Moving to US without friends and family

[lucy87 0]

Hi Guys!

Are there any other lucky DV winners who are moving to the US on their own? Which is without family and friends, having nothing in America??

I am one of these people it will be hard as ** to start everything from the very beginning having no friends around...

... soo, that's why I was hoping to find some inspirational stories here

If you have any experience or have similar plan, then please share your thoughts - good tips will also be highly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lucy

[bsd058 296]

Hi Guys!

Are there any other lucky DV winners who are moving to the US on their own? Which is without family and friends, having nothing in America??

I am one of these people it will be hard as ** to start everything from the very beginning having no friends around...

... soo, that's why I was hoping to find some inspirational stories here

If you have any experience or have similar plan, then please share your thoughts - good tips will also be highly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lucy

My wife and I move around a lot. Though, when we move to Florida we'll be around friends and family. When I moved out west in Canada we had no friends. If you want to make friends you just need to show yourself as friendly. Introducing yourself. Going out with new friends. Gifts on birthdays. Baking a pie for a neighbor. Inviting them to a BBQ. These things sound cliche but people really appreciate them. I find these to be the easiest ways to make friends. You'll do fine to integrate yourself into society. Just be open to new things and be yourself! And try to say "yes" whenever people invite you out! Good luck on your move and congrats on the lottery!

My wife is a lot nicer than I am so she forces me to be a little more social than I'm used to. But I'm always glad when I put myself out there.

[cassecouilles 3]

Hi Guys!

Are there any other lucky DV winners who are moving to the US on their own? Which is without family and friends, having nothing in America??

I am one of these people it will be hard as ** to start everything from the very beginning having no friends around...

... soo, that's why I was hoping to find some inspirational stories here

If you have any experience or have similar plan, then please share your thoughts - good tips will also be highly appreciated.

Thanks,

Lucy

Congrats! Where are you moving to?

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

Try your hardest to live in a friendly neighborhood rather than an apartment building, if only for the reason that in the event of no family, neighbors can be that back up for you. I'd introduce myself to them with baked goods and try to make friends with them. I moved out to CT almost 5 years ago knowing no one and became very close to most of my neighbors. They will pick you up when your car breaks down, watch your dog, or help you out in a jam (expect to do the same in return).

Edited December 17, 2012 by Nola123

[Penguin_ie 5,994]

I moved with my husband, but did a couple of things that may help you:

1. A few months before we moved, I started looking on Facebook for social groups and charities in the area we were moving to that were close to my heart (reading/ book clubs and animal rescues in my case). I "liked" some of those pages and friended some people active on them, so I had some online friends who'd be willing to meet up once we got over.

2. Same with meetup.com, I found some local groups on there for "transplants" and, in my case, moms with your kids so I knew about events to go to shortly after we arrived.

As soon as you arrive, be social. It can be difficult as you'll be busy, but as mentioned say hello to the neighbours, maybe join a sports club or a book club or volunteer at a charity.

[lucy87 0]

Wow, thank you for the warm words

My destination is not decided yet... I will apply for a transfer within the company where I currently work. It is based in New Jersey. If they don't want me, then I was dreaming about Oregon or Texas.

I am also open if you have any advice of where to start the American Life

There is still some time to think, tickets are not booked yet

Thank you Guys!

[LeftCoastLady 441]

If you end up in Oregon, send me a message and I can give you a run-down on the state.

Wow, thank you for the warm words

My destination is not decided yet... I will apply for a transfer within the company where I currently work. It is based in New Jersey. If they don't want me, then I was dreaming about Oregon or Texas.

I am also open if you have any advice of where to start the American Life

There is still some time to think, tickets are not booked yet

Thank you Guys!

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

I have lived in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy before "visiting" India for 6 months and finally moving to Florida in 1986. I have seen quite a few of the US states and live in California since January 1991. Until 2001 I lived in Studio City, within the Los Angeles city limits, and when it got too bad there and I really wanted to find the perfect place to live, I looked at Santa Barbara and eventually ended up in San Buenaventura. I truly think this is the perfect place to live for me. There are very few alternatives: if money is no object then (1) the South of France, from Cannes eastward all the way to Monaco, or (2) Northern Italy, everything either around Lake Como or Lake Maggiore, or, alternatively, Tuscany, the "Toscana."

Since I doubt that I'll be able to afford an expensive lifestyle when I retire, I may either move to Northern California or perhaps to the Provence in France, where I can buy a small country home from the 1800s for less than $100K.

Now . . . I have visited the United States many times throughout my early days. I had an uncle who immigrated to the U.S. back in 1929 with $2 and a toothbrush in his pocket. I stayed in his North Palm Beach, Florida home many times and enjoyed the Florida weather during the winter months. However, in the summertime it's horribly humid, full of mosquitos, so not what I like.

What do I like?

Well, I like good weather. I want good weather most of the year. I like sunshine, blue skies, no clouds, and very little rain. I hate to sweat and I hate to be cold. For me perfect weather means that I can wear light clothing year round and feel comfortable. That's the case where I live since 2001. It's nice about 330 days of the year, and it rains perhaps 30 to 40 days a year, mostly during the winter. I rode one of my old Lambretta scooters to lunch today, wearing a T-shirt and jeans, and it was sunny and nice.

If you don't mind rain, love rain, go to Oregon. My choice here would be something outside of Portland. Also nice is Washington state, in the outskirts of Seattle. Lots of culture, bicycle riding, green, nature . . . really nice.

If you are a winter person, move to Colorado. It's beautiful there and you can enjoy winter sport activities to the fullest.

I would strongly advise against Texas, with the exception of Austin. Don't ask.

Also great is New England, but, again, only if you like rain. Connecticut is fantastic, upstate New York, New Jersey. There are some nice places in Florida and North Carolina as well.

Initially you will go through a phase of alienation. When I moved from Florida to California, it was raining cats and dogs (the expression comes from 1500s England, by the way) for days with no end in sight. I got depressed and it lasted 'til the sun came out and my mood changed. You'll make friends fast if you can communicate in English. After a while you will meet other Krauts and make friends from the old world. There are tons of German expats in Florida and I have friends who are retired who have a condo in Holly wood, Florida, where they spend close to 6 months per year on a B2 visa for over a decade now.

Once you have settled in, it will get better. At some point you will feel "at home." America will become your home. The one thing you should not do is move to hell. Hell for me is North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Alabama, Wyoming, etc. Just visiting my wife's sister in Laramie, Wyoming in winter of 2008 where it was so cold that my trustworthy Mercedes Diesel started to rattle like a bag of nuts, make me so depressed that I was barely able to enjoy Brice Canyon in Utah on the way back home to California.

Don't try to bring Germany to America. Embrace America for what it is and try to grow into this culture. Try to become American in your way of life, and it will all fit in. And give it some time. Moving to a new place is always stressful, and moving to another country on another continent is even more stressful. Since you participated in the Green Card lottery I assume that you like at least some things about the U.S.A.

I haven't been in Europe since April of 1994. I can buy everything I want here that you would get in Germany, from Nutella to Aldi stuff (marketed as Trader Joe's here) and Schwarzbrot, which they call Pumpernickel here. There is nothing I am missing here. Not a thing.

Welcome to America.

Edited December 19, 2012 by Brother Hesekiel

[TBoneTX 45,329]

Texas has no state income tax and has several very established German-immigrant communities in the Hill Country. Avoid Austin like the plague, because of traffic and other considerations.

[james&olya 1,121]

I would strongly advise against Texas, with the exception of Austin. Don't ask.

Welcome to America.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

If you don't mind rain, love rain, go to Oregon. My choice here would be something outside of Portland. Also nice is Washington state, in the outskirts of Seattle. Lots of culture, bicycle riding, green, nature . . . really nice.

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't rain that much in Oregon. It also depends on where you are, i.e. in the Willamette Valley or elsewhere in the state. That said, I would not recommend anywhere in Eastern Oregon or any of the Oregon Coast towns for a newcomer. Eastern Oregon is scary and the Coast is great, but pretty insular with limited opportunities for meeting people unless you have kids.

Stick with Portland, Bend, or Eugene as you'll find many others who are imports to the state (from across the US and around the world), plus the jobs and educational offerings are pretty much concentrated in those locales. Salem (the state's capital) is cute, but you'd get bored pretty quickly.

[Sandra G. 5,048]

If they transfer you to New Jersey send me a PM.I live 25min from New York City and I can show you NYC.

[lucy87 0]

Hah! Thank you so much for all your wonderful posts! :)

Brother Hesekiel, LeftCoastLady I will consider everything you wrote here.

Some of you mentioned Colorado, I spent 4 months in a small town in CO, it was incredibly beautiful and I really love that State

I also visited Texas (Austen) where random people in the streets made me think this is the craziest and the most friendly place

And about the rain... maybe I am weird but I really enjoy it

So by now, OR is my No. 1.

Thank you once again,

Lucy

[lucy87 0]

Oh, Sandra, if I end up in NJ I will def contact you many thanks!

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

My wife's sister and her hubby just purchased a 3+2 home in "Sweet Home" Oregon for $87K or so.

Beautiful there, just rains all the time.