biggish data

Good luck Moh, I had some idea's about the interview and nervousness above and they worked well for me and hubby. I'll be wishing you the best until we hear the good news

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-27 11:17:00

That's really a hard question....

hmm. But I think after all that humble pie of not being able to take care of myself, I'd need someone to hug and starve with me so I'd send for him. hahahaha

I guess I should consider myself lucky that I don't have a house, already own a car (and a motorcycle), and am able to save money even though I don't get all the hours I want. Plus, hubby is selling his car in Jordan so inshallah, I won't really have to take care of him, financially.

Also, when you start getting really really nervous and almost sick feeling, it helped me to try to positively visualize how I would feel when he called me to say 'I got it!" Not to mention, I prayed so much during those hours to sort of send him confidence and wisdom in answering. Also, before he went my dad advised him to 'answer as simply as possible' and 'look them in the eye'.

And I reminded him that it's not so bad if he said he wasn't sure, rather than answer something wrong.

Peace

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-24 21:17:00

Thank God the trends have sped up. But I remember what it was like when I was so hoping to get a March interview (and I even sent my travel itinerary with airfare reservation receipt to NVC with the IV packet and asked for a date in March) so I could go with my husband to the embassy. BTW, now I'm rather glad I didn't because from the time he went in the door and handed his medical and passport to the lady it took 4 hours until he met with the CO. He said he was ready to shout "what are you DOING???" LOL You should have your SO's eat before they go for sure

To you and I, 4 hours doesn't seem so bad to wait right since we've been waiting days and months for things to happen, but for him that 4 hours was wretched. So it's all about perspective

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-24 02:34:00

Thanks Childress, Jackie, Tina, Lisa, HLM, and enraptured.

And Tina, I wish DH would have such gumption, I'm going to start shaving and cleaning from now so I won't have to worry if he pulls a similar stunt.
Anyway, we're already looking at having him come the first week of May. He just has to make arrangements for his car. I personally wish we could keep it...but if anyone in Jordan wants a mercedes with an overhauled engine that's older than me, we'll give you a good deal. Hehehe.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-22 22:45:00

LOL good to know I don't have the only naughty husband.

Thanks

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-22 05:00:00

I'm back on the couch. He called me and said "really he told me no for the visa" I said "what....." him "they denied me the visa, they said they don't believe me"
me "what... (oh my god how can this be happening) why?"
him "the guy really he p!ssed me off, he said I was a liar when they asked me how do you know your wife"
me "well they gave you a paper right? what did it say?"
him "they stamped denied visa... really he was talking so fast I didn't understand anything, really it's all your fault because you told me to say that!! really, I swear you don't love me!"
me " but whyy (and the hot tears come now and I start to imagine what I have to do now with a denial paper... and I start to wimper a little) I don't understand"
him " you wrote a letter to my sister and said so many things (and and?), and it's your fault because you don't love me, you wanted me to get the denial!"
me "that's not true, I love you, it's not fair"
him "what did you say?"
me " I said I love you"
him " you love me and I love you too, that's why they told me to pick up the visa in 5 to 10 days, ya baby!"
me "WHAT!........................."
him "sure they gave me the visa ya crazy baby!"
me "OHHHHHHHH YOUUUUUUUUU, (deep breath) just wait til you reach the airport I swear I will hurt you!"
"I even said to my mom how you might try to trick me"
him "I was good at acting right?"
me "grrrrrrr, how could you do that it's so bad"
him "hehehahah really I was good about it yah?"
me "sniff sniff, I still can't breathe good"
him "yah, when you started to cry I realized 'haram' so I had to say the truth"

Anyway, that's my husband and we got the visa!!!! I can almost cheer finally after the trauma.

Some questions they asked him.

How did you meet your wife?
What do you know about her ex husband? Why did they divorce?
Where does her daughter live? Who else lives there? What do they think about your marriage? Did you meet any of them?
How long did she stay with you in Jordan? How long did she stay the second time?
What does she do? Where does she work... is it a hospital? He had to explain to him a nursing home when he couldn't remember 'nursing home'.

Amer told me he looked at the pictures a lot and asked about where we were and who else was in the pictures with us [his different family members].

Then Amer said the CO asked if Amer thought I was sexy, and he answered [in small voice] "yes very"
I screamed and said NO WAY. And he really giggled. I swear he's going to kill me. Rolleyes. And if he knew I told everybody on the message board that tease he'd spank me good, but I have to do something to get even right? Sigh.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-22 04:48:00

Thanks everybody, he got to the embassy at 730am jordan time for his 8 am interview and called me to say "SEE I told you I didn't have to leave so early, I am here now 30 minutes early" and I said "ok isn't there a line?" He said "oh my there is a lot of beoble at the gate", I said yup I told you that. He said the sweet romantic things and then I think ran to the rest of the beoble at the gate.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-22 00:27:00

yeeks, we had our final pep talk and DH got all the papers out and made crazy stacks all over the netcafe table and oh it made me so nervous. He looked like a paper elephant came and pooped on him. And now I'll go to work and then be home just in time for the nailbiting hours of his interview. And honestly, I'm only prepared for them to say yes......you'll get your visa in a few days.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-21 11:26:00

Sweetness Lisa I'm more excited for you than I am for me, I think my 'nutting' up has turned into total dread and apprehension and now I don't feal like dealing at all. In fact I am feeling angry too. I don't think it's normal.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-19 15:37:00

Tehee Lisa, I am breathing in and out, but it's superfast... is that right? Oh woops, appears I'm on the verge of hyperventillating.
Luckily, I think I'm winning in the battle of what to say... he's worn down, he said "really ya baby, I'll say whatever you tell me to say and that way whatever happens, it's all your fault". Don't forget Aramex probably works on all the days except Friday... right? Hot nibblets, maybe you're gonna hold him within a week!!!

Amanda yuck, sorry to hear about it, if I were you I'd be doing the spa shower and trying to get as much as that stuff out of me as possible... and wow yah, if that is your package then you can expect the email soon, with your date. My interview got scheduled on the 27th, and I got my email on the 3rd. So that whole second week thing is rather bogus or it might be when it closes for the next month's scheduling. Who really knows?

Childress, are you getting ready to barage your representatives?

Jackie, uhm I have excess of jelly beans and little caramel filled chocolate easter egg thingy's, want some?

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-18 03:42:00

So sweet Lisa!!! That's so awesome, so how do you sign up for aramex email? Are you going to wait until he gets the package until you book?

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-13 23:24:00

ohhh no gory details please just the sound of sweet success...

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-13 01:33:00

Thanks Lisa and Msheesha

I will try, it's also wierd for me because I work 3-11 and still have to get my daughter off to school so I'm too used to wierd sleep schedule, I'm just glad it's friday since this is my weekend off.

Amanda and Jackie, really I wonder if today is the day for you both to get to your next step !?!

So ladies, who has plans to do what around their house before their SO comes? Me I need to go through clothes and clean out space in my closet and dresser and bookshelves for my husbands things. I really should clean my daughters room out too, she only has like 300 happy meal toys shoved in weird places throughout her room.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-03 08:31:00

Not as close as your next big day Lisa. We're still 18 days away from his interview and as you can tell by the time (330a) that I'm already losing sleep over it. Deep breath....

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-03 02:31:00

Amanda, sorry to hear that, I saw elsewhere that it doesn't take them too long to straighten that out.

Msheesha, best wishes for a quick approval.

Lisa, how's the interview practice going?

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-27 23:24:00

Well good, so what's your plan when he gets the visa finally after four months?
Also, just as an aside.... how could they possibly know that what they were doing would take four months? The website says AP usually takes 3 months. And I've read other places where the average was 2 months... just so random and odd. Anyway, now that you are almost a saint, you'll go straight to heaven

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-24 23:32:00

Lisa, I must be a cheapy like my husband

because I only talk for more than 20 minutes if our schedules whack out and we don't talk online for more than 2 days. But I spend 50$ at a time to avoid the transaction fee and am lucky if it lasts me 3 weeks.

Good luck Amanda, if it isn't an April interview it should at least be in the first week of May. I was wondering if they only schedule CR1's on wednesdays, because it says on the website that that's the day for IV inquiries. And AralB's interview was on a Wednesday too..?

Jackie, I was just wondering on how they told your DH he is on AP. Did they say at the interview he's approved but going on AP?

My mom is asking if she can start making plans for a reception ... hehe, I mentioned a barbecue, and Amer said ohhh Shish kabab? I wish, I don't know how to make that super yummy kofta. I am already missing the shwarma and kofta and tahina.... sigh.
He and I were just saying how long the days are dragging, I thought it had been a month since we saw each other, and he figured it out as two weeks. It's almost like I was used to it until I visited him again, because time had seemed to be flying by so quickly.... sniff.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-24 00:43:00

Childress, yikes! But sounds romantic

Lisa, plus you don't lose lots of time/money with weekly or per connection charges and the line is clear.

Are you getting antsy about the interview yet? I am already, I even had to send the embassy a confirmation request email to make sure they know I'm like bees on flowers busy for Amer to get his visa. They responded and said he only has to bring his passport, his medical report, and two photos. And that they'll let him know immediately if he'll get the visa and it usually takes up to 10 business days to get visa in hand.
I was even already discussing what he should wear... he has these fav jeans which are .... so big old school skaterish that he thinks are so stylish, and in my eye looks like "druggie" pants so I was saying really please wear dress pants.
Anyone else OCD like about stuff like this?

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-22 10:41:00

I use Nobel Enjoy Prepaid Diamond Plan, which I buy online and they give a pin number that you can register the number you call with to dial automatically when you call their access line. It's 11 cents a minute and the calls are so clear. Plus they charge by the second, and no wasteful extra charges like weekly or per call. His calls to me are about 20 cents per minute with Umniah. But he's still miserly. He likes to ring me and ring me and ring me so often but seems like he only lets me pick up when he wants to say meet me online! He says it's so I know he's thinking of me, I say it's just bein' a cheapy.
My Verizon line costs 2.59 to call to Jordan so I never use it, and it's 25 cents to send and 15 to receive international. I prefer to talk so we never text. I was thinking of magic jack, but it has to be a high speed internet line, and honestly, I doubt that my DH has ever had real high speed connection. Apparently you can set them up to forward to a cell phone, but highly doubt if you can forward them to an international number free of charge, once you register it with your own area code...... which is how the calls end up free. Now he could call your phone with the magic jack and you could have them forwarded to your cell for free I imagine. At least that's my understading of the set up. We going to get some to send to his sister in Canada but his father cut the net at their home again this last time I visited....

so we can't use it for him to call home anyway.

Childress, I never heard of a MENA man who didn't have at least one cell phone! Anyway it's not a real phone since most likely only you would be calling from US to it's US number, it has to be plugged into a PC, which means you could meet up on msn or yahoo anyway, and that's always free thank God for that.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-20 12:05:00

Sigh....

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-19 21:11:00

For NVC ?? it's 1 603 334 0700

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-18 18:09:00

Looks scrumptious Jackie, and my DH tends to think negatively like that too, just imagine if they are shipping his visa now.

So I called about refundable and stand by tickets, not a good idea, they charge almost three times more for refundable (2100$), the lady was like, well you can get your money back, I said lady I could buy at least two tickets at normal price for that much. So waiting til visa in hand is definitely the only option. Just for curiousity I did a booking for a one way ticket for tomorrow and the price was the same (800$) so hopefully they won't jack the price up in May either. Plus Delta's fares don't change until June so here's to wishing everyone a visa before June

Yah, Star, giving him a little time to make arrangements is nice

hehe, but when we started this I was hopefully telling DH that he'll be in America before my birthday (may 21) and now that it's such a good prospect I'm just itching for it.

Edited by MsMariah, 17 March 2009 - 12:44 PM.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-17 12:40:00

I have a friend who's hubby went through Amman last year, she was just telling me (as he was dictating from the couch) that they asked him all about her and details of her family, and if he liked America and why. He said that he likes America and that he will make it his first country in his heart and soul... hehe.

Have you guys talked about plane tickets yet? I was wondering about getting standby tickets or maybe refundable or transferable ones is a good idea, I have no idea how much the price might change if trying to get them for only a week in advance.... anyone knowledgeable about that?
Right now Delta has one way tickets in May from Amman to JFK to Pittsburgh for 800.... I know I'm jumping the gun, but I have to keep my head busy.

Edited by MsMariah, 16 March 2009 - 11:20 PM.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-16 23:18:00

mm Amen Lisa, here's to thinking positively about visa stamps and airplane tickets

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-16 23:04:00

Jackie, did your SO already have his interview or is this AP from NVC? I'm just wondering if AP is possible after the interview.... the waiting with nothing to do is so lonnnnngggg.

Amanda,
I do like arabian music, and I did before I met my husband. I learned a lot of arabic from egyptian friends, as I've always been fascinated by ancient egyptian mythology and took two trips there before I met and visited my man in Jordan. He doesn't help me learn arabic much more though because we are always working on his english, however I got books and taught myself the alphabet recently, too bad I don't know how to spell anything and my vocabulary is limited to pleasantries and necessities, pretty much. I hope someday to be proficient. And I really like Asala and Elissa, as far as famous arabian artists go.
Also, one of the first things I loved about my husband was his voice, and when he sings to me I just... can't get enough. His voice is my favorite of all, so delicious. Even better than cookies! So I can sleep, I always call him and wake him up for work so he can wish me sweet dreams. Which I have to do soon....

Peace,
Mariah

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-16 22:54:00

Wow Lisa, I'm glad you're finally done with AP and wishing good luck for the interview. Now I wish Jackie can be done with AP and see her hubby on a plane. Also, good luck for Amanda for a April interview too NVC finishes those docs fast and we got our interview scheduled at the end of the month so it is possible.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-03-13 00:21:00

For those who are waiting for there lovers to come!!

Really, you shouldn't be having any contact with her to hear if she is upset or not.

On what do I do when I'm waiting for my love.
I read and chat a lot (online is now only with women) or have discussions with my family about religion, politics and ..... everything, I post and read here a lot, I play games with my daughter, lots of video games with my family, we go hiking or biking or skating. I cook, go out to eat and/or shopping with my family. And I work, work, work. And we call or see each other every day.
Almost everywhere I go is with my family, the few times I went out for lunch or shopping with my friends my husband called me more, like he was nervous.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-28 23:40:00

Hehe, Jackie, maybe it's pledge?

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-15 23:03:00

this is so funny I didn't know it was a universal mena man aversion, what do they have against mac and cheese? My husband did eat the chicken fettucine alfredo I ordered for us to share at a pizza place in Aqaba....
anyway nothing was funnier to me than when I got invited to eat a meal with an egyptian family while I was touring there, and she made pasta just for my sake. It was plain drained macaroni... which is btw what they called all pasta... macarona

I had to say Yum

and smile and eat the plain macaroni, lol.

My husband might die of starvation once he gets here if he won't eat any pasta. And Jill I feel for you having to eat egy style all the time. If it were me I would lose weight at least

Edited by MsMariah, 14 April 2009 - 07:06 PM.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-14 19:05:00

QUOTE (Jillai @ Apr 14 2009, 05:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (MsMariah @ Apr 14 2009, 10:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, my man definitely would not eat the nasty things you guys are mentioning, ewuk! He wouldn't TRY the mac and cheese I made. Which makes me wonder because he ate these nasty freakin' pickled pepper thingy's his fam kept in this huge jar and when I was helping clean up, they told me to pour the leftovers, from the dish where people picked from with their fingers, BACK into the big jar. I swear there were little white furry molds floating around in the jar, needless to say I was traumatized after that. Not to mention that I had previously got some nasty food poisoning from something while I was there and I never touched those pickled pepper thingy's.
Ugh, my husbands father was acting sort of proud saying he thought I might be pregnant because I was feeling sickish and not eating much there for a good three weeks. And I was just saying yah, that's not a baby it's a bacteria. Joy! Sorry that rant came out of nowhere

hehe
Anyway, his family always had this like stew goo that never ended and I can imagine how if someone could eat that then they could eat anything!

LOL, this made me laugh so hard, cuz if u ONLY KNEW how Middle Eastern this is LOL.... ya, I keep our pickled vegetables ,( in arabic its called mekhallel) in the fridge here, but its custom to keep them in a big jug outside just sitting on the kitchen floor for months.. if they last that long, and eating mold here is no problem... they keep cheese outside the fridge also, salty cheese that will eventually turn into a maggot ball is what I call it lol..its homemade cheese that is not refridgerated and kept hot outside for months. naturally it turns into mold and maggots... and its beyond me how Egyptians eat this... but they do... I told my husband, have at it baby, ur on ur own with this one, he laughs and fills his gut full of it LOL, yuuuccccccccck!

Hot milk is another very common thing here.... to drink Hot milk with tea in it ... also, hot milk with rice, or bread and sugar is common

My husband eats so many weird combo's... he will take tuna and macaroni and salsa and make like a tuna helper , he will mix potatos with rice with macaroni

and everything has to be on its own plate here, there is no putting many things on one plate , oh no way! and no sitting at the table, we have to eat on the floor !

once i brought him 2 different types of cheese on the same plate, he refused to eat it, cuz it was 2 different cheeses on one plate. he said they have to have their own plate please Jill. I had to laugh.

Hehe, yah I tried that awful salty cheese when I was in Egypt so knew to stay away from it in Jordan. I stuck with the cream cheese. Two plates for the cheese.... haha of course Jill... how could you be so ignorant???? geeeeeeez
I told my brother that Amer wouldn't eat my mac n cheese and he almost cried, he always begs me to make it my homemade way, he said the only thing he can think is that maybe Amer didn't like the schluckschluckschluck sound it makes when you stir it all together. hehehe

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-14 05:47:00

hehe
Anyway, his family always had this like stew goo that never ended and I can imagine how if someone could eat that then they could eat anything!

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-14 03:50:00

My DH always says "I have to wear my clo-thez" or "go to wear your clo-thez" instead of "I have to get dressed". It doesn't matter how many times I tell him about dressing. He must think it's about the girly dress and he just won't say it.
He also says Salaam o lakum every time instead of greeting. Like "send my salam olakum to your mom" or "do you salaam olakum by hand with any guys?" I don't even try to correct that, I think it's more meaningful than saying "greetings".
Oh and he always says "look at me" when he means "pay attention". Even when we're on the phone, it makes me laugh when he gets serious and says "look at me very carefully".

I'm sure there are so many more, but it's so late/early my brain is ... weak.

Oh he also says, "I keep you in my eyes" which might be like an arabic expression about taking care of someone... like akin to 'keeping an eye on you' ... or something but I'm not sure.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-04-12 03:21:00

got a touch today wow

I've been getting touched all over since I was transferred to CSC on 22nd

woooo it tickles

I think my husband should be jealous... hehe

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-01-02 20:16:00

Info Collection/USCIS Background Checks

So does anyone have any 'inside' info or stories on how background checks and/or info is collected? Do you think they scour the internet using name groupings, or even delve more personally into IP addresses or going so far as hacking what we believe to be 'private' conversations?

I just watched that movie Eagle Eye and a tad of paranoia overtook me to say the least. Mostly because I have this tendency in real life as well as online to be 'over' honest.

My DH has noted it, and jokingly/or not, requested only to hear the "positive" 'over' honesty and leave the rest unstated. So I was thinking, maybe he is more right than I imagine.....
Also, is there truth to that "they can hear what you say through your phone without being in a call unless your cell phone is de-energized". (my mom said she saw it on the net even before we watched that movie) So please everyone tell me how needlessly I'm concerning myself while thinking along these lines, it's just a standard scouring right?

Peace,
Mariah

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-01-12 01:06:00

affidavits of bona fide marriage

I just went by the guidelines of the paper which says the person writing the affadavit must swear to the statement, give the various requested info, and then have a witness with some requested info.
I don't offhand recall the specifics but I think it was , their name, address,DOB, id or ssn#(if available), and phone number. As well as relationship?
Anyway, I had my husbands brother (wife witness) write a statement which he swore he was at our cival union and threw our wedding party and we visited he and his wife frequently and behaved as normal married couple and that he knew his brother had planned to marry me for quite some time, I had our landlord/neighbor (son witness) swear that he rented us our flat and for how long and the exact dates and that he saw us coming and going and allowed us access to flat after he knew us as a married couple via our marriage paper, and I had my mom (father witness) swear a statement of the general relationship origins, goals, and plans, her knowledge of us both and her own hope to help us.
Good luck...

Peace,
Mariah

Edited by MsMariah, 12 January 2009 - 02:58 AM.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-01-12 02:58:00

How long does it take to get to NVC?

Here is the LingChe shortcut to get through NVC as quickly as possible. It's pretty extensive...

http://www.visajourn...he_NVC_ShortCut

Best wishes to us all for speedy NVC and super speedy interview dates (especially amman

hehe)

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-01-13 00:02:00

Reposted Approved Visa

Congrats.

To me it seems like they want to make sure that for 2008 she did make generally the same as 2007 and recent pay stubs suggest it was less, so that it is all accounted for appropriately they want the latest. I imagine that's fine and she will have to wait for her 2008 W2's to send them along with whatever court ordered documentation shows her other household income from other sources.

Just my 2 cents.

Peace,
Mariah

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-01-13 22:56:00

So freaked out!

So I was getting my I 864 and DS 230 packets all arranged in preparation of speeding through NVC and at midnight when my mom came home with the mail I received a packet from UCIS which contains the photographs I sent in as evidence of my marriage ceremony.... on the top of the first picture was a post it note which says....

"Marriage certificate and translation is not original. We need this copy for processing the I 130. Thanks. Enclosed are the photographs"

Well the postage date on the envelope is 1/12/2009, which is the day they approved the I 130, and more strange is that I called NVC today and they said my package just arrived there, gave me my NVC case number and said it wasn't input yet. Wait a few days.

I can't call them now and I'm so freaked out. I did put a translation which had a photocopied marriage certificate but I'm almost 99% sure that I put an original in the package too... We got three certified ones from the courthouse, one for him, one for me and one to send. I still have mine which I'll have to send in AGAIN for NVC..... do you think she wrote that note, then found the original and approved it and forgot to take the note off the pics before she sent out the package of pictures? I didn't get the hard copy of the NOA 2 yet so I'm really feeling yucky.
Wouldn't they have updated me through website for RFE before sending approval?

Thanks,
Mariah

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-01-17 01:29:00

I 864 w Joint Sponsor and now we're stuck....

Just wanted to add, that I have myself and my daughter in my own household. I just started working in Oct and I was hired as a nurse only part time

however my past pay stubs until now show out full time hours, which would put me over the income guidelines... but my workplace would most likely not write that out since they have not hired me full time, they only work me full time..... it's so frustrating for me.

But my question, doesn't my income count at all with my joint sponsors?

Oh yes, btw, I don't have any court ordered child support from my ex husband for my daughter...sometimes he helps and sometimes he whines. However I do pay my mom rent.... but there is nothing official to bear that out either and it's not likely that she'd like the idea of us filing her taxes with the rent I pay and the sporadic rent my brother gives her.
God why does it have to be so close but not good enough.

Edited by MsMariah, 18 January 2009 - 09:47 PM.

MsMariah

Female

Palestine

2009-01-18 21:44:00