UK AOS 2009 Thread

[KnightAndMagpie 7]

...just a quick hug to everyone! I didn't mean to neglect checking here, it's just that there's been so much to do and sort out.

Grats on the job Daymo! Also grats to those who got their green cards, good luck to those job hunting, and and and...I hope I haven't left anyone out. If I have, love to all!

:: runs away! ::

Magpie.

[Bob and Patricia 0]

...just a quick hug to everyone! I didn't mean to neglect checking here, it's just that there's been so much to do and sort out.

Grats on the job Daymo! Also grats to those who got their green cards, good luck to those job hunting, and and and...I hope I haven't left anyone out. If I have, love to all!

:: runs away! ::

Magpie.

Ditto. With 50 hour work weeks, continuing home remodeling, and my parents health problems, time is definitely at a premium.

The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.

Bob

[lovelyalex 99]

well I'll reply to myself, lol. It seems the only folk that reply to me here are gemmie, magpie and nichnick. thats cool because I just found out that my greencard has been produced or as they put it:

Document production or Oath Ceremony

On June 15, 2010, we ordered production of your new card. Please allow 30 days for your card to be mailed to you. If we need something from you we will contact you. If you move before you receive the card, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

Sweeet.............i'll wait for it to come in the post.... No more grief for two years. when it comes ,... I'm off to Canada for the day.

thanks to those that reply to me here, I really appreciate all your help over the last two years. all the best.

Prima

Thats awesome news! congrats!

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

So has the Missus gotten the GC yet?? Bet she's off in Canada somewhere. We got email from USCIS this week that they mailed us an approval letter March 2009. Yep, that email is over a year late.

We went to an afternoon baseball game--Houston Astros. Our neighbor gave us 4 nice club level tickets with free parking in the reserved lot. The Astros won and even had two home runs, so it was a good game.

[Ellie-and-David 38]

Congrats to all of those who have recently been approved!

Damien - congratulations on the job! :-)

We are crazy busy as well. Dave is working more hours than I can ever imagine doing in one week (60-80 some weeks) and I am full-time too. We are just grateful to both be working in a state where unemployment is so darned rife. I already managed to get a payrise out of my bosses and they are talking career advancement with me....so it's going well. Better than I could have hoped for!

Going back to blighty in September for a few days with a quick stop over in Paris. David is so excited about going to Paris. He jumped up and down like a little kid when he found out what my parents had planned for us. I was a little torn about having 3 of the 10 days in England taken away, but he works so hard, that he deserves the vacation as much as I do. I just cant wait for a little respite from the Florida heat!

I cant believe it is my one year anniversary of arriving in 4 days. How the time has passed.

Good luck on the job hunts guys. I took something completely out of my field just to get out of the house and get a little extra money in. I am so glad that I did that, it was a gamble but seems to be working out for us both.

[MARM 7]

Ellie, so glad that things are looking great for you two! Working long hours is tough, but as you say, it is alot to be thankful for.

As for us, hubby is doing great, but I dropped out of med school. No, I am not sad about this, because things were getting really tough. The stress is way too much for me to handle, and the expenses keep getting greater and GREATER. So the choice was to be made between either I stay in school for the next 4-5 years, let my health suffer, and come out with 300,000 in debt (yeah, with an MD, but what is the point when I have so much debt to begin with?) OR I finish my masters within the next 6 months and secure a good professional job I would enjoy. I am now on a fast track program to finish my masters in communication disorders and I already have old psychology professors emailing me with prospective job offers, so of course I am very happy with the decision.

How is everyone else doing? I, too, can't believe how fast time is going by!

Edited July 18, 2010 by MARM

[MissusM09 1]

Thats awesome news! congrats!

yeah i got the greencard towards the end of june.. its my Preeeeciousssssss! and its pretty too. I also passed my driving test a couple weeks ago,and i received my driving licence last week, so i'm all set.

so many of you are working and I'm just having the worst time of it here, I cant seem to get a break, I'm like "i'm a brit get me out of here"( ie Michigan) its just the worst. one day i applied to 30 jobs in ONE day, not a peep. so not really sure where to go from here. congrats to Ellie with the work and being able to go back home, Nich, i'm so glad you finallly know that the greencard is a real greencard, thanks to the approval letter.

Its such a difference from the panic and just stress of being away from your OH this time around. well two years better go quickly...

I hope everyone has a fabulous summer.

[Ellie-and-David 38]

yeah i got the greencard towards the end of june.. its my Preeeeciousssssss! and its pretty too. I also passed my driving test a couple weeks ago,and i received my driving licence last week, so i'm all set.

so many of you are working and I'm just having the worst time of it here, I cant seem to get a break, I'm like "i'm a brit get me out of here"( ie Michigan) its just the worst. one day i applied to 30 jobs in ONE day, not a peep. so not really sure where to go from here. congrats to Ellie with the work and being able to go back home, Nich, i'm so glad you finallly know that the greencard is a real greencard, thanks to the approval letter.

Its such a difference from the panic and just stress of being away from your OH this time around. well two years better go quickly...

I hope everyone has a fabulous summer.

Keep your chin up, a job will come along. Like i said, I took something completely out of my field (I was in education consultancy, contract negotiation and compliance) and I ended up getting a job as an internet sales associate in a shoe company and now I'm looking at being promoted to running the internet side of things. At the time I was thinking...WHAT HAVE I DONE! I have a friggin law degree which I am not using AT ALL now. But.....the bills needed paying, I was going mad and I had to take the pressure off of hubby. I sent my CV off and found something only a mile from home when I couldn't drive. Michigan has high unemployment, but stay positive and you'll find something.

Gemmie mentioned earlier that CV's are done very differently here, and I agree. You really have to big yourself up to get noticed. Do some research about resume construction. A lot of sites discuss the language you should use when applying for positions. Good luck sweetie, if you can endure and conquer the visa process....you can survive this.

Marm - to make that decision was really brave. I am so glad you are doing what is right for you now.

I'm off to make some dinner, I have seen my husband 3 times in 2 weeks (maaaaaaan, I hate his job) but I think I am coping much better with the separation than his colleagues wives do. After all, we had years of being apart for months on end. A couple of days to me feels like nothing in comparison. I have NO idea what to buy him for our 1st wedding anniversary on Sunday. Arrrgggghhh!

Edited July 19, 2010 by Ellie-and-David

[MissusM09 1]

Keep your chin up, a job will come along. Like i said, I took something completely out of my field (I was in education consultancy, contract negotiation and compliance) and I ended up getting a job as an internet sales associate in a shoe company and now I'm looking at being promoted to running the internet side of things. At the time I was thinking...WHAT HAVE I DONE! I have a friggin law degree which I am not using AT ALL now. But.....the bills needed paying, I was going mad and I had to take the pressure off of hubby. I sent my CV off and found something only a mile from home when I couldn't drive. Michigan has high unemployment, but stay positive and you'll find something.

Gemmie mentioned earlier that CV's are done very differently here, and I agree. You really have to big yourself up to get noticed. Do some research about resume construction. A lot of sites discuss the language you should use when applying for positions. Good luck sweetie, if you can endure and conquer the visa process....you can survive this.

Marm - to make that decision was really brave. I am so glad you are doing what is right for you now.

I'm off to make some dinner, I have seen my husband 3 times in 2 weeks (maaaaaaan, I hate his job) but I think I am coping much better with the separation than his colleagues wives do. After all, we had years of being apart for months on end. A couple of days to me feels like nothing in comparison. I have NO idea what to buy him for our 1st wedding anniversary on Sunday. Arrrgggghhh!

thanks for the encouragement Ellie, I needed it today. I hope your anniversary is ...Bombastic fantastic. ...lol.

[Gemmie 142]

yeah i got the greencard towards the end of june.. its my Preeeeciousssssss! and its pretty too. I also passed my driving test a couple weeks ago,and i received my driving licence last week, so i'm all set.

so many of you are working and I'm just having the worst time of it here, I cant seem to get a break, I'm like "i'm a brit get me out of here"( ie Michigan) its just the worst. one day i applied to 30 jobs in ONE day, not a peep. so not really sure where to go from here. congrats to Ellie with the work and being able to go back home, Nich, i'm so glad you finallly know that the greencard is a real greencard, thanks to the approval letter.

Its such a difference from the panic and just stress of being away from your OH this time around. well two years better go quickly...

I hope everyone has a fabulous summer.

Trust me, I really understand, I've been here for 14 months and still haven't found work. I am going out of my freaking mind! Tomorrow I have a phone interview with Brown University, it sounds like a good job (maternal and newborn psychiatry researcher) but I've learned not to get my hopes up. I was over the moon when I was offered that job in May and it never worked out (he never got the funding and he ended up wishing me luck for the future a couple months later).

Sounds tough, Ellie. I'm pleased that you're coping. Happy Anniversary

[MissusM09 1]

HI Gemmie,

sorry to hear about that job falling through. I just got me a part time job at macy's at the deli counter, its something to do while i get my perm job. In the meantime, i will be studying occupational therapy, or at least doing the prerequisites for the course, then applying to do the MA either next year or the year after. Personally I think its better that you just hack on doing it the way you are doing it if you can financially, simply because you wont feel like you are going backwards. I'm cool with doing some low paid menial retail work for now, i did it when i was studying and i made up my mind before i left london that I wasnt going to teach that ####### I was teaching anymore. I'm up for the change.

Working here is so weird, I have to let them know i'm going to the restroom, and not the loo, saying toilet is too out there (apparently) lol. I have slow down when i speak, because they dont always understand me, and i have to put up with stuff like, oh your accent is so pretty, and where you from, is that an accent at least 20 times a day, but i'm cool with that. I told them that they shouldnt copy my accent, that its common, and that they should go for a posh one. I forgot I had to explain wth Posh meant. OOOOOOOOh Americans, gotta love em

Gemmie all the best, inbox me if you wanna chat, would love to help in anyway poss.

xx

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Hi kids! It's been ages since I posted here....well a couple of months. Nothing too exciting happening here. We're the laziest time wasters on earth I think. It's very hot, but that's typical August. The outside temp thing in the car today said 105, but I think the hot concrete infuences that. Excitement of the day was that our cat had his teeth cleaned. He had to go get his shots last week and had some problems with infected looking gums. So today he had anesthesia, teeth cleaning, x-rays, one tooth extracted, antibiotic, pain med...... $380 !!! Can you believe that? Oh well, it's done and we love him so we'll get over it.

I got the bright idea this week that we should plan a honeymoon. We didn't get one when he came since we married quickly and needed to get caught up with the hurricane repairs, etc. Then last October we had just moved five days before and I was in the hospital. I talked them into releasing me the afternoon of our anniversary. I felt horrible. He was stressed from the move and worrying about me, and being uncharacteristicly snappy at me. It was probably the singular most horrible day of our entire relationship. Happy First Anniversary. Woohoo! So October is coming up and we can try to do better this year. I've always wanted to take a trip to see the fall foliage and New England. I've never been there, so it might be a good excuse to go. I'd like to rent a car and just drive around the countryside and see new sights. I've never been to Las Vegas either, but that's not at the top of my list. Anybody got any favorite places to go? LOL, the way this thread is going, it'll be Christmas before somebody posts again, so I won't hold my breath waiting for trip ideas.

[Bob and Patricia 0]

LOL, the way this thread is going, it'll be Christmas before somebody posts again, so I won't hold my breath waiting for trip ideas.

Well not quite Christmas but close enough. If you're looking for some fall colors Nich, I'd be inclined to do the Smoky Mountains in October. I went there 30 yrs ago with wife version 1. The trees all look like sugar drops on the sides of the mountains.

And since everyone else is jumping in with status updates I'll add ours. We had a lovely 1st anniversary. I took the day off from work and we went to a local resort and lounged around by the pool all day. Afterwards we got dressed up and had dinner out.

Pat's family is now here visiting for 10 days. The house is full with 6 adults, 2 kids and an infant. Our house only has 2 bedrooms so the overflow is sleeping in our pop-up camper. This Saturday we're having a wedding-vow-renewal-sort-of-ceremony. We have a full day of garden party planned with ceremony, dinner and party. This will be the first time the whole extended family met, her kids and grandkids, my kids, my sister with her crew, and my parents. We also have some friends coming in from Michigan and I'm thinking they will be sleeping on the living room floor Saturday night. Anyone else that partys too hard will most likely be set up in tents in the back yard... whooo hooo looks like a crowd for Sunday breakfast.

Pat has not gone job hunting yet, but with all our remodeling and garden cleanup (I was a bachelor here for 6 years), she's been quite busy around the house.

Take care everyone, hugs all around!

Us

[Gemmie 142]

Missus, well done on the job. I agree that it's probably good for you to get anything you can while you look for something else. I have to admit it took me a while to realise that I needed to try lower jobs because it felt like a blow to the ego. When I did, I was promptly rejected by Macy's several times, and Borders, Petco, banks, data entry etc never got back to me. I also had 2 phone calls and waited an hour to speak with an Irish lady last week about working in her pub part-time but her promise to call me back fell through. I don't know what the issue is. I think a big part of it is the area we live in, it's a tiny town connected to other tiny towns and there really isn't much opportunity here, hence why my husband also had no luck during his year-long job hunt. I really need this phone interview to go well this afternoon for my sanity. It wouldn't be so bad if we weren't still living with his parents. Our 1 year anniversary is coming up in a few weeks and even though I'm happy to be together, I can't shake the awful feeling that we haven't moved anywhere in life. Anyway I don't want to keep going on about it because I know it's horrible to drag others down. It's funny that you get all of those comments about your accent, I bet it does get tiring after a while.

Nich, Maine would be lovely to see in the fall. People always talk about the gorgeous colours and country view. I'd also love to see New Hampshire where I've been told about the mountains.

I love lovely Bob updates.

[Roselinda 5]

Hi Everyone!

I am also guilty of neglecting this lobby for a long while.

School has been kicking my butt recently, especially as I took summer classes. They were crazy. I made the mistake of taking three classes this summer only to find out that it is 16 weeks of work condensed into 8 weeks. How I forgot that the kids were on summer vacation at the time of registration is beyond me. I managed to pass all my classes either way so I shouldn't really complain.

I am about to do my driving test..... Yet another test I have to take in this country. The Americans certainly love a test.

We have finally moved out of my mother in laws home and now have our own place. It's perfect. Bliss!

Congrats to everyone who now have their cards and Good Luck to those waiting.

Hang in there those of you looking for work. I am sure it will get better. I know how hard it is to keep your head up when the rejections come thick and fast. You know what I found out though...not sure if it's true but it may help..these companies like to see some kind of US certification with regards to schooling. Before I started school I was applying for hundreds of jobs and just posting my resume with my English education history. I never got a single hit. I have since taken my GED and updated my resume on some of the job sites I was registered on. I am noticing a significant difference in the amount of employers viewing my resume and wanting to get in contact with me.

It's just a suggestion. But it may help to take the GED.

Good Luck everyone!