Good idea! My husband has a den waiting at our US home already furnished with a large screen tv and a desk, laptop, printer, chair, sofa, quibla, artwork, the works. As I've put it together, I've shown him what I bought and gotten a thumbs up or thumbs down. Insha'allah, he will get to use it all soon!

Here's another suggestion that I can't take credit for: Let your SO answer the phone. Encourage this. They can learn alot about your family and friends that way! I like it!

I really don't plan on doing anything for him the first day/night, except bring some coffee to the airport. He won't be staying with me anyway since we are not married. I am planning to take about 7 or 8 days off of work though to spend with him and show him around.

something nessa did to understand spoken english better is we watch movies with subtitles. she can read and write english just fine, just understanding some of the accents (like southern) fly by her at times.

I wish I had room to give him his own space...but there just aren't enough rooms in my home. That is one thing I've heard him say he wants when we move (and he's said it more than once)...

we have a 2 bedroom apartment. one of the rooms is an office. so if Javed wants alone time he can go in there and chill out..unless I am in there chilling then he has to take a number and wait.lol

Doodle - I like Lala - sounds like a rapper's girl's name though......

lololol

Answering the phone of course but how do you explain all the junk calls from people trying to sell him things? i will probably come home and he bought a new swimming pool, more credit cards, and better insurance ha

Even after a year here, if Noor answers the phone and it is someone he doesn't understand, he will give me the phone. If I'm not home, he tells them to call back and talk to his wife. I have tried and tried to teach him to say "we aren't interested" and hang up but he just isn't comfortable saying that yet...

I can see that, because he is a friendly type person can see him now wanting to talk back to the people, or on the other hand the pre recorded ones, that should be interesting also

hahaha yeah... one day noor picked up the phone and sat there for what seemed like forever...occasionally he would say...."uhh..ye..mm..i think...." then he finally handed me the phone and said..they won't let me talk.. can you talk to them..... it was a recording for "better and more affordable health insurance"..I hung up the phone and told him it was a recording... He gave me the "i'm confused and what the he11" look and i told him..next time, just hang up... lol

We've already had this experience ... only the telemarketer was looking for her
First call she told them to call back ... second call I got it and let her hear how to be polite, firm, and request them not to call again and to repeat what I just stated

i can see it happening, because he does pride himself in manners and will not want to just hang up on anyone

You guys need to get yourselves on the no call list.

Mohammed and I used to do that too, regarding the subtitles. Its how I picked up some Arabic as well, flipping the circumstances and me reading the English subtitles of Egyptian movies when I was in Egypt. He's taken a position where he works with the public (poor dude) and finds the Kentucky drawl a bit difficult to understand. He's becoming better about telling people "excuse me, but would you repeat that more slowly please." He's had a few patrons use that against him, but people generally will oblige him and then conversations break out around "where are you from.... oh my god Egypt!... did you see the pyramids???" Pfft. I also think the suggestion of encouraging your SO to answer the phone is a good one. I did this too from day one. The phone rang the next morning and I asked if he would mind answering it since it was his home now. (He is a telemarketers worst nightmare, btw. He asks them a million questions until they hang up on him. Hahahaha.) Just gotta plunge in and go...

That's where I'm going. Three years without these calls ... then continental sells her contact info (contact info for a US visitor) ... geez

i am on a list, but you still can get calls from some charities and like credit cards or companies you have association with. Like those agencies that want to come by and pick up stuff you dont want, Police/Firemen collecting,credit card insurances, better deals etc

The first few days were more difficult for her to answer the phone. It took a little time to adapt her mind to english 100%. Now, there is still a little trepidation, but she will answer the phone. If she doesn't understand the accent or speed .... all I hear is the polite, please repeat ... speak slower ... etc.

If your number is on the list, they still shouldn't be calling. They have to pay you if they call again.

I was there. Now they have a new name on the number. I kept the number when I moved to TX (vonage). Could this be the reason? Maybe they think someone else now possesses the "old" number?

Is her name on your phone bill? If your name is, they should not be calling.

Not yet. I think it's about time. I've already started adding her to others, guess I need to move this one to the top.

Oh, one more idea to help your SO adjust ...

An English to ______ (SO's language) dictionary. Her english is excellent, yet she still grabs the dictionary on occasion. Good thing I have one here ... she left hers in Brazil.

I thought a dictionary would be a good idea too... He has a problem with arabic that is not in his dialect and since most everything is written in egyptian arabic, it was not an option. I did, however, find one that was close but he still points out the faults in it...

Ahmeds english is pretty good actually, but his spelling is some off alot of times so i dont know if he could look it up correctly but alot he doest catch is more the slang or the words with so many different ways it can be used

My husbands english is really good. he has a british accent.
he picks up some slang words from me. < unknowingly > its cute coz he will
try to use the words in various ways. I used the words : ding dong.
now this is his favorite new phrase.

does he say "what a bloody ding dong"

Since Shon was talking about slang, try to help your SO out with slang when he gets here! Especially before he starts working.

It can be kind of funny.

Sujeet still is learning slang, because there is so much to know and you don't even realize it until you have someone around who did not grow up here. His English is great, but since he grew up elsewhere he didn't get the chance to learn things we say so commonly.

A funny thing that happened to him at work once, he was helping someone do something and afterwards the person said to him "Thanks! You're the bomb!", he was just like...umm ok, and smiled pretending to know what that really meant. He asked me, "Is it a good thing when someone calls you a bomb??" and I just laughed. I told him yes it's a good thing if they said you are the bomb. I have had to help him out also when his co-workers use trucker slang, like 10-4 or Roger that. He really was confused over the "Roger that".

Also the way we run our words together. I was talking with Omar once and said 'Did you' but he heard did jew...interesting trying to explain that one..