MENA Relationships Poll

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I was married to a moroccan and divorced. He was a hard worker, provided well, but wasn't the man he claimed to be in Morocco. Unfortunatly he griped about every time I spent. Spent his every waking minuete on the computer, and making me haul his but around.

I since then, have found a new man, from Egypt. He is the total opposite of the moroccan and loves spending time with me.

I'm glad you are out of an unhappy marriage - and I wish you all the happiness in your new relationship !

[Berber Mama 5]

American woman married to a Moroccan male here. We have had our ups and downs the last 5 years. We have 2 sons. I love him and dont regret our marriage, but if for some unforseen reason we divorce in the future...theres no way in hell I'd ever marry another MENA man.

[msheesha 548]

American woman married to a Moroccan man.

He is here. He is not disrespectful abusive or cheater etc.

We are learning the best ways to live happily together as he's been here under a year.

But I have to say we are happy and making our way thru our first year of living together learning to compromise etc etc etc He is often better at it than me and more patient than I. I think he has a lot of great qualities.

If for some reason I find myself single again I would not preclude being with a mena man again. It would only matter to me that he's a faithful Muslim. I don't think i would go through the immigration process again. He would have to be here already.

Edited March 24, 2011 by msheesha

[kristen_maroc 126]

Met my fiance about a year ago in Morocco. I had been here a few years already and made it a rule not to date Moroccan men (because of religion-- I'm a serious person who dates to find a mate, not for fun, and at the time, I didn't think I could reconcile an interfaith marriage). He somehow convinced me to go on a date with him... and that turned into seeing each other every day for several hours for the next week before he left to study in Europe...

I know things might change in the US, or after marriage, but I can honestly say that I am most in love with him when we talk about religion... that he inspires me to be a better person and get my priorities and values straight... that he supports my passions and helps me relax and let go of things that don't matter in the long run. He makes me laugh. We compromise and communicate and are still just growing and learning each other together. He respects me and loves me and we have embarked on this journey together...hard though it is and harder though it will be.

We'll see what happens. A lot is up in the air. What happens in the States? What happens when he meets my family? (I love his family, especially his mother!) What happens when we marry? How am I different when I am in the States vs. Morocco? How will he adapt to my liberal friends?

I'm worried but I'm not worried. We've had 6 months of time physically together now, on his turf, and a few weekends in Europe. I've seen how he's adapted to living in Europe, and he sees how much I understand Morocco (not as well as I'd like, unfortunately) after making it home for awhile. I mean, I am the one saying that when we have kids (inchallah), I don't just want to VISIT here, but I want to spend 2+ years in Rabat so that our future kids understand and get it. If he was miserable in the States, I could come back to Morocco for years at a time.

We still have a lot to learn, and we still have to keep communicating, compromising, adapting, and growing. But I really can't think of anyone else I'd rather take this journey with.

(sorry if this is too mushy/rainbowy for some of you)

[Ban Hammer 13,110]

~ Please leave in MENA ~

concur.

orgs and other mods, this is a mena specific poll applicable only to this region. please don't move it.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Charles, are you SURE Nessa is not a MENA bride ? Moving to the MENA, oh so MENA forum, just because you said not to....

[Anna and Ali 13]

as far as not having a mena fetish, i was extremely naive the first time I met Ali. He asked me to guess his ethnicity (after even knowing his name) I guessed Canadian. WOW IDIOT. He won't let me forget it.

at first i just wanted to be friends, so no, i don't have a MENA fetish and wasn't hunting him

in fact, all through high school and until I met him, I was convinced if I married abroad it was going to be a Chinese man. idky that's who I always gravitated towards. I never even considered someone from MENA because it's almost a social faux pas in America (LAME!)

now that im with habubu i can't imagine not marrying a man from MENA. dang, sensitivity and manliness? Sold!

howevs, if we ever divorced, i don't think i could marry again. period.

[Staashi 371]

I'm married and living with a MENA man and while he's certainly no perfect angel, he's not disrespectful, abusive or unfaithful. I wouldn't even classify him as irresponsible even though sometimes *I* think he is. Like Jenn said it's mostly maturity/personality and being spoiled (in my opinion) before coming to the U.S. He has improved a lot since coming here and realizing marriage is the real deal and not a fantasy of love and romance. I have to say that impending fatherhood has really made him step up and remove any silliness that may have been lingering. Not to brag or anything but he's been absolutely awesome the past couple months since I've become pregnant. Very understanding, patient, attentive, etc. My bitchiness hasn't phased him one bit which, I think, shows a great amount of self control considering how bad I can be at times. I'm really proud of how far he's come since arriving in the US. Probably more than the poll is looking for but...

This is OT...but congrats on your pregnancy. May it be uneventful up until the big event.

[KittyPollitt 284]

I'm the USC and my husband is Moroccan. He's here in the States with me and is a dollface model of human perfection. This is my second marriage, his first, and we have a 16 month old daughter. We've lived together in our respective countries for about 18 months.

My first husband was from Nepal- he was a F1 overstayer who I met when he delivered my Indian food. I don't know to this day if our relationship was genuine or not- I know that we both liked each other, I guess we just got married for the wrong reasons (him to please his parents and anchor himself in America, and me to get back at my smarmy, cheating Moroccan ex boyfriend), and there wasn't enough to it to make up for the cultural differences. Took 4 months of him frying curried spinach every day, stinking up the house and me sleeping beneath a glow in the dark Ganesha with creepy eyes for me to say "I can't take this anymore" and roll out.

The cultural differences with my current husband are negligible. He's not very religious, and we have the same outlook on life. And he doesn't have a glow in the dark Ganesha in our bedroom, watching everything that goes on (TOOOO CREEPY).

I'm not addicted to MENA men, but I do like tan guys. But I'm to busy riding unicorns through rainbows and lollipopsland to even think about marrying another dude.

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Im the USC, Adam is the MENA fella.

I love him to pieces! We are about to make our 5th yr anniversary in July, known each other 6yrs this year. He's a hard worker, he provides for me and gives me anything I want, he's my lover, we love spending time together doing whatever or nothing at all. We are 100% certain that GOD kept us for each other and brought us together and can not even think about being with anyone other than him until in death we part. He's my soul mate!

And once in a blue moon he gets on my last nerve and I get on his

[sara535 15]

Answered the poll, no dirty laundry airing from me

[Amber & Ahmed 133]

Im the USC, Adam is the MENA fella.

I love him to pieces! We are about to make our 5th yr anniversary in July, known each other 6yrs this year. He's a hard worker, he provides for me and gives me anything I want, he's my lover, we love spending time together doing whatever or nothing at all. We are 100% certain that GOD kept us for each other and brought us together and can not even think about being with anyone other than him until in death we part. He's my soul mate!

And once in a blue moon he gets on my last nerve and I get on his

Love this post... What God has created can never be taken away or lost. Wish more people truly believed like this... Till death do us part.

Edited March 24, 2011 by Amber & Ahmed

[Mithra 1,185]

Thank you so much, Staashi!

This is OT...but congrats on your pregnancy. May it be uneventful up until the big event.

[~*Dorothy*~ 2]

Answered the poll, no dirty laundry airing from me

Ditto!!!

[msheesha 548]

This is OT...but congrats on your pregnancy. May it be uneventful up until the big event.

Ditto, congratulations.