I made it!

[Unidentified 2,930]

I agree with others on here: if you don't have access to car/bus/bicycle at least go for a walk. Get out of the house  That was what kept me sane before I could work. It is nice at first, you can catch up on all those Netflix episodes, keep up with the laundry and the dishes and then you have nothing else to do for the rest of the day.... so yeah, go out for a walk even if it's just around the neighborhood. 

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

Do you have any neighbors close by? It'd be a great way to get to know people. Maybe one of them is able to drive you around from time to time or has a hobby you can share. Maybe you can meet up with some of your in-laws, even if its just once of twice a week. It'll break the monotony of sitting and waiting.

 

I'm sure there's several book clubs you can join online. But if it's possible try and find one that's reasonably near to you. It's great getting out of the house and so much easier to start a friendship when meeting them in person. I bet plenty of people will be willing to pick you up and drop you off. I love how helpful Americans are!

 

I think the idea of @MariekeH is great too, but that might just be a Dutch thing. I know most Americans don't do bicycles as we do. ( I remember one very excited fiancé snapping hundreds of pictures of the 5 story bicycle parking in Amsterdam )

[*Snowdrop* 604]

 

- declutter and rearrange, redecorate the house to your liking! (Get ready to have a yard sale with all the old stuff of your spouse's that you don't like!)

- start networking online ahead of going back to work

- do all the resume updating - getting new business cards if needed etc

- take online courses to learn new skills for work

- start learning a musical instrument - lots of online course options

- are you crafty in any way? You could start making things and create your own Etsy shop to go live as soon as you have your EAD

- start your own online business - use this time to do all the prep work ready to go live once you have your EAD

- do all the fun activities you never have time for when working full time - yoga, swimming, meditation

 

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

I'm sitting here and thinking, gosh I'd love to have this issue.  I can think of a million things I'd like to do in a day if I had time.  I seriously have a stack of sewing projects that could probably last me through an AOS wait, or maybe the rest of my life.  

 

Then, there is gardening, learning a language, reading books, home improvement type things, working out, etc.

 

 

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

2 hours ago, Little_Vixen said:

 

I think the idea of @MariekeH is great too, but that might just be a Dutch thing. I know most Americans don't do bicycles as we do. ( I remember one very excited fiancé snapping hundreds of pictures of the 5 story bicycle parking in Amsterdam )

 

The climate in the Netherlands is more conducive to cycling - not too hot, not too cold.  

 

Where I live it is either way too hot (85-90) or way too cold (-10 to -20) to really make bicycling a thing.  I'm sure Texas is even hotter!

[Marieke H 2,529]

2 hours ago, Little_Vixen said:

I think the idea of @MariekeH is great too, but that might just be a Dutch thing. I know most Americans don't do bicycles as we do. ( I remember one very excited fiancé snapping hundreds of pictures of the 5 story bicycle parking in Amsterdam )

Haha, you're right, it's a very Dutch thing. I am lucky, I live in a pretty bike-friendly city with lots of bike lanes, but I know it's not like that everywhere. But my coworkers still think it's hilarious that I prefer to ride my bike to work instead of just driving. 🤣

[madiartzer 41]

4 hours ago, Paul & Mallory said:

If OP just got here a couple weeks ago on K1, they likely do not have a license in order to drive around.

 

OP - My husband is currently in the same situation. He got here mid-May, and right now, EAD is taking around 6 months, so we know we're in this for a (temporary) long haul. We live in a small town also, and on the outskirts, to make it worse, so nothing's really in walking distance from our house. I leave for work at 6am so it's too early for me to take him anywhere on my way out, too. We feel your pain!

 

He tries to plan out his days during the week, even if it's simple stuff, like general chores. That way he feels like he has a schedule and wakes up knowing what his day will bring. He likes to find projects - right now, we're planning on building a small floating deck outside in our backyard, so he's looking forward to having that to work on. He's been researching jobs in his experience field (you can't apply right now, of course, but it helps to look around locally and see what's out there). He'll have to take the full written and skills test whenever he's able to get his license, so he's been studying South Carolina driving laws and terms also, so that he'll be prepared when the time comes for that. The most productive thing, of course, is to do things that will make you that much more prepared for other things when the time comes, like applying for jobs and getting your license.

 

Take walks, even if it's just around your neighborhood. Make it a habit, something you get up and do in the morning or wind down your afternoon with. It gives you something to look forward to. Whenever I get home, unless it's raining, we try to go to the park or our local botanical gardens to get outside and get him out of the house for a while. Even when I come home from a long day of work, I try to remind myself he's been stuck inside all day and once we get out and do something together, we both feel better.

 

Do you enjoy writing? Maybe start a blog, take up a virtual book club, something along those lines. Most importantly, remember this IS temporary. My husband and I try to keep in mind that things will change once he starts working, most likely our schedules will not perfectly align. We have a lot of time together right now with him not working, and that's priceless, particularly after being apart for so long.

I was hoping at least one person would have a situation similar to mine! Thanks for all the ideas of what your husband does. I do actually have a blog already, and took some time this week to update it, hahaha. 

I didn't realize the wait for an EAD was 6 months  We're not getting married until August. 

3 hours ago, Orangesapples said:

Your question is legitimate, Roel is usually very not helpful, so don't worry. 

 

I would suggest online courses. There are many websites, such as EdX, that offer free or paid courses. You could learn a new skill. 

Hahaha, thanks! Online courses is a good idea.

[madiartzer 41]

3 hours ago, Little_Vixen said:

Do you have any neighbors close by? It'd be a great way to get to know people. Maybe one of them is able to drive you around from time to time or has a hobby you can share. Maybe you can meet up with some of your in-laws, even if its just once of twice a week. It'll break the monotony of sitting and waiting.

 

I'm sure there's several book clubs you can join online. But if it's possible try and find one that's reasonably near to you. It's great getting out of the house and so much easier to start a friendship when meeting them in person. I bet plenty of people will be willing to pick you up and drop you off. I love how helpful Americans are!

 

I think the idea of @MariekeH is great too, but that might just be a Dutch thing. I know most Americans don't do bicycles as we do. ( I remember one very excited fiancé snapping hundreds of pictures of the 5 story bicycle parking in Amsterdam )

Yeah, my fiance is off work early today for July 4th, so I'm going to get him to take me to get a library card. I saw that they have a few different book clubs there.

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

7 minutes ago, madiartzer said:

I was hoping at least one person would have a situation similar to mine! Thanks for all the ideas of what your husband does. I do actually have a blog already, and took some time this week to update it, hahaha. 

I didn't realize the wait for an EAD was 6 months  We're not getting married until August. 

Hang in there! August is around the corner. Are you guys having a full/traditional wedding? Are there things you can do to prep for the wedding in the meantime?

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

11 minutes ago, madiartzer said:

I was hoping at least one person would have a situation similar to mine! Thanks for all the ideas of what your husband does. I do actually have a blog already, and took some time this week to update it, hahaha. 

I didn't realize the wait for an EAD was 6 months  We're not getting married until August. 

Hang in there! August is right around the corner. Are you guys having a full/traditional wedding? Are there wedding prep things you can do in the meantime?

[madiartzer 41]

15 minutes ago, Paul & Mallory said:

Hang in there! August is right around the corner. Are you guys having a full/traditional wedding? Are there wedding prep things you can do in the meantime?

No, just courthouse for now. At the end of this month we have to roadtrip to San Antonio to get our marriage license, so I have that to look forward to.

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

2 minutes ago, madiartzer said:

No, just courthouse for now. At the end of this month we have to roadtrip to San Antonio to get our marriage license, so I have that to look forward to.

Make a road trip playlist No, that won't eat up multiple days of time, lol. But it's something. If you guys are staying overnight and already have a place to stay, research things to do near where you're staying (particularly free things, which are my favorite).

 

Also - is there a language you're interested in learning? I'm not the beneficiary, but since my husband's Swedish, I've been practicing my Swedish and trying to become more fluent. If I wasn't working, I could certainly eat up some time with that.

[madiartzer 41]

10 minutes ago, Paul & Mallory said:

Make a road trip playlist No, that won't eat up multiple days of time, lol. But it's something. If you guys are staying overnight and already have a place to stay, research things to do near where you're staying (particularly free things, which are my favorite).

 

Also - is there a language you're interested in learning? I'm not the beneficiary, but since my husband's Swedish, I've been practicing my Swedish and trying to become more fluent. If I wasn't working, I could certainly eat up some time with that.

Yeah, EdX courses were recommended on this thread and I was looking at doing a basic Spanish course!

[dentsflogged 352]

I'm visiting my SO at the moment - he lives in a pretty small town (~8,000 people). Not sure if that's better or worse than yours.

 

I get up when he does for work - make lunch while he's showering and we figure out what dinner will be.

 

I'll go for a walk - there's bike paths and trails I can follow, or I'll go down to the lake if it's not too windy.  Sometimes I bring a book and read in the sun, or go to the coffee shop - small town means that lots of the folks are friendly and want to chat.

 

Grab groceries and get home around lunchtime. I'll make dinner, do laundry etc.

 

Days when I don't feel like going out, I still have books, I plot out my imaginary garden for when we have our own place (not a rental), imagine what dog we may get, send emails to my friends at home, talk to other friends online (who have different working hours or live in places where their time works out for us to be free at the same time). Sometimes I'll call my soon to be MIL and we'll hang out - she'll come get me and we'll drive a few towns over to explore or get lunch. I've got a few colouring books that I enjoy (especially the Game of Thrones one). 

 

All of this is probably easier on me because it's pretty short term (I've never been here more than 8 weeks) and also because I'm naturally a home-body - at home I rarely go out and prefer indoors activities, so it doesn't bother me that I'm not leaving the house, only that I can't get a decent coffee!! 

[N-o-l-a 7,168]

Just now, dentsflogged said:

I'm visiting my SO at the moment - he lives in a pretty small town (~8,000 people). Not sure if that's better or worse than yours.

 

 

Can I have a little giggle over 8000 being pretty small?  1000 is a large town where I live.  I was in one this weekend that had a population of 80 and that can be pretty typical, like around 50-400 people in a town.