babysit the 3 children of our Tunisian friend on Thur, friday and sat. nights. His wife is not Muslim, but the kids are. Only one is in school and she will come in from school starving cause all the main choices at lunch involved pork. I have told her parents they need to have a talk with the school about this or even pack a lunch. They are so busy with their resturaunt, they dont seem to care or have the time to talk with the school.	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-04-08 11:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	How Muslims Are Treated In USA	I live in a very small rural town. I am afraid to wear hijab because it would elicit the same responses as some of those in the story. I would not only fear for myself, but for my son. I am sure he would be ridiculed. In all the time I lived here in this town I have only seen one women in a hijab, at Walmart. I spoke to her and she was from another town about 15 miles away. Hachemi also feels I would get more attention if I covered. So for now I dont wear hijab, although I would love to. Meriem Edited by Meriem_setif, 08 April 2008 - 11:00 AM.	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-04-08 10:59:00
Middle East and North Africa	How Muslims Are Treated In USA	Watch Video	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-04-08 10:30:00
Middle East and North Africa	anyone can tell?	I am sure she can. All she has to do is provide documents that prove she is receiving the pension. Also she may need to write a statement as to why she is receiving the pension. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-07-11 07:49:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happy Birthday to Amy (Aymerlu)	Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday, Amy!!!!!	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-07-11 19:14:00
Middle East and North Africa	TGIF	Mornin everyone Kelly, a friend of mine took her three month old to the Dr yesterday, because the baby's hair was falling out. She was freaking out. He was laughing at her and told her it will grow back not to worry. Jackie, sorry about the job. I hope you will find a new job soon. We are leaving this weekend for Palm Bay FL. to see someone I met on VJ 2 years ago when we just started our visa process. Ginger doesnt come to VJ much, but she is one of the first ones I sought help from because her Algerian husband had just been through the interview. Hachemi and Farouk have become great phone friends and we have talked to them just about every weekend for 2 years. Now we are going to finally meet them in person. Palm Bay Florida is pretty close to Orlando so we are going to visit some of the Disney parks while we are there. I hope everyone has a good weekend! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-07-11 08:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	My Husband's Father was Deported Yesterday	I am sorry your inlaws had to go through that. That was so uncalled for. Makes me really scared to have my inlaws try to come and visit. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-07-11 07:51:00
Middle East and North Africa	MENA what is the name of that tea???	QUOTE (Rajaa_Reda @ Jul 8 2008, 09:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (polarbear @ Jul 8 2008, 07:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (MrsAmera @ Jul 8 2008, 10:08 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I know there is also something that my husband uses for upset stomachs - it looks like a black seed...but I can't figure it out....Nigella seeds maybe..let me do some research. ETA: Fenugreek Seeds Yeah, there's a lady at my mosque who swears that these black seeds she has will cure me of anything... haven't tried it yet i am going to have to google that one.. have no idea where to find such a thing lol We get our black seed at Penzeys web site. It is called charnushka there. Harchemi swears by it. He uses it a lot. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-07-08 17:46:00
Middle East and North Africa	Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alamin	Congratulations on getting you visa!!!! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2006-04-17 05:37:00
Middle East and North Africa	News about our petitions	WhoooHoooo!!! Congrats Jackie and Ibrahim Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-08-12 17:16:00
Middle East and North Africa	Egyptian women delivers septuplets!	Septuplets' mother has only seen them on TV CNN.com article ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (AP) -- A day after giving birth to septuplets, a 27-year-old Egyptian woman said Sunday she's only seen her babies on television and hopes to hold them and name them soon. Nurses attend to the septuplets at a the El-Shatbi Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt. Ghazala Khamis was still hospitalized after giving birth a day earlier to four boys and three girls. She said she is "very anxious to see them" and to breast-feed at least some of them. "I saw them on TV. They are very cute," she told The Associated Press from her hospital bed in the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria. "I am just waiting to hold them in my arms and breast-feed them," she said in a weak voice. "I don't know if I can do it to all, but I will try." Her husband and other relatives are brainstorming names, said Khamis, who took fertility drugs to conceive in an effort to produce a son. She is already the mother of three girls, ages 7 to 11. The family lives in Beheira, a northern province on the fertile Nile River delta where, like much of rural Egypt, sons are preferred to daughters. The newborns, who weigh between 2.3 and 4 pounds, are being kept in incubators but appear to be healthy, said Dr. Emad Darwish, who delivered the babies Saturday at El-Shatbi Hospital. He said three remain at El-Shatbi while the other four have been sent to two other hospitals in Alexandria "because we do not have enough incubators." Khamis was also in a good condition, he said, after receiving a blood transfusion because of bleeding during a Caesarean section. Darwish said he decided to perform a Caesarean at the end of the woman's eighth month of pregnancy due to pressure on her kidneys. The babies' father is a farm worker who earns about $4 a day when he is employed, which is usually only a day or two each week, said Khamis' brother, whose name is Khamis Khamis. He said Egypt's health minister had promised to give the babies free milk and diapers for two years, but the family was still worried about the long-term financial burden of feeding and taking care of 10 children. "What they need most is a dwelling to live in. I hope the government will give them an apartment," Khamis said. "With the help of Allah, they will make it, but I think it will be difficult," he said.	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-08-17 09:39:00
Middle East and North Africa	Egyptian women delivers septuplets!	CNN.com article ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (AP) -- A 27-year-old Egyptian woman gave birth to septuplets early Saturday in the coastal city of Alexandria, family members and the hospital director said. Nurses attend to the septuplets at a the El-Shatbi Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt. Ghazala Khamis was in good condition after having a blood transfusion during her Caesarean section due to bleeding, said Emad Darwish, director of the El-Shatbi Hospital where she gave birth. The newborns, four boys and three girls, weigh between 3.2 pounds and 6.17 pounds and are in stable condition, Darwish said. They have been placed in incubators in four different hospitals that have special premature baby units, he said. "This is a very rare pregnancy -- something I have never witnessed over my past 33 years in this profession," Darwish told The Associated Press by phone from the hospital. Darwish decided to carry out the Caesarean section at the end of Khamis' eighth month of pregnancy due to the pressure on her kidneys. He said Khamis, who already has three daughters, took fertility drugs in an effort to have a son. Khamis, the wife of a farmer in the northern Egyptian province of Beheira, was admitted to the hospital two months earlier, Darwish said. "From the initial checkup, I say that none of the babies have any sort of deformities or incomplete organs," Darwish said. The woman's brother, Khamis Khamis, said even though his sister was trying to conceive more children so she could have a son, the family was astonished when they found out she would give birth to multiple babies. "We thought about an abortion, but then we felt it's religiously forbidden. So we said 'Let God's will prevail,"' he told the AP by phone. Egypt's health minister announced that the seven babies will receive free milk and diapers for two years, the brother added. Edited by Meriem_setif, 16 August 2008 - 11:35 AM.	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-08-16 11:32:00
Middle East and North Africa	A few pics of Joshua's baptism	He looks so handsome in his little outfit. Thanks for sharing, Jess. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-08-16 19:09:00
Middle East and North Africa	Visa News	Congratulations!!! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-08-12 17:17:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thank you Sharon B from Bronx and Aymans girl	I have a box ready to go for you sitting on my dining table. I just havent had a chance to go to the Post office. I am going friday and will get it on the way to you. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-08-20 17:53:00
Middle East and North Africa	Frustrating Mena Men	Hachemi had never driven, so he studied the book for about 3 months and passed the written test on the first try. The biggest arguments we had was because of his driving. He would scare me so bad, that at times I thought I was going to die. lol. I tried not to get upset, but sometimes I would yell. Like if there was a stop sign, and I saw he was not breaking, I would calmly say, "Stop sign" he still would not be breaking. I would say a little louder, "Stop sign!", then as we get right up to the sign, I am screaming "STOP SIGN!" We did have a pretty bad accident while he was driving with his learner's permit, but it was not his fault. We were stopped waiting to turn left, and a motorcycle was behind us waiting also. We were both struck by someone traveling at a high speed that did not even know we were stopped. Our car was totaled and it almost killed the motorcycle guy. Hachemi just about gave up driving then, it scared him so bad. Now he is a great driver. I dont worry at all now. I am really proud of him. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-08-31 22:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	Septembers first Monday	Ramadan Mubarak!!! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-09-01 06:35:00
Middle East and North Africa	Embarrassing moments in front of MENA relatives	Most everyone is Algeria has a bootlegged satellite dish. They can get 100's of channels in many different languages. Even a few porno channels. Anyway, Hachemi's family has only one TV and everyone would gather around to watch in the afternoons. Hachemi's father would always hold the remote and when anyone looked like they were about to kiss he would quickly flip the channel, then wait a few minutes and flip it back. On two occasions while I was there, the couple on the movie would act like they were about to kiss and he would flip the channel accidentaly to the porno channel. We would be watching naked people getting it on. He would freak out trying to get the channel changed, but not before we got an eyeful. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-09-07 05:30:00
Middle East and North Africa	Who will pop first?	Congratulations on the birth of 2 new MENA babies!!! Cant wait to see pics, Samira and Kat. Take care, Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-09-08 17:28:00
Middle East and North Africa	Who will pop first?	Hope to hear soon that the little fellow has finally made it into the world!!! I looking forward to seeing pictures. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-09-08 05:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	He finally made it	Congratulations!!! Welcome to the USA. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-10-04 13:13:00
Middle East and North Africa	All dolled up for Eid!	Henia, He is soooo handsome and your daughter looks so cute in her new outfit, Mashaallah! Thanks for sharing your pictures. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-10-04 13:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	arabic bread anyone?	Msemmen recipe. I found this video on youtube. I would like to try it sometime. She also just posted a video on how to make Moroccan snowball cookies. They look really good. My kitchen is gutted right now so it will be about 14 days before I have a new kitchen to cook in. lol Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-10-26 20:25:00
Middle East and North Africa	RAM(Royal air maroc) airlines	My husband flew RAM 2 years ago and did not have a problem purchasing a one way with a K-1 visa. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-11-06 15:27:00
Middle East and North Africa	Ibrahim's K3 interview results	Congratulations, Jackie and Ibrahim!!! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-12-03 23:28:00
Middle East and North Africa	No visa for us	Sorry that he was denied. I hope you can get things turned around. Good luck! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-12-17 11:51:00
Middle East and North Africa	Alhamdolilah Got our Visa!!	Congratulations!!!! I hope you guys have a wonderful reunion!!! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-12-17 11:42:00
Middle East and North Africa	Women arrested for wearing Hijab in traffic court!	QUOTE (rahma @ Dec 17 2008, 12:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Methinks the town of Douglasville is going to get a visit from CAIR. Thank God I live in Minnesota! People can wear their baseball caps on their drivers license, so we have no problem wearing hijab here. Of course, we freeze our behinds of 6 months out of the year, but that's the price we pay for freedom. Ah, lovely comments on the story: QUOTE Is she a citizen of our country? Should NON citizens have the right to religious freedom? I don't think they should. You come into my country, you obey the laws & you learn to speak english. That was the first thought that came to my mind when I read the story, CAIR will be all over this! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-12-17 12:32:00
Middle East and North Africa	Women arrested for wearing Hijab in traffic court!	This story makes me angry! I hope they do file a lawsuit and win! link to story QUOTE Muslim Arrested Over Head Scarf In Courtroom Wednesday, December 17, 2008 – updated: 10:04 am EST December 17, 2008 DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. -- A head scarf landed a Muslim woman in jail Tuesday after she refused to remove it during a hearing at the Douglasville Municipal Court. Lisa Valentine, also known by her Islamic name, Miedah, 40, was arrested for 'violating a court policy of no headgear', Chris Womack, deputy chief of operations for the Douglasville Police Department said on Wednesday. Valentine was in court with a nephew who was facing a traffic citation. She was wearing a hijab, the head covering worn by Muslim women. When she refused to remove it she was handcuffed and taken to Judge Keith Rollins' chambers. He cited her for contempt and ordered her held in jail for 10 days. Omar Hall, Valentine's husband, said she had been released late Tuesday. "I can't believe someone would do this in America," Hall said, adding the couple plans to file a lawsuit. Many Muslim women cover their heads, following an Islamic custom. The practice has created conflict and headlines in courtrooms and schools across the country. Edited by Meriem_setif, 17 December 2008 - 11:33 AM.	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-12-17 11:32:00
Middle East and North Africa	Approved in Morocco	Congratulations!!!!! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-12-24 21:49:00
Middle East and North Africa	check in time - who are you, hows it going and just saying hi thread	My husband, Hachemi, is from Setif Algeria. He has been here since August 2006 and we just celebrated our 2nd Anniversary on Sept 12. My husband is just as sweet and loving as the day we met. He has a degree in computer science from Algeria, and is attending college full time now. This is his second semester studying Computer Networking. His first semester he made all A's in his courses. I am very proud of him. We bought a house soon after he got here and have been remodeling it a little at a time. Our next project is the kitchen, and we will start after his midterms next month, Inshaallah. He works a part time job at night, so he can go to school and study during the day. I have a 15 year old son at home and 3 cats. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-09-21 15:59:00
Middle East and North Africa	Jackies guess what thread	AWESOME NEWS!!!! Congratulations!!! Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2009-01-15 12:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	Who are you??	I loved my job too. I miss working as a trauma nurse so much that I dream about working in the ER at least once a week. I even think in my dream, they owe me a check from the last time I dreamed I was working. Meriem	Meriem_DZ	Female	Algeria	2008-12-29 12:38:00