How do you know?? re Egyptian man

Submitted by amanda (Germany), Apr 28, 2008 at 12:47

My story is similar to your as opposed to many of the women who met men online.

I met a tourist guide (who had his own company which it later turned out wasn't making any money at all so he was work for a successful company). He came to visit me 2 months later (and paid for his tirp himself). I returned to visit him in his country and altho he paid for everything (God knows how!) I foolishly offered him money at the end of my stay so he could visit me again.

BY the time he was ready to buy a ticket, he had already spent half of what I'd given him on his family -perfectly acceptable by his standards but not by mine. when he came, many cultural differences emerged.

His ideas of relationships between men and women seemed to date from the 1950s in the US, if not from the Middle Ages! In the meantime he began to pressure me about marriage but I realized I would never share his views or have much to say to him after the magic wore off.

These men can be absolutely enchanting, but if things don't work out they turn off that charm faster than anything you've ever seen. It's as if they drop a mask. At the end, he was angry - not sad, but angry that I wouldn't marry him. that says a lot, I think.

A college education and a good job in Egypt and the US are very different! Check out that "good job" he has. Do you know enough about contemporary Egypt? It's not a fun place to live these days, esp. for women. As for putting your heart on the line, why not? I had great times with my boyfriend - for awhile anyway. If you can't get over him, get a therapist like I did - it's part of their job to pull people out of destructive relationships and they really help! Just don't put any money on the line. You can get your heart back but not your money.

How do you know?? You can't know. It would take time and several visits to find out what you need to know. You can't know that culture after 3 weeks and he's a product of it. He doesn't have to be a practicing Muslim. His cultural standards are bound to differ greatly from yours and they can be MUCH more of a problem than you realize now. Islam is a way of life, not just a religion. Take it from one who knows!

Read up on Egypt, Islam, think of some really fool-proof questions to ask him - and then go! Just try to keep your head on.

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