Just Turkish

[wendya 0]

Thanks Wendy! We mailed all the stuff off to register our marriage in L.A. this morning...then we're just planning to bug the heck out of everyone at the Turkish Consulate and military service until they give us what we need!

Glad to hear you had such an awesome trip and glad you made it back safe!!

Take Care,

Tanya

P.S. I was reading some old posts on this forum the other day and cracking up to myself when I came to the part about eating fish and yoghurt at the same time...its sooo true! Apparently the same thing goes for fish and milk too...

Thanks Tanya.

yeah, funny story. I really don't like fish. So one night we had dinner at Yilmaz's sister's house. She asked me (in Turkish) if I liked fish. Of course I said "Evet", she was so happy. Well, at dinner that is what we had. Little fishes with their heads on. Yilmaz started to tell her that I don't like fish. I stopped him immediately and asked him to show me how to eat them. Well, I was starving so I bravely broke off the head, took out the back bone and broke off the tail. They were very good. I ended up eating about eight. For someone who doesn't like fish, that is a lot.

Edited January 25, 2008 by wendya

[wendya 0]

Merrhaba

merk - I noticed the timeline in your sig....of course w/o knowing details, I'm surprised your i-129 was rejected and not transferred to the correct service ctr. Otherwise, Good stuff in re to your touches ( i-130?)! Keep us posted.

wendya - welcome back! pleased to hear you had such memorable trip. I didn't realize you had been apart for a year. Ouch! Sounds like your trip was much needed and def overdue.

Thanks Awaterlily. Yes, it was much too long of a separation!!!

Tebrikler on your NOA!!!

[awaterlily 0]

something's wrong with this board tonight..i keep trying to respond to posts and it won't let me!

to respond to wendya: are you referring to the little fish that are abt 3 in long? from the Black Sea? They're delicious!

Edited January 25, 2008 by awaterlily

[wendya 0]

something's wrong with this board tonight..i keep trying to respond to posts and it won't let me!

to respond to wendya: are you referring to the little fish that are abt 3 in long? from the Black Sea? They're delicious!

Yes, they are the ones!!

[Merk 0]

Sorry I just need to vent.......I am losing my mind over here!! I am trying to stay so busy to keep my mind off this stuff but this is excrutiating(sp?) I think im am rapidly losing my mind. I find my self "speaking" what is running thru my head(lol) wow am I going nuts??? !! And what makes it so bad is thinking about all the other people here going thru the same things... This whole experience is just.... I am blanking out thinking about it. Just the lonleyness, and emptyness, the not knowing is killing. And trying to stay so strong when people ask about how you are---- ( I have visions of throwing myself on the floor and having a kid fit LOL) that just pops into my head hahaha---JUst putting on a smile and say fine and leaveing it at that is best. ANd trying not to break down on the phone with the husband is worse! I cry cause I miss and want him so much then cry more cause I just made him feel so help-less and horriable cause he is not here to fix it!! oh wow this is just so tiring sorry about the tantrum....

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Great News Debra

Congrats to you and John, soon you both will be looking into Citizenship and you're almost finished with this process!

Also I text you with my new cell number and with the moving into a new home we were just so busy with everything from work to cleaning the new place, now we can finally take a break

Good Luck to Everyone else still waiting for any news!

Mina

Thank you Mina. Yes, I did get your text messages, i hope you got mine ;-) Glad all is moving along for you guys.

Citizenship....ya, he can start this year in October, I think. or is it 3 years from the arrival date? ummm, need to read up on it

Best wishes,

Debbie

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Wonderful news, Debra! Congrats.

and Mina brought up the citizenship piece, which made me wonder (perhaps jumping the gun a bit)...once those of us choose that path and attain it, how many will continue on the VJ website as the VJ will be completed?

I hope to be able to stay in touch with some folks here.

As for us - our ck was cashed on the 15th. We're stilling waiting on the NOA.

Received 10 year green card in the mail yesterday. How is everyone doing? Any news?

Take care,

Peace

Debbie

It would be very nice if we could stay in touch after all, this process wont end for us for awhile....We will go thru this same thing with my husbands mother .....soooo ;-) How about you guys?

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Well...turns out its a bit more complicated than I thought. For us anyway. My husband came to the US on a marriage-based visa (K1), so before we can file for the military postponement, we have to register our marriage with the Turkish embassy. Since we were married in Las Vegas, we have to apply to register our marriage with the consulate in Los Angeles (the NY consulate does not have "jurisdiction" to register marriages that took place in Nevada). THEN, after that process is complete, we have to bring or send his immigration papers back to the NY consulate to apply to extend his military service deadline. So basically, we made the 7-hour round trip to NY for nothing. Well, we had a good time exploring the city, but weren't able to accomplish what we really went there for. We are under a little bit of stress right now to get the process completed, as we have purchased plane tickets for late March to return to Turkey for a visit (they told us on the phone that it would be simple and wouldn't take more than ~2 weeks to complete)...I really hope we can get everything done in time!

Ozzy was so stressed out & disgusted after our visit to the consulate that he temporarily started smoking again (he had quit ~3 weeks ago) and now swears he is going to change his citizenship ASAP!

For your friend, it should be simpler. He should contact the Turkish Consulate for specifics, but probably all he needs to do is bring/send his green card (copy or original or both...I am not sure) probably with proof that he is a student or worker (basically that he is fullfilling whatever type of visa he came here with) to the consulate that has jurisdiction over the region where he lives. They can extend his deadline for military service for one year during which time he can visit Turkey with no problem. Apparently the process takes ~2 weeks normally.

Best Wishes,

Tanya

Thanks so much for your links & posts! I do really appreciate it. I think you guys are right, it's probably the military requirement that is holding him back from visiting.

Since he left to complete college here, he probably left Turkey before the required age of 20 there. I had no idea that the military requirement would be so strictly enforced. While reading on the link to wiki from Tanya, it said that you cant get married, cant stay at a hotel, if you are a draft evader. Yikes, they are serious.

Tanya, I'd appreciate if you could post or PM me how everything goes on Friday for you at the Turkish consulate. Best of luck to you!

Thanks again for all your help, from me, and my friend in need.

I am so sorry to hear about your problem with military issue tanyakaraman.

Candemir went thru this same issue but he just contacted the Embassy in California, downloaded the application and then sent it back along with his passport (he renewed that as well) and the $$. Back in his hands within a few weeks.

He was called to duty just as he was leaving Turkey to come here, so we had to really get on the ball and make sure the military issue was taken care of. The process has to be done yearly if he wants to go home. When he went back to Turkey last year, everything was perfect. He had the letter with him but no one asked for it ;-)

Best wishes,

Debbie

[Mina76 0]

Hi Everyone,

I had posted this incident in the "OFF TOPIC" Forum, but I thought to also post it here being that maybe someone else has been through a situation like this.

Can anyone tell me how one would have handled this situation at work with a co-worker?

My husband is muslim and he never discusses religion unless it's with close friends and family, but last friday at work someone was curious about the islamic faith and asked my husband a question in which my husband was more then happy to answer when another co-worker came over to talk to them. When my husband left the conversation to go back to finish his work he overheard them laughing and seen one of them making hand gestures about the islamic faith.

Being me I would have confronted that co-worker directly, but instead my husband kept quiet. I feel he should report this incident!

[awaterlily 0]

Tough one. This is why civil rights laws are in place.

If it were me, I, too, would take it up with management immediately. But he might put his job at risk by doing so. Employers find ways around the rules.

Or he could say nothing and let it go. Just be mindful in the future not to discuss religion, etc. at the job again.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of narrow minded ppl in this world.

Hi Everyone,

I had posted this incident in the "OFF TOPIC" Forum, but I thought to also post it here being that maybe someone else has been through a situation like this.

Can anyone tell me how one would have handled this situation at work with a co-worker?

My husband is muslim and he never discusses religion unless it's with close friends and family, but last friday at work someone was curious about the islamic faith and asked my husband a question in which my husband was more then happy to answer when another co-worker came over to talk to them. When my husband left the conversation to go back to finish his work he overheard them laughing and seen one of them making hand gestures about the islamic faith.

Being me I would have confronted that co-worker directly, but instead my husband kept quiet. I feel he should report this incident!

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Hi Everyone,

I had posted this incident in the "OFF TOPIC" Forum, but I thought to also post it here being that maybe someone else has been through a situation like this.

Can anyone tell me how one would have handled this situation at work with a co-worker?

My husband is muslim and he never discusses religion unless it's with close friends and family, but last friday at work someone was curious about the islamic faith and asked my husband a question in which my husband was more then happy to answer when another co-worker came over to talk to them. When my husband left the conversation to go back to finish his work he overheard them laughing and seen one of them making hand gestures about the islamic faith.

Being me I would have confronted that co-worker directly, but instead my husband kept quiet. I feel he should report this incident!

Hi Mina,

I am a HR Manager and working directly with a PR Company as well as Accounting Manager and really it depends on how much he wants to rock the boat. Yes, he can make it a huge issue and go thru the process...file a complaint....possible.... put his job on the line.

I am a convert to Islam...I don’t discuss my religion with anyone also most people wont feel so comfortable to approach me; I am normally a very serious person. I also don’t discuss my personal life or talk chit chat...I don’t do that and am not that type of person.

BUT I have had 1 person at my work that approached me with comments which are totally unacceptable. BUT, I know in my possition..As the only woman in upper management, it would be a problem for me if I proceeded.

I had another top employee approach me with why I was not eating pizza at a Company Pizza party. I made a simple statement that I do not eat pork. He said to me, Oh...your husband is Muslim right? I said yes, and he continued on to TRY to tell me how Muslims where and what they believed in.....I quickly and firmly said: I will NOT discuss my or my husbands religion with you and walked away. In doing this, he understood he was not welcome to discuss this issue with me and that I was offended.

I know my company and how we terminate and also how we build the file to do so legally. SOoo in time, it happens if the employee makes a little mistake a few times it will lead to a quick termination. I deal with issues daily.

This government has made it very difficult for Muslims...inflecting hate across this land...Dead Truth People!!

So Mina.....It all depends.

Legally, yes He can proceed and report it. The company can feel as he is a threat and walk softly until a reasonable reason comes for a quick termination...Sorry, this is fact. AND on the other side he can always file a law suit in rebuttal…OR the company can give a warning the other employee ….done…..BUT not for the 2 involved.

Ya, we have laws to protect people and on and on and ….some people believe firmly in these laws and the freedom and so on…Fact is it happens daily, no one is untouchable and nothing is free ;-) All comes to an end.

Ahh….I have talked too much and gave too much of my opinion.

Take care and BEST wishes to you both.

Peace.!

Debra

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

Sorry I just need to vent.......I am losing my mind over here!! I am trying to stay so busy to keep my mind off this stuff but this is excrutiating(sp?) I think im am rapidly losing my mind. I find my self "speaking" what is running thru my head(lol) wow am I going nuts??? !! And what makes it so bad is thinking about all the other people here going thru the same things... This whole experience is just.... I am blanking out thinking about it. Just the lonleyness, and emptyness, the not knowing is killing. And trying to stay so strong when people ask about how you are---- ( I have visions of throwing myself on the floor and having a kid fit LOL) that just pops into my head hahaha---JUst putting on a smile and say fine and leaveing it at that is best. ANd trying not to break down on the phone with the husband is worse! I cry cause I miss and want him so much then cry more cause I just made him feel so help-less and horriable cause he is not here to fix it!! oh wow this is just so tiring sorry about the tantrum....

We understand Merk I myself had a very hard time, depressed big time! I started a thread when I first begin this process, some of the original people are now in this thread and we have supported each other throughout this ordeal.

I was deeply affected.... In every area of my life. I know the pain this process caused me and you have lots of support.

Hugs!

Debra

[Ctrl+alt+delete 0]

your baby is just so lovely awaterlily

I do miss this age with all of me.............miss miss as my girls are teenagers

[awaterlily 0]

Thx Debra - she's at a wonderful age. Crawling, standing, etc. As she's reaching milestones so early we expect her to begin walking very soon. She's a blessing.

your baby is just so lovely awaterlily

I do miss this age with all of me.............miss miss as my girls are teenagers

[awaterlily 0]

All-

Since I'm on the topic of the baby, DH and I have talked about getting dual citizenship for her. What I wonder - is it really advantageous in doing so? It's not like we'll be going over there a lot - perhaps once a year - at least, in the forseeable future.

I'm interested in info and thoughts on this...TIA