Heading to Morocco...

[Always+Forever 7]

Well, my friend and I are heading to Morocco in November to meet our soon to be fiances....It crazy...we are best friends, becoming engaged to best friends...lol Anyway, I want to take all of the paperwork that he needs to fill our for the fiance visa, since the mail system sucks & DHL is crazy expensive...what all do I need to take with me? I know to keep reciepts, plane tickets, LOTS of pics, etc....Anything else?? Also I have no clue what to bring as gifts for the family...I know...I'm probably thinking too much about it, but that's what i do...lol Last question...Has anyone taken a laptop with them or used an american laptop with wireless card in Morocco...if so, did it work, or did u still need to get seperate service?? Thanks

[Martiniolive 0]

Hi classySun-

Congratulations and how nice to have a friend to share the journey with. I took my laptop with me. You will obviously need power adapters and I would get them here (it's easier). To Marry in morocco you will need alot of doc's, but I don't think there is much he needs to do for the fiance. Just take alot of pictures with his family (if u can) What city will u be in? My husband is from meknes and it's more conservative. If your fiance's family is more traditional be prepared to dress modestly and not sexy.

I did not bring gifts but sent some afterwards (I knew their tastes) Just to be nice you could bring the huge sized bottles of ibuprofen and acetemenophen in case you need them (of course) but leave them with his family cuz our meds are far better than what they have there (just my 2 cent) Martiniolive

Well, my friend and I are heading to Morocco in November to meet our soon to be fiances....It crazy...we are best friends, becoming engaged to best friends...lol Anyway, I want to take all of the paperwork that he needs to fill our for the fiance visa, since the mail system sucks & DHL is crazy expensive...what all do I need to take with me? I know to keep reciepts, plane tickets, LOTS of pics, etc....Anything else?? Also I have no clue what to bring as gifts for the family...I know...I'm probably thinking too much about it, but that's what i do...lol Last question...Has anyone taken a laptop with them or used an american laptop with wireless card in Morocco...if so, did it work, or did u still need to get seperate service?? Thanks

[ZouhairPatriciaB 0]

Well, my friend and I are heading to Morocco in November to meet our soon to be fiances....It crazy...we are best friends, becoming engaged to best friends...lol Anyway, I want to take all of the paperwork that he needs to fill our for the fiance visa, since the mail system sucks & DHL is crazy expensive...what all do I need to take with me? I know to keep reciepts, plane tickets, LOTS of pics, etc....Anything else?? Also I have no clue what to bring as gifts for the family...I know...I'm probably thinking too much about it, but that's what i do...lol Last question...Has anyone taken a laptop with them or used an american laptop with wireless card in Morocco...if so, did it work, or did u still need to get seperate service?? Thanks

thats great that u have someone to go with u! i was so nervous going there by myself. if u are doing the i129f, he needs to fill out his g325, on there is a place for him to put his address in arabic. i didnt realize this till i got back and he had to mail me his and i got it in like 20 days. he also need to give u the letter of intent to marry...he has to sign it. i didnt take any gifts with me, but i bought his mom a purse while i was there and i sent all the women in the family something for valentines day...that was before i went there. be careful about saying u like something in there home coz they will give it to u. i dont have a laptop, but i saw alot of people on the plane with one. i did buy a converter plug in case i needed to charge my phone, but i never used it. i bought it at best buy for about 25$ what i did use was a charger for my phone that has a usb end, that worked pretty good for me. i use att for my service, but it was still expensive to call home that way, just had to have the service put on my plan for that. oh, if u plan to use a debit card there, talk to your bank before u go and tell them where u are going and when and they can set that up too to work just for those days. im glad i did coz otherwise it wouldnt have worked. i used an atm there to get cash, but its pretty expensive the fees and all, so if u use it try to do it only once and get enough for your stay. i had to use it twice and it cost me about 40$ hope where u stay has a western toilet, but some places u go dont have it. and bring toilet paper or baby wipes just in case. i brought all kinds of otc meds, but the only one i really used was gas-ex. lol. they try to make u eat like a horse there, and since there food is delicious i ate it all! oh, make sure u keep your boarding passes, and i kept the luggage tags too. your boarding passes will have your name on it so that shows proof u actually boarded the plane. keep ALL receipts even for food and take pics you u eating together. pics with the family are good too. always have your cam ready and charged!!! its always a good time for pics! not just posing for them, anything natural is good too. we had his sister follow us while we were shopping and take our pics alot. i only stayed for 6 days and got in about 500 pics not including the ones for the fiance ceremony. i sent in about 100 pics with our petition along with almost all our chat logs and emails. when i sent my box to uscis it weighed 12 lbs! about 1000 pages i think. hope u 2 have a great time, wish i was going with u but hopefully my SO will be here before christmas. it will be the most amazing time in your life, its like a dream come true to actually touch them for real. i miss my SO so much, but it does get a little bit better over time, i have to keep myself busy to keep my mind off of it. sometimes i just have to shut off the computer and leave the house or ill be on this computer till he gets here, lol! if i can think of anything else ill reply again. u can ask me anything and ill try to give u an answer. assalamo 3alaikum

[SuperDuper! 230]

Well, my friend and I are heading to Morocco in November to meet our soon to be fiances....It crazy...we are best friends, becoming engaged to best friends...lol Anyway, I want to take all of the paperwork that he needs to fill our for the fiance visa, since the mail system sucks & DHL is crazy expensive...what all do I need to take with me? I know to keep reciepts, plane tickets, LOTS of pics, etc....Anything else?? Also I have no clue what to bring as gifts for the family...I know...I'm probably thinking too much about it, but that's what i do...lol Last question...Has anyone taken a laptop with them or used an american laptop with wireless card in Morocco...if so, did it work, or did u still need to get seperate service?? Thanks

thats great that u have someone to go with u! i was so nervous going there by myself. if u are doing the i129f, he needs to fill out his g325, on there is a place for him to put his address in arabic. i didnt realize this till i got back and he had to mail me his and i got it in like 20 days. he also need to give u the letter of intent to marry...he has to sign it. i didnt take any gifts with me, but i bought his mom a purse while i was there and i sent all the women in the family something for valentines day...that was before i went there. be careful about saying u like something in there home coz they will give it to u. i dont have a laptop, but i saw alot of people on the plane with one. i did buy a converter plug in case i needed to charge my phone, but i never used it. i bought it at best buy for about 25$ what i did use was a charger for my phone that has a usb end, that worked pretty good for me. i use att for my service, but it was still expensive to call home that way, just had to have the service put on my plan for that. oh, if u plan to use a debit card there, talk to your bank before u go and tell them where u are going and when and they can set that up too to work just for those days. im glad i did coz otherwise it wouldnt have worked. i used an atm there to get cash, but its pretty expensive the fees and all, so if u use it try to do it only once and get enough for your stay. i had to use it twice and it cost me about 40$ hope where u stay has a western toilet, but some places u go dont have it. and bring toilet paper or baby wipes just in case. i brought all kinds of otc meds, but the only one i really used was gas-ex. lol. they try to make u eat like a horse there, and since there food is delicious i ate it all! oh, make sure u keep your boarding passes, and i kept the luggage tags too. your boarding passes will have your name on it so that shows proof u actually boarded the plane. keep ALL receipts even for food and take pics you u eating together. pics with the family are good too. always have your cam ready and charged!!! its always a good time for pics! not just posing for them, anything natural is good too. we had his sister follow us while we were shopping and take our pics alot. i only stayed for 6 days and got in about 500 pics not including the ones for the fiance ceremony. i sent in about 100 pics with our petition along with almost all our chat logs and emails. when i sent my box to uscis it weighed 12 lbs! about 1000 pages i think. hope u 2 have a great time, wish i was going with u but hopefully my SO will be here before christmas. it will be the most amazing time in your life, its like a dream come true to actually touch them for real. i miss my SO so much, but it does get a little bit better over time, i have to keep myself busy to keep my mind off of it. sometimes i just have to shut off the computer and leave the house or ill be on this computer till he gets here, lol! if i can think of anything else ill reply again. u can ask me anything and ill try to give u an answer. assalamo 3alaikum

You sent in way too much stuff. It will take the USCIS clerk longer to sift thru it all. My application was 59 pages and 52 oz. Approved in 2 days for NOA1. Gud luck there.

[Kenza 1]

here is a thread about gifts the MENA ladies disscussed earlier

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=200885

I brought my laptop with no problem, just bring a converter and I used the wireless internet my grandma had at her house

Edited July 12, 2009 by Kenza

[Peace be still 6]

Tylenol, and any cold medicine with non alcohol is a gem around November. I agree with what everyone above had to say except (you sent in way too much stuff). For a Mena couple you can never send in enough information to USCIS, that will later forward it to NVC and the Consulate in Casablanca. Many blessings on your trip and I pray that you have a wonderful time in a beutiful country that is filled with love.

[Peace be still 6]

Chocolate Candy Bars which you will hear the children say (Halewet) it means something sweet. If you go to your local dollar store you will find lots of inexpensive gifts including candy to bring. The important thing is don't stress yourself out too much. You payed all this money to go to Morocco, don't add the stress of feeling burden to bring boat loads of gifts. The family is excited to see you and they exspect nothing. You bringing gifts is just respectful because your fiance family will be waiting on you hand and foot and you will want for nothing if it's within their power. If you are staying at your fiance family home for atleast 2wks or more, I would give them 200 dirhams to put towards the food that they have to purchase and prepare for you on a daily basis. Morocco is filled with love, but the majority of the people are just making it by; however, they will always have a smile on their face while you are there visiting, but then be hurting financially after you leave because their budget really couldn't afford another mouth to feed. Now this might not be your fiance case but it is for the majority of Moroccans. So there can be a happy medium. You don't get stressed out and break your bank by purchasing expensive gifts, and in return you can give them 200 dirhams which equals to $27.00 USD, or you can give them more. I believe that this will make everybody happy.

[brnidokiegurl 0]

First remember u are going thru Casa u cant sent to much, you need to show the (real case) first time thru because at interview sometimes they dont ask to see more. Others not going thru Casa dont seem to relate to this part. Depending on what city you are going to it maybe a little cool by November, i went in Sept and by the end of the month i could wear a coat at night. Take your meds of course and plan for stomach issues etc. Hair dryers etc will need a adapter or leave yours home and get one there then leave it for mom or sister etc. Any snacks u like you may not find there if small pack them, maybe some type of foods you could make them a meal from i remember i took some taco shells and seasoning and him and his brothers loved it ha

As for gifts you will want to keep them light as bags will get veryyyyyyy heavy in traveling. First trip i took things showing my state, candies, cant really remember all but simple and not to personal. Second trip i did better with some clothes etc that matches for each persons needs. When there have all your forms and he can sign and you can fill out together and make your plan for sending them in.

As mentioned keep the ticket receipts, pictures, be sure to include family in the pictures, then you will also have your chat records, letters back and forth etc If you take travelers checks be prepared alot of times its hard to find a bank that will cash them, atms are or were easy to spot in the city i was in, sometimes my credit cards wouldnt be accepted just found different circumstances at different places and times. I just let him handle the money when there

[caybee 21]

You already got good advice on what paperwork to take with you for his signature. I think you'll also need U.S. passport-sized photos of him, so you can get those made while you are there and bring them back. I don't remember the exact dimensions or how many you'll need (that's listed in the guides -- get twice as many so you can keep a duplicate packet for your records in case anything gets lost) but if you ask the photo shop to make the kind used for the U.S. visa lottery, they should get the size right.

I agree, don't worry too much about a lot of gifts on the first trip, and keep them light. Both times I went and when my husband just went back, we packed big bags of assorted chocolate and some ziplock bags to divide them up. His family loves American chocolate. I gave Bath and Body Works stuff to the women, and they asked my husband for cosmetics on this trip. The men like anything with a brand, so Nike or Adidas shirts and other athletic apparel on clearance were good. My husband's brothers asked him to bring them Obama T-shirts and hats. He also flattened some soccer balls and a basketball to take back to his buddies, mostly for the gesture since they can get those there, of course. But again, especially on the first trip, don't feel you have to go overboard with gifts.

I second what someone said about the OTC medicines -- they're much cheaper here than there, and my husband took a lot back with him. I took the big bottles of Ibuprofen, generic Tylenol, Tylenol PM, and aspirin with me and just left them there. My husband asked for Orajel once. I also took a Sharpie pen so my husband could write brief dosage directions in Arabic on the bottles. I packed big bottles of good shampoo and conditioner, which I used there and left behind for the family. I took Tums for myself, but the bottle looked like fruit candy, so a niece tried some when I left it out within reach -- no harm done, but watch out for something that might be misunderstood if there are kids around.

The laptop should work fine with a converter. You won't always find a wireless connection though. My husband took a MagicJack back with him on this trip since his family has a broadband connection, and we have used it to call each other since he has been there. They assigned it a USA number, so he can use it to call my cell phone, and I can call their house from my cell at no charge (except for my normal cell minutes). Reception has been good except for one day when we could not hear each other at all. Service is about $20 a year for unlimited. So he'll leave it with them when he comes home so they can talk whenever they like. If you do this, you would have that number on your phone records to submit as part of your proof of ongoing relationship at the interview stage, though it would be a USA number, but you could explain how MJ works, and they'll either buy your explanation or not

I was in Meknes, which is on a spring, and I made the mistake of not insisting on bottled water on the first trip. The spring water was delicious at first, but a week later, I was not happy and stayed unhappy for two weeks after returning home; as there are anywhere, there are microbes in the water that Moroccans are used to but we are not. DO NOT drink the tap water without boiling it. Buy a good bottled water and check the seal. Sidi Ali, I think, is the brand we got the most often, and I had no trouble with it. The tea is probably safe, as the water has been boiled (and the tea is delicious). Coca-Cola is fine also if the bottle is sealed. Wash and peel (and preferably cook) fruits and veggies before eating them. You might buy some Pepto and start taking one dose a day starting a week or so before you go, and keep taking the daily dose while you are there. I had read this would help prevent stomach problems while traveling, so I did this on my second trip and had absolutely no trouble with illness. The food there, of course, is amazing.

Find out what kind of toilet will be available before you go, Western or traditional Moroccan (essentially a hole in the floor with the flushing mechanism and so on under the floor, activated by pouring a bucket of water down the drain). My husband's family had the traditional kind when I was there, so that was an adjustment, but it wasn't a problem at all once I got used to it -- the tile was new and pretty, and his family kept it so clean with toilet paper on hand. It's just good to know ahead of time so you can build up the, um, skiing muscles in your legs The restrooms when you're out won't always be so nice, and I definitely second the baby wipes -- I took a large dispenser plus several small packets to carry with me, which may have been overkill, but I was there in the summer and liked them for cooling off as well. I also took a roll of toilet paper with the core removed so it would flatten easily for packing.

I had no trouble using my debit card at the ATM at the BMCE bank branches, and I didn't have to check with my bank ahead of time, though I see some have had to do so. My husband wasn't able to use his on this trip until he found a BMCE ATM. We generally took out $200 worth at a time, and we weren't hit with much of a transaction fee at all, although I was blindsided by one for $20 or so just for checking my balance at the ATM, so from then on, I checked the balance online for free. I also had my husband carry the cash to avoid the "tourist tax" -- made things a whole lot easier for us.

Sorry for going on and on I'm especially missing Morocco now since the hubby is home visiting his family, and all the nostalgia is hitting me It's wonderful that you'll be traveling with your friend when you go. I hope you have a beautiful trip!

[caybee 21]

Oh and hair dryers, curling irons, etc, will probably melt if you can't convert them to 220 V (laptops are generally fine without an extra voltage converter because the cord usually has a built-in voltage regulator on it, that part that looks like a black box, but read up on yours to be sure). You can probably get a cheap travel dryer here for around $15 that has a 110/220V switch on it, so as long as you have the right plug attachment, you won't need to use a voltage converter for that. Some houses will have 110 V in the kitchen, so when I had doubts about plugging something into the 220, I took it to the kitchen.

[sara535 15]

I agree with the gift ideas, I made sure to take a little toy for each of the kids in the immediate family, plus a handful of little things like maybe matchbox cars or a little boxes of crayons and coloring books from the dollar store because there are tons of neices and nephews and neighbors you will run into and its great to have a little something to offer the kids. One thing I had with me that got a lot of use was a pile of pictures of me and my family - me when I was a kid, different pics of my parents and siblings and my son. Everyone who met me was very interested in looking at the photos of my life - I was glad I had stuck them in my bag.

I also second the thought of being careful what you say you like, my experience is that Moroccans will literally give you the shirt off their back if you like it.

[caybee 21]

I agree with the gift ideas, I made sure to take a little toy for each of the kids in the immediate family, plus a handful of little things like maybe matchbox cars or a little boxes of crayons and coloring books from the dollar store because there are tons of neices and nephews and neighbors you will run into and its great to have a little something to offer the kids. One thing I had with me that got a lot of use was a pile of pictures of me and my family - me when I was a kid, different pics of my parents and siblings and my son. Everyone who met me was very interested in looking at the photos of my life - I was glad I had stuck them in my bag.

I also second the thought of being careful what you say you like, my experience is that Moroccans will literally give you the shirt off their back if you like it.

Aaaand conversely, when your husband moves to the U.S., you might want to let him know he's not expected to give the shirt off his back to anyone who admires it. Just sayin'.