Adapting to USA

[Ney 0]

Hello All!

We've been talking a lot about activities and things friends and family can do to help my son's fiancée adapt to the USA when she gets here. I know that she will have a very difficult time with home sickness and we want to make her feel as at home as we possibly can.

For the petitioners, what did you, your family, and friends do to help make the transition more comfortable?

For the beneficiaries what helped you have a smoother adjustment? Looking back what do you think could've helped make it easier?

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!

Edited October 11, 2009 by Ney

[KGH 0]

hmmmmmmmmm, I been thinking about the same thing for my fiancee, I don't think that any one can help!!!!! as is different in different culture different family, age, and etc but is nice to hear for some other people

Hello All!

We've been talking a lot about activities and things friends and family can do to help my son's fiancée adapt to the USA when she gets here. I know that she will have a very difficult time with home sickness and we want to make her feel as at home as we possibly can.

For the petitioners, what did you, your family, and friends do to help make the transition more comfortable?

For the beneficiaries what helped you have a smoother adjustment? Looking back what do you think could've helped make it easier?

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!

[thongd4me 69]

I've never adapted to the US.

I still drive on the left and celebrate Christmas in July.

I always thought "Homeland Security" was a subsidiary of NASA

and that "family planning" was invented in India.

Celebrities' homes are bigger here because they need a bigger place

to keep their bigger TV sets.

[Jamaican JNR 2]

Hello All!

We've been talking a lot about activities and things friends and family can do to help my son's fiancée adapt to the USA when she gets here. I know that she will have a very difficult time with home sickness and we want to make her feel as at home as we possibly can.

For the petitioners, what did you, your family, and friends do to help make the transition more comfortable?

For the beneficiaries what helped you have a smoother adjustment? Looking back what do you think could've helped make it easier?

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!

Home sickness is a process that most of us experienced as new immigrants in the initial stage. Be supportive, a friend, a relative to your son's fiance. Reassure her that it will get better as time progresses. One of the first thing to do when she arrives is to welcome her into your family. Let her know that you all are there for her. Ensure that she has basic amenities e.g. clothes for the different seasons etc, furniture and closet space for her clothing items; ask what are her likes and dislikes in food, then try, even once in a while to accommodate her preferences (food,culture or music).

[TBoneTX 45,288]

There is a lot of this sort of discussion in the "Moving to the USA" forum, and I suggest to an organizer or moderator that this thread be transferred there.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

moved from K-1 forum

[rmncm 0]

Get either Direct Tv of Dish Network and subscrib to international programing from Iran.

[Ney 0]

Thank you all for your replies. The good news is my husband is from Iran and we already share the culture with her. I'm a USC and we have been married nearly 30 years. I know she will be busy at first with decorating her home, the wedding, and ESL classes. My worry is how to keep her busy while my son works after life becomes the "norm" and before she can continue her education.

[Mononoke28 135]

I personally think that it's all up to the immigrant to adjust to any country, if they try as much as they can to not necessarily become an "american" but to appreciate this new place, then that's half their battle. The US spouse or family member also has to do as much as he/she can to help them adjust and not expect that it will happen overnight.

It took about 3 months or so for my husband to start feeling comfortable. Getting a job and going to school full time for English classes also helped a lot. I showed him everything that was new to him and walked him through it, like using a washer and dryer, vacuuming, using the microwave, getting gas at the pump, paying at grocery stores, even explaining the culture and way of thinking, etc.

But again like I said earlier, it's all up to them because there's only so much that we can do to help them.

Diana

[Mrs.J06 4]

Time and a positive attitude!

[redglasses 1]

Having friends from the home country helped me a lot when I first came to the US.

I felt comfortable sticking with them in the native language until I got confident in my English skill and accustomed to the culture.

[filipinawife 0]

What helped me : the fact the my huband lived with me in PI before we moved here. After we got married he decided to stay. When i came here I was already well adjusted as a wife to him. 2nd, his family is very supportive, they made me feel like I was back home. 3rd I already have family members here so we visit them as often as we can. I am very luck I never experince what they call homesickness

[Jamaican JNR 2]

Hello All!

We've been talking a lot about activities and things friends and family can do to help my son's fiancée adapt to the USA when she gets here. I know that she will have a very difficult time with home sickness and we want to make her feel as at home as we possibly can.

For the petitioners, what did you, your family, and friends do to help make the transition more comfortable?

For the beneficiaries what helped you have a smoother adjustment? Looking back what do you think could've helped make it easier?

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!

Just stay focused, knowing that you are here for a reason. The culture here in the US is somewhat different from your own, but try and fit in and learn as much as possible.

[Tahoma 2,292]

Hello All!

We've been talking a lot about activities and things friends and family can do to help my son's fiancée adapt to the USA when she gets here. I know that she will have a very difficult time with home sickness and we want to make her feel as at home as we possibly can.

For the petitioners, what did you, your family, and friends do to help make the transition more comfortable?

For the beneficiaries what helped you have a smoother adjustment? Looking back what do you think could've helped make it easier?

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!!

> My husband looked for Filipino restaurants and Asian groceries near our home. It helps that he likes to explore and taste the different Filipino dishes too. He takes me to one of these restaurants once or twice a week.

> I was surprised to see the refrigerator with Philippine fruit juice and soda the first day I arrived here. What a treat!

> Almost all my clothes and shoes I brought with me are suitable for warm weather. We had to shop for my clothes and shoes to help me adjust to the climate here.

> He introduced me to his Pinoy friends.

> Also, he showed me our neighborhood and I am grateful for the accessibility and convenience of different shops and restaurants. Everything is just walking distance, just like the place where I grew up.

> We took advantage of the summer season and had a lot of road trips in and outside of WA.

> My husband has always been very supportive and very patient in answering all my questions about the U.S. way of life.

All of these made the adjustment easier for me.

I have been here for almost 7 months now and I never get bored.

I wish you luck and I hope that her adjustment to her new life will be as smooth as mine too.

~Chinook

[jjbandero 39]

I would suggest setting up some convenient ways of contacting her family, phone cards, webcams, Skype...

Help her make friends and feel independent - if you live in an area that is car-dependent, help her get her license so she doesn't feel like she is 'stuck'.