abbi627

Wow 14 months ago I started this topic - where has the time gone? LOL I can remember back when I wrote that I was caught up in the planning of my first trip to see him. Now he is my husband and I am caught up in the visa process. Hopefully the time will go that quickly and soon he will be with me here. Probably won't go that fast though - during this past year 5 of those months I was in Morocco with him - those months passed so fast!

I'm sorry RFQ. I know how much you wanted him to be there for your graduation. But he will be there soon. It is so hard to be away from our husbands. It has only been three months since I saw my husband and some nights I cry myself to sleep I miss him so much. Some days are harder than others. Being busy helps. But some days just plain old suck! Try to hang in there. Yes your husband will miss this event in your life. But you have many many more things to look forward to together.

Hey guys. Received notice of NOA1 today. I know that is a small step but now I have a case number and I feel like finally something is happening. Now it is back for the loooooooong wait for NOA2......

I can only imagine how stressful this is for you. This is an emotional process even when things go smoothly - but when something like this happens it leaves everything unsettled. Maybe check with your husband to see if he feels it is safe in the area where he lives and then just go to see him. It will make you feel better. The situation will still be there - but at least you will have some time together. I personally do not know anyone in Egpyt so I could not say if it is safe or not - but your husband will know. Good luck and remember this is just a temporary setback - things will get better.

It took us 29 days to get married in Morocco. The first thing your husband needs to do is go to the court there and get a list of required documents. It varies depending on where you get married. The Judge in the village where we married had never done a mixed marriage before and it turned into a bit of a difficult process. I have heard it is faster and easier in the cities.
Your husband will have a list of documents he needs to get.
You will have a list of documents you will need to bring from US:
Police record check
employment letter (probably good idea to bring copies of pay stubs too)
birth certificate
if divorced - copy of divorce certificate
passport sized photos
(there may be others I am forgetting and there may be others required by the court depending on where you get married)
once you get in Morocco you will need to:
Go to the US embassy in Casablanca to get a Certificate of Nationality and Eligibility to Marry
and a notarized copy of passport. These cost $50 each for a total of $100. You can make the appointment online. Best to do this as soon as you arrive in Morocco
You go to Rabat to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get a stamp on this document.
Also in Rabat you go to the Ministry of Justice for a police record check on you. I went early and gave them copies of my birth certificate and passport and then came back late that afternoon and picked it up.
Take all documents that are in English to a translator to have them translated to Arabic. Make sure the translator is accepted by the courts.
You will both need to get medicals done in Morocco. I think this experience varies from place to place too. But ours was basically paying the fee and the doctor listened to our hearts and asked if we had any illnesses and then signed our documents. I have heard some require bloodwork. I have heard some require pregnancy test. But that was our experience.
Once you get all of your documents you file it at the court and the fun begins.
We were interviewed by one Judge and then our papers were sent to the police station for an investigation.
After that investigation we were sent to a second Judge who decided to make our life as difficult as possible.
It was extremely frustrating to say the least but finally he signed our permission to marry and we took it to the adoul who drew up our marriage contract and we signed it.
I am probably leaving out something important but I can't remember it all right now - probably best sometimes to just forget about all the stress and drama (LOL). It was very stressful. And if you don't live near Casablanca or Rabat you will have to do some traveling. I felt like for a while I lived in taxis and busses. We didn't organize our time and spent extra time running back and forth for things we could have done in one trip if we were better organized.
Oh and after you are married you need to have your marriage contract translated into English. You will need it for the petition.
If you have any other questions about this process let me know. We were just married on April 17 of this year.

Thanks Happytobe! You have been with me every step of the way. I remember all the guidance you gave me on getting married in Morocco. Someday soon your husband will be here in the US with you and I'll be asking you questions about getting ready for the interview! I have a feeling it won't be too long until your husband is here with you - and I will be celebrating that day right along with you!
I guess I am so paranoid about making a mistake somewhere in this packet. The process is difficult enough and if I forget something or make some mistake it makes it even worse. But after proofreading it for the millionth time I am going to say it is done. I just have to get my husband's signed G325A and it is going out via Federal Express to the Arizona Service Center. I know that we will still have a long way to go - but the day I send that petition out I am going to feel like throwing a little party for myself!

To the OP I am so sorry that this happened to you. You had the misfortune to marry an abusive man and no one deserves that. I am happy that you are getting out of the situation.
The reason you are getting negative responses is that you came here and basically insulted everyone's husband/fiance by making a lot of statements that are just negative stereotypes. You are full of anger and that is understandable. But I hope you can someday realize that what happened to you was not because your husband was from a certain country but because he was abusive.
Yes we all know the generalizations/stereotypes: Men from MENA are just out for a green card; men from MENA have another wife back home they are waiting to bring here after they leave their American wife; Men from MENA expect their wives to convert to Islam, men from MENA are abusive to the wives, etc. And sometimes this turns out to be true unfortunately. But it is not the norm. If a man is a liar and a abuser then that is because of HIM - not where he is from.
Abusers come in all shapes and sizes and races and religions and from all parts of the world. Good men who make great husbands and fathers come in all shapes and sizes and races and religions and from all parts of the world. We just have to learn how to tell the difference. And if it turns out that we make a mistake then we learn from that mistake and move on and try not to make the same mistake again.

To the OP I am so sorry that this happened to you. You had the misfortune to marry an abusive man and no one deserves that. I am happy that you are getting out of the situation.
The reason you are getting negative responses is that you came here and basically insulted everyone's husband/fiance by making a lot of statements that are just negative stereotypes. You are full of anger and that is understandable. But I hope you can someday realize that what happened to you was not because your husband was from a certain country but because he was abusive.
Yes we all know the generalizations/stereotypes: Men from MENA are just out for a green card; men from MENA have another wife back home they are waiting to bring here after they leave their American wife; Men from MENA expect their wives to convert to Islam, men from MENA are abusive to the wives, etc. And sometimes this turns out to be true unfortunately. But it is not the norm. If a man is a liar and a abuser then that is because of HIM - not where he is from.
Abusers come in all shapes and sizes and races and religions and from all parts of the world. Good men who make great husbands and fathers come in all shapes and sizes and races and religions and from all parts of the world. We just have to learn how to tell the difference. And if it turns out that we make a mistake then we learn from that mistake and move on and try not to make the same mistake again.

Oh yes the phase II of why isn't he here yet and why do you have to always be the one to visit him and why can't he visit here and why should it take so long for him to get here and he could get here sooner if he really wanted to.......blah blah blah
Yes it never ends. Now again, some questions are asked out of genuine concern or interest and I am HAPPY to answer those. But the ones where they are implying somthing bad - those really annoy me.
But as for your visit - there is nothing quite like that very first time you see each other in the airport. Your days of getting to know each other in person instead of online and on the phone are very special times. It strengthens your relationship and you really get to know each other and you also get to learn about his country and his culture and his family. It is a special time. Don't let others ruin it for you.

Oh yes the phase II of why isn't he here yet and why do you have to always be the one to visit him and why can't he visit here and why should it take so long for him to get here and he could get here sooner if he really wanted to.......blah blah blah
Yes it never ends. Now again, some questions are asked out of genuine concern or interest and I am HAPPY to answer those. But the ones where they are implying somthing bad - those really annoy me.
But as for your visit - there is nothing quite like that very first time you see each other in the airport. Your days of getting to know each other in person instead of online and on the phone are very special times. It strengthens your relationship and you really get to know each other and you also get to learn about his country and his culture and his family. It is a special time. Don't let others ruin it for you.

I try not to worry too much about it - but it IS Casa so we never know for sure. But I try not to spend too much time worrying. We just made our backup plans in case anything goes wrong so we will be together one way or the other.

Hi everyone,
I guess there is no real point to this post. I have been back in the US for 11 days. Starting back to work. Getting ready to move into a new place. Filing the visa petition. Back to "normal" whatever that is. And I am very grateful that I had that three months to spend with my husband. I have a wonderful husband. We have our future ahead of us. I have a job. I have much to be thankful for. Believe me I know all that. But.....I miss my husband. I miss his family. I miss Morocco. So tonight I just thought I would start this thread as I remember the little things about Morocco and about my husband that I miss so much. I'm taking this few minutes and writing this with a smile and through tears. And then I will straighten up and get back to working on getting my husband home with me where he belongs.
I miss my husband's smile
I miss how he makes me feel like the most important person in the world (he does that even when we are separated too)
I miss how he would surprise me with a bottle of Hawai
I miss how he would cook all my favorite foods for me
I miss how he took care of me when I was sick
I miss his laughter
I miss having our meals together
I miss how he would come in from working just to give me a hug
I miss seeing the mischevious twinkle in his eyes
I miss being able to look him in the eye when we say I love you
I miss being able to say good night to him and know he will be there in the morning
I miss just being able to sit and have long conversations - silly conversations or serious ones - or just sitting quietly next to each other
There are a million more things but I just.......miss him
I miss his parents
I miss his brothers and sisters
I miss the chickens and cows and sheep and ducks and cats and dogs
I miss hearing the call to prayer
I miss walking around the farm
I miss watching TV in Arabic
I miss the closeness of his family and how I was accepted
I miss wandering around the markets with him
I miss watching the closeness he shares with his parents and siblings
I miss the crazy drivers and being crammed in the taxis like sardines (ok I don't miss that part but it does make me smile to remember it)
I miss the smell of bread baking
I miss the taste of the food
I miss the hot mint tea
I miss the fresh air
I miss Morocco and I miss my family
Ok now my keyboard is wet with tears. But I needed to write this. Now back to working on that darn petition. I want my husband home.
Let's all keep hope alive that we will all soon be reunited with our loved ones. Those of you who are close to interview time I am praying that you all have success. And those of us who have a long way to go - I pray for patience and strength to get through this time. There will come a day inshaa Allah that we will all be together with our loved ones on the same continent and not have to be separated again!
Ok didn't mean to write a book. Just feeling a bit emotional tonight. Thanks for listening. If anyone wants to add anything please feel free

Thanks HappyToBe. It has been an amazing time for me and I hate to see it end but I try
to look at it as a beginning and not an ending. The beginning of the time when we are finally
together for good. But even knowing that......leaving feels awful.
Ahh yes Hawai....the new addiction of mine. That stuff tastes so good!
I just looked back at my post and saw that I left the medical exam out. That was super
easy as the doctor simply listened to my heart and asked my husband if i had any diseases.
I also just thought of something else. We had such a hard time getting the Adoul to understand why my
birth certificate and passport had different last names. Even showing my marriage and divorce
certificate he did not understand and kept using my maiden name in the marriage contract. Took a
very long time to get him to understand.

Your post is so sweet and inspires much in hope in those of us still going through this journey to be together. I really liked what you said about the best years haven't happened yet. My own journey is still in the early stages. You made me smile today and I wish you and your husband many many more years of love and happiness.

Your post is so sweet and inspires much in hope in those of us still going through this journey to be together. I really liked what you said about the best years haven't happened yet. My own journey is still in the early stages. You made me smile today and I wish you and your husband many many more years of love and happiness.

Your post is so sweet and inspires much in hope in those of us still going through this journey to be together. I really liked what you said about the best years haven't happened yet. My own journey is still in the early stages. You made me smile today and I wish you and your husband many many more years of love and happiness.

Don't let the ridiculous remarks get to you my friend. Think of all the happy days ahead! Morocco here we come!

Don't let the ridiculous remarks get to you my friend. Think of all the happy days ahead! Morocco here we come!

Thanks for all the suggestions. My fiance told me not to worry about it and we will buy whatever clothes I need there. So I think I will just pack a few things I can wear if it is warm along with some sweaters for the colder nights. Three more weeks and I should be there YAY!!!

Oh and I forgot to add - I'm a card carrying member of the sunshine, lollipops and unicorns club

I think that is a good idea. I know it would have helped me and even though I have been around a while I guess you can say I'm a "newbie" too since we still have the whole process to get through. Me personally, when I first came on this board I simply read. I read this board and many of the older posts. And when I finally posted I sort of knew what I was getting into LOL. I know at first some of the responses I got made me stop and say "whoa what did i ever do to her?" but now I don't take it personally. Because I know that the toughest critic we have - and the one who matters - is the CO who decides our fate at the interview. And from what I understand even the harshest ladies on this site are like fuzzy warm kittens compared to the COs. So I post looking for honest answers and all I'm thinking about is how to get approved. And I figure everything I learn can only help. Plus I am used to working in large groups of women and there are ALWAYS so many different typed of personalities and some clash - A LOT. So I'm not surprised to see the same thing here. What matters to me is getting good information. And I'm sure that matters to most newbies that come here. So yes I think that is a good idea.

Oh and I forgot to add - I'm a card carrying member of the sunshine, lollipops and unicorns club

I think that is a good idea. I know it would have helped me and even though I have been around a while I guess you can say I'm a "newbie" too since we still have the whole process to get through. Me personally, when I first came on this board I simply read. I read this board and many of the older posts. And when I finally posted I sort of knew what I was getting into LOL. I know at first some of the responses I got made me stop and say "whoa what did i ever do to her?" but now I don't take it personally. Because I know that the toughest critic we have - and the one who matters - is the CO who decides our fate at the interview. And from what I understand even the harshest ladies on this site are like fuzzy warm kittens compared to the COs. So I post looking for honest answers and all I'm thinking about is how to get approved. And I figure everything I learn can only help. Plus I am used to working in large groups of women and there are ALWAYS so many different typed of personalities and some clash - A LOT. So I'm not surprised to see the same thing here. What matters to me is getting good information. And I'm sure that matters to most newbies that come here. So yes I think that is a good idea.

I think - maybe - that it is not that some people can't handle disagreements. This is just my opinion of course. But there are some things in life that maybe we are feeling particularly sensitive/emotional about. And what is more emotional than love/relationships/marriage? Those of us going through Visa journey deal not only with the regular ups and downs of relationships but also the difficulty of long distance and the long separations and the unknown of our future. Let's face it - our future is in the hands of some CO that does not even know us. So we have to plan everything and make sure our paperwork is in order and we have to reach out to each other for advice and information. And sometimes the advice and information we get is not what we want to hear. We all need to hear the truth and we all need to be prepared for all eventualities. But we are not just dealing in facts here - we are dealing with real people and real emotions and sometimes we get hurt by what others say. So I don't think it is just that some people can't handle disagreements. I can speak only for myself of course. I can handle disagreements. They are a part of life. But I can also get my feelings hurt. We are all human. We all have feelings. Yes we have to be practical during our visa journey. But it is hard to separate emotions from this. So I hope we all will give honest answers to questions because none of us need to have it sugar-coated - we need to know what to expect. But we can do it with some kindness remembering this is an emotional time for us all no matter what stage of the process we are in. Again this is just my opinion for what it's worth.

Hi everyone. While I am doing a mental countdown for my trip back to Morocco I was thinking about what I miss about Morocco. Of course the obvious one is I miss my fiance A LOT. But I thought it might be fun to see what everyone misses about Morocco.
I miss the warmth of the family
I miss the bread and hot mint tea
I miss the peace and serenity I felt on the farm
I miss everyone eating together as a family
I miss wandering through the markets
There is so much I miss about it but those are the ones that come to mind. I just thought it would be fun to see what others miss about being there.