What do you look forward to/love the most in America?

[Ed&Midori1031 330]

48 minutes ago, Orangesapples said:

In-N-Out is fine but not much of my thing. But I know people like it. I like the choice of restaurants and food from all over the world here. It can be quite an adventure. 

I will say it is overrated, but every time I do visit home in California I like to get it at least once.  I'm an adventurer, I love exploring the vast cultures of food that's available all over the country and the world.  So yes, its quite the adventure.

[Jer1234 65]

Moved from Jamaica in mid 2019 at age 22 .moved to Pennsylvania 🥰.the weather is not as sweet as in the Caribbean but I do enjoy winter,drinking hot chocolate ,going to diners ,the parks are so beautiful, the 24 hours gyms,a little over a year ago I drove to newyork by myself  ,man I was so excited and so scared at the same time.seeing so many people from all walks of life ,I work as a sales rep for a beverage company so I travel alot to small towns and stop at random restaurants for random meals😂.unfortunately I've gotten divorced 8 months ago so I've been on my own ,I worked 2 jobs for a while until I could afford my own studio and bought a Camaro too.and I also take care of my family back home.most people have been really welcoming and really nice. I cook alot of Caribbean food for my friends too.it can be hard at times especially on your own  ,but this place is motivating ,just working hard and being smart can give u a bright future.

[Duke & Marie 1,389]

Ok,, if I’m going to be honest other than hubby of course and in priority order

 

1. BACON! Omg we just don’t get real bacon back home lol hubby calls our ham, or Canadian 

2. Fried food Damn these guys in New Orleans  know how to work that fryer and

3. You guessed it... the food 😂😂 totally loving Cajun 😍

[Naz2020 40]

I am really happy that I've found your topic. I'm in the middle of K1 visa and I live in Istanbul. I traveled a lot ,however, I've never been in the united states. I don't know why I'm a bit concerned by the idea of living there. My fiance is an American and the language is not a barrier for me. But I'm over -concerned about the safety. 

 

Do you feel safe there? Can you walk at night on your own? Are breaking into the houses common there?

 

I think, I watch movies a lot and it has a negative impact on my notion about there 😆

[Orangesapples 1,954]

2 hours ago, Naz2020 said:

I am really happy that I've found your topic. I'm in the middle of K1 visa and I live in Istanbul. I traveled a lot ,however, I've never been in the united states. I don't know why I'm a bit concerned by the idea of living there. My fiance is an American and the language is not a barrier for me. But I'm over -concerned about the safety. 

 

Do you feel safe there? Can you walk at night on your own? Are breaking into the houses common there?

 

I think, I watch movies a lot and it has a negative impact on my notion about there 😆

It entirely depends on where in the US you are. In some cities, people don't even lock their homes and cars, in other places life can be quite dangerous. Here in Orange County, crime is somehow concentrated in a few areas (in still not sure I believe there is a no crime in Irvine) and even those areas are still not exactly ghetto and "cheap" housing costs at least half a million.

[JeanneAdil 6,498]

2 hours ago, Naz2020 said:

I am really happy that I've found your topic. I'm in the middle of K1 visa and I live in Istanbul. I traveled a lot ,however, I've never been in the united states. I don't know why I'm a bit concerned by the idea of living there. My fiance is an American and the language is not a barrier for me. But I'm over -concerned about the safety. 

 

Do you feel safe there? Can you walk at night on your own? Are breaking into the houses common there?

 

I think, I watch movies a lot and it has a negative impact on my notion about there 😆

OMG I use to go to the gym at 2AM when i had trouble sleeping but when the gyms closed for covid, I walk now at 6 AM and take my bike in the truck to the park to ride

I guess it would depend on living in big city or country but i have lived in 24 states and always felt safe

Take a self defense class if you have any concerns 

[JeanneAdil 6,498]

I was actually surprised to see what my Adil posted

he really likes the uninterrupted Wifi as he is always on youtube and streaming soccer to our TV from all over the world

He likes having constant electric as Morocco had many issues with electric going off

he likes online shopping and filled his closet

he likes the AC and heat as they didn't have it in Morocco and when we talked he often had to wear a coat,  and scarf to be warm

and he loves driving fast in his new "baby Mustang"

We were going about the country to see the waterfalls and fly a drone over the state parks but covid stopped all that

we had intended to take a month off this year so i could show him several of the western federal parks and we still look forward to that and he's excited to do it from photos he has seen (but on hold because of the virus)

 

What he doesn't like 

all our taxes 

and all our insurances and costs

[TBoneTX 45,283]

Mrs. T-B. was initially mystified by the concept of garage/estate sales, attributing it to "too much gringo 'stuff.'"  But she got into those and did quite well in finding treasures.  She also had no idea about thrift/resale shops, but this appealed to her to the point where we'd plan entire day or weekend trips around visiting other cities and hitting all their resale stores*.  Her closet was soon very full with designer and other excellent clothing.

 

*we recommend 6 stores per day at absolute maximum, because of attention span and the exhaustion factor

 

Just before our earlier trips back to Ecu, she'd pack an entire extra suitcase with resale clothing (which I would wash first) and sell it to her girlfriends/relatives, thus defraying costs of the trip.

[millefleur 5,046]

Pluses compared to Russia:

- Job opportunities (although the job application process needs overhaul)

- Roads (not all of them are great, really varies from town to town, but overall a huge improvement over Russian roads)

- Customer service especially the return policy at most stores

- Fall season and Halloween ambience (pumpkins and spices everywhere) is my husband's favorite because it feels the most "festive" and different to him, plus he loves traditional Thanksgiving food

- Recycling/people caring more about being eco-friendly and not just trashing and littering everywhere, especially in parks/woods

- Higher education system (easy to change/transfer universities, even if you're coming from abroad)

 

Stuff he doesn't like:

- Bad public transportation (pretty much everywhere, it's even bad in most large cities compared to Russia)

- The Imperial system instead of metric

- Healthcare/insurance nightmare - zero transparency, way more paperwork, "in network" "out of network"?!, etc...

- Americans being terrible at math/numbers on average compared to Russians

- Crime/inability to walk around safely at night outside of a few areas

- The fact that stores close here insanely early, lack of 24 hour stores, etc.

 

[Bug&Bug 147]

22 hours ago, Naz2020 said:

I am really happy that I've found your topic. I'm in the middle of K1 visa and I live in Istanbul. I traveled a lot ,however, I've never been in the united states. I don't know why I'm a bit concerned by the idea of living there. My fiance is an American and the language is not a barrier for me. But I'm over -concerned about the safety. 

 

Do you feel safe there? Can you walk at night on your own? Are breaking into the houses common there?

 

I think, I watch movies a lot and it has a negative impact on my notion about there 😆

Im in the same boat. Ive visited the USA for holidays and its beautiful but the idea of living there suffocates me and I hope Im wrong and get used to it. 

Coming from Europe im dreading:

- Having to drive everywhere ( with some terrible drivers!)

- Guns, crime and general lack of safety for women

- Lack of freedom and rights compared to Europe (healthcare, labour rights, work-life balance, social safety nets).

-Some of the food (tomatoes are terrible, pork and lamb are not great).

 

I really hope its all in my head!

[Naz2020 40]

Just now, Bug&Bug said:

Im in the same boat. Ive visited the USA for holidays and its beautiful but the idea of living there suffocates me and I hope Im wrong and get used to it. 

Coming from Europe im dreading:

- Having to drive everywhere ( with some terrible drivers!)

- Guns, crime and general lack of safety for women

- Lack of freedom and rights compared to Europe (healthcare, labour rights, work-life balance, social safety nets).

-Some of the food (tomatoes are terrible, pork and lamb are not great).

 

I really hope its all in my head!

Yes, the driving makes me nervous, too. We have a great public transportation here and everything is on the walking distance. I'm not used to the idea that for buying some fruits I have to drive 😀

[Adventine 3,196]

I am looking forward to:

- Wide open spaces and beautiful national parks. I've had my fill of living in a megacity.

- Actually being able to invest in the US stock market 

- Potable drinking water straight from the tap!

 

I am not looking forward to:

- Needing to drive everywhere and dealing with drivers who go way faster than those in my home country

- Enormous food serving sizes

[Orangesapples 1,954]

4 hours ago, Bug&Bug said:

Im in the same boat. Ive visited the USA for holidays and its beautiful but the idea of living there suffocates me and I hope Im wrong and get used to it. 

Coming from Europe im dreading:

- Having to drive everywhere ( with some terrible drivers!)

- Guns, crime and general lack of safety for women

- Lack of freedom and rights compared to Europe (healthcare, labour rights, work-life balance, social safety nets).

-Some of the food (tomatoes are terrible, pork and lamb are not great).

 

I really hope its all in my head!

I'm very afraid of driving but eventually I learned and got used to it. But I still don't like that I have to drive. I live in a semi urban place so it's better than the suburban hell I lived in when I first moved here. 

 

Where in the US are you moving to? Here in Southern California the food is great and you get a lot of fresh produce. But some other places I've been to in the US only have boring supermarkets with subpar food. 

[Bug&Bug 147]

24 minutes ago, Orangesapples said:

I'm very afraid of driving but eventually I learned and got used to it. But I still don't like that I have to drive. I live in a semi urban place so it's better than the suburban hell I lived in when I first moved here. 

 

Where in the US are you moving to? Here in Southern California the food is great and you get a lot of fresh produce. But some other places I've been to in the US only have boring supermarkets with subpar food. 

Im going to NorthCal.

 

There is fresh stuff but ive never tasted an acceptable tomato in all the times ive visited. My SO kept buying me heirloom and what not to convince me there are good but they are absolutely dreadful lol.

[Orangesapples 1,954]

14 minutes ago, Bug&Bug said:

Im going to NorthCal.

 

There is fresh stuff but ive never tasted an acceptable tomato in all the times ive visited. My SO kept buying me heirloom and what not to convince me there are good but they are absolutely dreadful lol.

I've had good tomatoes on the vine here but only in some supermarkets. But they might not be good enough. 

 

My husband tried growing tomatoes in our backyard, they turned out delicious but we don't get enough sunlight there to get a good yield.