Sunday

[Nasturtium 500]

We are only moving to the otherside of town.. But its a single level home with more bedrooms, a cute backyard, fire pit and community pool! We needed room for the babies and my mother in law is coming (inshallah) the end of year for a while...so this is perfect. We had been searching a while! Right now we r in a townhouse and its killer w/ the stairs and the babies...plus when they start walking..I'd freak with stairs!

I wanted to buy a house in Gold Canyon. I found the perfect one, 4 years ago-- beamed cieling, adobe tile floor, beehive firplace, skylights, 2br, backed onto the nature preserve, 3 mature saguaro... $105,000. But Nooooooooooooo. We had to move here. Well I am glad I came ehre because otherwise I would have never gone to jordan and met Ammar, but that house was so nice!!! I want one just like it!!

Night Olivia and Julianna!! I emailed the pyramid link out to all my friends...and shared Julianna's joke about them moving as well.

Night!

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Well julianna it's you, lisa, and I.

Edited August 10, 2008 by Olivia*

[Nasturtium 500]

Well julianna it's you, lisa, and I.

I think it's just me and you, actually!

LOL you got to it first!

Edited August 10, 2008 by julianna

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Well julianna it's you, lisa, and I.

I think it's just me and you, actually!

LOL you got to it first!

Ya I fixed that.

[Nasturtium 500]

So did you get a chance to ask W about the film?

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I did! He said he doesn't know if he will get the visas to travel with us but that it sounds awesome. He says Egyptians are not as free to travel as Americans are. Wonder why is that?

[Nasturtium 500]

I did! He said he doesn't know if he will get the visas to travel with us but that it sounds awesome. He says Egyptians are not as free to travel as Americans are. Wonder why is that?

I was wondering how that would go. i would think he could more easily get a visa to Muslim African countries, but as far as others... I'm not sure. I think Most Arabian countries need visas to go about anywhere except within a few places. I know Amamr has been to Syria and Turkey. I remember looking for a third party country where we could meet without him needing a visa. Turkey, they can just sort of show up and get one like we do when we go to Jordan. Columbia was another country he could go lol. They really are much more limited. I would think it is a combination of politics, stats, and visa fraud, probably most heavily politics. Until I started this visa stuff though, I never realized that people from other countries jsut can't hop on a plane and come to the US. I thought visas were granted sort of as you showed up on a short-term basis, and if you wanted to stay beyond a certain time you had to apply for things other than that. That is how it works for us going to a lot of places, but it's certainly not true for people coming here.

[Nasturtium 500]

I think for us it's easier because of the same factors. I think we get into most places because we tend to not overstay, we politically hold power in many areas, we probably don't commit that many crimes abroad-- I'm not talking about people agreeing with wars and removing dictators and such, I mean the tourists who come fom the USA probably aren't that high-crime-- and we also tend to bring money.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Yes I agree with all that. I wish the producers would contact me more about the locations of the sites we're filming so I could get on the ball about organizing visas for at least him and I to participate. I know sometimes it take months of advanced prepertion. I also wonder what medical supplies he would be allowed to bring with him such as drugs, bandages,ect, for the group. I need more facts but it's still in the early stages of planning all though the UN sponsered group that does this project has done it many times before. It's just the film crew that needs to get better prepared.

You know what would be really awesome. If I could get ahold of the UN group we're going to be following around documenting and get a list of items they recommend to bring and any suggestions for the venture.

Edited August 10, 2008 by Olivia*

[Nasturtium 500]

Depending on your living conditions, I have a good recommendation from someone I know who works in Haiti-- vagisil. Sounds gross and not for public posting, but we're mostly girls here-- if you are in a low-sanitation situation and you can't always either wipe, wipe well, or wash immediately, you're going to get problems. That basically cures it for ya! I got other tips as well, I guess it depends on how much you'll be "roughing" it.

You'll probably be applying for a work visa, right? I haven't known anyone getting work visas in sub-SAharan Africa before, but I know Americans who have done it in Egypt and i did it in jordan twice. We had to basically, in Jordan, send in our stuff by January/February for work in May-July. ETA: it also may mean you'll still need a tourist visa as well. I had to pay for a work visa and then still get a regular tourist visa. then I had to have my stuff get to the police station for the long-term residency stamp which was good until my visit ended-- longest time block I had was 49 days, but I think that type could have worked for 6+ months.

Edited August 10, 2008 by julianna

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Yep work visas. It will be a first for all of us I think. I know one of the producers has been to the middle east several times in her life. They did a couple documentaries on Belly Dancing already. I better get cracking on contacting them and some of my advisors at school in documentary work on for suggestions.

[Nasturtium 500]

Yep work visas. It will be a first for all of us I think. I know one of the producers has been to the middle east several times in her life. They did a couple documentaries on Belly Dancing already. I better get cracking on contacting them and some of my advisors at school in documentary work on for suggestions.

Evennif you could get a country listing that would be awesome. I am sure W is going to need more time than you to get things together.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

That and an updated passport once the military releases him. Good thing the project lasts only 10 months because his visa is only good for a year unlike ours being good for ten years.

What is difficult to get a work visa for Jordan?

[Nasturtium 500]

That and an updated passport once the military releases him. Good thing the project lasts only 10 months because his visa is only good for a year unlike ours being good for ten years.

What is difficult to get a work visa for Jordan?

Oh, heck no. All I did was have to submit 1 passport-sized photo, fill out a single page form with about 20 biographical questions and a question about what work you're doing, and then send it into the ministry of the Interior along with a letter from the employer. In your case, they may grab your forms, photos, and whatnot and send everyone in s a group and then they will send a letter with your stuff.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

That and an updated passport once the military releases him. Good thing the project lasts only 10 months because his visa is only good for a year unlike ours being good for ten years.

What is difficult to get a work visa for Jordan?

Oh, heck no. All I did was have to submit 1 passport-sized photo, fill out a single page form with about 20 biographical questions and a question about what work you're doing, and then send it into the ministry of the Interior along with a letter from the employer. In your case, they may grab your forms, photos, and whatnot and send everyone in s a group and then they will send a letter with your stuff.

Awesome! I wonder how they would inculde Waleed in this? Maybe I'll already be in Africa when all this stuff happens but I think not. He might have to come later depending on when the project starts. Waleed said that's it's alright if I got without him. He's not to worried. lol