♥Sora_9_Dam3a♥

Hello!! Happy friday!!! It's been a long time! I just stopped by to get some info on removing conditions...I hope everything is going well with everyone!! ;-)

Good Morning MENA!!!

It's Sunday!! I hope everyone enjoys their day!!

(wow, i think the last time i started a daily thread was the day my hubby arrived in the NY...)

I miss you guys like crazy. It has been forever!! I've been crazy busy!!! Alhamdulillah, I graduated at the end of August and now I'm a first grade teacher. it's as exciting as it is tiring my husband and i are finally gonna have our "real, real" wedding in november, insha Allah. we got married in egypt, my family wasn't there for it--so, i get to wear the wedding dress and all now!! yay...kinda excited, i must say! haha. anyhow, i hope everyone's journey is going well. any new visas lately?? i hope so!! inshaa Allah. alrighty darlings, have a very nice day!! and an amazingly smooth and fast visa journey!! muahhh....

...i just saw this now....i don't even know what to say..

may she rest in peace...

I worry about this for my husband too. His english is great, but he is a medical school graduate so he is too educated for a lot of jobs. I have been working on ideas for him, but we can't know what will happen until he gets here. The refugee place is supposed to help him, but I heard the jobs they find refugees are basically like factory work for almost no pay Iraq has been a weird exception to most refugee countries because many Iraqis are well educated and we aren't set up to deal with that. I have been considering having my husband apply at Walmart or Walgreens. Has anyone tried that for their husbands?

why didn't he try doing something with his medical education?!?!?!! i'm sure it'll be a little rough, but well worth it in the end! try researching about evaluating his degree and stuff...i'm sure you'll find a way around it...the longer wait, the more difficult it will get, i think...

good luck!

My husband isn't here yet so there isn't much he can do. He has been working for free in a hospital in Jordan because Iraqis are not legally allowed to work for pay. Unfortunately due to the problems in Iraq and moving around as a refugee he hasn't been able to do his official residency time. I checked into all the medical licensing and there are three tests he has to take before he can be licensed to start his residency. Also, they will accept his college in Iraq without an evaluation because his college is recognized by the medical association. The first two tests are about $700 to $800 a piece and he will not let me pay for them. They are eight hours long so he will really have to study before he takes them. They third test is done in only a few US cities and is an evaluation of his handling of actual patients. There is another fee for that, but I forget how much. On top of this Residency programs only start in June each year. Most Hospitals already start looking at prospective residents in August and finalize their decision by January. There is no way my husband will get the tests done in time to submit to any applications to resident programs before the deadline. This means he will have to wait until June of 2010 to begin anything. It does give him more time to prepare for the tests which is good. I checked around for some lower medical jobs but they all require certification. I checked the certification requirements and they all say a person must complete a certain course of study at a school. When I compared the classes under these jobs to my husbands college transcript I found mostly they are nothing alike.

Basically he will just have to work whatever job he can find until he can start his residency. I am hoping he could at least get some position in a hospital or volunteer there so he will not lose his skills in the meantime.

..oh wow...that's complicated...and annoying....so, it'll take time, but insha Allah, it'll work out in the end. as for the certification, maybe he can take a course when he gets here. those little certificates really help because it gives them something from america...usually jobs that require those certificates don't look at educational background, so they won't give him a problem with the foreign degree and all. they're just looking to see if he passed the required course.

i wish you two all the best and i pray that your united soooooooooon...

I worry about this for my husband too. His english is great, but he is a medical school graduate so he is too educated for a lot of jobs. I have been working on ideas for him, but we can't know what will happen until he gets here. The refugee place is supposed to help him, but I heard the jobs they find refugees are basically like factory work for almost no pay Iraq has been a weird exception to most refugee countries because many Iraqis are well educated and we aren't set up to deal with that. I have been considering having my husband apply at Walmart or Walgreens. Has anyone tried that for their husbands?

why didn't he try doing something with his medical education?!?!?!! i'm sure it'll be a little rough, but well worth it in the end! try researching about evaluating his degree and stuff...i'm sure you'll find a way around it...the longer wait, the more difficult it will get, i think...

good luck!

During the 4yrs I have known Wael, and the many trips I went to see him in Egypt, we spoke alot about jobs here in the states. He knew pretty much what to expect with applications and interviews. This helped him and there were no surprises.

Wael was very fortunate to find a job two weeks after he arrived here. He works for a government contractor and had his benefits beginning the first week of work. During the first two weeks he applied online for many positions and he had a 80% reponse rate from these applications! He is also very fortunate to speak, read and write english which was a real plus. He also has his Bachelors in Accounting.

His plan is to pursue his MBA next year! I'm very proud of him what he has accomplished in his 7 months here in the states!

we're in the same boat. my hubby and i were job-searching before he got here...so he knew what to expect. the most important thing is PATIENCE. there were some days that my hubby would just get all stressed and upset and would not speak a word all day. alhamdulillah, it didn't happen often...but it happened.

his first job did not have benefits, but it had a pretty good salary and he wasn't flipping burgers.. he was a site manager in egypt, so jobs of that sort were out of the question for him....

the job he was doing required a specific certificate in asbestos sampling (or something like that)--he took a 5 day course and an exam and then applied to consulting companies that deal with that stuff...the job was not very stable, they would call him whenever they needed him, and it depended a great deal on his relationship with his boss...if he liked him, he'd call him more often--BUT, it was a job and it made him feel a lot better about himself!!

anyway, so my point is.....look around for things like that. the course he took cost about $800--then, he had to pay about $200 to be licensed, but the money he made from the job was wayyy more--and a certificate like that looks good on a resume

the only thing with that is language--my hubby speaks and reads and writes english..he learned it in high school and college....his listening was a problem, because it was difficult for him to get used to new yorker english...but he was able to get by in the course by studying... so, try searching for courses like that in your area...maybe on state websites, like the Department of Environmental Protection in NY and stuff like that....certification courses, etc...

also, monster.com is great....its slowww...but it works. you have to be persistent with it...just keep applying to jobs everyday..have someone put a nice resume together for him...i'm not so good with that, i had a friend do it for me. we would apply to a bunch of jobs every day and he would get a call once and 20 times not....but, after a few months, he got his first "real" job with benefits and all, working in his field with his degree..thank God!!!

anyway, i think i wrote a little tooo much i hope the info is helpful..otherwise, i apologize for wasting so much of your time.

take care! i wish you all the best

Hey MENA!!!!!!

It has been a looooooooooooong time! I missed you guys!! I hope all is going well with everything. My hubby and I were laughing about our crazy visa journey the other day and since then, I've been wanting to drop by and say hello. Alhamdulillah, things are going well with us. I'll be done with school at the end of August (inshaaaa allah) and I'm currently job-searching...work has been good with him, alhamdulillah. Applying for a zillion jobs on monster.com definitely paid off. Thank God!!!

Well, I wish you all the best...

take care...

oh! are there any slumber parties coming up?? how have the visas been coming along? super fast, i hope!

i am so sorry...stay strong, sweetie, for his sake....

oh! i forgot to add...

i haven't been on here in a while, and masha Allah...all those babies are growing so fast and are sooo beautiful masha Allah!!!!! i pray that everyone who is still waiting on their babies have a very safe and easy delivery...take care sugar plums...muahhh..

hey darlings!! i miss you all very much!! i haven't been around much--been really busy with school....still on a job search for the hubby...all that good stuff..

i hope all is going well for everyone!!!! i'll try to come on here more often. i didn't get a chance to really look through the forum....one of these days, insha Allah..but i hope the visa process isn't making us too crazy!! how are those visas coming along?..hope the journey's getting shorter..

..Sereia, i pray you have a safe and enjoyable trip! take care everyone!! muahhh...

thank you all so much for the birthday wishes!!!!! i really appreciate it!!! you really made my day!!!!!

i've been busy busy busy with school...just finished yesterday--starting again on monday...

anyway--thank you alll sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!! happy birthday Meriem!! i hope you enjoyed your day!!!

take care everyone!!!

all my love

thank you!!

hello, hello!! i miss you guys!!

wow, it's been a while since i've logged on here! i hope everyone is well!! Melinda, congratulations!! i pray you have an amazing reunion!

i look forward to reading more and more good news, insha Allah soon!!

i just came by to say hello and wish everyone the best on finals...ugh!! it's that time of the semester...

well...take care!!

...oh, and i couldn't help but notice, all the little babies have grown so much, masha Allah!! God bless!!! ...so precious!!

thank you so much for replying!!!!!!! i really appreciate your willingness to help!! i actuallly decided to take a different route...our professor gave us a different option...an option that sounded SO much better than a 20 page research paper at this point in the semester...lol

Snowtater--thanks! lol...congratulations!! i'm almost done too!!! just one more semester after this one and i'm outta there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ryanriza--thanks so much!! i really appreciate your help!

i wish you both luck with your visa journeys!! take care!!

Hey VJ!!

I hope all is well and everyone's visa journey is going smoothly...

I'm writing a research paper on immigration, visa processing times and the likes, however, I'm writing it in relation to cultural geography...

It's a little strange...and I'm not 100% sure how I'm approaching it yet, but I have spoken to my professor, who suggested I focus on the difference in processing times. I can look at the differences between countries and try analyzing why a visa from the Middle East/North Africa takes longer than one from Europe--if that's the case, etc.,etc. ...

If anyone is willing to be interviewed via chat or email....I'd greatly appreciate your help...I don't have any questions set up yet, but I'll be back around soon. I might try posting some questions, if that's easier.

I was kinda hoping someone here could help direct me a little... Perhaps you know of some good information, sources, sites, statistics, etc....

Any help would be so so greatly appreciated!!!

Take care--I wish you all the best on your journeys!!!

i can't tell you how many times that happened to me!! and it IS SOOOOOOO frustrating!! but never give up...lol....whenever that happened, i just kept callling back--and eventually you get through...

just be patient, and keep redialing...eventually you'll get the operator....if you're too impatient...try calling early in the morning, or right before midnight on fridays...you'll get the operator in less than a minute..

good luck!!!

heyyy....i'm so happy to see so much good news, thank GOD!! i pray that all is going well with everyone!!! ....my semester ends on the 15th of may--yikes!!! so much to do!!

oh, i'm writing a 20 page research paper on immigration--visa timelines--and cultural geography........would anyone be able to direct me to some good info/resources...etc... i know some ppl have done research in the past...i just remember who...and if they were in MENA..

wish me luck

take care, darlings

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's gonna be a REAL MENA man--"always on time!" lol

may God keep you for each other, always.

all the best

heyy...

i just thought of some strange phrases--they're not really slang....but they're phrases that are usually used in arabic--and i think they're used throughout all the different arab countries....

"dammak khafeef"--literally means "your blood is light"--it means that someone has a sense of humor, is funny, or is just nice to be with...it could also mean cute, you can say that something (anything) has "light blood"...lol

you can also say "dammak ta'eel"--literally means "your blood is heavy"--this means that someone is just really annoying, not so pleasant to be around...you could also use it to say that something is ugly...

...there are a lot like this...arabs like to give body parts colors...lol...then a meaning....haha...so for instance, you can say "kirsho akhdar"---which literally means "his belly is green"--and i think that means he's a ladies man...haha...but i think they use that to refer to older men only..lol....

if think of anymore, i'll post em....

Don't know any arabic slang, but got a ton of american stuff, my husband always asks me to teach him the lastest slang, which we both learn from the oldest daughter. I am finally getting so old, that I don't know the coolest stuff now. How sad.

that reminds of that scene from Shrek The Third--when he's trying to relate to Artie...lol...don't know if you watched it--but it's hilarious..

Mine told me Happy Weding Birthday i said noooooooo look at the word birth day thinking he meant to say anniversary oh well i knew ha

or the time i told him sit down and keep your pants on...one i will never forget, he goes whattttttttttttttttt????????

A bit OT from the OP but your happy wedding birthday reminds me of my husband. When he had to send me his original birthcertificaet for his ds230 package, he tried to tell me he sent me his happy birthday for immigration...I was like WHAT? lol:)

Beantown is full of slang. Just ride the train on a Friday night nad you'll pick up on loads. I sat next to this girl one time and she was gabbing on her cell phone about how sick everything was. When I was growing up...God I feel old...everything sick was bad. As I listened to her conversation, I realized that in the year 2008, sick is good.....lol

i'm trying to think of what my husband has asked me about....but nothing's coming to mind right now--i'll pay more attention to that...

congrats!!!!!!

lol...same thing happened to us....we did not expect to receive the visa so soon after the interview--he was interviewed in early january and i didn't expect to see him until october!! thank God!!! he got his visa less than 2 weeks later--but he wasn't ready to travel at alllll....so he spent another 3 months in egypt until he saved up some more money and everything...

anyway...i pray you have a safe trip and an amazing reunion!!

congrats again!!

hey darlings...hope all has been well with everyone!! any new visas? arrivals? everyone's still in my prayers!

i was on the computer today and i just opened yahoo messenger to see if i had any offline message from friends and it just brought back memories--it might sound crazy...but i kinda miss chatting with him online...lol....sometimes, i just feel like telling him to go into the next room and we'll finish our conversation on yahoo....lmao ....am i the only one who feels taht way? of course i love every second with him, but we spent 2 years chatting and communicating online--so it's a huge change and it takes a lot of getting used to....and we're now settling into our "non-long distance relationship"--there's a lot to get used to, but i'm loving every second, no doubt

he's been here for 3 weeks....wOw....sobhanallah....i can't believe it!! these days are just flying by...when i tell him that i can't believe it--he laughs cuz he's feels like he's dragging through every second without a job ...insha Allah soooon....

well, ladies, i hope everyone's doing well--i noticed there's another slumber party--i'll try to make it, but i have class til 8ish on monday...yuck! maybe i'll pop in for a little bit around 10 or 11 if anyone's still around...

take care, darlings..

Kelly--i was expecting to be congratulating you by now he will come when he's good and ready--i pray you have a very easy delivery

congratulations!!!

i wish you all the best!!!

hello hello hello, my lovelies!!! how have you all been!! i'm so exciting for everyone who's waiting for their SO's!! i pray they come to you safely!! my hubby is liking new york--he just needs a job he's stressed--but it's all good...we haven't had a chance to go out much--we just do some shopping together and stuff..nothing special....

i'm drowning in papers and lab assignments!!!!! lol...he's also studying his english and will soon begin studying for the engineering license exam.... studying sucks!!!!!!!

well--i hope everyone is doing well!! i miss you all very much!!

Kelly---I pray you have an easy, quick delivery!! my sister was a week late and they set a day to induce her--then when she went in and they hooked her up to all the machines, and they realized she was having contractions--but she didn't feel them...lol...

okay ladies, i hope to speak to you all soon!! take care...

...i'm still praying for more visas!!!!

all the best...

Goodmorning MENA:

Well Medo and I have been so busy. Cleaning the yard and getting kennels ready. Putting up a new fence. Then to work. Medo did his first tattoo on fake skin and it turned out so good. He will end up being a great tattoo artist. Everyone keeps asking him...."so how do you like america" He says I have only been here a week and the only place I have gone is to Menards and Walmart and the tattoo shop We just have been to busy working to do any thing.

The 2nd day he was here we got him a cell phone. And his friends still cant figuar out the time diffrence But so far all is going so well and it is so nice to have hubby home

Have a wonderfull day MENA

same here! lol...the only places my hubby's seen are the park, duane reade and a few other stores...and the social security office...lol...oh! by the way--he got his social security number! lol...thank God that's done with! he also learned how to get to the mosque alone by bus and he knows how to get to my college with the subway..i was so proud of him

happy saturday!! Good morning everyone! How has everyone been?? I miss you guys! I hope all is well! I have been extremely busy lately with school and more and more job-searching...we need some prayers over here..my hubby's gonna go crazy without work...but alhamdullah, he's happy here, everything's good--work is the only issue.. Today is the first day of spring break for me!! BUT--i'll be spending it writing papers and studying everything that i've put off for the past 2 weeks!! I CANNOT believe that my husband has been here for 2 weeks already!!!! The time just flies byyyy!!!

Congratulations to Cheryl, I just saw your visa in hand in the Egypt AP List

I pray that this forum is busting with visas in hand in the near future!!!

ok, my lovies--take care! Enjoy the rest of your saturday--go out, do something fun....I think i'll take my hubby and go study in the park--the weather is absolutely gorgeous!!

take care..

oh! and Sara, those pictures are so precious, masha Allah! I could eat her up!!