Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Middle East and North Africa	Do you have a song?	We have our English love song (played first at our wedding reception): Hero. Yes...a little cheesy, but it was one of the first songs that we ever talked about when we first started to chat online. I told him I was going out to get the Enrique CD because I wanted a song on it. And then that started a HUGE progression of songs. The second song at our reception was our Arabic love song by Wael Kefoury, Arrab Layyi	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-02-24 18:14:00
Middle East and North Africa	WHAT DID YOU PLAN FOR YOUR SO UPON ARRIVAL?	My hubby wants approval on everything, so what I haven't done yet, I'll wait until he gets here so we can go together and get what he wants. not have much to bring with him after his brothers get through claiming his stuff as their own. He always lets them, too! Grrrrrr! Wow, I so sympathize with this! Maj arrived with a teeny suitcase and practically no clothes because he gave them all to his brothers. So then we had to buy a bunch of stuff which we really didn't have the money for. Then when he went back to visit, despite the fact that we'd bought a ton of clothes for his brothers, he returned with almost nothing. Arghh!! Similarly, my husband arrived with a small suitcase too. He brought very little. We had to go buy a whole bunch of things as well (at a time when we had little due to paperwork and wedding). My family was so taken by how little he had brought that they all went out shopping and bought him outfits, etc. Now that he has gone back to Morocco, he spent the night a couple of days ago bringing back a great share of his wardrobe to give to his brother or friend. He said he doesn't wear this or that all that much and might as well give it to them! As for what to have when he/she arrives...I just put up a "Welcome Home" banner and had a small treat for him. We then went out together the next day after we determined what he needed to get. Twila Edited by tnh9479, 04 March 2007 - 11:49 AM.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-04 11:47:00
Middle East and North Africa	New Princess	My husband was showing me the pics of the King and the new princess the other night. He was shocked to hear the baby was born as this was the first he had heard about it (he reads and watches a lot of Arabic / Moroccan news). Did you see what the new princess was wearing? I told him it is funny how a baby hours old can wear more expensive clothes than most people. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-04 11:39:00
Middle East and North Africa	Monday it is!!	I did NOT want to get up this morning. We spent a wicked lazy day yesterday, lolligagging around, so I have no reason to be tired other then lolligagging around some more with Moh would have been GRAND. We had some semi-incoherent conversation about who was going to use the bathroom first when the alarm went off. I groaned that I needed it first, he mumbled OK, then he got up and went to the bathroom and closed the door and I hit the snooze button. We are PATHETIC. Somehow managed to get to my desk only 1 minute late. How... I have no idea. I haven't heard any reports of some freakish hit and run accidents on the freeway so I must have made it here harm free. Blah. Are you from Northern New England???? I see (or hear) very few people use "wicked" unless they grew up NORTH of Boston. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-05 16:59:00
Middle East and North Africa	Do arabic docs for Cairo packet 3 need to be translated to English?	I would get them done. You will need some things for AOS and they will need to be translated.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-06 16:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	gifts	If you are giving to some young children, try bringing "Pop Rocks". I sent some to Hicham's sister two years ago and it is a neccessary item in every package we send. NIKE is HUGE. Anything Nike would be so warmly welcomed. Electronics are very welcomed too. Hicham just brought over a laptop for his family and some cheaper mp3 players and a digital camera (Brandsmart rocks with the off-brand items for cheap). Also...right now stores are trying to clear out their winter merchandise. We went to some department stores like Macy's and Dillard's and found amazing sales (and got brand name merchandise). Edited by tnh9479, 06 March 2007 - 04:23 PM.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-06 16:22:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happy Sunday!	Glad you are enjoying your time in Jordan Jackie! Post some pics when you get back! I have some cleaning and shopping to do today. Not much else. I think I need to perform some more "retail therapy". Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-04 11:29:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thursday	I find it funny, ironic. or any other applicable word I cannot think of at the moment that GEG says, "I'm not worried about me," but has the picture of ME on the car as her avatar!	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-03 13:35:00
Middle East and North Africa	Thursday	This has all gone just way too far. It doesn't take a lot to add one and one to get two (by connecting posts here and somewhere else). Maybe pointing that out wasn't the most appropriate thing. However, by constantly trying to prove how one thinks they are up on a pedastal because of the so-called volume of PM's, age, or one of a myriad of other inane agruments, in my mind, is a heck of a lot worse. Twila P.S. The report button is so much better than the ignore feature.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-03 10:39:00
Middle East and North Africa	calling morocco	I have heard various things about Skype...why we really don't want to go that route. Until we do the whole Vonage thing, we are just going to do voice chat over Yahoo IM. It is not too bad. My husband had internet at home before coming here (why we chatted for hours at end). He said it is the equivalent of about $30 USD/month. A thing about computers...we got his family a laptop before Hicham travelled. Well..it had MS Windows Vista on it. Everyone has hated it. Apparently, they don't have an Arabic version of it yet either. So...my husband's friend who works on computers has uninstalled Vista and put XP on the computer. My husband said it is working SOOOO much better. We had issues with Vista here before he even took it over. We could not even put McAfee 2007 on it without it crashing. The anti-virus program had to be uninstalled and then we had to download it from the internet because what you can get in the stores is not compatible with Vista yet. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-10 18:21:00
Middle East and North Africa	calling morocco	Just another thought for families back home (maybe not so applicable while waiting for interview, etc).... We got my husband's family a computer and are going to pay for their internet service at home. We are thinking of sending over a Vonage router (or whatever ya call it) to them and have it assigned with a number local to us. That way we could call as much as we want to a local number for $24/month. They have to have high speed internet as this is VOIP. My sister has had Vonage for more than 5 years and swears by it. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-10 18:09:00
Middle East and North Africa	calling morocco	I totally suggest IDT as well. The only times my husband has ever had an issue is on a holiday. Other than that, it is great. Also...you can print out when you called and for how long (useful if you need it for proof of relationship). Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-09 18:47:00
Middle East and North Africa	Morocco to abolish death penalty?	That was going to be my point...I think they are thinking of abolishing it in an attempt to gain more positive favor in their attempt to join the EU.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-11 21:26:00
Middle East and North Africa	ME/NA Travels	The one you cant say or spell does it start it a E............ if so i cant either Are you talking about Essaouira? When I went to Morocco, Hicham and I stayed there most of the time. It is one of the most favorite places I have ever been -- lots of history, great people, and so so so so relaxing! It took me a long time to learn how to pronounce the name. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-04 21:20:00
Middle East and North Africa	ME/NA Travels	Im headin' out thursday w Air France. 3 hours of turbulance...... over the open atlantic...... airline accidents......... THANX A LOT TNH! Planning on visiting marrakesh, tangier, fes... fez, and there were some other places he said that I can't spell or say.. YET! I'm doing some final shopping today and then manicure and pedicure on wednesday. Limah Have a great time! Your itinerary sounds wonderful. You'll have to post some pics when you get back as well. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-04 14:15:00
Middle East and North Africa	ME/NA Travels	Limah, When are you going? My husband flew to Morocco yesterday. He said he heard from a person before he got on his RAM flight yesterday that they were overbooked. Apparently, the flights are popular right now! He actually got in an hour early this morning. When I spoke to him he said they went through about three hours of turbulance. It didn't make him feel real good since this was over the open Atlantic. (We can't watch those recreations of airline accidents because they freak him out.) Needless to say, he was much happier to be on the train this morning. What places are you planning to visit? Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-04 11:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	Im confused	When i sent in the I129f I didn't send any criminal background...as far as the security checks...not to that point yet! I just hope they don't take forever as well! They do check the petitioner as well for the K-1. This I know because at our AOS interview I was scanning the case file on the guy's desk. I had seen where my background check had happened and two that were listed for my husband. I was amazed at what they keep in that file -- even the mailing packages you send the paperwork in! Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-12 15:39:00
Middle East and North Africa	ugh, its monday!	We watched Babel last night. Good cinematography of Morocco, but I was disappointed with the film overall. Did you see it? We saw it in the theater and both loved it! It wasn't your typical Hollywood fare and one of the most thought provoking movies of the year. I really liked how it dealt with the inability to communicate (as experienced in 3 totally different ways) and how all three of these scenarios were linked together. Twila P.S. It will be interesting to talk to my husband who is Morocco right now to find out how they stepped up security after the guy in the cyber cafe. He was planning to go visit one of his friends today who is in the military. I wonder if that happened.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-12 15:31:00
Middle East and North Africa	My Update	Wow! I am glad you got a definitive diagnosis and now at least know what you are dealing with. My best wishes to you always, TWila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-13 17:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	???what papers	Make sure he brings an officially translated copy of his birth certificate. A year or two ago that posed a problem in one area for a couple applying for the marriage license. His passport should suffice for just about everything else. My husband also brought copies of his high school "diploma" and some additional courses he had taken. This was a great thing to do as he is now taking classes at the local community college and they appreciated having this proof. Make sure he gets everyone's phone numbers and addresses that he might want before coming over. To also have a list of places he worked and all that information for future jobs might prove helpful. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-15 19:12:00
Middle East and North Africa	iiiiiiiiiits thursday!	Oh well, it was nice while it lasted....	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-15 16:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Anyone worry about this?	There are certifying companies/agencies. Sometimes this is school specific which one they choose (or they have paid people on payroll who verify information. I would contact whomever you might have to use this with and ask them what they need. Twila P.S. Here are some sample links and prices. It can be a little pricey. http://www.naeg.org/...er/en/index.php http://www.gcevaluators.com/faq.htm	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-16 15:53:00
Middle East and North Africa	Anyone worry about this?	I really did worry because my husband did not finish college and getting a transcript of what he did take does not have the same meaning in Morocco as it does here. So, I knew it was going to be an entry level job at first. I really prepared him for this. When he first started working at a local grocery store on his temporary EAD, he was just so happy to be working. It really helped his English skills, made him realize that he is not the only immigrant here, and started to get him adjusted to the American way of life. He now has a more than entry level job that does frustrate him at times. However, he has made amazing friends there and I constantly tell him this is the reason why he is in college -- to get the job he really wants! Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-15 19:16:00
Middle East and North Africa	visa in hand	There were a lot of factors we weighed when my husband left Morocco. At the time, we had heard of some people being questionned by personnel in foreign airports. My husband didn't want the stress of having to deal with that along with everything else. He preferred a direct flight from Morocco to the US (figuring once he was in the US the rest was pretty easy). However, since the only place where you can get a direct flight to from Morocco is NYC, trying to make a connecting flight can be a pain if immigration takes forever or if there are mechanical or weather issues. You have to decide what is best for you and your sweetheart.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-14 20:02:00
Middle East and North Africa	Saturday - Happy St. Patrick's Day	Well...my husband is supposed to be coming home from Morocco today. However, his flight from Casa has not left yet! It has something to due with the weather issues in NYC. My husband says there is a plane there (I wondered if the equipment was there) and he thinks the crew is there. It is kind of funny JFK won't let them take off because I have checked online and the airport does seem to be busy. Anyway, here's to hoping he takes off soon enough to make his connecting flight (which I purposefully scheduled later in case something like this happened). Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-17 10:13:00
Middle East and North Africa	LATE SATURDAY OR EARLY SUNDAY	How about where my husband is? JFK delayed his return from a trip to Maroc by more than ten hours due to traffic and the weather backlog. So...I had to use the RAM website and a friend of his is Maroc who took him to the airport to figure out when he was getting in. Since it was insanely early in the morning, I called and changed his connecting flight. He finally got a hold of me about 4 am. He was excited to find out I got him a 6 am flight. At least now I know he is in the air on the way home to FL!	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-18 06:22:00
Middle East and North Africa	AN UPDATE	Here's to a safe flight for your SO! My husband just got back from a visit to Maroc this morning on RAM. Even though JFK delayed their departure from Casa for more than 10 hours (because of weather and traffic), RAM brought everyone to a hotel nearby and fed them until they could board the plane. Your SO will be in good hands! Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-18 06:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	Help!!	At the time the interview was coming, I mailed TWO packages (one with originals and one with copies) at the same time. The copies arrived first (after about thirty days...which is about normal for mail delivery to my husband's town). More than a week later (and a few days before the interview) the original arrived. It truly is a crazy mail system. I would scan the copies and have him print them. If you do that, by Murphy's Law, the originals should appear the next day. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-03-26 20:11:00
Middle East and North Africa	Need to learn english and arabic	I know we have some time but I'm very concerned about the interview. Tarek feels he will be more comfortable doing the interview in arabic but I know we would have to prove that we are able to communicate with each other. Right now I don't feel confident that we can do that. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated especially if you've been in the same situation. On the contrary, I think a lot of people are concerned about the good of not only Connie, but this man. If people are questioning the validity of this relationship on the basis that there is no common language, I can only imagine what the consulate will think (considering Casa has a HUGE history of sending back petitions on situations that are much less questionable than this). My suggestion for Connie is to NOT file the K-1 until she and her fiance can truly document that they can communicate in a common language. (This was one of the first questions asked of my husband at his K-1 interview and of other fiances during their interview. Actually, this was the subject of much discussion at my husband's interview because they could not believe how well he spoke English and were questioning him how and where he learned.) Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-02 07:24:00
Middle East and North Africa	help with the red fleg issue	I always believe better safe than sorry. I sent in quite a bit of proof with the initial petition because I believed then (and I believe now) that ALL the CO has to make their decision on is what you provide them in the initial petition. The items we included then were the envelopes w/cancelled stamps to show when we sent each other packages and letters, emails, chat transcripts, all the proof of meeting (train tickets, air tickets, receipts for changing money in Maroc (since the bank put my passport number on it), pictures), and a copy of a massive phone bill. As for the interview, my husband brought a 6 inch binder that had all of our chat transcripts, emails, e-cards, etc for a 6 month period, letters my aunt had sent him, letters I had sent him, etc. I told him to forget his Moroccan sensibility and make sure to offer to show the CO whatever he would like. I am proud of him because he did do this. We spent time before his interview making sure he knew EVERYTHING that was in the petition. I knew that is where the majority of the questions would come from (and it was very very true). I think the best words of advice are to expect the unexpected. What we thought would be the main subject of questioning turned out to be off -- the CO was much more fascinated in where he learned his English and how he became so fluent (he asked so much about this that my husband was really worried after the interview).	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-03 16:06:00
Middle East and North Africa	approved!!!!!	Wow! That was pretty quick. Congrats! Each milestone you reach feels like a victory.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-09 11:14:00
Middle East and North Africa	I just cant TAKE iT !!!!!!!! GRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrr	We were in a similar situation with Casa two years ago. I ended up getting a Senator involved and the consulate miraculously sent the packet. I know how frustrating what you are going through can be. We didn't know what the heck to do either because Casa would only reply with a fricken attachment to an email (never a real answer). It seemed as if the Earth (and the pile our petition was in) moved by the power of the Senator. I wish you the best and all the patience in the world in deal with these NA consulates. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-12 14:54:00
Middle East and North Africa	What do you say to a Senator to get him involved??	Most Senators have a website. What I did was follow his office's procedures. They usually want you to fill out a form to authorize them to work on your behalf and to be privy to your information. I would get in contact with his office's liason and they will tell you what to do -- send in : the form, a written statement, and copies of pertinent information (like NOA's). The Senator's office I worked with was very great and called/emailed/sent me correspondence all along the way. Again...I don't think the Casa consulate would have sent out the packet in any timely fashion to my husband had the Senator not intervened -- the same day he got an email response from them, I also got an email response and the packet mysteriously appeared at my husband's house. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-14 21:31:00
Middle East and North Africa	Sunday	nice pic's doodle... I hope you guys had a great time Today IS a great day in Boston.. I got all the windows open.. Laundry drying in the sun.. I was thinking of going and Walking in the Common's today with my friend.. BUT Since it is earth day.. I know it might be alittle crazy down there.. Maybe I'll have to suffice with maybe a pinic on the Charles.. OR i can bust out My NEW HIBACHI with a dome top from IKEA!!! I keep on smelling grills everywhere.. Summer is a comin' Congrats on the new hibachi!!!!! I might just have to grill outdoors myself! I love grilled asparagus when it's been marinated in olive oil and lemon juice! YUM. I do it the old fashioned way with the coals and lighter fluid. Nothing like that smell and taste!!! Don't forget the marshmallows!!!!!! I just got it for 29 bucks ! I love the ones with the coal too... I cant wait.. I just hope I dont set myself on fire No marshmallows for me.. the whole halal / vegetarian thing.. BUT i'll have plenty of veggie dogs.. burgers.. and grilled veggies Whole Foods sells halal marshmallows. I forget what they're made of but they are not made with any pork or other meat products. Next time I go I'll grab a bag and tell you the ingredients. I saw them there two weeks ago and thought , cool I can have toasted marshmallows again!!! Yeah they are made with a Fish gelatin.. I have heard they are ok - but taste alittle different than the regular... Maybe someday I will try them I think the grocery stores even have them around Passover.. I saw them in Shaws around them.. I was tempted BUT i didnt get them Whole Foods also makes a vegan marshmallow with no animal product at all. Sometimes they have them, but not every store. I tried to get some when we were making smores with solar cookers the kids made a month or two ago. My local store did not have them. One of the guys at the store who has been vegan for quite some time told me they are hard to find and not all that great.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-23 02:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	Follow up to Casablanca cyber cafe bombing...	different conversation, how so? did you not say “What's happening in Alergia today with the Islamists groups are directly influencing what is happening in Morocco.”? and just how is that? There has been worry that the groups in Algeria, which claim to have ties with Al Qaeda, will have an influence in Morocco. Yes, Algeria has had many more issues. However, Morocco is a much more appealing target due to (1) the large amount of tourists from Europe, Australia, and the US and (2) Morocco's relationship with Western governments. Here is a quote from an Al Jazeera article just last month talking about it. Algerian influence Morocco has said it had information about an al-Qaeda plot to mount an attack, but that the circumstances of the latest blast were not clear. North African governments fear violence may spill over from Algeria after the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat renamed itself al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb with the aim of fusing similar groups together.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-11 19:00:00
Middle East and North Africa	New Consulate Information - CASABLANCA CO	Yea...I think this would have sent me over the edge when we were waiting for my husband's interview. We both were a wreck before-hand. I pray that this all ends soon and delays are minimal. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-16 18:44:00
Middle East and North Africa	any CASA updates?	This is from the Department of State Daily Press Briefing on April 16th. QUESTION: On the Consulate in Morocco -- MR. MCCORMACK: Yes. QUESTION: How long do you think that the Consulate will be closed? Is it indefinitely while pending this -- MR. MCCORMACK: No, I -- look, the current status is that it's closed to the public. There are personnel that are working there, essential personnel who are dealing with a lot of security related issues to make sure they have the proper security posture to protect people who work there and may be visiting at any given point in time. We have not yet been able to determine with Moroccan authorities exactly the target of these bombers. Some people have speculated that it may have been the consulate or it may have been an American center that is right near by. We can't confirm that. But the fact that the bombs did explode in relatively close proximity in the neighborhood of the consulate raises some real concerns and we want to make sure that we have the proper security posture with the American personnel, but also working with the Moroccan authorities. QUESTION: Well, whether it was the consulate proper or an American center nearby, I mean, certainly it seems that American interests per se seem to have been targeted. MR. MCCORMACK: Well, we can't say that. I know that there's been a lot of speculation about that, but we just don't know that as a fact. And the -- to this point, the results of the investigation have not led to that definitive conclusion. That said, of course, we're going to take into account the fact that these went off in the neighborhood. And I think it would be a real dereliction if we didn't take a look at our security posture and make sure that we were doing everything that we could to protect the people there. I was hoping to find some sort of time table. hahahahaha...anyway....there has not been a mention of it since that day in the briefings by DOS. This is one of the those worst case scenarios that ran through my mind while we were waiting for our turn. I hope this gets resolved quickly. Twila Edited by tnh9479, 30 April 2007 - 08:10 PM.	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-30 20:08:00
Middle East and North Africa	Amr Diab fans!!!	Are other concerts postponed? I tried the buy tickets from the venue but said his concert was postponed (and we don't see anything about it on the Arabic channels anymore). All I know is Miami is pushed back for a while. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-30 17:55:00
Middle East and North Africa	Amr Diab fans!!!	Miami is East Coast. I know what you mean...in the Northeast. Montreal is really cool though. I grew up in Vermont and it was less than an hour and a half to Montreal and I went to some concerts there. Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-13 17:28:00
Middle East and North Africa	Amr Diab fans!!!	All his US concerts are now listed! Woo hoo! He's coming to Miami! We are going. Check www.starsontour.net Twila	tnh9479	Female	Morocco	2007-04-12 17:50:00