Renewing your VISA to the states

Going through the process of filing for a VISA to the US is one of the most depressing paper work experiences I went through as a grad student in the US. I have only my tax filling process to match that.

The process starts online by visiting the US embassy website:
of particular interest is the "how to apply to a visa" link. this link has all of instructions in a crudely ordered fashion. I hope this blog will help you to go through these steps:

1- there are 3 separate forms to be filled; The Electronic Visa Application Form (EVAF) or DS156, the DS157, and the DS158 (for students). one thing to notice is that only the first one of them gives you the capacity to save your work and printing it. The other two forces you to print them without saving them. For a person that makes a lot of mistakes and needs a continues revision, this is a real headache. I managed to print the DS157 through UBUNTU. One of the forms ask you to write your name in your native language.

2- You need to do some research before filling these papers. you need the phone numbers and complete addresses of all your close family, last 3 employers, and two non relative contacts. make sure to answer all the questions. if they don't apply simply type "n/a". I had some problem with DS157 where you need to write you name in native language. for some reason neither windows nor Ubuntu where able to do it properly in Arabic. one easy solution is to write it by your hand! or type your name on a small label, glue it to the form and them make a photocopy of it, or use paint to copy and paste it.

3- make sure your I-20 is up to date. and signed by the international adviser. that you have all your passports are with you.

4- Once filling the EVAF you may make an appointment for your interview. They can take appointments for 2 weeks in advance or so.

5- I'd suggest making an appointment ASAP. It might take some long time for them to process your application.

6- keep the peanuts they give you at your flight back home. you will use them as a snack while waiting for the interview.

7- make sure to head to the embassy half an hour before your interview. there will be a long line before you otherwise. They will take your phone upon entry and return it back after you are done, so bring something to read. They will keep you waiting for an hour inside before they start calling the names.

8- The interview is mostly an easy one. Especially if you have a teaching assistantship or some form of support from YOUR university. keep your answers short and to the point. They should have no questions beyond what you have already answered.

9- I had the officer telling me that my application will have to go for further processing. This means they need to make further checkup on me in DC. The process takes anytime between 2 to 12 weeks. They will give you a link to check the status of your application. If you are coming back home for a short break, this will probably mean you will have to be prepared for the possibility that you will lose the whole semester as it is quite possible not to be able to return back on time.

10- Mine came back after 6 weeks, Including Christmas break. I tried many things to reduce that period but it was useless. The embassy in Amman makes it almost impossible to have a one to one interaction. I really don't know what are the criteria to put you up for the extra processing. Me and 2 of my friends (All males applying for an F1 VISA) went through it the first time. The second time they both passed without that time consuming process. So the only thing that might have worked is to try to challenge that yellow paper once they give it to you. In my case, I wish that I was aware of this early enough to tell him that I have been in the US for 3 years non-stop (since they gave me the first VISA). Or even ask why did they screen you for this process. We can get much more info if people can get more information about it.

11- I find it appropriate to advice you to take an account for such a possible delay. Bring some work or research material with you just in case you will be delayed for few months. Keep your spirits up, and use the time to reflect on your experience in the US so far. It is quite amazing the conclusions you might get to when you are analyzing the system from the outside.

Good luck!

Kitab Fi Jarida

One of the most fortunate incidents of my youth back in Jordan is being exposed to "Kitab Fi Jarida" (a book in a newspaper). Where you get a free book printed in a tabloid form. This great feast of culture is selected by a group of most known and respectable Arabic intellects. Kitab Fi Jarida helped me grow intellectually to a great extent as it offers a cheap and reliable source for Arabic culture.

Unfortunately I had to get disconnected from Kitab Fi Jarida when I moved abroad. This bitterness came to an end when I found out that they are now publishing their production online www.kitabfijarida.com. So now any Arabic reader would still get the chance to enjoy their cultural products. The website still has few pitfalls in terms of it didn't cover all their serier back to the beginning. And that it is hard to go over the books without first downloading them as a PDF. open the document, then see what the title of the book is. To overcome the second difficulty, I will be using this blog as a memoir for the number of issues that I particularly enjoy and hence recommend.

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The Innocents Abroad

I am currently reading The Innocents Abroad, by Mark Twain. The book shows a great style of writing an a good sense of humor. As I read through the book, I will type the quotes of it that made me laugh!

-...They were like nearly all Frenchwomen I ever saw-homely. They had large hands, large feet, large mouths; they had pug noses as a general thing, and mustaches that not even good breeding could overlook...p120

- ... The gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become, until he goes abroad. I speak now, of course, in the supposition that the gentle reader has not been abroad, and therefore is not a consummate ass. If the case be otherwise, I beg his pardon and extend to him the cordial hand of fellowship and call him brother.

- ... As far as I can see, Italy, for fifteen hundred years, has turned all her energies, all her energies, all her finances, and all her industry to the building up of a vast array of wonderful church edifices, and starving half her citizens to accomplish it...p202

- ... Look at the grand Duomo of Florence - a vast pile that has been sapping the purses of her citizens for five hundred years, and is not nearly finished yet. Like all other men, I fell down and worshiped it, but when the filthy beggars swarmed around me the contrast was too striking, too suggestive, and I said, "O, sons of classic Italy, is the spirit of enterprise, of self-reliance, of noble endeavor, utterly dead within ye? Curse your indolent worthlessness, why don't you rob your church?"...p203

- ... We never read of Pomprii but we think of that of that soldier; we can not write of Pompeii without the natural impulse to grant to him the mention he so well deserve. Let us remember that he was a soldier - not a policeman - and so, praise him. Being a soldier, he staid, - because the warrior instinct forbade hom to fly. Had he been a policeman he would have staid, also - because he would have been asleep. ... p265

a sad F1 story

Few months ago, a friend of mine asked me to go with her to the Bahamas on Christmas. She was paying for the whole fair and we haven't met for a while. I guess it was her surprise that I apologized as I won't be able to do that. The reason was simple. My student VISA has expired for a while. and I thought that this will not enable me to leave the continental US and come back. So I apologized to that friend and we went in our lives.

Recently I was doing some research on the procedures I need to take to renew my VISA. I discovered that my F1 VISA, even though it has expired, will never be a basis to deny me coming back to Florida after visiting Canada, Mexico, The Bahamas, and many other islands nearby. As long as my I-20 was maintained in the proper way. So I guess this was one of those moments where God's invisible hand was the upper hand. I will never know if not taking that trip with that friend , whom is enjoying the company of her new bf these days, would have changed my life to the better or to the worse. But it will definitely give me some story to tell.

Ravi Shankar's visit to Gainesville

I was fortunate enough to get tickets for Ravi's performance at the University of Florida Performing Arts center. It was a great opportunity to see this man that is an established mark on Indian music. The party was to start at 7:30 October 14th. We arrived on time and took our seats at the auditorium. While it was expected to see many people from Indian subcontinent as we have a big community here in Gainesville. I was taken by so many people from other races, especially the women, that were dressed with the traditional Sari. I am not sure what was the reason behind that. And I couldn't help but to relate to orientalism. What makes you wear the national outfit of other nation? Is it a sign of respect? Do you think that this shows that you relate to those people by buying their clothes (most of them are probably manufactured in China). And is it the same to say that you are pro-India even without knowing anything about this great nation, with its many flaws and we doings, just b/c you read about Ghandi or saw one or two movies about it?

If I was an Indian, I would have been annoyed little bit about that. Indian clothes have a good symbolic meaning for freedom and Independence as it was a symbol for rejecting colonialism in the last century. And this symbol should be kept for people that truly know India. Not some westerns with an unhealthy mixture of fantasies and some peaces of information here and there.

The same dogma had a negative contribution to the concert. Where you had people clapping and showing their respect in some immature way, such as clapping and standing for the master's pupil as he was the first to show up to, well, put up his masters sikar. Also when the drum player Mr. Tanmoy Bose, a great performer, had some high pitched sequence, he was interrupted by clapping while playing. It was sad to see Mr. Ravi raising his hand asking them to be quite until the man finishes his peace. This is a spiritual music, not a rock concert, I can hear him say.

India , through its great peace movement and it amazing achievements, had a great effect on my life. Especially through her great son Mr. Gandhi and his decedents. And I do feel some great spiritual attachments to the country. An attachment that I hope I would never spoil by showing a false affiliation to it by wearing the Turbin and a Duti one day to a concert. or by leaving my emotions un-attained and spoiling a part from some other fellows evening.

The concert itself showed some great music. Where there was less tructure than I was sued to. And the performence was planned to be more spontaneous between Ravi and his daughter. You see them playing their intruments together and back and forth with some great harmoney.

here is a link for some performence of his, long time ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gWCiLexilY

Islam and Economy

Amid the recent market crises. I heard some voices on Arabic media saying that this is the natural end for capitalism and that Islam is the right way for planning socio-economical policies. While I don't intend to defend capitalism. I do have a small question for those people: If Islam had such a great financial system embedded in its policies and teaching, Why aren't people using it? Even more: when did people use it and showed that it was successful? 1400 years ago? What proves that it will work for the current size of trading we whitness. Until these answers are given, that claim seems more like a political nostalgia rather than a credible statement. 

how to weigh overweight.

My first account with people hiving weight problems gets back to 4th grade. I had a class mate with this problem. I don't remember that any one caused him a problem except the teachers that might slide a comment or two, and might borrow his shoe if they decided to participate in a soccer game. Other than that my step mother was voluptuous for few years during my teen years and managed to get back to her usual looks. Back in the time Jordan didn't have any issues with weight as a nation. And we would be looking at TV commercials on American channels as something that doesn't relate to us. and my impression was that the US is filled with people with weights issues as it shows from the media and press reports.

That was in the back of my mind when I came to the US few years ago. But to my surprise, most of the students I met on campus were in great shape. I was later told that this is a very competitive area for both guys and girls so they try their best to stay in a good physique. and that I need to go to shopping centers or down town to see a clearer image. and that was true to some extent.

Recently I read that having few extra pounds might mean reducing your chances in life. Several studies show that overweight people have less chances of being employed or getting attention as possible mates. Some even go to the limit of saying that this is the new discrimination societies will face.

I understand why someones look can be a factor in getting a position such as a spokesperson or external relations manager. Things get less clear for desk jobs, unless there is a correlation between overweight and laziness. More important to my case is having an affair with some one that has problems controlling his/her weight. Would you commit yourself to someone that has a great persona, good future, fun, but has this image problem? It took me sometime to think about it when a similar situation happened to me. I was generally against that for few reasons.

If you want to go beyond the obvious issues such as physical attraction (as it is a matter of taste after all) it needs to be stated that there is probably a huge case of self-control behind that extra luggage. Most people know better than to get involved with a smoker or a heavy drinker because of the health issues their partner will face sooner or later. Same thing applies for obesity. I don't know how someone can overlook the fact that his partner is so careless about his/her own life and social looks. or that s/he cannot act to stop him/her self from destroying their bodies and their health.

What Friendship Means

Hello,

Some how you'd think that you are done with issues concerning how dignified a friend should be after you grew up beyond high school and teen years. That wasn't the case last week. When a girl I knew for almost a year came to visit some tourist attraction near my city with her boy friend. I don't know if it was my mistake, but i couldn't get over the fact that she didn't tell me about that. Even if she didn't want to see me, wouldn't it be the decent thing to send a message and say: "Hello, I am sorry I won't be able to meet you this time".

For many years, I considered my self surrounded with good friends. Maybe not the kinds that will stand in the way of a bullet for you, but the kind that will visit you in the hospital -or the sematary - if one hits you. What Roxy did takes her from that circle. I am glad if it took me all this long to find one bad friendship. this might indicate that I have a good taste for friends.