Your quality of life in America

[ktun 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.

Does England have the sticks?! Well, see the thing is with England/UK is that it is such a small land area with a large population in it. It is just about the size on Iowa/Nebraska combined, if not smaller and with a population of about 65 million. There are very many beautiful areas of countryside and it can be very peaceful, but really very few places would ever be 30 miles from a supermarket. What I miss a lot is that pretty much anywhere I wanted to go was withing 90 minutes to a 2 hour drive from where I lived. I could be in the countryside within 30 minutes going one way and 20 minutes from central London on the tube going the other way. As you know in this area you cant really get anywhere in that amount of time.

Also I find that there are a lack of leisure facilities here. I'm a few minutes away from Omaha, NE which apparantly has a population of around 500,000 but there is NO public swimming pool that is open year round. Just a handful that are outdoor and open from June - September, or the kind at gyms/healthclubs with very expensive membership fees. In England any decent sized town or even many villages would have an indoor public pool open year round, some with waterslides etc. I find it crazy here that with the long cold winters we have, there is no such similar thing. Nor anywhere I can find that you can go to a fitness class, like step or spinning and just pay for the class you attend, not huge monthly fees. Even the ice rinks only have a couple of public skating hours a week.

The town centres are very different here to England too, in England many or even the vast majority have pedestrianized areas where all the shops are, or a high street that all the main shops are so you walk through the town. It creates a nice atmosphere and focal point. Here you do rather have to drive everywhere. And even in our busiest towns, central London, Birmingham etc there are cycle lanes so you can ride a bike.

I have nothing against the countryside at all. My father in law is 7 miles from us and he has a farm and it is beautiful there, the air is so fresh and clean and it is so peaceful, the dear come right up close to the house at night and there is a creek at the bottom or the orchard, I like to visit there. I could not live there though!!

***********

Pink_roses, I'm with you on getting 'normal' again. I think my perspective will probably improve once I am working and perhaps decrease the sense of dislocation. I will feel useful then instead of helpless like right now. And GOOD LUCK tomorrow, hope you get the job!!!!

Edited March 23, 2006 by ktun

[MBJM 0]

WOW, so far pretty much everyone has a negative experience of moving here.

I too am having a hard time making friends/meeting people, and I absolutely dread seeking work once the EAD arrives (if it ever arrives). I want to work, but looking at some of the pay offered makes me kinda sick. It's pretty disgusting. Also I wont be able to do what I'm trained to do. I was a pre-school/kindergarten teacher back home and I wont be able to do that here without going through the American qualification system/college and certification and really cant afford that right now. So I guess I will be taking a low paid job as I'm not qualified to do anything else really.

Both my husband and myself would prefer to live in England, but financially, we just cant do it right now. Selling the house we have mortgage free here, probably wouldn't even be enough for a decent deposit over there.

Maybe things would be different if we lived near a big city like Chicago/NYC, but then the property prices are much higher there too, so again cost comes into it. We visited Chicago at Christmas and I did really like it, maybe if we save all our money for the next couple of years......?

Thanks for the replies people, it is interesting to read other people's experiences. Keep them coming

Kate

Hey if you still want to work in pre-school, you should look in to Montissori schools, I worked with one when I was in college and you don't have to be certified and they pay pretty well. I think I made close to $10 in Idaho where the min is 5.50 and pay is horrible....so it was good pay for Idaho....

anyway just a thought

Megan

[raphael7546 0]

Also I find that there are a lack of leisure facilities here. I'm a few minutes away from Omaha, NE which apparantly has a population of around 500,000 but there is NO public swimming pool that is open year round. Just a handful that are outdoor and open from June - September, or the kind at gyms/healthclubs with very expensive membership fees. In England any decent sized town or even many villages would have an indoor public pool open year round, some with waterslides etc. I find it crazy here that with the long cold winters we have, there is no such similar thing. Nor anywhere I can find that you can go to a fitness class, like step or spinning and just pay for the class you attend, not huge monthly fees. Even the ice rinks only have a couple of public skating hours a week.

I hear ya on this one too. There's NOTHING to do here!

Our town has a outside Pool but its too cold to go swimming . There's No ice rink at all. There's one Gym.

They're in the process of building a rec center in the downtown core which is quite far from me. but its only in the planning stages and will take years to complete.

The whole Job thing and being apart from my daughter is getting to me.

[thndrdancr 0]

Kate,

Havent read all of your post yet, but just thought of somethin. Not a whole lot of people know it, but many public high schools that have indoor pools let the public use them for FREE most of the time, but you have to call them to see what hours are available, becuz sometimes there are swimming events, or some such. But most of them have a couple of evenings and/or afternoons a week where they are open to the public. I had actually forgotten about this until today, when I was thinking, gosh, indoor pools sure are expensive, and I would really like to go, omigosh, epiphany...FORGOT my local high school, dang. Ok, I am gonna call them tomorrow and see what days they are open and if its free or if they have started charging. I know this is an option most states have that not many people really know bout it, I went out with a guy in Pennsylvania that lived near a middle school that also had pool access 2 days a week. Check it out.

Oh and I sent you a PM last nite, but its not showing in my outgoing, so not sure you got it.

ok, back to reading the rest of the posts...

[MBJM 0]

As the USC I am a little shocked at the reaction of some of the USC's on here.

I am engaged to an amazing man from Uganda, luckly for the time being I am able to be with him here in Uganda. But we know that once we are married we will move back to the states.

I am humbled that he would leave everything he knows for me, for the chance of having a life togeather.

I expect that things will be hard for him at first, sadly americans can be a tad bit predujdice when it comes to giving jobs to forgieners. I know it will be harder then he expects to find a job.

I know it will be hard for him to leave all his friends and family and to get to know all of mine.

I am already comming up with ideas of how to keep him busy and active until he can work. Signing him up for community recreation and hopefully an adult soccer league.

As I have lived in another country for about 9 months now (and will be here for at least another year and 1/2) , I know how hard it can be to not be "home". I excpect him to go through hard times and adjustments and plan on being there to support him every step of the way.

I can understand where it would be a lot hard to come from a 1st world country to america, so I admire all of you who have done so for love. I wish that my country dint' make it so hard for your past education and work experaince to transfer over here. I hope that you will all find a job here that not only helps pay the bills but that you enjoy.

Good luck on your life here..thanks for putting up with us americans :-) ( and no I don't mean that bad towards americans, but when you are in a diffrent culture sometimes you do have to "put up" with the locals..I do love america and can't wait to come home)

okay I will end my rant now....

Megan

[American Lass 0]

We haven't moved over officially yet, but in the times my fiance has visited my hometown in the US, he definitely has thought the standard of living was higher. It's cleaner, friendlier, much cheaper, less obsession with getting drunk, safer, much prettier, and SUNNIER. (I live near Boston. He's from the UK.)

I think that those of you who think your quality of life is lower probably moved from a big city to out in the middle of nowhere. That would probably make anyone unhappy, no matter what country they're moving to. There are great places in the US that show a definitely improvement in quality of life, so don't give up on America yet.

Try this link: Find Your Spot

[canadalaura 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!

I moved here for my husband - and that's all! Also, for a lot of well-educated Canadians, the potential to make a lot more money inthe states DOES exist in certain fields (not down here in SC though, hehe!)

I will have to say that having a job (regardless of what the pay is) has done WONDERS for the adjustment process... for those of you waitng for EAD/the first job, it gets SO MUCH BETTER

[sparkofcreation 0]

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".

Agreed! We just moved from New Jersey to New Mexico. Talk about culture shock! I love it here, but that doesn't mean it's not completely different from everything I'm used to.

Gareth likes it better here, he says it's less like Scotland than NJ is, so it makes him less homesick.

[Cdnwmn 0]

As the USC I am a little shocked at the reaction of some of the USC's on here.

I am engaged to an amazing man from Uganda, luckly for the time being I am able to be with him here in Uganda. But we know that once we are married we will move back to the states.

I am humbled that he would leave everything he knows for me, for the chance of having a life togeather.

I expect that things will be hard for him at first, sadly americans can be a tad bit predujdice when it comes to giving jobs to forgieners. I know it will be harder then he expects to find a job.

I know it will be hard for him to leave all his friends and family and to get to know all of mine.

I am already comming up with ideas of how to keep him busy and active until he can work. Signing him up for community recreation and hopefully an adult soccer league.

As I have lived in another country for about 9 months now (and will be here for at least another year and 1/2) , I know how hard it can be to not be "home". I excpect him to go through hard times and adjustments and plan on being there to support him every step of the way.

I can understand where it would be a lot hard to come from a 1st world country to america, so I admire all of you who have done so for love. I wish that my country dint' make it so hard for your past education and work experaince to transfer over here. I hope that you will all find a job here that not only helps pay the bills but that you enjoy.

Good luck on your life here..thanks for putting up with us americans :-) ( and no I don't mean that bad towards americans, but when you are in a diffrent culture sometimes you do have to "put up" with the locals..I do love america and can't wait to come home)

okay I will end my rant now....

Megan

Nice post. Thanks!

[babybunny 2]

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

it will make adjustiing easir. dont be jealous. so go back to sleep..

[Canuck4USA 0]

I would say that the quality of life is about the same as it was in Canada...except that I am not happy with the health care system here at all....You pretty much have to have a good job in order to get health insurance at a reasonable cost....I work for a small company and they want 550.00/month for health insurance.....luckily enough my wife has excellent health insurance at her job..but if she ever loses her job..there goes the health insurance too.

Also...my mother in law had breast cancer a few years ago and will soon retire..She told us that once she retires, she loses her company health insurance and will not be able to find an insurer because of her history of cancer...Talk about kicking someone when they are down.

I just wish the U.S could come up with a universal health care system for everyone..I would gladly pay higher taxes for it...Thats my only gripe with America.

Edited March 25, 2006 by Canuck4USA

[Oulupair 0]

its always the UK and CAN nationals talking ####### about OUR country.

The US doesn't have the lock on the best of everything in the world, some countries do some things better, and that's not a bad thing, it's just reality. For example, Hershey's does not = good chocolate.

As a self-admitted chocoholic, I just had to step in here. Keep in mind that Hershey's is not the only all-American chocolatier. In my opinion Ghirardelli (California-based) is right on par with the world's finest, such as Belgium's Godiva and Callebaut, Switzerland's Lindt, and Finland's Fazer. I agree Hershey's sucks, but the point is if you count the better brand names, American chocolate is just as good as European chocolate.

[Sister Fracas 5]

As a self-admitted chocoholic, I just had to step in here. Keep in mind that Hershey's is not the only all-American chocolatier. In my opinion Ghirardelli (California-based) is right on par with the world's finest, such as Belgium's Godiva and Callebaut, Switzerland's Lindt, and Finland's Fazer. I agree Hershey's sucks, but the point is if you count the better brand names, American chocolate is just as good as European chocolate.

It's the same with beer...people only look at the mass produced brands and say ewww...piss water and that's too bad for them, when instead they could be looking at the hundreds of microbrewery brands that are high quality and fine tasting...

And yeah... Ghirardelli RAWKS!

Edited April 4, 2006 by Frances

[Oulupair 0]

I would say our quality of life here is much better than it was in nordic Europe. When we lived in northern Finland, it seemed we were always struggling to pay rent, I found it sooo difficult to find work, and overall we just didn't have so many choices there. We could barely afford one car and I was always the one who got stuck having to use a bicycle (and I even like exercising!) Here in the U.S. we got 2 decent cars for free (they're both pretty old of course- one of them nearly an antique), both got jobs no problem, good insurance plan, we've already saved up a fair amount of money, and our living quarters, although the same type as we had in Finland, is bigger and a better value than what we used to have. Of course we go through difficult moments now and then, but for the most part coming here has definitely been worth it. The only thing we really miss from Finland is our friends, and the sauna (which we plan to build for ourselves when we buy a house). But, when we were in Finland, we missed having a bathtub!

I'm a little surprised to see people commenting that the U.S. doesn't respect foreign job applicants and foreign degrees, because my experience was that things are much the same or even worse in that sense, in Europe. In certain places in Europe they won't even let you be a cleaner or shop clerk if you are a foreigner unless you get a certificate of training from a local school, and sometimes they require you to be a naturalized citizen! I am a member of a couple of international online forums where people are constantly complaining about that. And of course there are some occupations requiring certification where it would be hard to transfer that certification internationally almost anywhere without a local degree or certification, like nursing, electrician work, teaching,etc. So please don't make it sound like the United States is the only country that doesn't recognize certain foreign degrees and qualifications.

I also want to second what Americanlass said about using particular regions or states to represent the country as a whole....sometimes if you're disappointed overall or things are going rough, the problem is the particular state or area where you are living, not the country itself and you would probably have a better experience if you lived elsewhere.

[switroy 0]

For someone like me who came from a third..or should I say a developing country, my quality of life here in US is so much better. I drive my own car (never owned one in the Philippines) and I have a decent paying job. My monthly salary here is compared to what I make in my home country in ONE YEAR.

The only thing I don't like here is HEALTHCARE! Way too expensive. I went to my Dentist 2 days ago and requested a quote for a tooth replacement and was surprised to see that it's going to cost me $3000+! I have my insurance paying 50% but it's still too expensive. Called my sister the following day ( a Dentist in the Philippines) and was told the cost would be P3000, which is about $60!

I don't mind paying $950 for my plane ticket (2 ways), another $60 for my tooth replacement and on top of that I am going to see my family and friends pretty soon!