What do u do while waiting 4 the EAD?

[lore 0]

I just wonder... you are happy because finally you've been reunited with your loved one, you got married and now... 2 or 3 months with nothing to do.... just watching him or her bust her/his butt working while there's nothing you can do...

So I wonder.... how do you spend that time? I suppose there comes the time where you are totally saturated of reading, watching TV, working out, go shopping, cleaning the house, cooking.... and specially knowing that your better half is financially supporting you while you are not contributing... how do you deal with this? I'm kinda workoholic and I personally hate thinking that I may assume the role of Gabrielle in Desperate Housewives (except for the whole cheating part and the superficialities)... even if its only for a couple of months....

How do you guys dealed with this????????

[thesnowman 1]

I just wonder... you are happy because finally you've been reunited with your loved one, you got married and now... 2 or 3 months with nothing to do.... just watching him or her bust her/his butt working while there's nothing you can do...

So I wonder.... how do you spend that time? I suppose there comes the time where you are totally saturated of reading, watching TV, working out, go shopping, cleaning the house, cooking.... and specially knowing that your better half is financially supporting you while you are not contributing... how do you deal with this? I'm kinda workoholic and I personally hate thinking that I may assume the role of Gabrielle in Desperate Housewives (except for the whole cheating part and the superficialities)... even if its only for a couple of months....

How do you guys dealed with this????????

I will be in that situation when I move over and the question has crossed my mind. At the moment I am supporting us in the UK, when we move over there the situation will be reversed.

Although I will have our 7 month year old child to look after, so there goes any free time.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

My husband attempted to study his college accounting books to refresh his memory. He nearly went insane.

He then went out and got 2 volunteer jobs. He was much much happier being out of the house. In addition, he got some good united states based references and something to add to his resume.

[Rocio 0]

i got a library card........

starting fixing the garden.........

trying to figure out what to do next

[tomica52 0]

That is a great time to spend some "me" time. think about things that interest you and you never had time to do. Take a cooking class, get involved with some community service work... There are so many things...

A

[ladybutterfly 0]

My local career centre had a computer lab and offered free computer classes so I went and brushed up my computer skills. Something else to add to the resume and helped me get a job when the EAD came through.

[Cassie 8]

I did lots of crafts, went to the library, volunteered at a couple of places, and just got used to Oklahoma.

[lore 0]

You guys are great!!! I didn't think about volunteering... I hope I'll find any social work around my area...

Thanks for all the ideas I really appreciate them!!!

[kc456 0]

I was "lucky" -- I was pregnant (1st trimester) and dealing with morning sickness and it was GREAT not to go to work.

[Delane70 0]

Just keep busy with work and racing the car this year. along with chatting with her every night.

[shakysgirl 1]

I'm going to mention volunteering to my husband. He is going crazy. I am pregnant and work in an extremely stressful job. It's killing him sending me off to work each day while he is at home. He wants to get his career going in this country very badly so that when the baby comes I won't have to worry about work. We have really had a role reversal- in the UK he worked and I stayed home!

[germangel 0]

I did lots of crafts, went to the library, volunteered at a couple of places, and just got used to Oklahoma.

I know what you mean...Okie needs a big getting used to. Tulsa is kinda cool but only so much to do there. We should get our own brick town like the city

Edited April 22, 2006 by germangel

[CanGal 1]

I've read so much that it isn't funny. I can't drive so I am literally stuck here at home and there isn't anything close by that I could volunteer at if I wanted too. I go on a lot of walks with my pup, read alot, started a little vegetable garden on the back patio. I looked into getting back into school, take some correspondence classes. After awhile you do go crazy, I think i'm beyond that point now lol.

[hockeygal 0]

I'm already nervous about it.

It seems to be the latest anticipatory stress for my guy. He's worrying about me having no income at a time he's changing jobs, worried about my not knowing people, getting bored, worried about my spending habits, worried about my expectations for salary because it won't be anything I am used to etc. Worry worry fear fear.

Sheesh. I asked him if he ever thinks about the good stuff too, but since that isn't anything that could cause a problem and he can't stress over it, I guess it isn't as important.

[luv2teach77 41]

I was pretty lucky. My wife is a teacher so 8 weeks after I arrived in the US she started her 3 month summer vacation. We knew that we'd have to wait at least until the end of the summer to hear anything about my EAD so we spent the summer enjoying doing all the couply stuff that we'd missed out on waiting for the Visa to be approved.

I was a bit disheartened when she went back to school in August and I still hadn't heard anything about my EAD but at the same time I knew that at that time there was very little I could do about it. My wife started car pooling so that I could have the car a couple of days a week but I felt bad about using up the gas when I wasn't earning anything extra to pay for it. I tried to get out on by bike for some exercise every day and kept telling myself that although I'd rather have something productive to do with my day, I'd miss the time off once I was working.

In the end I was unemployed from March 2005 when I left the Uk until the end of January 2006 when I finally got a job. Obviously I wasn't able to even think about work until I'd applied for my AOS and EAD but then my EAD still took from May 2005 until October 2006 to be approved.

I was getting increasingly frustrated towards the end but I will always be thankful for the support from my wife. She knew that it wasn't me being lazy that was keeping me at home and that just like the wait we had to endure for our K-1, we were slaves to the system. No amount of moaning to each other was going to speed things up.

We like to think that we did as much as we could to minimise the impact of the wait for my EAD. I saved like I'd never saved before in the months leading up to my departure from the Uk and that helped keep the wolf from the door and ease some of the stresses me might have experienced. We also knew the process inside out and so fully expected there to be a number of months when I wouldn't be earning any money. Yeah it turned out to be 10 months instead of 3 or 4 but what can ya do ?? I also think it helps that generally i'm very laid back. I don't stress about things who's outcome won't be changed by stressing. I'd done all I could and the timeline was now in someone elses hands.

Try and stay positive and know that before you know it you'll be dreaming of lazy days off and how to spend all that money that'll be pouring in once you get your EAD !!

Mark