StupidJourney

Makes me think they have a list of random excuses to give petitioners when they call and ask for information. In Casa, I would always get the "wrong extension, I'll connect you to the right person" trick, where it always seemed like the person who eventually answered my question was the first person I talked to to begin with!

This must be "Lame Excuse to give Petioner #547" - they have to vary it up or too many of us will be on to them!

A few weeks after I left, he and his brother split the costs on a computer, web cam, and internet service at their house! I'm sure the cyber owner wasn't too happy about losing his best customer, but that gave us the chance to chat for about 3-4 hours a day during the week, and about 6 hours a day on the weekend. So, that's pretty much all we both did while waiting!

I'm SOOO glad I read this article right when I got back from taking him to the airport!! (and since it's hard to detect of the internet, yes that was sarcasm!

When does/did he leave? Did this affect him at all?

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article...ated/article.do

Wow he's going back to Morocco already? Is he just visiting? I didn't realize you were 7 months pregnant! Wow time flies.

I agree with the others, he should be fine. I would be worried too as I think everyone would be after recent events, but he is just passing through so everything will be fine.

Yeah, he's just visting. he wanted to get over there again before things get crazy with the baby. (And he has a few business ideas he wants to work out that will be easier to do over there)... but tell me about time flying! These seven months have gone by so fast!! I can't believe we'll have a baby in just a couple of months!

Wow that's amazing. How is your pregnancy going? It seems like everyone is pregnant now!

Everything's going well except on my last doctor's visit I had a high blood sugar level! So I have to take a three hour test tomorrow (which includes fasting --- a pregnant woman fasting? ) and if that one is still high, then I"m going to have to go on a diet!! I've gained about a pound a week, which is normal, so I really hope I won't need to go on any diet!!

But I'm also anxious for it be over.. I just about pass out every time I walk outside now!

haha.. I forgot one day they were doing a sugar test.. and I drank a hot chocolate on the way to the doctors.. No surprise my sugar was through the Roof!!! lol... they made me do that fast too!!!.. after it was done.. I just marched crossed the street to the italian/ greek pastry shop and had a ball .. No wonder I gained so much weight.. such temptations across the street from my mid wifes office!!!!!!!!

thank god the office moved down the street.. next baby inshallah I wont gain SO much weight!!!!!!

Um, well if he even looks Middle Easterns, have any names smiliar he will be profiled. But wearing a jilleba and reciting the Quran and praying in plain site surely will make it worst. So seriously I would not worry. Everything will be ok.

haha.. during take off and landing I always take out my prayer beads.. and do dhikr.. No wonder I wasnt tackled out my seat and tazered!!!!!!

My indulgance afterwards was some cheese enchiladas!! And even though Hamid hates Mexican food, he couldn't say a thing!!!

Wow he's going back to Morocco already? Is he just visiting? I didn't realize you were 7 months pregnant! Wow time flies.

I agree with the others, he should be fine. I would be worried too as I think everyone would be after recent events, but he is just passing through so everything will be fine.

Yeah, he's just visting. he wanted to get over there again before things get crazy with the baby. (And he has a few business ideas he wants to work out that will be easier to do over there)... but tell me about time flying! These seven months have gone by so fast!! I can't believe we'll have a baby in just a couple of months!

Wow that's amazing. How is your pregnancy going? It seems like everyone is pregnant now!

Everything's going well except on my last doctor's visit I had a high blood sugar level! So I have to take a three hour test tomorrow (which includes fasting --- a pregnant woman fasting? ) and if that one is still high, then I"m going to have to go on a diet!! I've gained about a pound a week, which is normal, so I really hope I won't need to go on any diet!!

But I'm also anxious for it be over.. I just about pass out every time I walk outside now!

Wow he's going back to Morocco already? Is he just visiting? I didn't realize you were 7 months pregnant! Wow time flies.

I agree with the others, he should be fine. I would be worried too as I think everyone would be after recent events, but he is just passing through so everything will be fine.

Yeah, he's just visting. he wanted to get over there again before things get crazy with the baby. (And he has a few business ideas he wants to work out that will be easier to do over there)... but tell me about time flying! These seven months have gone by so fast!! I can't believe we'll have a baby in just a couple of months!

awww...I'm sure he'll be ok. I know how worried you must be though. Last night I was thinking how happy I am that I'm going through Milan instead of Heathrow this time!

Thanks guys! I guess I just needed some reassurance. I'm worried because this is only the second time he's flown, and once again it's going to be alone (I'm not getting anywhere near a plane being seven months pregnant!) Luckily he doesn't switch airports in London, although he's not too happy about having to switch airports in NYC on the way back! But hey, it was either that or spend an extra 500 bucks!

I know I'm being really paranoid, but would you be worried if your MENA SO was flying though England right now? I'm worried about profiling, especially because I remember that the British police shot and killed an unarmed, unconnected person after the bus bombs. He flying through London on route to Morocco next week!

Is there anything you think he can do to avoid profiling (other than not wearing his djellaba or reciting the Quran)?

Thanks,

Liz

Don't y'all Houston folks wanna see San Antonio? Remember the Alamo? Go spurs go? Stuff like that? I know there's at least two of us on here! (and the hubby and I have both had bad Houston experiences which included a I-10 shutdown, getting lost, and not to mention the parking lot that is called a highway system!)

Houston? San Antonio? Houston? San Antonio? ...well..yeah....Liz, you win this battle. Can we wait for the weather to get cool again? Summers I like leaving the country or staying in the house LOL

Well if you're in Houston when the summer starts, I can't imagine getting out of the house at all until it's over! (it's pretty humid here too with all the rain though!)

Don't y'all Houston folks wanna see San Antonio? Remember the Alamo? Go spurs go? Stuff like that? I know there's at least two of us on here! (and the hubby and I have both had bad Houston experiences which included a I-10 shutdown, getting lost, and not to mention the parking lot that is called a highway system!)

congrats! seems quick for egypt!

Congrats! The time will go by so fast! Before you know it, your little one will be here! It seems like only yesterday I found out I was pregnant, but that was actually in January!

i know! my fiance ALWAYS brings up that i should always have tons of almonds in the house and prepare calamari often for that reason! lol

YES! Almonds! You hear that too! Since I'm almost seven months pregnant, and we've been together a little longer, I don't hear him ask me for almonds as much though! hehe!!

Truffles aren't bizarre! They are the most amazing things on the planet!!!!!!! (IMO of course, I'm a HUGE truffle fan)

I watched the Bizarre Foods show on the Travel Channel when they did Morocco. I wouldn't have eaten half of the things that he tried (basically every organ meat imaginable), not so much because of the food itself, but the way it was kept and preseted.

I saw part of that show on Travel Channel and I'll agree that while most of the food looked gross, some of it didn't. Couscous? bizarre? Fresh fish just caught off the port in Essaouria? Give me a break! (the only thing gross about the fish was that the stupid guy ate the whole thing - head and all - and even the Moroccans were looking at him strange!)

I did try the sheep head thing - by force, and the family was laughing at me the whole time. But there's didn't just include the eyeballs, but also the teeth and hooves! This was years before Hamid and I were together, and I remember him pretending to try and bite me with the teeth! My reaction was the funniest thing they had seen!

It's strange, even though we were one of the few blessed with a quick, painless approval, lately more and more I've brought up the subject of us living in Morocco.

And the strange thing is, money is probably one of the reasons we would move THERE. We're over our heads in debt with a prior credit card bill I had before he came here, his medical bills, and school. I make well over the median income for someone in my area, but we're barely getting by, and money woes keep us both up at night.

Not to mention the fact that he misses his family terribly, and to be quite honest, I do love my family, but I could actually live with just seeing them once a year or so. He couldn't. I lived in Morocco close to year with maybe a monthly telephone call from home and none of this daily webcam video chats that he's able to do and I was fine with that. He hasn't been able to make friends, so if I'm stuck working, he's stuck at home, and even though he works a full time job and takes 20 hours worth of classes at night, he complains of being bored.

And to be honest, it actually sounds nice right now to live in Morocco and not worry about the working 60 hours a week while leaving an infant child with some stranger in daycare and worrying about being successful and having a good career and blah blah blah.

Yeah, I remember missing things like having my own car, being able to go out alone (I get harassed too much when alone in Morocco), not being so damn sweaty all the time (and I do live in Texas), speaking to people in English (my darija is horrible and my the phrases I know best are the ones I shouldn't repeat!), Mexican food, and CHEESE (NOT vache qui rit!) But maybe living there would afford us with the more important things - discussing a novel I actually had time to read while sipping fresh orange juice in a cafe with Hamid, having the time to cook fresh healthy meals instead of picking up sandwhiches, having an actual vacation in the summer, midday siestas, maybe actually writing that novel that I only have unfinished chapters of. Just enjoying life - instead of worrying about money constantly.

I'm still not sure where I stand on the issue. But the idea definitely appeals to me more an more.

Hello All,

I was wondering if anyone with experience of dealing with Casablanca consulate could shed some light on an issue that has us somewhat perplexed. I called the DOS number and was told that "Packet 3" was mailed to my fiance on June 18, 2007. From what other Casa folks have said, the interview date and time is included with Packet 3. DOS said we don't have an interview date yet, despite the package being already mailed. So, I emailed Casablanca yesterday, and this is an excerpt from the response I received today:

"We recently received your fiancé’s file at this office. We are in the process of scheduling his appointment. As soon as we have done so, we will mail him a packet of information including his appointment date."

I am kind of at a loss to explain that, as DOS is showing the package as already mailed! Perhaps it was a generic response or DOS has a mistaken mailing date in their system? I am wondering if the procedure has changed, and if they now schedule the interview date after mailing the packet 3. I would especially like to hear from those who have interviews scheduled for July. Did you guys receive your date/time with Packet 3?

Thanks,

iysha

Date and time is sent with packet 3. When Casa sends it, they will be able to tell you the interview date by email. (In our case, the packet was sent, but he didn't receive it until 3 weeks later - about a week before his interview).

I haven't heard of DOS giving info about when packet 3 was sent - maybe they're referring to all the paperwork being sent from NVC? Just an idea - maybe other people are more familiar with the info that DOS gives you.

Good luck.

I also find it sick and disturbing and I find it offensive. If there's something childish in having some sense of human decency then I think it's better to be a child!

We filed for AOS today and the interviewer asked if Ahmed was registered for some special group/status because he is from Morocco. Of course, we answered no, since neither of us had ever heard of such a thing. She said it may delay AOS approval because he will have to register towards the end of the process and we would be rcv'ing additional information on it via post. Has anyone else heard of this?

I've never heard of it, we didn't have any problems with AOS. She wasn't more specific about the special group/status?

Sounds like a wonderful time! Just out of curiosity, how long of a plane ride is it to Morocco?

Unfortunately from knoxville tn it is anywhere from 18 to 24 hours in all. A really long trip. PS Just got back here Thursday...hooray

same from san antonio. one time it took me 27!

I haven't experienced that situation but I have experience to know that the customer service people have NO idea what's going on. They're basically trained to read what's on the computer screen. They really don't have any more information than what we have access to. I know that I've given some them a few lessons about the immigraton process in the past!

One thing that makes me annoyed is not only that my BIL or MIL or whoever couldn't come here to live if they needed to, BUT what would stop them or anyone else from just getting a tourist visa, not going back, and doing what they need to do to get enough points for residency like what will happen for the 12 MILLION illegal immigrants in our country now? It's rewarding those who didn't play by the rules by penalizing those who did.

A lifetime ban (if caught) would probably stop them. (One of the proposed changes in the new bill.)

Guess I need to do a little bit more reading!

One thing that makes me annoyed is not only that my BIL or MIL or whoever couldn't come here to live if they needed to, BUT what would stop them or anyone else from just getting a tourist visa, not going back, and doing what they need to do to get enough points for residency like what will happen for the 12 MILLION illegal immigrants in our country now? It's rewarding those who didn't play by the rules by penalizing those who did.

My fiance has only been here a few days. He told me the other day to forget about making him feel "at home" he is at home and this is his country now. Oh and the smoking, I warned him, but he didn't believe me about not being able to smoke most places. Also, clothes - he thinks americans have old-fashioned style.

The clothes thing made me laugh - my husband hates American shoes. He actually had his mom bring shoes with her for our wedding!

congrats everyone on your new interview dates!

I travelled in July of last year and paid around $1300 on Orbitz. And this was with one of those horrible 9 hour layovers in London. (It took me 27 hours to get back home!) I did extesnive searching and it was the cheapest I could find - flying on British Airways.

When my MIL came this March, she flew on Air France, and I thought the price was reasonable. I think hers was around 1,000 or so.

Prices do fluctuate based on the season. And based on how long you stay.

I know you said you're in NY and could get a direct flight, but RAM is definitely one of the more expensive.

Good luck.

This year Ramadan will most likely be Sept. 13-Oct. 13.

last year i came home right before, this year going right after...

Does anyone have any idea how the consulate will inform us of our new interview date? My guess is snail mail.

you guys dont know what happened in Morocco ???????there were about 7 terorrist bombings in Morocco the last ones were in American language Center and in front of the consulate thats why its closed ,looks like Morocco is becoming like Iraq,and i think your fiances lies to you they dont wanna tell you why they closed they dont wanna tell you guys about the bombings,thats bull sh....