~PalmTreeGurl~

thats the hardest thing for me.. cooking the food! i follow everything as the directions say but i feel its just short of tasting Arab everything tastes Amarabican

Exactly - oranges to oranges, apples to apples and nuts to nuts

Lots of oxymorons in Islam from what I have witnessed! Of course, hubby would disagree.

I suppose there is a slight bright side to look at which is better to find this out now, then to be in the process of petitioning him to come over ...

It's one thing to avoid everyone that's calling you and another thing to avoid one caller in particular. It stinks, is disrespectful and hurtful when considering their phone is charged/working and the internet is up that someone else is successful in contacting your SO so quickly and you are not after so many tries.

How is this great news? and what??

but she being new and most the rest of us being involved with MENA for 5-20 years... it comes off like shes got a monopoly on the culture....

So the OP wasn't being condescending with her - "for the sake of the non-Muslims reading this....?"

Rofl Muslimy Muslimness!
I'm also loling about - " for the sake of the non-Muslims reading this - we do things differently...". And then only vaguely knows the rules about dating but has to be schooled by non-Muslims about mahr and divorce, etc. Oh noobs...they're precious aren't they?

Everytime someone tries to say what a culture "norm" is for Egypt and I look back on our situation.... I guess we broke all the rules! We held hands in public, we kissed on our wedding day in front of family, i wore skirts, shorts to the knees, coulottes, tshirts, wore sleeveless shirt to swim in over my bathing suit with short shorts, looked at male relatives and friends in their eyes without being thought of in a wrong way, slept in the same house as my husband before we were married (just slept in the room with his sister & mom) while he slept on the living room mattress, introduced to his family fairly quickly via webcam & phone, was known as a christian from the get go, was myself and didnt act like i was someone else trying to step on eggshells around him & his family. Oh well.... screw whatever the norm is. I love my life...

Everytime someone tries to say what a culture "norm" is for Egypt and I look back on our situation.... I guess we broke all the rules! We held hands in public, we kissed on our wedding day in front of family, i wore skirts, shorts to the knees, coulottes, tshirts, wore sleeveless shirt to swim in over my bathing suit with short shorts, looked at male relatives and friends in their eyes without being thought of in a wrong way, slept in the same house as my husband before we were married (just slept in the room with his sister & mom) while he slept on the living room mattress, introduced to his family fairly quickly via webcam & phone, was known as a christian from the get go, was myself and didnt act like i was someone else trying to step on eggshells around him & his family. Oh well.... screw whatever the norm is. I love my life...

Everytime someone tries to say what a culture "norm" is for Egypt and I look back on our situation.... I guess we broke all the rules! We held hands in public, we kissed on our wedding day in front of family, i wore skirts, shorts to the knees, coulottes, tshirts, wore sleeveless shirt to swim in over my bathing suit with short shorts, looked at male relatives and friends in their eyes without being thought of in a wrong way, slept in the same house as my husband before we were married (just slept in the room with his sister & mom) while he slept on the living room mattress, introduced to his family fairly quickly via webcam & phone, was known as a christian from the get go, was myself and didnt act like i was someone else trying to step on eggshells around him & his family. Oh well.... screw whatever the norm is. I love my life...

Send me his mobile number in a PM. I will have a male call him and report back to you immediately (I'm in Egypt).
Also, if you have phone numbers for his family, preferably a home phone number, send that, too. His mobile could be lost or stolen. Even IF the home internet was out, there are net cafes everywhere.
One step at a time ... I will get help for you.

LOL! If I tried it, I am sure it would be even more spectacular Oh so today I went to the gym with a friend and I thought you would appreciate that while on the treadmill I tripped. I totally tripped and nearly smacked my face into the display. I tried to pass it off as just wanting a closer look, but somehow I have a feeling that it wasn't very believable lol.

I arrived at the el Nozha airport in Alexandria at around 2am after having traveled for about 24 hrs (14 hr layover in Frankfurt yikes). It was the teensiest airport I'd ever been in. I didn't realize ppl had to wait outside to pick up passengers so while in line for customs I scanned the area and got nervous because I didn't see my soon to be husband. I finished with customs and was met by a man with one of those luggage carts asking if I wanted help with my bags. I was so out of it so I was very thankful that someone offered to help. I pointed out my luggage, the man collected it and pushed it to the exit for me. I gave him $5 USD and was on my way. Again I scanned the area and spotted a tall man waving. It was him! He came over to me, stuck out his hand and welcomed me to Egypt. I ignored his hand and hugged him lol. He then took my hand and led me to the car. Once inside the car I asked what was up with the attempted handshake. He told me he didn't want to seem too forward or make me feel uncomfortable. He also told me he was happy that I hugged him. . It was all pretty surreal. We drove to his family's home and I met his parents and sisters who were all up waiting for me. I thought it would've been way awkward staying with ppl I don't know but it was totally cool. It did, however, feel like I was in another world.

Made it thru Cairo's customs and to the baggage area to claim my luggage. I waited and waited and no baggage!!
Well I knew it left Los Angeles, and finally found it...it had been put with the tour groups!
After claiming the lost luggage, I turned around and saw this man...the tallest man out of the whole group of people
waiting and it was him!!! I began waving frantically and then I saw his face....it was so white with fear!!!
With my cart behind me, I was rolling like a wild woman to meet him. I remember my legs not moving and everything
in slow motion...finally go up to him and said hi and shook his hand!!! No hugging in Egypt!!! He tried to talk and
but he was so in need of some water! Finally he smiled and that was all it took...left Cairo for the trip to Alexandria
and he did non stop talking...the rest is history!

I remember getting off the plane, going through customs and seeing the tallest person I had every seen waiting in the crowd. I knew it was him and he quickly kissed me on the forehead and told me there was a taxi waiting for us outside. I thought where in the world am I? Then we talked some in the taxi and went to the apartment he had rented for a week and I need say no further. He will now be a naturalized citizen on July 6th and things are going well for us. I will always be thankful for my family and friends and especially to God for bringing us together.

? You falsely claimed to be a US Citizen with a made-up SSN?

Or better yet, they will decide to move and in their place will come awesome new neighbors who bake brownies and give you free garden produce.

Wohoo got Farid's oath ceremony rescheduled for Friday, July 6th. We will then be done officially with immigration. God is great.

Hi PalmTreeGurl, sorry haven't been on much my internet here on the RS isn't great at the moment. Congratulations to both of you and
I just know your husband will make it just fine no worries. I will still be praying to cover all basis much love and well wishes.

I had pancakes. I know that's terrible. I haven't had any in like 2 months, and I was finishing the bready stuff to get rid of it. I just can't have that stuff laying around. it's tempting. Today I've had melon, pancakes (no syrup, light butter, whole grain), and cottage cheese. Yesterday i had a vegetable stir fry and beets.
I like the way I keep hitting enter, like this is Fb and it should post.

Yay! Just got the letter in the mail for hubbys interview date. July 19th it is! That is my baby brothers birthday & my oldest sisters birthday! Im excited for dear hubby! I know there are several of us from this MENA forum who's hubbies are going through this part of the process & I wish all of them the best!
He's gotta bring originals of everything sent off, along with the letter, his GC & his PPort. Im going to take off work & go with him! I know he's been studying but now he's gotta nail down all 100 questions for sure! I'll keep you all posted how it goes!

Yay! Just got the letter in the mail for hubbys interview date. July 19th it is! That is my baby brothers birthday & my oldest sisters birthday! Im excited for dear hubby! I know there are several of us from this MENA forum who's hubbies are going through this part of the process & I wish all of them the best!
He's gotta bring originals of everything sent off, along with the letter, his GC & his PPort. Im going to take off work & go with him! I know he's been studying but now he's gotta nail down all 100 questions for sure! I'll keep you all posted how it goes!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have removed a currently popular thread from public view. There was a great deal of sensitive personal information - some of it obtained from private and not public conversations - released that put the original poster at great risk from its publication. While much of the advice offered was good, there also appeared to be a tendency to forget that this is an individual with personal feelings and concerns, and her situation was discussed as if it were the 'hottest' soap opera on TV. While it may feel exciting or important to participate in such a popular topic, it can also hurt the original poster when her very real heartache and concerns are treated like the 'soup de jour'.
So, please be much more circumspect in the personal information you release about yourself,and remember that it is a violation of the Terms of Service for Visa Journey for anyone to release information about another member received through non-posted private conversations without the express permission of the other individual to do so.
While everyone's heart appeared to be in the right place, there was not much concern given for the safety of the original poster, especially if certain individuals read the thread and acted upon its information to prevent the OP from protecting herself.