Poll - When you met your SO

[ya falaha! 0]

Cool!!!! So what were you doing around 1am on Sept. 25, 2004?

[CarolineM 0]

I know I'm not MENA BUt...

Stewart was working at the boys camp down the road from the girls camp where I was. We were "together" for almost five years before we got married. We visited eachother 5+ times.

Now it's all worth it

[doodlebug 3]

Cool!!!! So what were you doing around 1am on Sept. 25, 2004?

i don't remember what i had for breakfast this morning!!!

[deeshla 0]

I met my husband 3 years ago in my first training week in the Peace Corps. He was a private contractor doing a water project in the village where I was doing my language and technical training. We dated for a while and got engaged after about a year or so. We "lived in sin" after that until we finally got married last summer. It was very anti-climatic! We were best friends from day one.

[Henia 11]

Met throu this cousin who lives in Aubergenville, France, whom I met while I worked (briefly) in Germany in 2002. We offically met on May 30 2003. The meeting was unforunately brief, yet so sweet. Our relation began as a friendship, neither of us thought about romance at all at that point. I felt some love or 'crush' type feeling but at that point did not want to get into a relation. 2 years pior finished with my ex and still had a 'grudge' kinda against relationships. We had so much in common, yet his personality seemed to be somewhat opposite of mine. So I pushed the thought of a relationship out of my mind.

Truth was, I was in transit always with work (in the US and Europe), he was living in Algérie (visiting Euro only). We both had our own 'issues' to deal with: His mother was fighting a terrible battle with colon cancer. That is actually why he was in France, to buy medicines for her. And I had a daughter whom I was raising alone.

Asked me for marriage 2x. I accepted the second time, this March. We were married on Sept 08 2006.

[hollyw 0]

My husband and I met when I was studying and working in Paris. I was living at a youth hostel, because it was cheaper than paying for an apartment, and his friend worked at the front desk. Medy (my husband) always kept his friend company when he worked at night and I remember introducing myself to both of them the night that I arrived. We didn't start talking until two months after that. At first we didn't see much of each other, but after four or five months I moved in with him. I was only supposed to stay in Paris for six months, but I got an extension on my visa and stayed for a little over a year.

When I left, he was sure we'd never see each other again, but as soon as I got home I bought a ticket to go back in two months and visit him. At the end of my first trip, he asked me to marry him. I visited him six times in Paris and the seventh time we took the boat from the south of France to Algeria to file DCF in Algiers. The end .

[StupidJourney 0]

I met my husband 3 years ago in my first training week in the Peace Corps. He was a private contractor doing a water project in the village where I was doing my language and technical training. We dated for a while and got engaged after about a year or so. We "lived in sin" after that until we finally got married last summer. It was very anti-climatic! We were best friends from day one.

Deeshla, which stage were you in? Was it the March 2004? I might have met you if your training was in Ouarzazate (can't remember if that was the health or environment sector)

I also met my guy in the Peace Corps about 3 1/2 years ago. I lived with his family temporarily when I moved to my assigned town. He was going to school in Erfoud, so I only saw him a few times. He was immediately smitten, but it took me a while (two years!) to end another relationship and see the truth!

[appletree352002 0]

I met Omar in April 2005, while I was on a bussiness trip, he was working in the Riad that I stayed in Marrakech. We used to talk every night after work untill 3 or 5 in the mornig, we where very good friend I had no clue that he had fillings for me, one day another moroccan guy that I met in Casablanca came to visit and I saw how upset Omar got but he didn't say anything, We had diner together and went to a cafe but after that he tried to kiss me and I got very unconfortable with this guy and asked him to go back to the Riad so we did when we got there I asked Ahmed to leave but hi dind't wanted to go and Omar asked him didn't you hear her she dosen't want to see you so just leave and Ahmed had no other option . Omar asked me what happen and I told him what Ahmed did he was so upset and he said that if Ahmed came back to the Riad he was going to kill him, all this happen two days befor I came back to America. The next evening Omar said that he got very jealous when Ahmed was there and hi has been asking him self why untill he came to the conclusion that he feld in love with me, I didn't know how to react, but I was so confortable with him and when he kiss me that was it I knew that the reason I fell so confortable with him was that he is a very respectfull, loving and a great man.

When I went to Casa to take the plane I met the other guy and he said that he was verry sorry that he acted that way was because he loved me and wanted to marry me but I knew in my heart that even do this guy was very handsome it wasn't the man that was going to make me happy because I was in love with Omar allready. After that I call Omar from the airport and he said thta I was gone for only two hrs. but he allready miss me he said that he dind't wanted to fill the way he was feeling and hi wanted to marry me,

I whent back to morroco three months after my first visit to meet his familly and to see the interaction of Omar and my younger son, after that I been in Morocco, five more times got married in September 9 2005.

Edited February 2, 2007 by appletree352002

[patiently_waiting 0]

I met Rida on myspace. He just randomly sent me an e-mail and we chatted, chatted some more, and here we are...patiently waiting for the visa.

[Henia 11]

Aww reading everyone's stories has gotten me all warm and fuzzy inside... I miss my Marwan!

[boardashell_2000 0]

I met Yassine in an online dating website..My intention was not to meet anybody serious but to just have fun talking to different boys with accents...LOL...then by chance I was on late one night crusiing around and this nice guy asked me if i want to chat and i said sure why not..and that was it..I never intended to meet someone on the internet and fall in love...especially someone from Morocco..I mean Morocco where is that right?...anyway we chated for 8 hours!!!! and I knew from those early days that it was over for me...I was hooked...never in my life have I met a more charming or kind hearted person...When i visited Morocco last April...I was very nervous because I was going by myself and those that know me know what a feat that was..but it was wonderful..I loved Morocco and his family so much...He asked me to marry him and of course I said yes...Finally filed the paperwork and here we are waiting paitently...This is our month..inchalah this whole process will go smoothly...

[M+S 0]

I was very lucky when One night i decided to download a program a exchnage student told me about it once "skype".. I was trying to configure how to use it then three days after downloading it Mark Pmed me and start talking to me ..iT was 3 A.M after midnight I was very tired and sleepy not ready to chat and i was just typing an email to a friend of mine really quick etting ready to go to bed when Mark Omed me that night I was not ready to chat But his amazing sense of humor really attracted me ..He told me what is my job I said a doctor and he said to me he loves caving and gave me his caving website and told me to goggle..and he joked and said why don't you marry me and i will be marrying a doctor I said what if i am Ugly he siad that would be huge..and I said and I will be marrying a famous man..can you believe we talked about marriage the first time we chatted!!! but i was a joke ..then we talkd for 5 hours that night and every night till 3 days later he talked about visting Egypt and he booked a ticket to Egypt just after we met for a week onilne.!!!

something clicked in the first few days we talked I fell in love with him in a very amazing way and fast ..then 3 week after we met online and we both fell in love Mark asked to marry me ..and I said to him what if you met me and u didn't like me...he said he is already in love with me " remmber his ticket was already booked he booked it a week after we met..then our feelings grew really deep so he brought all papers with him that we may need of we will get married ..and then I met him face to face for the first time in the Cairo airport on Nov/ 08 /2005 and when I saw him I forgot that there ws people around me I ran toward him and hugged him in public ..and forgot iamin Cairo and there are people around me and then we spent the whole night walking around in Cairo streetand went to eat in PIZZA HUT nd there he asked me to marry him and gave me the wedding ring ..then we spent the rest of the night walking along the Nile untill it was 6 A.M and then we went to meet my family and then my dad asked Mark to bring his stuff and stay with us and they loved him the moment they met him..and 3 days laer we got married legally..and now we are very happily married and waiting for the result of our deep Love our coming daughter ..Aisha:)

[nouna 0]

M+S that's such a cute story!

Well since Catherine mentioned my mom played a role in how she met her husband I might as well share my story since haha, my mom also played a role in how I met Ahmed. (My mom likes Ahmed's I guess because my dad's name is ahmed, she found Catherine an Ahmed, and now I have one hehehe)

We met December 23, 2005 while I was in Egypt on vacation with my mom. I've been several times before but never just Mom and I alone. There were sort of business deals between my mother and Ahmed's father and Mom wanted to personally thank him for helping out with some stuff. It just so happened that at this informal meeting I was with my mom and Ahmed was with his dad. I didn't even think twice when I saw him, but apparently he thought (more than twice!) that there could be something between us... His dad even told him afterwards what a nice sweet girl I seemed to be (little did they know! haha)

During the two weeks Mom and I were there Ahmed had called every day to check up on us and see what we were doing and my mom just loved him from the minute she saw him and she kept on saying such great things about him to me, didn't really affect me at all though and I was so rude to him (he still reminds me sometimes about how I used to treat him)

We saw him probably 5-6 times during our stay. We exchanged phone numbers and email addresses and it was obvious by the time we were leaving that he wanted our relationship to be something real...

I still didn't want to start a long distance relationship because I've tried it before and it didn't work out.

I guess the saying, 'distance makes the heart grow founder' is true or maybe 'you don't know what you have till it's gone' because I didn't realize how sweet, cute, wonderful, kind, caring, loving, amazing, etc he was till after we left.

He called me just about every day... a month later (yes jan 23) was the first time he said 'I LOVE YOU'

And 6 months (June 23) later all of us went back to Egypt and we were officially engaged.

We even got to spend Dec 23, 2006 with each other which was really cute...

Ok enough of my story

[amal 4]

I remember voting on this but I could have sworn I shared my story.. It is no where to be found so I'll share it again.

March 2004: I was in yahoo just chatting with friends one night after work. Out of the blue I get a message from Noor. We used cams (I had to see who I was talking to) and he was quite handsome...very pleasing to my eyes (and had the most beautiful smile) but when he told me he was from Jordan, I didn't wish to pursue it any further. As many of you know, I was a very closed minded American whose knowledge came from the media and what I heard from others around me so I wanted nothing to do with him. As a matter of fact, I didn't speak to him for around a month after the first talk. One night when none of my friends were online and I was bored outta my mind he messaged me and we talked for like 8 hours. After around 3 months he told me he was starting to have feelings for me but I just wouldn't allow myself to fall for an arab. He had me meet his best friends fiance' who lived in Seattle. She had already been there for quite some time and Noor had taken care of her when her fiance' was at work so she knew him very very well. Thanks to much convincing on her part, I agreed to give him a chance. She was going to take another trip to Jordan in December and asked me to join her since I refused to fly alone. (I had never been on a plane before) I also didn't wanna go to Jordan with no "backup" help .... So, well, I agreed. Noor and I were married in December 04. He got here in December 05....1 year and 5 days after we married. That's our story, and we're stickin' to it! hehehe

amal

[deeshla 0]

I met my husband 3 years ago in my first training week in the Peace Corps. He was a private contractor doing a water project in the village where I was doing my language and technical training. We dated for a while and got engaged after about a year or so. We "lived in sin" after that until we finally got married last summer. It was very anti-climatic! We were best friends from day one.

Deeshla, which stage were you in? Was it the March 2004? I might have met you if your training was in Ouarzazate (can't remember if that was the health or environment sector)

I also met my guy in the Peace Corps about 3 1/2 years ago. I lived with his family temporarily when I moved to my assigned town. He was going to school in Erfoud, so I only saw him a few times. He was immediately smitten, but it took me a while (two years!) to end another relationship and see the truth!

Hi Liz! I was in the maternal and child health stage February 2003 but hen we were evacuated when the war started.

I came back in October 2003 for a mini-stage (I believe I stayed with your stage a bit in Fes and we swore in together - I was the one who did the speech in Tamazight). Finished August 2005.

I remember a Liz. Do you have red hair?