Do you really want your relative in the US ?

[Heracles 417]

The things we take for granted in Aus are simply nonexistent here.

Like many professionals that come here and earn a few bucks, we are actually in the process of moving back to Aus. Just not my cup of tea.

Edited November 11, 2009 by Booyah!

[AlHayatZween 2]

france maybe. is french food any good?

1 holiday only must suck, though.

Not as good as Brazilian food, i can say that much!

[Empress of Groovy 373]

The things we take for granted in Aus are simply nonexistent here.

Like many professionals that come here and earn a few bucks, we are actually in the process of moving back to Aus. Just not my cup of tea.

I think a prior post or two of yours may have suggested this.

[AlHayatZween 2]

I know young people in the UK who are self employed but are dodgy concerning taxes and giving value for money - they would probably end up in jail in the US

In America we call those people drug dealers and they will face some jail time if caught with enough drugs. If that's not the case, most deadbeats here don't go to jail because there are many in debt.

ALC, that's not an accurate statement... There are plenty of white-collar folks who evade their taxes for years. The only reason we don't hear about it is because they hire high-priced attorneys to clean up the mess for them. Agree with you about the deadbeats, however...

Back to the OP, we won't be bringing our in-laws here. They have their own lives & businesses in Morocco. In fact, lately we have been weighing the pro's & con's for ourselves here in the US... we still don't know what our plans are...

[Captain Oates 911]

Family is definitely something that affects someone's experience. It's something I definitely underestimated. Moving to the DC area, we have neither my wife's nor my family here. I'm not exactly keen on making any friends here, so it has impacted my experience.

My 'friends' seem like nice enough folk but I have nothing in common with them. I like target shooting so I go up to the range on a Wednesday and Thursday and we share coffee and have a laugh and tell stories.

But these guys are western cowboys and extreme church goers etc and as welcoming and friendly as they are (and they are very much so), I can't imagine going for a beer coz many don't drink, or have em round to the house coz they would be selling me on this church or that church. They talk about blasting groundhogs to bits and how their bullets smash the organs of the deer or blow the coyote's heads off or how they killed people in Vietnam. I joined the biking club too and when the waitress took the drinks order, everyone (20 or so) ordered water or lemonade or orange juice - I had a small beer and they all gave me the fish eye like I was Satan's disciple.

I guess a real friend that I could relax with is something I am not going to find either. It's taken me and my wife 5 years to get to the point where she relaxes and knows for certain sure that when I poke fun at some aspect of life in the the US, it doesn't mean I 'hate america'. I have to keep it zipped with everyone else coz they assume you are the enemy if you wait 1 second before saying how wonderful everything is.

I am getting along fine actually and don't want to go back permanently, but there is only me to get comfortable and not a whole family so it's easier. Sure is different though !

[AlHayatZween 2]

Family is definitely something that affects someone's experience. It's something I definitely underestimated. Moving to the DC area, we have neither my wife's nor my family here. I'm not exactly keen on making any friends here, so it has impacted my experience.

I joined the biking club too and when the waitress took the drinks order, everyone (20 or so) ordered water or lemonade or orange juice - I had a small beer and they all gave me the fish eye like I was Satan's disciple.

I guess a real friend that I could relax with is something I am not going to find either. !

Aww... well, don't lose heart... It takes time to make close friends anywhere. You never know who you will bump into.

Where are you living anyway?

[Captain Oates 911]

Back to the OP, we won't be bringing our in-laws here. They have their own lives & businesses in Morocco. In fact, lately we have been weighing the pro's & con's for ourselves here in the US... we still don't know what our plans are...[/color]

Ah give it some time....but the culture in Morroco must be very different and that makes it so much harder. Makes me realise how easy I have it really.

[Heracles 417]

My 'friends' seem like nice enough folk but I have nothing in common with them. I like target shooting so I go up to the range on a Wednesday and Thursday and we share coffee and have a laugh and tell stories.

But these guys are western cowboys and extreme church goers etc and as welcoming and friendly as they are (and they are very much so), I can't imagine going for a beer coz many don't drink, or have em round to the house coz they would be selling me on this church or that church. They talk about blasting groundhogs to bits and how their bullets smash the organs of the deer or blow the coyote's heads off or how they killed people in Vietnam. I joined the biking club too and when the waitress took the drinks order, everyone (20 or so) ordered water or lemonade or orange juice - I had a small beer and they all gave me the fish eye like I was Satan's disciple.

Preaching to the choir here. I have not met those types of folks, except one, who is from Alabama. I will say that US is quite a diverse place. It's not like the UK or Aus, where the countries are quite homogeneous in nature. One state can be quite different to the next. NE is little like the South; which is little like LA; which is little like the Midwest.

I guess a real friend that I could relax with is something I am not going to find either. It's taken me and my wife 5 years to get to the point where she relaxes and knows for certain sure that when I poke fun at some aspect of life in the the US, it doesn't mean I 'hate america'. I have to keep it zipped with everyone else coz they assume you are the enemy if you wait 1 second before saying how wonderful everything is.

You will find plenty of evidence of this in this forum alone. There are people who still believe the rest of the world envies the US and that it is still the land of the golden egg laying geese. Suggest the contrary and you are basically asking for Jihad on yourself.

Edited November 11, 2009 by Booyah!

[Marilyn. 340]

I know I am probably late to the conversation but I just wanted to add my 2 cents

My husband gets 15 paid vacation days a year and that is after being with the company for 5 years ...

he also gets 3 personal days and 12 sick days a year ..

and then he gets 6 holidays off with pay plus an extra paid day off for Thanksgiving and Christmas...

[Heracles 417]

I know I am probably late to the conversation but I just wanted to add my 2 cents

My husband gets 15 paid vacation days a year and that is after being with the company for 5 years ...

he also gets 3 personal days and 12 sick days a year ..

and then he gets 6 holidays off with pay plus an extra paid day off for Thanksgiving and Christmas...

I hate your husband now.

5 years though. I have never been in a the same company for more than 3 years. I get bored and have to move on.

Edited November 11, 2009 by Booyah!

[Marilyn. 340]

he did quit for about 5 or 6 months last year to try out a job in a different line of work but ended up going back to the same company but he didn't lose his seniority or anything...

he doesn't much like his job he has now but the pay and the benefits are good so he stays...

Edited November 11, 2009 by Marilyn.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

To BY

Didnt you see in there I said i'll get more after 3 years (in next July) so means i'm here with them about 2.5 years.. I got this benefit the first day i'm here. and the insurance is the best too.

That is an exception. My workplaces refuses to even give me unpaid leave.

If I was your boss, I'd give you a permanent vacation.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Unless the laws of math don't apply downunder (does money flow the opposite way?), I am sure that is factored into the cost of products as well.

No. Instead of charging $4 for a hammer, as per the US, they will charge people $7.50 and pay their workers a livable salary. It's why retail staff smile there rather than look dead, as they do here.

Where can you buy a hammer for $4? An Estwing is over $25.

So I pay $3.50 more so they can look nicer?

Not about the looks. People are paid a fair wage and in return it flows into the economy. Win / Win for all. Whereas, while only the shareholders and executives profit, people are paid jack sh-t here. After all, it's why these guys have you stooges believing it's wrong (bad bad bad) to discuss salary. They win, you lose. It's why they have repubs thinking that government anything is bad but private industry is better.

But you work here. So I guess that makes you a stooge too.

None of my relatives want to live in the US. They are all perfectly happy in Canada. They have good lives, don't have to worry about medical needs, have an excellent standard of living, friendly neighbours, clean, safe neighbourhoods, are either retired or have good paying jobs with good benefits, children enrolled in Universities with reasonable tuition and excellent reputations - and a snowblower in the garage . I never intended to fall in love with an American otherwise I would be happily still living in Canada too.

Spot on there. My family refuses to even visit. Prior to meeting my spouse, moving to the US was simply not an option. If I could go back in time (Butterfly Effect), I would have simply had my spouse move to Aus. I would never have even found VJ. Probably would have been less bitter and hateful too.

The quality of life I experienced in Aus, even with income lower to what I am earning here, is second to none.

But you're still here. Deal with it.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I'm not exactly keen on making any friends here, so it has impacted my experience.

It couldn't be your miserable, negative, egotistical, holier than thou attitude, could it?

Edited November 11, 2009 by spookyturtle

[Heracles 417]

I'm not exactly keen on making any friends here, so it has impacted my experience.

It couldn't be your miserable, negative, egotistical, holier than thou attitude, could it?

Must have missed the critical red part.

We don't like each other. Great! Now get over it.

Edited November 11, 2009 by Booyah!