Your quality of life in America

[Peggy 1]

I do. I dont care who you are or where you come from. When you move to another Country there is going to be things to adjust to. Whether its the food, the water, jobs, money, new in-laws, different languages, there is so many different things. If her man can do this with out saying one negative thing well all the more power to him.

I just dont think its possible to come here and not miss something from your home.

Noone on here is bashing the USA. There saying what they miss about home, there is a difference.

Some people just think they know it all. Negative people are everywhere.

I agree, and maybe Shon's husband will have to adjust more than she thinks...but what is also important is the outlook you have about changes that makes the difference in how good or bad a time you have of the adjustment period. Some people can have a rougher time of it, yet take things more in stride. For others it's harder... not right or wrong, just different.

Not really. here is the Edge. My husband has full flight benifits because, I work for an airline

so if he wants to visit his family no problem!

So you think just because he can fly home for free that he is not going to find it hard adjusting.

WAKE UP

Edited March 22, 2006 by pink_roses

[Cassie 8]

I worked my butt off to get my degree, to get my credentials, and my experience, and it's frustrating to no end to not even be considered for jobs because of where those credentials/experience/degree were earned, or have them not recognized for their full value.

I understand and sympathize with you about this. But you shouldn't be offended by my comments about desire and will. You know you are not getting full consideration for you hard work, that is why it is going to require more desire and will to get American experience and maybe take a few more classes to get what employers require. To sit around and complain, even if it is a legitimate complaint isn't going to help bring money to the home.

I love that -- just take more classes. Sure, no problem, once we get my current student loan balance paid off, I'll get right on that. Sorry if that comes off as rude, but sometimes suggestions are great in theory and not so good in reality. I'm with Lily on this one -- I am already qualified! Unfortunately, there is no extra money lying around to take classes in stuff I already know.

So, I'm currently working my butt off volunteering my administrative skills, and knowing the situation, they will probably hire me once things get rolling and they can afford paid staff. As much as I enjoy what I am doing right now, it's not where my passion lies and not what I trained in, and I have resigned myself to the fact that I probably will not work in my previous profession while I live here. And frankly, that makes me sad, because I was GREAT at it.

But that's neither here nor there, really. I will restate my original point, in that my hubby adds to my quality of life and makes up for the things I gave up to be here, and that's all that really matters.

[daisy16 0]

Of COURSE being with my hubby adds to my quality of life. Unfortunately, that would have added to my quality of life in Canada. Being here has brought down my quality of life and being with hubby is great, but it doesn't balance things out. In fact, it's pushed back 20 YEARS. Yes, I haven't lived hand to mouth for 20 years and I HATE IT. Part of it is the lower financial aspects, but it's also other things.

As cassie and others have said, I'm already qualified for work here, over qualified in fact, but I'm working at a job that is a slap in the face. People treat me like dirt because they don't see me as equal - because of my job, because of my immigrant status. I did minimum wage work at 20, I don't want to be broke at 40. I should be saving money for retirement, not worrying about paying bills. THAT's a drop in quality of life.

I live in the boonies. It's a 2 hour drive to any University and 2 of the 3 within driving distance are in other states. I had hobbies in Canada, but again, I haven't gotten involved in them because it's so far to drive. So because I'm here, I don't do them, and that's a drop in my quality of life.

I had a great house in Canada, and now we live in a dump of a trailer. I'm glad my family can't see this place because it's disgusting. Not because it's a trailer, but because of the shape it's in. Another drop in quality of life. And we can't get a house because I have no credit rating.

I couldn't get a license or credit card. What BS is that? Another drop in quality of life. It beats me down when people and society treats me like this.

I live far away from my son and I miss him terribly. That's a drop in my quality of life and his too. I was his support system and I left. And for that reason I regret moving here. I thought I'd made the right choice but I was wrong.

I worry about health care. I made the comment to my husband as we were discussing a report about breast cancer research - I'd hate to have cancer here, because we can't pay for health care. I can't go to the dentist. The worry brings down my quality of life. I don't get check-ups, which brings down my quality of life.

Yes, I moved here. It was my choice. I know that, and I'm starting to come to terms with this. You may or may not realize that this long drawn out reply has less anger than I usually have which means things are improving. However, I don't like living here because of what I gave up and what I lost. Most people seem to love their own country, nothing wrong with that, whether you're USC or any other. It may bother certain people because some of us don't find the move here to be a step up. Too bad. The only thing I was missing in my life was my man. He should have moved to Canada, but he didn't. Yes there are great things about this country. There are things that suck about the US. There are things that suck about every country, including Canada.

Best of luck to all who have to adjust. It ain't always easy, even for some of the USC.

[john_and_marlene 162]

I lived in Germany for 3 years. They didn't have a Taco Bell

[tsunamihart 0]

Wooo, where does one begin in a thread like this, carefully moriarity carefully. Ok Cristina is a big city girl (Madrid) She would probably say that the std of living is about the same but with some caveats: I'm sure she'd say that it's great that the housing is cheaper, but the overall costs are more. When you buy in Spain, you pay your tax for the sale of the house and then your done, right now we pay about $7000 a year in taxes on the house and that just floors her. Her std of living in some ways though in my mind is worse, she needs to work, (hopefully friday she'll be hired by a great company for a bi-lingual job) whereas in Spain because she was smart and invested well in housing(apts.) she really worked when she wanted some extra scratch. Of course she has less friends but she is very outgoing and the lack of friends should last about 30 more seconds She misses her family, Parents and relatives, it's a huge extended family, but she does have her brother, my best friend here. Being a city girl, she misses good public transportation and hates to rely on a vehicle for everything, again we've moved to an area where we can if we want to get out and about and walk to those conveniences and neccesties for life (you know blockbuster, CVS & gelado ) I still forsee us in the future of settling back in Spain, possibly in the next 5- 10 years, for me, I don't care where I am as long as I am with her and I thought from the beginning when we made the decision to live here, that someday I would reciprocate and move there. Hmmmm, surrounded by water, Tapas and Paella...what to do, what to do???

Canadalaura & Mr. Canadalaura RAWK! I hope your hubster gets transferred at some point closer to a big city for you city-girl!

We're outta here in a year - and moving to Boston (we can't wait!) Oooh... I get excited just typing it. I LOVE Boston!

Hey CanadaLaura- if you move to Boston (for Work) I hope you live outside it, like in NH (Manchester is great, as well as Merrimack) but living there is one of the most expensive cities in the US, so if you do I hope the jobs pay well...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

When you buy in Spain, you pay your tax for the sale of the house and then your done, right now we pay about $7000 a year in taxes on the house and that just floors her.

I hear you on that. My wifes parents own a home in India and while they do have to pay property taxes, it is a miniscule amount. The fact that we have to pay around 6000 a year in taxes on the house here is amazing to her. Sometimes I think maybe I might be better off in an apt

I lived in Germany for 3 years. They didn't have a Taco Bell

Whenever I visit India I can't get a decent burger. For starters, beef is like a sin or something out there. First thing I do when I fly back is hit a burger joint!

[canadalaura 0]

We're outta here in a year - and moving to Boston (we can't wait!) Oooh... I get excited just typing it. I LOVE Boston!

Hey CanadaLaura- if you move to Boston (for Work) I hope you live outside it, like in NH (Manchester is great, as well as Merrimack) but living there is one of the most expensive cities in the US, so if you do I hope the jobs pay well...

Yup, it is quite pricey! we don't plan on living righ tin Boston proper, rather Quincy where my husband plans on joining the fire department (along with all the other males in his family!).

Only problem with living in NH and working in mass is tha you have to pay both state's taxes! Eeek! I'm off to grad school when we get back and then hopefully a high-paying pharma job

eta - I am quote-stupid.

Edited March 22, 2006 by canadalaura

[chri'stina 190]

For those who are worried/stressed out about jobs...I'm not trying to add to the worry because I think eventually you will be in a better situation. But even for me, a USC, it has been hard finding jobs in my area. It really does matter where you live. If you live in a small town, there won't be a lot of opportunity. Where we live, this specific town has a population of maybe 80,000 but we are surrounded by other small cities all the way down to Clearwater, St. Pete, Tampa, etc. My whole surrounding population in a 50 mile radius is over 1 million. The closer you go to Tampa & Clearwater, the more opportunities.

But, in my specific town, there are not many opportunities. The summer of 2004 I was desperately looking for a decent job in my city, which was very hard. It took me 3 months of searching, going through about 5 different interviews, before I finally found a place advertised in the newspaper(check your papers). It was a cute small private school that I didn't even know existed in my town! And the pay was higher than the other jobs I was interviewing for. Most of the jobs in my town are nursing, medical assist., medical office type jobs because of the large amount of retirees. I got interviewed at several Dr's offices...but the question always came back "Why do you want to work here when you have a degree?". I just wanted to laugh when they'd ask that. Coming up with an answer they'd believe was hard, but I was being truthful. There were no stinking jobs in my town for my degree and I JUST NEEDED a job, what can you do with a BA in Sociology??? Basically nothing. But I couldn't say that or they'd think I was pessimistic, so I'd have to think of some other reasons.

But eventually I found the school job, and guess what the requirement was to get interviewed? You must have a bachelors degree, in any field, you just have to show that you graduated from college. And then they loved me there, and it was huge relief after getting turned down by so many offices.

Big cities seem to have the most opportunity. If we lived in Tampa I would have had much better options. I did work there and go to college there but I was tired of driving far so I wanted to find something in my town.

It's true that if you moved to a really small town in the US, that does not have a bigger city nearby, it will not be easy. But keep trying and try not to get too discouraged. Sujeet found a job quickly but he has to drive an hour each day towards the more populated area.

[Cdnwmn 0]

For those who are worried/stressed out about jobs...I'm not trying to add to the worry because I think eventually you will be in a better situation. But even for me, a USC, it has been hard finding jobs in my area. It really does matter where you live. If you live in a small town, there won't be a lot of opportunity. Where we live, this specific town has a population of maybe 80,000 but we are surrounded by other small cities all the way down to Clearwater, St. Pete, Tampa, etc. My whole surrounding population in a 50 mile radius is over 1 million. The closer you go to Tampa & Clearwater, the more opportunities.

But, in my specific town, there are not many opportunities. The summer of 2004 I was desperately looking for a decent job in my city, which was very hard. It took me 3 months of searching, going through about 5 different interviews, before I finally found a place advertised in the newspaper(check your papers). It was a cute small private school that I didn't even know existed in my town! And the pay was higher than the other jobs I was interviewing for. Most of the jobs in my town are nursing, medical assist., medical office type jobs because of the large amount of retirees. I got interviewed at several Dr's offices...but the question always came back "Why do you want to work here when you have a degree?". I just wanted to laugh when they'd ask that. Coming up with an answer they'd believe was hard, but I was being truthful. There were no stinking jobs in my town for my degree and I JUST NEEDED a job, what can you do with a BA in Sociology??? Basically nothing. But I couldn't say that or they'd think I was pessimistic, so I'd have to think of some other reasons.

But eventually I found the school job, and guess what the requirement was to get interviewed? You must have a bachelors degree, in any field, you just have to show that you graduated from college. And then they loved me there, and it was huge relief after getting turned down by so many offices.

Big cities seem to have the most opportunity. If we lived in Tampa I would have had much better options. I did work there and go to college there but I was tired of driving far so I wanted to find something in my town.

It's true that if you moved to a really small town in the US, that does not have a bigger city nearby, it will not be easy. But keep trying and try not to get too discouraged. Sujeet found a job quickly but he has to drive an hour each day towards the more populated area.

You are right in your post about it depending on where you live.

Where I am the biggest city close to me is Boise (15/20 minute drive away) with a population of over 200,000 and that's where I've been interviewing for half of the jobs I applied for. They pay the same wage as in my small city of 56,000. The next largest city is Salt Lake City which is 6 hours away from me and from what I'm seeing don't pay any better. If I went into training to be a Police Officer, a nurse or even a teacher, I could be making $16.63 an hour as a police officer (oops I have to be a citizen for that position), $18 an hour as a nurse and $28,000 a year as a teacher. I'm 47 years old now and I can't afford to go back to College for training on any of this.

I've pretty much accepted that this is the way it is but it's hard...know what I mean? I feel like my over 20 years of experience and skills really don't account for much. Like I said I'm not the only one complaining about wages, I hear it from the USCs themselves and those in professional careers too.

Good luck to everyone out there.

[Canuck Carrie 1]

While I will be making less money, and will have less things to do (until I figure out what there is to do in my new city) I will also be leaving

- high crime rate

- traffic jams

- pollution

- sky high rents

- crowds

- cement everywhere

Going from a city of 2.5 million people to one of 90,000 might take a bit of adjustment, but I'm tired of the fast-paced, big city life. Adios Toronto, it's been fun!

And no more snow!

[canadalaura 0]

No snow is AWESOME.

[daisy16 0]

I love snow.

Last year in Ontario $80,000 CDN

New job, priceless, errr, well, you get the drift

I'm sure it makes a huge difference where you live. I have the high cost of living of NY, but since we're outside of NYC by 2+ hours, the wages are poor. The closest town only has 1 high school, and kids are bussed from almost 1/2 an hour away, if that tells you how small it is.

last post was kinda long, eh

Oh yeah, the town I used to work in had 5 high schools, for your comparison - just more useless info

Edited March 23, 2006 by daisy16

[thndrdancr 0]

This is an amusing thread. You know, even people in America relocating have adjustment issues, depending on where they move from/to.

I dont see it as complaining so much, as venting. I can imagine how someone who loves the city and the easiness to get around and the ability to do things all the time and things open 24/7 has a VERY difficult time adjusting.

I can relate to this. I really hate the city, but most people really would NOT call Lincoln, Nebraska a CITY by any stretch of the imagination. In the last 3 years, my sis bot a cabin on the Missouri river, and I grew up in a small town myself. So I have discussed these issues many times over with many people. I would LOVE to live up there, its out in the STICKS, you can sit and drink your coffee in the morning and watch the deer play out the window, or turkeys rove by, etc. I THINK I could live there easily and be at peace. Every once in a while, a car goes by, and you get excited. Its always someone you know. Its 8 miles from the nearest highway. I feel like there is always something to do, go down to the river, play in the mud, swim, go 4 wheelin, fish, outdoorsy stuff. Now...on the OTHER hand...my sis who is the social bug, goes NUTS if we dont go into town EVERY damn day. To HER, there is NOTHING to do, unless she is going to the casino, dances, social activities.

And I must admit, in Lincoln, you MIGHT be able to get away with not having a car, unless you have 2nd or third shift work. There really is not extensive transportation to get around town. Now up there, you HAVE to have a car, preferably a truck. HAVE to. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Its 8 miles to the nearest town, and 50 to the nearest town with a Walmart. The nearest grocery is 23 miles. If you DONT want to run to town every day, you have to plan your buying for the week ahead. When I have been up at our lil cabin, I have discussed over and over with a few folks that live there. The neighbor guy eventually ended up divorcing his wife, becuz she was a city gal, and he was a farmer. They loved each other dearly, but it ended up splitting them, becuz she felt like her spirit way dying when in the country, and he felt like his was in the city. So I think it just depends on the person and what they love as well to some degree. This country is SOOOOO diverse, you can get culture shock moving just a couple states away. I find it funny, but I consider many areas of the US "like another country". We totally drive New Yorkers nuts, becuz we talk slow and think about things before answering. It doesnt mean we ARE slow but its many times seen that way. I have had a few "issues" with boyfriends that were city guys, just because they have different values than I. They panick if they dont have a big store open 24/7 within a couple miles. One I went out with ran from a mosquito and I didnt date THAT one anymore either.

Is there a "sticks" in England? I know its pretty populated. I KNOW there is in Canada, but probably, if Canada is anything like here, no one in the "sticks" uses a computer yet. So most of them also will be from a city or close thereabouts.

Well just my 50 cents worth...I can never just stick to one small paragraph.

[Peggy 1]

Well I have my first interview tomorrow

Well actually I had to take 4 tests the last two days here.

I passed the 4 tests,(making really good marks too) Now if I can pass this one test tomorrow I will be employed.

Only thing is, the test is to do with computers, and this chick doesnt know to much about them.

If I dont get it. I will just start looking again.

Its not the best wage but its not min wage either, so thats good.

I am trying to stay positive about it, but we will see what happens tomorrow.

Dam I need this job

Not only for the money to help our family, but for piece of mind.

I dont hate this Country. I hate this process of getting here then waiting for the Ok to be normal again.

[thndrdancr 0]

I often wonder why Canadians and UK'ers move here. From what I know about their health care system, conpared to ours, I am wishing I married someone from there. Health care panics me in this country, I have NO insurance and havent for over 3 years now, when they raised my policy to over $800 a month, becuz I am diabetic. So...I married the wrong guy!