Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Middle East and North Africa	Interesting Pork Topic I saw	It all boils down to the prep & handling of the product. You could infect anything if it's not handled properly. Beef - if you feed it meat - will get bovine spongiform. (aka: mad cow) Pork - Trichinella Fish - those nasty worms ... Chicken - Salmonella etc etc. The preparer, slaughterhouse, and farmer have the control of the food quality with anything. Even vegetables - if you've got someone who decides to ... answer nature's call while picking vegetables in the field - you've got a salad bar e.coli disaster in some faraway city. It's all complex.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-02 16:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interesting Pork Topic I saw	QUOTE (sereia @ Apr 2 2008, 11:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (KyanWan @ Apr 1 2008, 11:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> If parasites were such a problem in other meats, then WHY do they need marking on pork of "parasite killing temperature"? If you're going to use that argument then why do they make sure you wash your hands (and anything that's touched it) thoroughly after you touched raw poultry and make sure you cook it to a minimum temperature to be servable? Which by the way, the government recommends a temperature way higher than what actually tastes good just to be sure you kill off everything! Blech for dried up chicken! What about ground beef? How many restaurants refuse to cook it anything less than well-done because of all that e-coli drama a while back? Listeria, Salmonella, etc - are bacteria. Roundworms, Trichinella, Tapeworms - are animals / parasites. There's a big difference from a cell - vs a full-out multicelled organism. You can slap a tapeworm in a tray and dissect it - can't really do that with a salmonella bacteria. I wear gloves when doing prep, and wash my hands here. And who in their right mind cooks rotted / dried-out meat? o.O Me - I've gotten into the mode of "take-no-chances" with food. If it smells weird -> trash. Freezerburned -> trash. Looks funny -> trash. ( That's assuming it even made it past my expired date circling black marker and into my shopping cart. ) Read "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair - sausage originates from rotted pork that's normally too vile & unpalatable to eat - so it's spiced up until it doesn't taste like rot anymore. ( ... that's putting aside the old food handling techniques of stirring in the rat poo better so people wouldn't notice - and adding extra protein with a decapitated worker's limbs. ) And you can thank a Republican - Theodore Roosevelt - for putting some checks on food handling. But really - everyone likes their own stuff. You're going to get a tough sell trying to convince people who grew up in the Middle East that pork is palatable. Just like you'd have a good time convincing me to eat kohlrabi or brussels sprouts. --- edit --- Undercooked burgers - is asking for trouble. Especially if it's from a mass-producer - like those frozen places. IMO - anything under medium is asking for it... :\ But a burger, man, undercooked burgers pink-on-the-inside are gross. A medium steak, however, is great. ( As for those - handling, I'm not concerned with with steaks. I haven't found a restaurant in my area that can match my home-grilled steaks. Seriously. Each time I order a cut, I'm thoroughly disappointed with overcooked & flavorless steaks. ) Edited by KyanWan, 02 April 2008 - 04:01 PM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-02 15:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	Interesting Pork Topic I saw	Yep, I prefer my parasites dead rather than alive. Kick it up a notch - grab a handful of roaches and fry em up. Tastes better dead. Rats too! Hey, they're meat, right? Bleh. If parasites were such a problem in other meats, then WHY do they need marking on pork of "parasite killing temperature"? Bacteria on the other hand, that's on everything. You've got plenty under your fingernails - a decomposing piece of meat will have enough for everyone, no matter what kind of meat. The smell of the neighbor cooking up that pig flesh makes me want to vomit. :\ --- As for the chef who tosses some roundworms on someone's seafood dish -lol- I'm sure. Visible parasites in food? Uhh ... don't you think they'd be visible in the finished product? That's plain nonsense. Hell! If they're fryin' em up at the seafood place - SERVE EM UP! I'll pick that fish apart with a toothpick and have my lawyer's number on speed dial. XD Sorry, I'll stick with "I ain't touchin' it." I'll go veggie before I eat pr0k. Besides, vegetarian tastes pretty good. ( and that's vegetarian without slopped cheese ... bleh. Ever see one of those Linda McCartney dinners? Cheese slop. And you wonder why she died "young" and "healthy". Probably had 5lbs of cheese-fat clogged up in her aorta. ) Edited by KyanWan, 02 April 2008 - 01:59 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-02 01:58:00
Middle East and North Africa	The United States is concerned	QUOTE (Ganja_Girl @ Apr 12 2008, 10:34 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The American government doesn't care about people, only money, if they think that might interfer with making money, and lots of it, than they care. Just like people think the drug laws are here to protect us, no they are not, the government doesn't give a #### about you, they just want you hooked on their stuff, it is really all about money. Yeah cool eh? So much conspiracy stuff. Drug companies are killing you with their medicines that "keep you alive". Sure! It's all about money, but they're killing you so you don't buy their stuff anymore. The US Government hands out drugs so people can kill themselves & get hooked - and be unproductive in-turn. Makes sense, right? Then you can hand out foodstamps & subsidized housing to junkies - pay for their prison & rehab. That's real profitable, paying for treatment, right? Must work wonders for the economy - having unproductive people. My answer to Fed bashers - is go hang out overseas for a few years. Preferably in a third world dictatorship, or oppressive kingdom. Then you'll come running back to this "hellhole" we call the United States. Where you can stand up in a crowd and call the president a jack-assed monkey-faced idiot - and rest assured that you and your family will be eating dinner later that day - all limbs intact. Where you can say the Government's out to get you - and nobody gives a rat's ###. And, you can say some pharmaceutical corporation is trying to poison you to death so you don't buy their products anymore and their profits suffer. Sure, it may suck here - but I tell you this: You don't know suck if you think it sucks here. [ edit - bleh - some discussions I would rather not get involved in. Self-removed. ] Edited by KyanWan, 14 April 2008 - 01:34 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-14 01:30:00
Middle East and North Africa	Pets and middle eastern spouses	Honestly, our dog loves it outside. When we bring him in - he's at the door scratching to go back out and run around. Whenever there's a T-storm, we bring the poor guy in ... he's scared of thunder. Same when it gets cold - out in the day, in at night ( with a nice heater right by his side ).	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-14 01:39:00
Middle East and North Africa	Pets and middle eastern spouses	QUOTE (S and S @ Apr 14 2008, 12:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (ta me go hiontach @ Apr 13 2008, 09:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> the seven sleepers from surah al kahf had a dog with them. the dog's mentioned explicitly in verses 18 and 22. the dog was asleep the entire time they were, and not serving in any capacity as a watch dog or hunting dog. if that were the only allowed purpose for the animal, then he'd be pretty out of place in those verses. nevertheless, there he is. Here is what I found on keeping dogs according to Islam though it is not my business what people keep in their homes: http://www.islam-qa....&...am and dogs From what I understand it's permissible to keep a dog. Bleh, I've seen yes and no answers to the same questions on the net. Even so far as to "this food is halal" and "this food is not halal" for the same thing on different sites. Take anything you read on the net with a grain of salt. [Hehe, like the barcode adventures here. I read it, I was thinking "WOW! I do barcodes all the time!" - I chose to wait out for the real deal instead of testing the waters.... I didn't want to chance waiting months extra to save a week. ] As for keeping a dog - it's mentioned by people who are following the right way in the Quran. If it's good enough for the Quran, then it's good enough for me. Edited by KyanWan, 14 April 2008 - 01:14 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-14 01:12:00
Middle East and North Africa	Pets and middle eastern spouses	Uh, no pets in the house? Hehe! What cave did they come out of? Dog, maybe - I could see that. Giving it a doghouse outside and a nice room to sit in where he's not wandering about ( I mean, I grew up in the USA - I have no probs with dogs - like them - but I wouldn't let my dog sleep in my bed or anything. ) My opinion - I don't trust people who don't like animals/pets. That simple. Some dirtbag I knew who didn't like pets (cats in particular) and called them "dirty" - their house was SO FILTHY that I felt the need to shower after stepping foot in that dump. A relative said - that our bathroom (here, in my house) is better than that same person's *entire* house. Yeah, our bathroom. XD Try and tell ME that cats are dirty. [ erm, loonjobs keeping 10-50 cats don't count. The insane are insane. ] Edited by KyanWan, 14 April 2008 - 01:07 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-14 01:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	finding a job and being arab	The work-climate in Middle East is different than Stateside. I suggest, instead of spinning your (their) wheels with something that won't net anything - to shoot for a bottom-rung job that's in their specific industry if possible. EX - I'm a "computer scientist" by name ... I guess (fancy title for "I play with computers a lot - and took a whole buttload of university classes to prove it.) If I were in dire straits, I'd look for a computer helpdesk job. I could pick my toenails while answering questions Then try to weasel my way up ( oh boy, quite easily I assume ) or - at the least - make some loot while I look for better - and keeping my skills ... somewhat sharpened ... ( er, if I could consider helpdesking ... requiring any skill. ) Edited by KyanWan, 17 April 2008 - 02:24 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-17 02:23:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thusday!!!	Today's a good Thursday for us - See my signature. My normal schedule is dead today, but -oh well- other things will make up for it. I'll get over it.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-17 02:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	Non-Muslims married to Muslim MENA	QUOTE (jpaula @ Apr 17 2008, 03:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Seriously? Again, this is someone else's argument (although giving a source would help us understand exactly who is making it). And, it is a rather strange one. Do you agree with it? Why? Why not? Does it make sense to you that there are sections of the Quran missing/lost? How do we know? How do we decide what we can add to the Quran? How valid are the rather enormous changes made in [brackets]? Are they the word of Allah? What else is missing/lost from the Quran? Whoa - one suggestion here. "Adding" to the Quran, or changing (attempting to change) Islam - is like, an ultimate/unforgivable sin - it's called "shirk" - it's looked at as a very, very bad thing.... As far as I know, it's the only religious text that was written down close to the original Prophet's life, and has been preserved in its entirety. Know how there's so-called "sects" - changes - is why they're persecuted. That's one thing that is a major no-can-do. As for adultery - being a person who was (almost) burned by it - I've got zero tolerance for it. One strike - and GTFO of my house.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-17 15:20:00
Middle East and North Africa	American soldier kill Iraqi child and then hug him	QUOTE (rodney22 @ Apr 22 2008, 08:24 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Maybe... He remembers the child he has left at home... He regrets that the Muslim fanatics killed him.... He regrets that the insurgents used the child as a shield.... May God bless this child.... * Pardon me , I stand corrected. Uncaptioned picture misused. * QUOTE (Nagishkaw @ Apr 22 2008, 08:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Can you say Dr. Joseph Goebbels?? Not everyone's a monster. How you like to have signed up to better your own life - go to school - buy a house - have a family- -then have this war pop up to line some politician's pockets with gold. Then be tossed into Iraq, see your friends die at your sides, have your bullets hit innocent women & kids while you're trying to stop a scumbag who will blow the same women and kids away with a bomb if you miss ... then in the end, you're the bad guy. You lose no matter what. That man's not a murderer. You can see the pain in that picture. [ And after reading the quotation from the photographer - look at that, I was right. He's NOT a killer. That poor child - fell victim to the SCUM that soldier was trying to stop. ] Don't compare him with that ... beast. The real monsters are the politicians. People who voted for war - people who support it. People like Hillary Clinton. --- Edited by KyanWan, 23 April 2008 - 02:30 PM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-23 14:26:00
Middle East and North Africa	They Kept His Passport!	QUOTE (Virtual wife @ Apr 16 2008, 08:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Many deeply felt thanks to our all of well wishers on our long, meandering visa journey! All those good feelings, lots of earnest prayer, (and a letter from Rep. Tom Tancredo to the consulate) paid off, hamdillallah! Congratulations! Uhh, wait a second, is this the same Tom Tancredo that was bashing Muslims all over the place while he was running for President? There's only one right? Politicians. They never cease to amaze me.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-17 03:55:00
Middle East and North Africa	One way ticket for IR1	QUOTE (Henna Rose @ Apr 24 2008, 12:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Did you happen to check $$$$ for round trip? Just thinking it may be cheaper ~ not that he would use the return flight LOL - if it's cheaper just get a mod-able ticket, "miss your flight", and ask for a credit towards a future flight. XD Then take a vacation at some point down the road. Edited by KyanWan, 24 April 2008 - 12:46 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-24 00:45:00
Middle East and North Africa	One way ticket for IR1	What's the purpose of an immigrant visa if you're going to come back to your home country? But hey, I know all too well. When I found out everything was all good with the visa ... let's just say I was confused and walking in circles for about 2 hours. XD	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-23 22:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	Woohoo! We're all done. Wait, it only took 4 days ... wow.	QUOTE (tammy2688 @ Apr 24 2008, 03:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (HisLittleMasriyah @ Apr 24 2008, 02:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Congratulations!!!!! but i dont get it!! she got the visa..... where r u going?? lool u mean to pick her up??! sorrry if im a lil slow ya what r u talking about going...to pick her up i assume. enjoy and dont complain this is a blessing I'm the USC - and my wife's the Jordanian. I'm guessing ... well, the way she is ... you can't *not* like her once you get her talking. ( literally every person who's met her says the same thing ... ) -so- she might have had that same effect on the interviewer ... (who knows.) But yeah, I'm going over to Jordan to have a big going-away thing with her family, see everyone, get a couple root canals (I'm serious about this one ) ... ... ... ... ... then hope my trip home doesn't hurt too bad.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-24 14:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	Woohoo! We're all done. Wait, it only took 4 days ... wow.	So I'm dead asleep - and I get woken up - "Hey, she got her passport back! She has her visa!" My response: "Sure. I'll be sure to tell you all about how she got her visa once I wake up...." Well, looks like I wasn't dreaming after all. Here I expected it to go on for another few months ... guess not bothering CIS, DoS, and the Embassy paid off. Or somebody got paid off ... who knows. Now, on to other problems. Umm ... we're done early ... uh ... WTH DO I DO NOW! Damn ... I'm not ready to take a trip or anything yet ... arrrg! ( It's a good problem! Don't get the wrong idea. ) --- Last but not least, thanks for all the input and feedback everyone. --- but I know what we're doing first - soon as I'm out of that airport, there's a great kebab place on the southbound side. and I've got some plans when we're out of JFK too - http://www.juniorscheesecake.com/ (! Warning! If you try their chocolate cake, try a sliver-sized piece. Trust me, you'll thank me. It's deadly - literally. ) Edited by KyanWan, 24 April 2008 - 01:13 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-24 01:09:00
Middle East and North Africa	Arabic Slang ~ similar to USA?	QUOTE (ks71905 @ Apr 23 2008, 10:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> the use of "ch" in chaif is more like accent rather than slang....it kills me when i hear the villagers talking like that... It's dialect - that's how I speak. People can tell I grew up speaking & learned from native speakers (not a book/tape). Same thing with weird pronunciations - like the gender of words - kitab-ak ( your book - to a guy ) kitab-ich ( your book - to a lady ) I learned all-out Gulf/Saudi style Arabic in Univ -and- I found out quickly that we (technically) speak *all wrong* in Jordan. XD Just like when people pronounce my name in Arabic. Some people do it right (Proper: "Qah----"), Others annoy me (Palestinian style: "Gah----" ), while others - downright confuse me: (Amman style: "Jah----") Edited by KyanWan, 24 April 2008 - 12:44 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-24 00:42:00
Middle East and North Africa	stateside honor killings	QUOTE (Donna A @ Apr 24 2008, 03:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> well at least he wont get away with it here like he would if he were overseas. That's illegal in Jordan, and they've got a death penalty there. Depends on where you pulled the stunt. --- But again, total BS. Seriously, if "dating" is an issue, watch your kids better & teach them that you don't like it. Shouldn't go blowing your lid like that. Even a "by-the-book-medieval-punishment" for that is just a whoopin'. QUOTE (wahrania @ Apr 24 2008, 03:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am still thinking about you leaving all those serial killer books around the house when you were pissed off at your ex...... ( from the pic with the butcher knife) Heh, reminds me of what I did when I was younger... it was more or less out of curiosity & the sheer fun factor involved with ... uh, stuff ... but I tell you if I did that today - I'd have been expelled from school. Society's getting so up-tight.... Edited by KyanWan, 24 April 2008 - 02:21 PM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-24 14:17:00
Middle East and North Africa	NEED MENA CULINARY EXPERTISE!!!!	Last off, we've got our chopped salad thing. I got no clue what it's called. Couple cucumbers (2-3) Couple tomatoes (2-3 nice big ones) - Fresh FLAT parsley ( maybe a quarter cup? The more the better - this is the main flavor. Mince it. It's got to be FRESH - if it's not fresh, it won't taste good. ) - Lemon juice ( - preferably squeezed, season to taste ) - Salt , to taste - Pepper , to taste - Olive oil, to taste It's dirt easy & tastes great. The cucumbers should be minced up to about 1/4" size, Tomatoes about the same (a bit bigger, or they won't be tomatoes anymore) Extremely quick and simple - toss everything into a bowl and stir it up. You can toss some lettuce (shredded) in there too, if you like. We do it all the time here - and it never lasts. Almost like pico-de-gallo - but without the jalepenos & cilantro. Edited by KyanWan, 29 April 2008 - 04:45 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-29 04:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	NEED MENA CULINARY EXPERTISE!!!!	My favorite - Waraq Ainib (Stuffed Grape Leaves) Basically , it's rice, toasted snoober (pine nuts), lemon, and you can toss some lamb or beef into it if you plan on using it as a more "mealy" dish. Very simple to make, but you can buy them in a can (It's *always* not as good as fresh.) I'm not sure of the exact recipe BUT - I do know how to roll the leaves perfectly. Chop off the stem, as close to the leaf as possible. Put a spoonful in the *center* of the large area of the leaf. Fold over the sides on top of the stuffing. Fold the bottom of the leaf, roll up towards the top. Perfect every time. If you want it in a can - the best brand in can is Lebaneese "Baroody" brand. Excellent. --- Another thing, excellent - what else? The best olive oil you can get your hands on, and zataar! Easy, and great to eat. You can have that with (PREFERABLY) a fresh-made flatbread from your local bakery (or oven ... if you dare) ... but if you can only find the stuff at the supermarket ... whatever. --- And, when prepping Hummus - the way we did it in Jordan - put it on a big plate, about 1/2" thick in a nice perfect circle. Make it a bit higher on the edges, with sort of a "peak" in the center. Pour olive oil in a ring on top of it, and sprinkle paprika all over it - in an X-shape going across the entire plate. Add some fresh parsley too. Makes a difference - adds some nice flavors - and some extra calories for people like me who ... don't eat enough. --- Ahh! And not to mention some perfectly brewed tea - with cardamom (get it with it mixed in, or toss a couple *WHOLE* nuts in the teapot) - and a nice big fresh mint leaf tossed in the cup. Edited by KyanWan, 29 April 2008 - 04:38 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-29 04:36:00
Middle East and North Africa	didnt work	When I had a problem - I spoke to an attorney here in the US. The legal system here - would have worked to divorce like you have done in your case. I could have had a full divorce, or an annulment, my choice. I, actually, chose to sign a POA form & have the divorce handled by a relative in Jordan. Worked out fine. But, you should be able to do that in a different country - the legality of a marriage carries across national boundaries. Like someone said in another post - you don't get magically unmarried when you go on vacation abroad.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-29 12:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	Visa Fee?	QUOTE (Y_habibitk @ Apr 28 2008, 09:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ya, I was just checking into this myself- I hope this helps http://travel.state....types_1263.html It lists fees for all required the required forms. My understanding is that when your fiance gets the first packet the fees are due at that time, when you send everything back ~I may be wrong~ Lisa I got no clue about K1/3. I never touched a K1. K3 - turned out to be a farce in my case. My wife's already got her visa, and I just got the 2nd correspondence on the K3 AFTER SHE HAS A CR-1 VISA IN HER PASSPORT! (* EG: visa in-hand ) LOL! *cough* Anyways, if you can go for the I130/CR-1 visa route - do that instead. It's better IMO. A LOT better. You finish off with a green card, no AOS - no huge fees, no more headache until 2 years later to remove conditions. That's the way to go. Even if a K visa gets issued - the CR would only take a couple months extra at the most. It's not worth it - at all. Edited by KyanWan, 29 April 2008 - 04:15 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-29 04:14:00
Middle East and North Africa	Visa Fee?	Amman's an appointment post - they don't collect any money or fees from you. See my post above, I already answered. ( Yeah, it is about $400 for the Visa Application fee - but it goes to NVC, not the US Embassy Amman. ) QUOTE From: http://travel.state..../info_3180.html How much are the fees for the National Visa Center’s Services? The Affidavit of Support Fee is $70. The Immigrant Visa Fee is $355 and the Security Enhancement Fee is $45. Edited by KyanWan, 28 April 2008 - 01:49 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-28 01:48:00
Middle East and North Africa	Visa Fee?	NVC documents (Visa application, AOS, submitted documents) are processed on the USA end. The last step is they assign an appointment - then the only fees due in Jordan once your case makes its way there (AFTER NVC approval) is the medical exam fee (about $50.00.) No fees are due when you walk in the door to the appointment. ( Erm, Amman's an appointment post. You pay the visa fee before Amman even deals with you / touches your case. ) So - everything's done beforehand. Don't even need to pay for parking - it's free. Just gotta walk past that creepy LAV & MG watchtower out front ... that's about it. Edited by KyanWan, 28 April 2008 - 01:46 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-28 01:42:00
Middle East and North Africa	Do second marriages in Egypt have "prenuptual" agreements?	Once you sign the marriage contract - you're (technically) married. Though you don't ... uh ... um ... do much until it's finalized. It's basically "Hey, now you're married & you can go running around with your girl now.* Go have fun." (*and her brothers, fathers, & uncles won't kill you. ) It's usually a short trial period depending on how the local culture or situation is - then it's done with. There's usually a separation clause in there if it's broken apart BEFORE consummation. (Usually a percentage of the divorce or whatever. It depends on what's written.) Edited by KyanWan, 29 April 2008 - 04:52 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-29 04:51:00
Middle East and North Africa	Do second marriages in Egypt have "prenuptual" agreements?	QUOTE (Ahmed & Sue @ Apr 25 2008, 11:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Wow, I wasn't expecting such precise responses. First, let me say, I asked the question for my benefit, and no one else's. Although we have already discussed a prenuptual agreement, I got wondering what Egyptian laws are governing this area. My sole intent is to make sure he fully understands what he is signing before he signs it. However, at the same time, it is useful to have some insight into the Egyptian customs so if we run into a misunderstanding, I can see where his thinking is coming from. Sometimes just a phrase or a word means another thing, or he does not immediately know the meaning. Second, we are not yet married. This we plan to do once he comes to the states. I have already talked with my pastor concerning the marriage, and she suggested a judge she knows to perform the ceremony. So, all paperwork will be legal and binding, no shadows in that area. I will say I have learned way more from this forum than I thought I would. I did realize the families agree before marriage on who will offer what to the marriage. Each agrees to separate things.........one will furnish the dining room, the other will furnish the kitchen, etc. I had not realized a woman retains very little should her husband leave or die. Being in the USA, I guess I just take some things for grantid. At least you have provided me another perspective. Actually, I had not thought about divorice when I asked about this. My concern is if something should happen to me, I want to make sure my children are taken care of. I realize this would be done with a will, which I already have, and will need to be updated. However, I also want something in writing stateing my current assets. You have all been very thorough with your answers and I thank you for this. Sue By the way - A marriage contract in the Middle East - is not like an engagement. It's considered "Unconsummated marriage" - they have married & unmarried - there's not really "engaged". It's "finalized" usually after a short trial period - and a wedding party. If you're not Muslim though, I don't know ... how on earth it would work. I didn't deal with civil proceedings there. --- For the legal part, I talked to a lawyer ( This guy ) and he said you only need to register with the city clerk. The marriage is already legal under US law once CIS & NVC approve your case - and deem it legitimate, you just need to show that you're in the USA, and married lawfully - once it's registered, it's fully legalized & held under US law. Make sure you get an English, with a certified & legalized translation, or Bilingual form though. Arabic's useless to the local Gov't.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-28 02:06:00
Middle East and North Africa	Do second marriages in Egypt have "prenuptual" agreements?	You've got to remember too - that these systems are not completely right. Jordan for example - there should be no royalty in an "Islamic" country. There are supposed to be no monarchs - you should be electing the most knowledgeable person to lead, if you're following things to the letter. Same with Egypt - they've got a pillager as a leader - not an honorable person ... it's all wrong. If you've got a system like THAT set up, then what? It's a load of ****. Settle it at - once you're in the USA, you follow the laws of the USA. You don't need to go to Egypt to get divorced if need-be. Write whatever you think is right in your contract, have it translated into English with Arabic text - and sign BOTH copies, have both copies legalized. In the USA, legalize the English/Arabic text one with City/Town clerk. A contact's a contract in the USA. Once you sign it - and agree to its terms, as long as it doesn't say: "You will take a .50cal handgun and shoot yourself in the head" - then it's binding. ( Duress, murder contracts, bodily harm, human trade - you know, the usual suspects can not be held as legal-binding. If it asks for illegal stuff, then it's not legal. ) If the guy won't agree to your terms in the contract, then walk. Say: "Look, if you don't like what it says - there's the door." If the guy plans on leaving or being a himar (the A-word in Arabic. ) - well ... he won't like it. Edited by KyanWan, 24 April 2008 - 02:55 PM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-24 14:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	Do second marriages in Egypt have "prenuptual" agreements?	As far as I understand - the marriage agreement is a contract, and should be binding. I've heard it suggested that if you want something done, just write it in there from the start. I believe that supersedes the law. So, if you like dogs and you want to have a pet dog - write it in there. If you want to be able to divorce for whatever reason you feel, write it in there. PLUS - if you're planning on living in the United States ... um ... You can get divorced in the USA. I was married in Amman, and I could have gotten a fully-legal divorce here. No problem. Just make sure you have your marriage legalized (re-registered as a US marriage with the local legal authorities. It's already legal & recognized by US law - once you're accepted to immigrate, but this fully legalizes it where you can do legal work here instead of abroad.) @ your local city/town clerk once the spouse is here. You can attach the contract to it, I believe. That's the info I got from an attorney ... so, it's good - well - at least in Connecticut. Edited by KyanWan, 24 April 2008 - 01:05 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-24 01:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Do second marriages in Egypt have "prenuptual" agreements?	QUOTE (Ahmed & Sue @ Apr 23 2008, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Since I haven't seen this forum here yet, I want to know if second marriages in Egypt have "prenuptual" agreements, or something similar. Maybe I am wrong in assuming the widow or divoricee retains any assets of her husband. If a husband dies, does the widow get his inheritance? If a man and woman divorice, are the assets split between the two? If the lady remarries, who then owns the money and properties? Does it become both of theirs, or are there prenuptual agreements that stipulate what belongs to each person? Being a widow, I want to know what is expected financially from me by an Egyptian husband. Are the expectations the same there as they are in the states? If a divorice occurs, is all money and property devided equally, or does each party go into the marriage with some form of a prenuptual agreement so each parts with what they entered with? Would it be considered rude of me to ask for a prenuptual to be signed? Will I be expected to do something similar for him? Besides "prenuptual", what would I call it so he understands? I would really like to know what is customary there. Thanks, Sue Why so? It's traditional that you sign a prenup, AKA - Marriage Agreement / or "Akid" - in order to get married. From what I understand, they've had prenups in Islam / Middle East since before it became popular in the west. It's old news. *EVERYONE* does it - from the rich, down to the pitifully poor. IMO, the idea was *stolen* from us. Normally - it works like this: - The wife can ask whatever she wants - and the family of the wife normally has input on what to put in. ( like, you must buy me this, give me money, if you divorce I want support, etc. ) - The wife, if she divorces - gets nothing, or what is set forth in the agreement. . - The husband, if he divorces - must pay $X to the wife, and go by whatever conditions were set forth in the agreement. In ME marriages, the husband usually takes the kids -so- child support is a non-issue. Edited by KyanWan, 24 April 2008 - 12:38 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-04-24 00:36:00
Middle East and North Africa	visa in hand?	Congrats. If you could make it over to my place I'd fire up the espresso machine & grill - whip up a double shot cappuccino that can't be matched - with a nice cut-a-beef that couldn't be matched by anyplace round these parts. With a grilled potato. Just need to watch out for the bugs ... and ticks ... and wild animals out in the woods (snakes, coyotes, bears, huge birds that look like they could carry off a kid ) ... :| Edited by KyanWan, 05 May 2008 - 02:35 PM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-05 14:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	Woohooo!!!	Congrats! Don't forget to pack some real food for the plane ride, and a nice pair of isolation headphones. Ugh ... plane ride. I got one coming up on the ... 23rd. ( hehe, I'm happy too - over here ... that is. ) BTW , same reaction I had when I found out about our case finished- I couldn't believe it was true. I was out cold - my sister comes along - "Hey, she got her visa!" I replied: "Yeah, sure ... I'll tell you all about it when I wake up. zzzzz....." Edited by KyanWan, 06 May 2008 - 01:42 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-06 01:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	How Do/Will You Eat at Home?	QUOTE (Jenn! @ May 5 2008, 04:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The more people there are though, the less appetizing it becomes. We'll be taking my family to visit his family in Morocco and I don't think my family is going to be amenable to the communal plate. I wonder if people get sick more often in Morocco than they do here because of all the sharing. Or if they're more resistant because of it. Who knows. But don't look at me on food sharing. I'm the kind of person who drops something on the floor in the house "Aww man ... but it's so good ... " *looks one way* *looks the other* *shrug* *gulp* [ edit : we don't wear shoes in the house, so it's 50% less gross. ] Edited by KyanWan, 06 May 2008 - 01:23 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-06 01:22:00
Middle East and North Africa	How Do/Will You Eat at Home?	Here's how our family does it - everyone who's here in the US - ( uncles, aunts, cousins, etc ) Prep the big meal - get the sedr (36-40" platter) out - set it up. Plop it down in the middle of the table. Everyone gets their own plate, fork, spoon, and bread. Toss a serving spoon on the plate - and grab your food. Use your own plate - and eat with your bare hands if you want to. Seems like the same thing they do in Amman and stuff - so - it's carried. --- People there don't backwash into the cup- it's like spitting in food. I think the water cup sharing is from tradition - old custom. It's desert there in ME - so - there's like ... no water. Bedouins would carry around a water-hide - and a cup or two - and share sparingly. ( Why drag around a dozen cups and a huge water thing, when you got no water? ) Notice how when we serve tea- everyone gets their own cup. Edited by KyanWan, 05 May 2008 - 02:42 PM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-05 14:40:00
Middle East and North Africa	Not So Good	QUOTE (samira_07 @ May 15 2008, 03:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Then she went on and said okay (again she did not keep this either). Then the last question she asked him was what was the last movie I saw and he said he was confused and said Transformers. Oh man ... the last movie you saw. If I were asked that, I'd say what I think about movies today - and it isn't good. ( last movie I watched part of: Apocalypse Now: Redux. Yeah, it's like, as old as I am - but it's pretty good. There's barely anything that's worth watching. I don't know what the Hollywood piracy problem is all about - most of these movies are so bad lately, they're not even worth watching if they were free [or stolen] ) --- But - from the sounds of what happened (and the situation), there's no questions that can really be asked. They've got no excuse to drag their heels - except for caseload - and no excuse to deny. Edited by KyanWan, 16 May 2008 - 05:09 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-16 05:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	fast food in mena	I've accosted family for eating American food while in Jordan. See, a long time ago, in 1988 - I had this Hamburger in Amman. Erm ... "hamburger" I mean. I can remember it. It was ... uh ... um ... memorable. So, these days my position on food is - we live in the USA. We eat American food 365 days a year. You're in Jordan. Enjoy Jordanian food. Leave the American food to the Jordanians. If you've got a screaming kid who demands the McD's - grab a happy meal - then go get some real food. When my friend in Amman asked if I wanted to go to McD's - I said - "No way! I can eat that stuff any day in the USA - I don't want it here." We went to a kebab place instead. Heck - the meat's so fresh the lamb's still hanging over the grill. And man, it was good. So good - that I demand that we find out where that place was ... ( QAIA <-> AMMAN Desert Highway. It's on the southbound side, maybe midway between Amman & QAIA. Damned if I could remember the name or anything - it was like 11:00pm, and we were on the way back from AQABA & PETRA [Wife and I *walked* to the monastery & 3/4 the way back. ... we gave out in the Siq - literally, I didn't think my legs would make it out - and got a cart the rest of the way. ]- needless to say, I was completely out of it. ) Edited by KyanWan, 16 May 2008 - 05:02 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-16 05:00:00
Middle East and North Africa	Citizenship and the conveyance of it in MENA	QUOTE (wahrania @ May 14 2008, 04:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (k & o @ May 14 2008, 03:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> A lot of interesting information.... am curious about more. Also was interested in that if a Jordanian woman married a foreigner, Jordan citizenship can not be passed onto the children. And if Jordanian man married a foreign, must go through all kinds of procedures (with the husband's permission) to get Jordanian citizen for the wife and the children. Interesting, to say at the least. There is an absurd law - the Citizenship law - in Jordan that women who marry foreigners cannot pass the Jordanian citizenship on to their children. Most reside in Jordan, these are Jordanian women, with, for all intents and purposes, Jordanian kids who were born on this soil and have probably lived here their entire lives. Yet, just like a foreigner, they need to renew their residency permits every year. ( ???? ) Where does this information come from? I was born in the US, my father's Jordanian, and I'm a citizen. Unless this is new. QUOTE (wahrania @ May 15 2008, 11:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (charlesandnessa @ May 15 2008, 11:28 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (just_Jackie @ May 15 2008, 10:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Imagine,,,being in a tent,,,cramping, no coffee or Midol,,,confined with other women that are sleeping with your husband. Chaos. jackie sounds like this place in west texas. NOW THAT WAS FUNNY AS HELL CHARLES LOLOLOLOLOLOL I LOL'd too. I'd post a LOLCAT & LOL'd Owl - but I don't have imagehosting at the moment. Edited by KyanWan, 16 May 2008 - 12:40 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-16 00:38:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sunday = My Bd, Monday is AOS interview	QUOTE (sarahaziz @ May 15 2008, 11:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> halal chinese food (made by pakistanis/indians usually) oh man it's delicious Or just plain Pakistani food. They fry the rice and stuff, it's surprisingly similar to Chinese if you inspect it & consider the cooking style. Better love hot if you try it. ( I do ) Edited by KyanWan, 16 May 2008 - 05:16 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-16 05:16:00
Middle East and North Africa	The importance of indexing and exhibits in Mena petitions	QUOTE (wahrania @ May 16 2008, 05:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well the lawyer said the acco fastners worked wonders and I really think they do. My case with all its ups and downs boogied compared to some and I think it was the way he indexed in and the exhibits. I will definitely use acco fastners when I remove conditions. My time even with issues was shorter at USCIS than some and I credit the organization done by him. To this day , I think those acco fastners really helped I tell you - when you've got a mess of papers documenting will *ALWAYS* help. You can't go wrong with that - at the least - even if you've got a lot of work, your reviewer will appreciate that you already took care of half of their work. (sorting, figuring out what the papers are, labeling) ( Heh, I'm more of a binder clip person btw - I've got hundreds around the office. I buy em in bulk. But, for the CIS/NVC packets - I used staples & paper clips ... only because I didn't want to use a UPS box when I sent my papers in - binder clips don't really like the UPS legal mailer. ) Edited by KyanWan, 16 May 2008 - 04:53 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-16 04:53:00
Middle East and North Africa	The importance of indexing and exhibits in Mena petitions	QUOTE (wahrania @ May 15 2008, 07:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> On a k1 petition I think that would be sufficient. All I know is my cr1 petition was over 60 pages. The indexing and punch holes helped immensely Aw man 60 pages ouch! I'm sure the officer looked at that and thought "Holy ... it's a phone book... hey guys look at this!" ( Whole office laughs at their misery, donate advil & coffee. ) Yeah, definitely you want to note. It's an excellent idea. For anyone who hasn't seen my previous post of this sort - I mentioned a while back - about people who review papers. Auditors and such with the Gov't. They usually have a stack of papers that all look the same. They need to sit through each one, read, bore themselves to death, drink coffee, bore themselves to death, then read some more while the guy in the next cubicle has a mental meltdown. Now, from my parent - who worked with the Gov't for 20 years - she had a comments about "perfect cases". More often than not, these were submitted by lawyers - but - she did say that everyone in her office always appreciated a well prepared document. It went so far they'd always get done first... because they were always the easiest ones to work on - and the worker's productivity would go up. It's a sort of "unwritten guideline" to get your forms on a fast track to getting done quick. The less work they need to do, the quicker they finish your forms. ( Really - even if it takes long to reach their desk. ) - Clean papers.. ( Yes, clean as in no coffee rings, food, dirt, or wrinkles. Make your work look, smell, and feel PROFESSIONAL. { Yep, I've heard stories ... } A paper with food/dirt on it will be greeted with a frown, then tossed off to the side somewhere while the person goes to wash their hands. ) - Legible writing. Type, or write VERY CLEAR. Don't use chicken-scratch or bubbly handwriting. Your writing should be sort of like the Arial or Tahoma font in windows - clean & easy to read. When typing documents use a Sans-Serif or Roman font (like Arial, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Garamond. Nice crisp fonts. ) - Stapled/bound pages. But, don't make the binding so complex where they can't take it apart to make copies. They've got a huge stack of papers there - don't let yours be the one that makes them swear. - Noted exhibits. If you're presenting evidence, tell them what it is easily. Here's how you should note - use a square post-it note with a piece of removable tape to secure it. Why? Because if it helps your case, they'll staple it. If it doesn't help your case - they'll pull it off. Note here - that this is also a reason why you don't use complex binding - it will prevent stuff like this from happening. I don't think an index page is really necessary. And most important of all - DO NOT WRITE NOTES ON THE DOCUMENTS YOU SEND IN. Can't stress that enough. Attach your notes to the pages so they can be removed easily if they need to be. The only thing that should be written in pen on your documents is your case number. See the next note for more info as to why you might need notes taken off - - Don't send more information than you need to. If they don't ask for it, don't send it. ( Hehe, 60 pages more than likely was too much. ) Sometimes too much info can cause you delays & harm. If you don't need to say it - then don't say it. If you did your case nice, and have it easy for the reviewer to follow, if they see a sticky note that might cause you problems, guess what? They'll take it off for you. They'll like the effort you put in to make their job easier. - Send your papers in a big, sturdy express envelope. Like those FedEx or UPS Legal mailers. If you can, stick a piece of (clean) cardboard in there to keep your papers nice & crisp. (You can take a UPS or FedEx express box, and cut a piece of it to the shape of the express mailer. It's quick & free.) After all the preparation you did - you don't want your file looking bad. I followed this TWICE - and the second time around, it got done even *faster* than the first. If it weren't for my bungling with NVC -(yeah, I caused delays. I followed the wrong instructions)- I'd have finished my case 2 months earlier. It took me maybe a total of 4 hours of work to prepare the CIS & NVC documents. Shouldn't be a big project - if you feel like it's taking you too long to do, then it probably is. Edited by KyanWan, 16 May 2008 - 12:35 AM.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-16 00:32:00
Middle East and North Africa	Crazy question for the MENA people	QUOTE (wahrania @ May 16 2008, 05:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (KyanWan @ May 16 2008, 01:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Back to the topic ... Hmm, if I were from a third world country huh.... let's see... Well, I don't think I'd want to come to the US. I'd have: - Electrocuted myself - Burned myself to death - Blown myself up - Or some other gruesome thing would have happened to me. I do stupid stuff sometimes. ( Like the time I wanted to find out what Iron-Out smelled like. I think I was coughing up lung for 2 months straight. ) What the hell were you doing sniffing Iron out.. hahhahhhaha? Cleaning some rust off a metal thing - I think it was some real old coin that I found in the cellar of my grandmother's built-in-1750 revolutionary war era house. I got some details showing on the thing, but lost it eventually. (doh?) :\ I've got a bad habit of smelling things. Comes in real handy when you've got an allergy to mold - then take a good deep whiff of some moldy stuff. ( read: swollen eyes, sneezing, stuffed nose, closed throat ... ouch. ) And then the cleaning stuff -lmao- these days I read the label before opening stuff... and try to keep away from the chemicals.	PetraPerson101	Male	Jordan	2008-05-16 04:49:00