K1 SPOUSES. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR TIME?

[MarksMate 227]

Just as the title. What do you guys do with your time? I started gardening but that can only take up so much time. The wedding is over so the business has subsided. I think I will start volunteering to do something with my time. Does it make anyone else nervous to have such a huge gap in employment history. I have been working since I was 15, sometimes working and studying together. For 13 years I have been busy now I am like...uhm. Even the internet gets boring after a while. 

 

What are you all up to. 

[*Snowdrop* 604]

 

What about online courses? You could use the free or paid options to learn a set of new skills or keep up to date with old ones. You can even get accreditation on some like https://www.coursera.org

 

Or start learning a musical instrument - take up the guitar or ukulele. 

 

Join Meetup.com and find some local groups based around either work or hobby interests - you'll either make some new friends to hang out with or create some great business and work contacts

 

Overhaul all your job application stuff - resume, biz cards, LinkedIn profile etc etc 

 

It's summer - do fun vacation type things!

 

[*Snowdrop* 604]

Re the gap: 

 

If you get asked and have spent your time relatively productively then you simply say something like this:

 

"It was an involuntary period of unemployment because of the immigration process but in the end if was actually a great opportunity because I did x, y and z. In the end it worked out as a type of sabbatical which helped me improve my skills and really focus on what I wanted to achieve in my career - I'm excited to get back into the work force and bring my new skills, training and ideas to your company"

 

 

 

 

[gypsyqueen 103]

3 hours ago, MarksMate said:

Just as the title. What do you guys do with your time? I started gardening but that can only take up so much time. The wedding is over so the business has subsided. I think I will start volunteering to do something with my time. Does it make anyone else nervous to have such a huge gap in employment history. I have been working since I was 15, sometimes working and studying together. For 13 years I have been busy now I am like...uhm. Even the internet gets boring after a while. 

 

What are you all up to. 

I did a little bit of of traveling, got to know most of my spouse's relatives, attended some free classes online (FutureLearn). I watched the whole Friends series. I organized the paperworks I will be needing to process my 10 year GC. I explored the state parks around our area and went hiking and biking. Regarding the employment gap, @Trellick gave some wonderful advice. It can get lonely sometimes, but it will get better. With me, I just had to get pass through the jet lag. 

 

 

[Chris Duffy 1,257]

I wouldn't

4 hours ago, MarksMate said:

Just as the title. What do you guys do with your time? I started gardening but that can only take up so much time. The wedding is over so the business has subsided. I think I will start volunteering to do something with my time. Does it make anyone else nervous to have such a huge gap in employment history. I have been working since I was 15, sometimes working and studying together. For 13 years I have been busy now I am like...uhm. Even the internet gets boring after a while. 

 

What are you all up to. 

It has to suxs for the beneficiary when they arrive, so much they can't do. Drive, work etc.  If it was me coming to the USA, I don't think I could do it

 

If you arrive in the dead of winter, then that has to be even worse if it cold where you live

[Roel 7,193]

You should have done cr1 instead of you're so miserable without job.

 

Don't you have hobbies? 

Volunteering is also a good thing. Find a local animals shelter. 

[TBoneTX 46,067]

Good ideas above.

When things become intolerable, consider doing some violent physical exercise.  

Otherwise, study the next portions of the immigration process, and make "life" plans.

 

A good specific idea is for each spouse to draft wills, medical & general powers of attorney, and similar documents.  These make excellent evidence for Removing Conditions, and they're even more important to have in "life."  Be sure that the language in these documents is legally valid and acceptable in your U.S. state of residence.

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

23 hours ago, Trellick said:

Re the gap: 

 

If you get asked and have spent your time relatively productively then you simply say something like this:

 

"It was an involuntary period of unemployment because of the immigration process but in the end if was actually a great opportunity because I did x, y and z. In the end it worked out as a type of sabbatical which helped me improve my skills and really focus on what I wanted to achieve in my career - I'm excited to get back into the work force and bring my new skills, training and ideas to your company"

 

 

 

 

I love this! My husband and I were just recently having a conversation similar to this. He's worked in his career for more than 20 years, prior to moving here, and his only concern with this entire process has been his patience when it comes to not working and being sort of stagnant for an indefinite amount of time. Improving upon and strengthening existing skill sets, or obtaining new ones, is one of the best ideas. It's not only a way to kill time, but proactively kills the time. He had to vacate his position at work back in Sweden a while before he actually relocated here, and he used a part of that time to take advantage of the free education there. He took some business and other basic courses to get some stuff under his belt outside of his immediate career wheelhouse (culinary). I've mentioned the various options for online courses here, although they aren't all necessarily free, but at least there's options that wouldn't require him to leave the house every day (i.e. helpful until he gets his driver's license).

 

 

8 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

Good ideas above.

When things become intolerable, consider doing some violent physical exercise.  

Otherwise, study the next portions of the immigration process, and make "life" plans.

 

A good specific idea is for each spouse to draft wills, medical & general powers of attorney, and similar documents.  These make excellent evidence for Removing Conditions, and they're even more important to have in "life."  Be sure that the language in these documents is legally valid and acceptable in your U.S. state of residence.

I love this idea too! One I actually hadn't thought of. Paul's sort of, by default, spearheaded our researching and document filing now that he's here and I'm working, he's not yet. That used to be my thing (I research and draft business letters for a living, so it's almost robotic for me), but he says he might as well while he's home during the day. It's been a huge help, and not just with the upcoming AOS process; it's helped with getting paperwork and appointments made for all the name changing I need to do, and other general married-life housekeeping. The POAs/wills are a terrific idea too, as you said not just for killing time, but as useful evidence for future reference.

 

 

Aside from the above - Paul's barely been here a month, so I know we're still in a bit of a honeymoon phase - just glad to be together. But he's done a good job so far with occupying his time. As cliché as it sounds, there's been a lot of fixing things around the house, or just generally improving. He's a tech wizard, so he's been upgrading all of our gadgets and I can definitely say that is appreciated! I am NOT a tech person. He gives himself a routine/schedule every day, even if he isn't doing the same things every day. He sets aside time to work out, do something active, so he doesn't feel too idle. He makes the grocery lists for us right now, and thanks to Amazon Prime & Pantry, he can even do some of the grocery/housewares shopping without me. We have a house, so he does some yard/outdoor work when he can (right now it's been raining like crazy here). He set aside a budget and plan for making an outdoor living space in our backyard, which he's designated as his weekday project to give him something to work on that will take up a lot of time, which he seems excited about. Giving yourself projects to return to and work toward are a good way of temporarily pacifying the void of a job or career for now.

 

As the petitioner, it's a learning experience for me too. I don't want him to ever feel like a "house husband", or that I leave him Honey Do Lists every day like I expect him to just check off all my lists every day while I'm away. Yes, it's wonderful having him there every day whenever I come home and I know the day may come once he is working where that may not always happen, as his hours could differ from mine. We may not even be home for dinner together at the same time every day eventually, so being able to cook dinner together and sit down at the same table every night is great. So we're trying to allow ourselves the privilege of enjoying this time together now, since it is temporary. Even if it may put a sprain for now on finances or bills because you're on one income in a two person household. We're unfortunately not in a city area where things are in walking distance, but we do have the space to get out and be active when needed or wanted. He's an outdoorsy, active person, so the worst thing would be for him to be cooped up inside every day all week. I luckily get off work fairly early in the afternoon, compared to the second shift I used to work when we first began our relationship and he was visiting, so we are able to do things when I get home. That change has definitely served an improvement.

[stellamahoo 179]

I started volunteering at a animal shelter, and it is so fulfilling  besides that I try to be out and about and explore the area. I clean the apartment, which doesnt even get dirty because I clean a lot hahaha....

But I am also looking into online learning and stuff... but still, somedays im just pretty bored lol

[MarksMate 227]

59 minutes ago, apinchofstella said:

I started volunteering at a animal shelter, and it is so fulfilling  besides that I try to be out and about and explore the area. I clean the apartment, which doesnt even get dirty because I clean a lot hahaha....

But I am also looking into online learning and stuff... but still, somedays im just pretty bored lol

I feel you on the cleaning. I do it all the time lol. I have applied for volunteering yesterday at the hospital my hubby works for so fingers crossed. They only require 1 day a week though so going to look into other options. We are trying to save money so unless it's a free or fairly affordable online course I probably won't do it, but doing a course online would be good.