Tamara and Mehdi

Wouldnt the OP have to obtain a divorce for both marriages and start over if they plan on staying in AL because 1. even if the Florida marriage somehow overseen and wasnt recognized in Alabama the divorce probably will end up being recognized and in that case the AL marriage took place before the FL marriage had been final for 60 days, so the AL marriage would be void also...in AL anyway and 2. regardless the US Gov will see 2 marriages and since technically neither can be seen as valid in AL (according to AL law with divorce) he would need to get divorce decrees then wait 60 days then have a valid recognized marriage in AL since thats where they live.......or am I just confused and reading all this wrong????

done!!

I am only 4 years older than my fiance but sometimes I feel like I am 30 years younger than him!! I feel like many men from over seas and especially the middle east have to grow up and take on much more responsibility at a younger age than their american counterparts. So when they meet a women who is 20 years older they can easily relate to them because even though they are only 25 they have been treated like a grown man for 10-15 years already so mentally they're like 35-40...so that 40-45 year old they are dating or married to does not seem old to them. Then people say well the women is past child bearing years and these men will want children...and my response is my mom didnt have me till 30 and my sister till 34 and when she was 45 the doctors told her she was still plenty healthy enough to have another child (she didnt have anymore)....but you read all the time about the 55 or 65 year old lady that had a healthy baby...while not the norm (yet) people are having children older and if a 25 year old man and a 45 year old women want to have a child it can be done!!!!! So I say good job and congrats to all those who found the loves of their lives even if there is a 25 year age gap..for now its just one more thing that makes their relationships unique and special!!!!

the signed letter of intent to marry

Happy Hump Day

Congrats...Good luck on the interview!!!!!

YAY!! Have a safe flight and enjoy your time there!!!

congrats!!

Thanks Nancy!! I know you can never be too prepared and no matter what there will be some cultural shock. Hopefully all incidents will be humorous and not serious. A part of me cant wait for that moment where I can look at him and go "see I told you so...you dont know everything" hahaha...Mehdi is just like my father thinking he knows everything until something doesn't happen the way he was soooo sure it was going to happen and its made for some comical experiences lol

I bet you're super excited Nancy for your husbands arrival...tomorrow will be a great day!!!!!

My fiance and I plan on doing what Magpie did....I like the whole renewal of vows a year or two to the date that we will be married in a civil ceremony. All our family and friends know about this plan and also think its a great idea....they only asked that we have some kind of party after the civil ceremony to celebrate ( which we plan on doing)...i think whichever way you go all that matters is that it was special for you guys!!!

luckly the university I work for has a LARGE number of international students who are working on becoming fluent in English so they have English classes he can take...and since I work for the university he can take those classes for free which is an added bonus. He is going to get a drivers license as soon as he can but he can walk everywhere around here which is what most people do all the time anyway...so he will see lots of people walking around and he wont have to rely on me before he gets his license. As far as food he loves fish and chicken with rice and we have some really nice farmers markets where we can get fresh vegetables. We also have alot of fresh fish stores around here so he is very happy about that. I have taken and sent him alot of pictures of the town I live in so he has been able to see what it looks and like and landmarks that are right by my house...although you never really know what its like till you see it in person!!

There are educational opportunities here..we have two universities here but thats it we are surrounded by corn fields!!! I am very aware that Mehdi will get bored here really quickly..so him and I have already made the decision that once he polishes his English and gets work permission he is going to begin looking for jobs elsewhere...he is highly educated and my father who is retired military and now works for DOS is looking at employing him as a linguist in the future since Mehdi speaks 5 languages...and when he gets a well paying job and we have have children I will stay at home since my job as an athletic trainer doesnt exactly give me much free time to raise a family...so we will go to whatever big city he wants to be in...so the place I live now is not really a problem since Im not insistant on staying here

OMG I didnt even think about that!!! I am going to have to talk to him about that lol....and I wont be able to install one in this house so the water can will probably be a must!!!!

Thanks so much amysaid!!!!

Thanks so much!!!!

Ney I hope your son and his fiancee are together soon..I wish him luck on the interview!!!!

Zaytoona I will def be making lots of tea...if I have one memory that I will never forget is how when I met Mehdi he tried to force feed me about 30 glasses of tea...Ive never seen someone consume so much tea in one sitting in my life and fortunately my mom has shown me how to make it lol. I think hes going to be pretty bored here because I work at a University that is very small and is in a very small town. There are no Iranians here but Im hoping that we will be able to make trips to my parents home where there is a very large Islamic center and an actual city. Going from growing up in Tehran to a hillbilly town is going to be interesting to say the least. He even asked me if we could live in a penthouse apt because thats what his house was in Tehran....I had to explain that we dont have buildings over 3 stories high and there are only a few of those. The one good thing though is that we have ALOT of fresh food places and farmers markets so at least in his bordom he will be well fed!!!! I do hope one day to be able to visit Iran one day and see where he grew up but like your friend he HATES the political and religious going ons and because of that he cannot enter the country, but I hope for that to change so he can go home one day. I know he misses his family terribly and I couldnt imagine not being able to see or talk to my family on a regular basis...He is a much stronger person than I could ever be because I would have lost hope long ago!!

morocco4ever I know he will go through his own shock haha. He is muslim but not practicing...which dissapointed my dad ( whos not muslim) but found a prayer rug in Iraq and it was beautiful and he just looked like someone stole his candy when I told him Mehdi wasnt practicing lol... I am hoping that he gets in touch with his friends that have been re settled here and even though they are all over the country I think it will give him alittle piece of mind that they are adjusting just as he is.

I def have some Ideas so thanks again sooo much....I have PLENTY of time to prepare....hopefully I dont get too crazy and he gets here and looks at me like what is wrong with you crazy girl hahahaha (which i could see happening )!!

Thanks guys!!

The cooking is going to be challenging because I CANNOT cook to save my life...I try and it comes out awful EVERYTIME hahaha. He always worries when we are on the phone and I tell him Im hungry and Im gonna make something. (usually ends up being a sandwich lol)

Mehdi is a HUUUGGGEE fan of tea...He drinks tea non stop all day, and luckly I have a turkish tea pot from one of my trips to Turkey

And youre right Im probably getting overly worried for no reason haha!!!

I agree VJ has an amazing amount of information, and just as great there is a wonderful support system here.

Good luck to you both on your journey!!!

Thanks and good luck on the interview in a few weeks!!!!!!

i just wanted to say what a cute couple yall make ...and i hope your journey is a speedy one...bridget

thanks so much bridget!!!! You two are adorable!!

I was just wondering if anyone could give me a little insight?

My fiance is Iranian and has never been to the US. He has lived in Iran and Turkey his whole life. He tells me he "has enough knowledge from reading about the US that there will be no culture shock" when he finally gets here.( i don't think you can every really know unless you've been somewhere) I know its REALLY premature but I want to make sure he feels comfortable and at home when he arrives.( i have OCD about early planning) I have a lot of things in the house from the region from my mother and I travelling to Turkey and from my father who brings home things from over there every time he comes home. But I don't know very much about the Iranian culture. Ive tried looking stuff up online but haven't really found anything significant. I've talked to Mehdi about his life in Iran some but because of his situation it makes him sad to talk about his country and his life there, so I try not to bring it up often. So my question is can anyone give me any insight into the culture and what its like being married to an Iranian man ( I know every person is different so situations will vary). Maybe some "must haves" for him... I love him very much and would just like to understand better where he comes from and to be prepared to try and make his move here as smooth as possible! Thanks so much!!

Welcome to America!!!!...I love reading about all the happy endings....it gives me hope that mine will end happy too! I wish you guys the best!!

I would go anywhere move anything to be with my fiance...but like others those damn student loans are holding me hostage lol.....but even loan free its impossible for us to live in his home country and hes not a fan of where he is now...but we have talked about living in other countries....in 10 years when Im debt free!!! lol

thanks everyone!!! I emailed the consulate and they said I needed to have a professional do them.....sooo now I have to find one ....anyone have any ideas?? lol

Are translations were done by a certified translator. (English/Turkish) -

we had no issues with Ankara accepting them.

If you want - I can get the name of the guy Umit used.

(he basically changed all the turkish documents into english, then signed/stamped them as being true copies).

That would be helpful Bobby...I need English/Farsi but maybe the guy you used can do both ?

is there anyone who has gone to the Ankara Consulate who could tell me if the translation has to be certified by a professional or they just mean it has to have a letter with it certifying the person who translated is fluent in both languages....Im having a hard time figuring out what they really mean by certified translation

You can find the answer by emailing the consular in the embassy the interview will be in.

My wife and I emailed Moscow and they said copies of documents and translations do not need to be notarized. Now we are confused on if she should translate her own documents, or if we should still have a professional do it.

I am still waiting for my NOA1, so until then we are in the same boat.

I think I am going to resend my email to Moscow asking more specifically if we can translate our own documents and if we need proof of authenticity.

Thanks so much...and good luck with your process I hope its speedy!!!!....Im just starting to get overwhelmed and Im terrified that I will do something wrong and things will be delayed because of something I did or did not do..and I have so many questions and I get so confused and second guess myself sometimes...wheew I need to relax lol..hopefully I will be able to find all my answers and everything will work out!!! Thanks again!!

could someone please tell me if translations of documents have to done by someone certified to translate or if they can be done by anyone who speaks and reads both languages fluently...thanks so much!!