ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt

Has Ben Wedeman always been as insightful/clear thinking as he's seemed to me thru this revolution?
I forget where I saw it - think it was Hamza Yusuf's comments about situation in Egypt - he said that interviewers/reporters like Anderson Cooper (and another report whose name I forget)sound more militant about the situation than the guests they're interviewing!



I honestly don't remember hearing about him before this - I'm more of an NPR gal than a CNN watcher. But I think that when you're on the ground, in the midst of the revolution, there's an effect on a person. Especially if you've been beaten by pro Mubarak thugs a la Anderson Cooper. I think a lot of the talking heads haven't actually been in Egypt during the protests.


BREAKING NEWS ON TWITTER - MUBARAK MAY BE STEPPING DOWN TODAY!
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-10 10:26:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
A reporter finally made it to Mahalla!

http://twitter.com/#!/bencnn
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-10 09:19:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
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UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-09 13:06:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt

Very nice. Thanks for sharing the photos. Any English translations of his speech to the crowd?


Here's a video with subtitles from the Guardian, although it's not the whole thing.

This WSJ article contains more.

A summary of his speech plus an interview with Al Masry Al-Youm
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-09 10:36:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
Thanks for the link msheesha!

Another something that made me cry. The mother of Khaled Said embraces Wael Ghonim:

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And Wael addressing the crowds in Tahrir today.

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Edited by UmmSqueakster, 08 February 2011 - 02:45 PM.

UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-08 14:43:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
God, crying again at work while Wael Ghonim is being interviewed. This is why all the hand ringing about the MB upsets me to know end - it devalues the sacrifice of the youth of Egypt, those who were willing to risk imprisonment and even death to stand up to a dictator because they knew that he was wrong.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-07 15:36:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
photographic proof, Wael is free!

http://twitpic.com/3xgz68

The NYTs, in particulare NIck Kristof, have written some great articles and op eds.
http://www.nytimes.c.../06kristof.html
http://www.nytimes.c.../04kristof.html


AbuS has been putting together a history of the egyptian youth movement and the underlying causes. Part of that has been investigating the exposure of police corruption and abuse, including, but not limited to, police video of officers sodomizing prisoners with broom handles. Police abuse and corruption are unfortunately the rule, not the exception. I shudder to think what jailed protesters have experienced.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-07 14:15:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
4 pm has come and gone in Egypt.

Tweeps who are in contact with Wael's family say that they deny that he has been released.


This is why Egypt needs a complete reboot of their legal system. We need a new constitution, and Law 162 of 1958 aka the Emergency Law needs to go the way of the dodo. A government should not be allowed to hold its citizens without charges, all the while denying that they're actually holding them. And, they should be allowed to indiscriminately kill them either without repercussions.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-07 12:26:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
Also, my fav NPR podcast did a piece on the Egyptian Military last week

http://www.npr.org/b...ary-inc?ps=cprs
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-07 11:53:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
Honestly, until I see a picture of him live on the street, I don't think I can believe it.


re: Mubarak wealth:

http://www.guardian....-family-fortune

"The business ventures from his military and government service accumulated to his personal wealth," she told ABC news. "There was a lot of corruption in this regime and stifling of public resources for personal gain.

So, while the majority of Egyptians live on less than $2 a day, Mubarak used his position and authority to stockpile massive amounts of wealth. At least Bill Gates actually made something.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-07 11:51:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
Protest leaders and opposition figures met with Omar Suleiman - http://english.aljaz...4216497806.html

The government is giving a 15% raise to their employees, thinking they can buy their compliance

Copts held a mass in Tahrir, followed by an interfaith prayer for the martyrs of #Jan25

News broke that the Mubarak family is worth $70 BILLION, more than Bill Gates.

Youth leaders are being threatened and beaten up. According to AbuS, through his contacts in the 6 April movement, Asmaa Mahfouz was beaten, but I haven't found anything on it in english.


And, we are all anxiously awaiting confirmation of the supposed release of Wael Ghonim, who has been held by the government for more than a week.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-07 11:36:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
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http://twitpic.com/photos/CarlosLatuff
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-07 09:44:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
I emailed it yesterday afternoon and he responded a few hours later :D He's called the group together for another meeting on Monday :thumbs:


Was it this picture:

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In internet explorer, right click on the picture and select properties. Copy the address, and that should give you a link to the photo. In firefox, right click on the pick and select "copy image location."
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-04 15:58:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
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UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-04 15:21:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
I'm much better at communicating via written word rather than speaking, so I've typed up what I tried to say yesterday but failed. inshaAllah going to email it to the congressman:

Although I am not Egyptian, I feel as though all of Egypt is my family today. I am married to an Egyptian. My brother in law has been part of the civil patrols formed to protect families, neighborhoods and properties. My mother in law has not left her apartment since this all began. We can only hope and pray that she is well and will have enough food to last until it is safe.

My husband came to the United States from Egypt in 2005. When I first showed him political satire on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he asked with wonder, can you actually criticize your government here?

We were involved in the 2006 elections, and attended a rally for you Congressman, with Jessie Jackson and Al Franken. My husband was so excited at the prospect of actually being able to chose who would represent him, and to be able to participate in politics.

This is what the people of Egypt want, very simply. They want freedom. As an American, I have these rights and freedoms by mere accident of my birth, and I will admit that I have taken them for granted. But in this last week, as I watch the young people of Egypt march against an oppressive regime, asking simply that they be given basic human dignities like the right to chose their own government, the right to earn a living wage, and the right to have pride in their country, I have begun to understand just how precious the rights enshrined in our constitution are.

In 2010, a young man by the name of Khaled Said exercised a right we Americans take for granted – he questioned the corruption he saw in his government. He posted a video on youtube addressing police embezzling from the spoils of a drug raid. Shortly there after, he was beaten to death – in public – by police, who later dumped his destroyed body (you can see pictures of it here, although I warn you it is very graphic). The police denied any involvement in his death and no government investigation was ever made.

This is why the young people of Egypt are out in the street. They yearn for freedom, for justice, for human dignity. They do not want to be afraid of their government any longer. They want to get married, to be able to find work, to be able to support a family. Quite simply, they want to live, just as any person who was lucky enough to be born in the United States.

The US government needs to stand on the right side of history. Tahrir Square should not be another Tinnamen. The brave men, women and children who stood in the face of government sanctioned violence must be supported by the United States – a country that is founded on the principles of liberty that the people of Egypt are now dying for.

We need to admit that we made a mistake. For 30 years, we support a dictator. Through our support and foreign aid, we are complicit in the crimes against humanity committed by Mubarak and his regime. The time is now that we must make a change. The United States can no longer support petty dictators. Instead, if we truly are a country of freedom and liberty, we must live these principles in our foreign policy.

The President of the United States must listen to the people of Egypt who are chanting al sha’b, yurid, isqat al nizam! The people want the regime to fall. The people of Egypt are tired of the corruption that has mired their once great country. They want to have pride in Ummul-Dunya, the Mother of the World.

Mr. President, tear down this firewall, and be on the right side of history, the side of life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-03 10:38:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
It went very well alhamdulilah, thanks for asking. Keith was interviewed in one of the local papers and a picture of the meeting was included. You can see the back of mine and AbuS' heads :innocent:

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Keith has been making a lot of public statements and has been interviewed by a lot of the press. He wanted to know how he could improve his statements, and wanted to get the human side of the issue. He asked specifically about our view on america's foreign aid to egypt; who the pro mubarak people were; what are the roots of the problem; and how our families were.

AbuS gave a very good summary of the roots of the issue, and talked about the 6 April movement in Mahalla, the key leaders from then (including several women like Isra AbdulFattah), the Khaled Said issue and police brutality and what the people want - they want jobs, economic security, to be able to start a family, and to have the right to choose their own government.

Edited by UmmSqueakster, 03 February 2011 - 08:58 AM.

UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-03 08:58:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
From what I have heard from people in Tahrir, the camel people are those you do find at the pyramid - paid by the government to wreak havoc.

Meeting with Keith Ellison at 4 pm today to talk about the situation there. I had a whole thing worked out, but all I can think now is dear God, just make him stop killing his people!
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-02 15:23:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
ya Rabbi, he is slaughtering them

i should have stayed home today

:crying: :crying::crying::crying:
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-02-02 12:31:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
Latest via twitter is either that the last ISP has been shut down, or will soon be shut down. Another internet blackout coming?

Gee, it worked so well the last time, let's do it again!

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UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-01-31 17:00:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt

Thanks for the pictures of the stuff going on here. By the way, UmmSqueaker, just as I saw your post I had Al Jazeera's live feed up in another window and a man in Cairo was holding a very similar sign, except instead of dates identifying the US president by number... :thumbs:


I had originally seen the sign at a protest early last week and copied it. It's too good of a message to pass up!
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-01-31 15:08:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
From the rally here in Minnesota

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and my sign

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News coverage (watch carefully and you'll see me, er my sign in the first 2, and at the 8 minute mark during the reading of the statement, you can see my down down mubarak sign)

http://kstp.com/news...298.shtml?cat=1
http://minnesota.cbs...egypt-protests/
http://theuptake.org...sota-egyptians/
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-01-31 09:40:00
Middle East and North AfricaNo Internet In Egypt
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UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-01-28 10:41:00
Middle East and North AfricaHow important are multiple visits?
The only thing catty in this thread is my signature.

And this smiley :luv:

And this Squeaky lol

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UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-03-17 11:29:00
Middle East and North AfricaHow important are multiple visits?
To fully dhikr-ize a to the point answer:

If she gets it right away, alhamdulilah.
If she doesn't, qadr Allah.
Could be one, could be the other, Allahu Alem.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-03-17 11:14:00
Middle East and North AfricaHow important are multiple visits?

not rarely , its normally
for marriage visa , k1 visa , and lottery , they get yes or no right in the interview and they get visa next day or after 48 hours in Normal cases , unless you have to bring extra papers or something like that .


I'm sorry, but in what alternate reality does this happen? I can count on my hand the number of visas from Casa that have been issued in 48 hours that we've seen here on this board.

And I definitely don't have enough fingers to count the number of times people have had to wait weeks, or even months.

Edited by UmmSqueakster, 17 March 2011 - 09:54 AM.

UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-03-17 09:54:00
Middle East and North AfricaAbuse of power in the American Consulate
We have the most adorable black and white kitty at our shelter. Her previous people lost their homes, so she's with us. She's obviously very overweight, so she's in her own room on a special diet. Whenever you walk by, she squeaks for attention. Loves loves loves to sit on your lap.

The pictures do not do justice to her rotundness. She's a huge beach ball body with a little baseball sized head.

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I'm working on operation get a second cat and she's the target. I've tentatively renamed her Squishy, so I will have a Squishy who is squeaky and a Squeaky who is squishy.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-03-01 17:31:00
Middle East and North AfricaAbuse of power in the American Consulate

:rofl: :lol:

Literally - laughed out loud when I read this!
The title of the book wasn't "Cats are from Mars; Women are From Venus" for a reason!

UmmS is on a roll today! :star:



Thank you, thank you, I'll be here for the next 5 years, growing ever more bitter and jaded.

And sharing the Squeaky love.

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UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-03-01 17:28:00
Middle East and North AfricaAbuse of power in the American Consulate

But it is happiness..........don't you agree? :D :P


Happiness is a purring puddle of cat fuzz on your lap.

Husbands, not so much.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-03-01 16:57:00
Middle East and North AfricaAbuse of power in the American Consulate
http://www.visajourn...or-divorce-cr1/
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-03-01 16:53:00
Middle East and North AfricaAbuse of power in the American Consulate
Everyone here is at different points in their visajourney. If you're new and perky and optimistic and happy, good for you. But those of us who are bitter, warn torn veterans have a right to be here and speak about our experiences, the good and the bad.

Should we just not speak about the negatives? Pretend that the scammers don't exist? Or just look the other way and be smiley happy?


Successful marriages do exist. I believe I live one. We've known each other for 9 and a half years, and have been married here in the US together for 5 and a half. On paper, we're a great match - we share the same values, are both bookworms, enjoy the same pastimes, like the same movies, are both cat crazy, are of the same faith, are both political junkies/revolutionaries, are very close in age, come from similar socio-economic backgrounds, have the same level of education, and have the same goals in life. If we were someone from each other's respective countries, we'd still have married each other.

But, every day is hard work. There was no "he got the visa and they lived happily ever after." AbuS came and has struggled mightily. It took him years to find meaningful work in his field. Then, the economy collapsed and he was laid off. And the struggle began again. The struggles in jobs and in adjustment have negatively effected our marriage. I do think that now, 5 years on, we're hitting our stride and actually talking about the whole ark of our future - having kids, buying a house, possibly moving overseas, pursuing advanced degrees. I feel like the last 5 years, we've been frantically treading water, trying not to drown, and only recently been able to actually start swimming in any meaningful direction.

So if I'm bitter and jaded, I think I've earned the right to say so. By all means, those who are at the beginning, continue. Just be forewarned that the process sucks, there are scammers out there, and you may end up bitter and jaded in 5 years time.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-03-01 14:58:00
Middle East and North AfricaMy husband and my child

...this? Coming from YOU of all people?

You do realize that you fell into the same abusive-MENA-man-woman-got-used relationship that you warn everyone about...right? Yet *you* continue to talk to your abuser, etc. But that's okay? Has that messed up YOUR kids any? I can't even fathom why a woman whose husband physically abused her while she was pregnant (which you said that he did -- either you were lying or this is the truth) would continue to talk to that man...yet you feel qualified to counsel women...why again?

/my head, it just asploded
//maybe I've been around here too long?


*stands and applauds*


I've said it before, and I'll say it again - hope for the best, plan for the worst. A spouse, no matter where they're from, can be a wonderful person, a horrible person, or somewhere in between. You can be abused by the guy you met in high school just as easily as the guy you met online. Marrying a MENA man you met online can work and can last. It can also go horribly, terribly, tragically wrong. Hope that it will work, and make sure you have a plan if it doesn't. That's just common sense isn't it?

Be aware that past members have gone through horrible experiences with their MENA spouse. But also be aware that there are some of us who are still together and still going strong. Keep your eyes open, don't take any abuse or ####### and inshaAllah you should be fine.

As I've also said before, there is very rarely "happily ever after." Even for those of us who are still successfully and happily married have had to struggle a lot along the way to make it work. Yes, some have had their spouses come and everything has blissfully fallen into place. But I think for many of us who are still married, we've had to work hard for our success.

I'm feeling like a broken record here. Will have to save this for future use when we go through the same ol same ol again.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-05-19 09:30:00
Middle East and North AfricaConversion as related to visa approval...
I dunno, I can't comprehend half of what has been written thus far in this thread, so here are my own 2 cents.

I've known women who's first exposures to islam have been through SOs and who have gone on to be beautiful sisters in the deen. Many even begin to practice more than their spouses, and helped their husbands become better muslims.

And there are those who didn't convert for the sake of Allah (swt).

However, so long as a person appears sincere, I'm not going to comment. If they ask for my advice, I give to the best of my ability as one sister to another.

In the end, if you are sincere in your belief of la ilaha il Allah, Muhammadur rasul Allah, then your first duty is to Allah (swt), to declare your faith in Him and in His message as brought by our master Muhammad (saws). What the consulate thinks about it is far down on the list of worries. Get yourself right with Allah (swt), and then worry about this world.


re: holidays. We don't celebrate. We don't visit my family at that time. As I've explained to them, for Easter especially, we don't believe Jesus (as) was crucified and raised from the dead, so it would by hypocritical of me to partake in a celebration of that important religious ritual for them. I'm more than happy to spend time with them regularly throughout the year, and make other events important family get togethers (like thanksgiving for example).

And as I'm sure anyone who knows me is aware of, I'm about as far from being a salafi as one can be.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-04-25 10:07:00
Middle East and North AfricaFor Getting Married-- What Do I Need?

Can you both meet in a 3rd country? It is a red flag to marry in a first meeting. I agree, you should both plan a trip to meet somewhere else PRIOR of taking the plunge.
Good luck to you and congratulations!


I concur. Saudis and expats in Saudia frequently visit Bahrain and the UAE over the weekend or holidays. I would guess he will have some time off in Ramadan and could meet you in another gulf country.

While these experiences are new to each new member, they are unfortunately not new to the consulate in Cairo. They've seen many many many marriage based visas come through, and have seen lots of fraud. Marrying on the first meeting is one of the big ol red flags for fraud. Meeting more than once is definitely a big plus, not only for the consulate, but also for your relationship. Meeting more than once, and in different settings will help you to know him better.

But even then, those vacations don't really allow you to know your potential spouse fully. I was just saying to AbuS the other day how, although we knew each other online for 4 years before he came, I only really got to know him once we were actually living together. We spent a bazillion hours talking to each other online, met in person 3 times, and even had my parents and siblings over to Egypt to meet his family. But not until I lived with him 24/7 did I actually really know him.

Not to rain on your parade, just to be a bit of a wet blanket right off the bat, since I'm sure you'll get lots of it here. We're a battle hardened group of people who've seen it all.

Best of luck to you :star: I do hope yours is a fairy tale. We don't see too many of those here. As I frequently say, there is no happily ever after in a visa journey. There is only omGosh this is so freakin hard during the wait for the visa, and omGosh, this is even harder once they arrive. There are happy endings, but they take lots of work for the most part.

Edited by UmmSqueakster, 31 May 2011 - 06:31 PM.

UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-05-31 18:30:00
Middle East and North Africaany advice offered is welcomed

I have been muslima for a few years. I dont know MENA culture. I don't know why one person gets to make the judgement for a couple who wants to marry. How can he know if it will be good marriage or not? Im just saying.


Assalamu alaikum,

While it sucks for ya'll who are new to this, this isn't new to the COs. They have more than a decade of experience in the internet sprung marriage based visa game and have seen literally thousands of these applications come across their desks. And unfortunately, they've seen a lot of fraud. We don't have any statistics available to us, but I'm sure they have some idea of the number of marriages that have failed, and whether or not couples with a large age gap fail at a higher rate than those that are closer in age. And they use that hindsight and the interviews they have every day to develop their fraud-o-meter.

That isn't to say that these kinds of relationships aren't genuine, or that they won't work out. It will just take more to prove that it is genuine. And honestly, at this date and after so many years of so many MENA men conning american women, I don't know what to do for that beyond visit several times. But even that isn't a fool proof method.

Rather depression, honestly, but that's the reality :/
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-06-08 08:04:00
Middle East and North Africahelp plzzzzzzzz (K-1 but 'married' - Morocco)
Look, I'm going to lay this out for you:

1. You do not have a good chance of getting a visa from Casa anyways. They are being very very hard and denying a lot of petitions.
2. If you continue with the K1 while married, you will be DENIED and probably BANNED FOR LIFE!

Serious. STOP.

Also, get your wife on here, and we'll explain it to her if you don't understand.

If you don't want to get a visa, do what you are already doing.
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-06-16 10:09:00
Middle East and North AfricaToday we lost a MENA jewel
Inna lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji'oon
to God we belong and to Him is our return

I have no words crying.gif
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2008-06-18 07:31:00
Middle East and North Africaoldies but goodies?
I went digging around in old threads yesterday looking for something and OMgoodness, the memories. All those people, all the waits, all the pining, all the drama. Good times were had by all amidst the cat fights :luv:
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-06-23 08:15:00
Middle East and North Africaoldies but goodies?

Off topic, but just wanted to say you are very adorable! :luv: Congrats on your ongoing relationship success!


Thanks! No one can resist the adorableness that is the Squeaky. AbuS does cat dawah - invites his cat hating friends over and just watches them melt when Miss. S. introduces herself :luv:

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UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-06-08 08:10:00
Middle East and North Africaoldies but goodies?

Youssef and I are currently at the beginning of the process to adopt his nephew (new immigration headache -why oh why?!) I'm happy to say we've been married 5 years and 2 months - together for 6 1/2 years.


mashaAllah! Now I'm jealous. You'll have 3 kids and I still have none :crying: And congratulations on finding your dream job (even if it is in wisconsin :hehe:)

AbuS and I were thinking of swinging through western wisconsin, if there is ever a week this summer where I'm not working 80 hours. Know anyone we could visit? :innocent:
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-06-02 08:32:00
Middle East and North Africaoldies but goodies?
*waves*

Now I have Destinys Child Survivors running through my head.

I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what),
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what),
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm gonna make it (what),
I will survive (what),
Keep on survivin' (what).

:dance:
UmmSqueaksterFemaleEgypt2011-06-01 10:36:00