Florida? Anyone?

[Amber & Ahmed 133]

Hello my fellow VJers! I pray everyone is doing well and God is blessing you all. Ahmed has been here with me for a month now. He came to visit in November for a month then he went back to Egypt now he is back again LOL. Anyhow we are moving next week from Michigan to Tampa Florid and I was curious to know if any of my fellow VJers are in the area? If so did your spouse and you find the area to be welcoming and were you all able to find friendships with other Egyptian/Americans? We are excited for the move to Florida and are ever so hopeful of finding good friendships once we are there! Any advice or opinions would be great! Thank you!!!

[DeathStrike 9]

This should be in regional discussions forums.

Anyways, I am from FL, though not Tampa area. One of the best places to initially find and learn of egyptian community would be local Islamic society.

Enjoy the sunshine state

[And_Sam 44]

Good Morning Amber!

We are on the east coast of Florida, the Cocoa beach area to be specific!

I don't know too much about the Arabic areas in Tampa, but I do know there is a quite big one in Orlando! The best bet is to google the islamic society in the Bay area to find other Egyptians. That and also look for Arabic/Islamic stores!

Over here on the east coast there are 2 fairly good size mosques close to us. Sameh started to go to the one that is a little further away from home and he really enjoys it. He met some good friends there that actually led to a job for him!

Also search for coffee shops and hookah clubs. I know that they have them in Tampa, since my daughter lived there and we used to travel there quite frequently!

Good luck on your move!

Andrea

[Amber & Ahmed 133]

Andrea thank you so much! We are so excited really! Sunshine state here we come!

[Ryan H 3,812]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to MENA regional forum; topic is not a spousal visa process topic.

[Ayman___ 92]

I'm From South Florida Welcome Both Of You To The Sunshine State

[mahboula 11]

We live in the Tampa area. Is your husband a Muslim? There is a large Muslim community here.

Here is a link to the Islamic society ISTABA if he has any interest in that.

Most of my husband's friends are from either Morocco or Algeria, but I'll ask him about Egyptians. I'm really not sure.

Welcome to Florida!

[Amber & Ahmed 133]

I'm From South Florida Welcome Both Of You To The Sunshine State

Rina, Hi... how are you? Thanks for the reply and I just remembered your there too! I am excited to be getting closer to my VJ friends and hoping to get to meet with our husbands so soon!

[Amber & Ahmed 133]

We live in the Tampa area. Is your husband a Muslim? There is a large Muslim community here.

Here is a link to the Islamic society ISTABA if he has any interest in that.

Most of my husband's friends are from either Morocco or Algeria, but I'll ask him about Egyptians. I'm really not sure.

Welcome to Florida!

Hi, thanks for the reply! Yes Ahmed is a Muslim, and I am a Christian. Tell me do you and your husband love the area? From everything I have heard and seen I am betting we are going to LOVE it there! Thanks for the welcome! We are both excited and almost done packing LOL!

[mahboula 11]

Hi, thanks for the reply! Yes Ahmed is a Muslim, and I am a Christian. Tell me do you and your husband love the area? From everything I have heard and seen I am betting we are going to LOVE it there! Thanks for the welcome! We are both excited and almost done packing LOL!

I'm happy here. It really depends on what you're used to. For example I'm from a smaller town up north, and I was overwhelmed by how busy it is in Tampa. I do love the weather though. Some people say it's too hot or too humid, but for me it's just perfect. I've talked about moving back north because up there the pay is much better in my field, but my husband has no interest in leaving. So I guess you could say he's happy too. Make sure to check out the place you're moving to, because like anywhere, there are good and bad areas. There's plenty to do here...beaches, theme parks, museums, shopping etc. My husband also joined an adult soccer league, which helped him meet people and get out of the house. I think you'll be happy. When will you get here?

Edited February 23, 2012 by mahboula

[Amber & Ahmed 133]

I'm happy here. It really depends on what you're used to. For example I'm from a smaller town up north, and I was overwhelmed by how busy it is in Tampa. I do love the weather though. Some people say it's too hot or too humid, but for me it's just perfect. I've talked about moving back north because up there the pay is much better in my field, but my husband has no interest in leaving. So I guess you could say he's happy too. Make sure to check out the place you're moving to, because like anywhere, there are good and bad areas. There's plenty to do here...beaches, theme parks, museums, shopping etc. My husband also joined an adult soccer league, which helped him meet people and get out of the house. I think you'll be happy. When will you get here?

I am from a very small town up north. Here is hoping I adjust well LOL. I loved living in Cairo and that place never sleeps. Ahmed LOVES LOVES LOVES to play soccer and I am hoping he finds a team to play with too. Thank you for you replies, it is always good to hear from someone who is there in the mix of things. We will leave next week, we plan to take our time traveling and just enjoy the road trip! I must say you had me at SHOPPING lol!

[mahboula 11]

I see you like the second-hand stores. There are so many of those around! Oh and here's a tip for you. Too many drivers down here don't understand the meaning of a red light. So when you're at an intersection, and your light turns green, LOOK before you go. I've had more than a few close calls.

[Amber & Ahmed 133]

I see you like the second-hand stores. There are so many of those around! Oh and here's a tip for you. Too many drivers down here don't understand the meaning of a red light. So when you're at an intersection, and your light turns green, LOOK before you go. I've had more than a few close calls.

Yes I love to find the deals! One of the things we enjoy is going early and finding some hidden treasures lol poor Ahmed was so worried we wouldn't find any thrift stores, wait til I tell him he will be LOL.

Also thanks for the heads up on the driving thing that is kind of scary

[LaL 418]

Hello my fellow VJers! I pray everyone is doing well and God is blessing you all. Ahmed has been here with me for a month now. He came to visit in November for a month then he went back to Egypt now he is back again LOL. Anyhow we are moving next week from Michigan to Tampa Florid and I was curious to know if any of my fellow VJers are in the area? If so did your spouse and you find the area to be welcoming and were you all able to find friendships with other Egyptian/Americans? We are excited for the move to Florida and are ever so hopeful of finding good friendships once we are there! Any advice or opinions would be great! Thank you!!!

We are in Tampa at present. The arab community here is pretty small as one would expect in smaller cities. Many of the stores are run by Palestinians and Lebanese, no Egyptians as far as I know, but we only just returned to Tampa after a four year stint elsewhere. I did notice a difference in the neighborhood though - it was hit very hard by the recession and shows. If you have any Tampa related questions - I'd be happy to assist! Oh and Bush Gardens has a whole part of the park dedicated to the Egyptian theme. Del quite liked that regardless of the cheese factor

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

Adam is already talking to me about taking vacation again in Destin! Something about that beautiful blue/green water & white sand! Those of you that live near those colors are pretty lucky!!!