Packing List for MENA Men coming to the USA

[sara535 15]

Spices. I find they are so much more pungent and flavorful coming from the souks there.

[palilover 1]

Why is cigerrettes so cheap in egypt and jordan????? In Palestine, my husband said a pack of marlboro costs maybe 10$ maybe. He has to smoke the cheapies since he cannot afford marlboro there all the time. Here a pack of marlboro would cost me about $4.40 depending on where I get it.

[sandinista! 1,816]

Gifts for you and your family!!!!

My hubby brought Arabic books, clothes, shoes he liked, his coat, a lot of underwear since the kind here is different, which all fit in half of one of the suitcases he brought. The other half and the entire other suitcase he brought was mine and my family's stuff (abayas, hijabs, henna decals, clothes for my kids, etc)

He brought 15 cartons of cigarettes and is about 1/2 way done with them so I'm sure pretty soon he'll be wishin' he brought more of those too!

I'm surprised they let him bring them in the country.... I could have sworn they used to have a two carton limit..... You can't even transport that many from state to state!!!

it's still a 2 carton limit.

my husband was a diehard long term smoker. he quit using nicorette. has to be the 4mg coated nicorette, preferably the fruit chill flavor. just an idea

yeah for your husband! quitting smoking is hot.

[sandinista! 1,816]

Spices. I find they are so much more pungent and flavorful coming from the souks there.

:thumbs:

along with the cute little spice holders-

[Nutty 2]

My hubby is bringing clothes, some KING software (that is what he calls it, supposedly has all sorts or programs on it), his important papers, Argh Bam dates (black dates) and my suitcase with all my summer clothes!

[chaishai 1]

Other than mementos, I think you should have him just bring the specialties of the country. I ask anyone coming from israel to bring me spices (for the reasons others mentioned), bottarga (fish roe), all different types of seeds ie sunflower, ahava dead sea mud products, hebrew books for our kids. sometimes my husband wants the latest david broza or whatever other israeli singers CD. Sometimes olive oil and chocolate although you can get israeli olive oil and chocolate here so I never ask for it but sometimes get it. Oh and religious items/judaica.

Maybe if he likes to read books because its more difficult to find books in arabic/hebrew/farsi here.

[♥JP♥ 5]

Why is cigerrettes so cheap in egypt and jordan????? In Palestine, my husband said a pack of marlboro costs maybe 10$ maybe. He has to smoke the cheapies since he cannot afford marlboro there all the time. Here a pack of marlboro would cost me about $4.40 depending on where I get it.

I would think that everything is more expensive there because it's so much harder to get things imported. Jordan and Egypt don't really have a problem getting good imported into the country.

[palilover 1]

Why is cigerrettes so cheap in egypt and jordan????? In Palestine, my husband said a pack of marlboro costs maybe 10$ maybe. He has to smoke the cheapies since he cannot afford marlboro there all the time. Here a pack of marlboro would cost me about $4.40 depending on where I get it.

I would think that everything is more expensive there because it's so much harder to get things imported. Jordan and Egypt don't really have a problem getting good imported into the country.

Ok number one, I realized my typo:) I WISH cigs costed $4.40:) More like $5.50:)

And I asked my husband this when we had our nightly phone call when I took my break. He asid it is since Palestine is controlled by Israel, everything is on Israeli prices. And Israel is more expensive than the rest of the middle east i guess. ANd ditto to that. When I left Ben Gurion airport, I bought ONLY ONE CRAPPY TASTING CAKE AND A CRAPPY COFFEE (I dont know what they do to their coffee but blech:) and it was about 50 sheckels:(

[♥JP♥ 5]

Why is cigerrettes so cheap in egypt and jordan????? In Palestine, my husband said a pack of marlboro costs maybe 10$ maybe. He has to smoke the cheapies since he cannot afford marlboro there all the time. Here a pack of marlboro would cost me about $4.40 depending on where I get it.

I would think that everything is more expensive there because it's so much harder to get things imported. Jordan and Egypt don't really have a problem getting good imported into the country.

Ok number one, I realized my typo:) I WISH cigs costed $4.40:) More like $5.50:)

And I asked my husband this when we had our nightly phone call when I took my break. He asid it is since Palestine is controlled by Israel, everything is on Israeli prices. And Israel is more expensive than the rest of the middle east i guess. ANd ditto to that. When I left Ben Gurion airport, I bought ONLY ONE CRAPPY TASTING CAKE AND A CRAPPY COFFEE (I dont know what they do to their coffee but blech:) and it was about 50 sheckels:(

I think it also depends what grade cigarettes they are. The ones in Jordan are not Grade A like we have here.

[palilover 1]

Why is cigerrettes so cheap in egypt and jordan????? In Palestine, my husband said a pack of marlboro costs maybe 10$ maybe. He has to smoke the cheapies since he cannot afford marlboro there all the time. Here a pack of marlboro would cost me about $4.40 depending on where I get it.

I would think that everything is more expensive there because it's so much harder to get things imported. Jordan and Egypt don't really have a problem getting good imported into the country.

Ok number one, I realized my typo:) I WISH cigs costed $4.40:) More like $5.50:)

And I asked my husband this when we had our nightly phone call when I took my break. He asid it is since Palestine is controlled by Israel, everything is on Israeli prices. And Israel is more expensive than the rest of the middle east i guess. ANd ditto to that. When I left Ben Gurion airport, I bought ONLY ONE CRAPPY TASTING CAKE AND A CRAPPY COFFEE (I dont know what they do to their coffee but blech:) and it was about 50 sheckels:(

I think it also depends what grade cigarettes they are. The ones in Jordan are not Grade A like we have here.

hm..you're probably right. haha there's a reason my husband said last time he bought cigs in Jordan he thinks it costed about $1.50, eh:)

But are they like british cigerettes where your fingers turn orange becaues the paper is not so thick?

[Sofiyya 1,687]

My husband brought legal documents, medical info, educational certs, some clothes, some pics, and that's about it. I told him to travel lite, and he did!

[nu7015 0]

I'd highly recommend him bringing his vaccination records/medical record that he had to complete for the embassy. I asked my husband to bring a copy and he tried to get one before he left but they didn't have it on record anymore. Then we had to figure out the cheapest way to get proof of his vaccinations for the AOS. We ended up getting his blood titres for each vaccine and took that to a USCIS approved Dr. who filled out the vaccination supplement with that proof.

I second getting any and ALL dental work done before coming here. MUCH much cheaper!!!! We probably spent $1000 in co-pays WITH good insurance just on his dental work in less than a year.

Cigarettes would be much cheaper to bring too.

My husband has driven himself crazy trying to find clothes that he likes here. He is very particular about his clothes (more so than me-I joke with him and ask him "Who's the girl?"). He HATES HATES HATES the clothes here in the US. He is in Morocco now and said that he is buying enough clothes for at least a year to bring back with him.

Momentos of home; pictures of home and family and decor will help with homesickness.

Some more ideas:

References translated in English for when he starts interviewing for jobs

Translated Birth Certificate

Depending on your state laws, an international driver's license (here in Iowa it was ok for him to drive on a foreign license )

Translated certificates, degrees/completed schooling for jobs

I'll keep thinking of other things!

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

Wow I just came home and saw all the replies to my post..... I am dying laughing about all the cigarette talk.... Cleopatra's are 2LE a pack in Egypt (as of Feb 08) (about 35 cents)... and if he has so much as a cigarette butt I'm turning him around and putting him back on the plane...

He's been promising to quit since we first met, and so far has procrastinated about it... I gave him an ultimatum that he quit before he get here, or not bother to come... I just can't live with it. So he'll be chewing the Nicorette Gum I took to him last trip, or chewing his nails... but he won't be bringing cigarettes... The price of them here should dampen his interest...

Good idea about all the medical record type stuff... I wonder if the doctor who did the exam for the Visa has the records? Will discuss that with him tonight... Translations of documents are a great idea too except for the fact that the translator I dealt with there was SO LAME. I wonder if they allow self-translation of documents at other phases of the Immigration process like they did in the K1 process? If so we'll do them ourselves!

I haven't even begun to think about the next phase of the immigration process, brain on overload from this part... and I've done the part here twice before, so I know I can manage it...

And I'm going to pass on the knick knack touristy gifts... even my family don't want any more of those! I've been married to Egyptians for so long they don't have any taste left for pharonic do da's.

As for me, I just want gold... but it's too darn expensive now... so silver will do..

Thanks for the suggestions...

K

[Alhamdulillah 0]

I wonder if they allow self-translation of documents at other phases of the Immigration process like they did in the K1 process?

No, not in our experience and it's much more expensive to get anything tranlsated in the states. One company was going to charge us about $300 to translate a freaking drivers license!

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

I wonder if they allow self-translation of documents at other phases of the Immigration process like they did in the K1 process?

No, not in our experience and it's much more expensive to get anything tranlsated in the states. One company was going to charge us about $300 to translate a freaking drivers license!

I know it's more expensive here... but there was no requirement for a "professional translation" for anything in the I-129 process, so I'm wondering if some other process requires an "external" translation of documents.

Who wanted the driver's license translated? Who required a translation done by a someone else?

H will be getting his international license this week in Alexandria... and hopefully it will be in English..

K