homesick_american

We were quoted over 2,000 pounds to pack, remove, and ship our books, CDs, DVDs, clothing, and kitchen things. We're not bringing any furniture or electronics with us aside from computers (which are being shipped by air minus their hard drives, which are traveling with us on the plane).

Oh, and we'd have to come to Houston to pick our ###### up. They won't deliver it to Dallas.

I think that's a ripoff quote.

Who quoted you?

Have to get back to you on that.

I think these are the factors that will bring about a painful but necessary revolution in American healthcare, though I don't think the US will turn to European-style socialized medicine, since it will crumble in the face of these factors...especially as Europeans get ever fatter.

I don't think it is so much because they are getting fatter, rather, it is because they are getting older and have bred no replacements. Here, around 20% of the population is over the age of 65. That is a staggering number that only grows with each passing year. Here in Witten, it is particularly easy to see. I have never seen so many elderly outside a nursing home. The fact is, old people contribute nothing to the system (built on the short-sighted assumption that the next generation would outbreed the first), but suck it dry like a leech. It just can't go on like this.

Here watching politicians doing things like raising the retirement age to 67, it is like putting a band-aid on a stab to your femoral artery. I imagine it will be only a shell of its former self in the coming years until the population pyramid has corrected itself again.

Germany could try to even out its numbers with immigration, but of course there would have to be jobs for these immigrants to work so that they could pay taxes into the system...enough taxes to offset what they take out. It's a tall order.

Sorry to butt into your convo, but what Germany really needs to do is to stop whining. Despite all the rumors that the health and social system is about to collapse, it is interesting that insurance companies particularly in the health sector are still making profits despite the fact that they are not supposed to. As to the retirement money being gone, the reason is that previous governments spend it all on such fun things as Euro-Fighters and LeopardII-tanks and the like. Yet, noone claims responbility and politicians keep claiming its due to the fact that there are too many old people (which of course could not be planned or expected). The whole thing is a typical case of neoliberalism in action worsened by the burden of reunification (adding an extraa 17 Mio people who haven't paid a cent into a social system would throw off any country, especially since it followed a similar scheme, act today, find out about the problems later). Now 15 years later Germans are still whining but completely forget that there's actually nothing to be upset about other than the fact that politicians are announcing the immediate collapse of any social services without a reason. Sorry about the rant, but if there's one thing that makes me even angrier than the bad social and health system in the US, it's the whiny attitude of Germany and the projected problems is faces due to severe policy failures in the past.

That was educational. Yeah, Germany does seem to have gone off the rails a bit. It was a powerhouse in the 1980s, but then things starting going wrong.

I say contact the Embassy about keeping the application open, but one of the other posters brought up some good points. If this is the second time your fiance has broken it off with you, are you sure this is the right guy for you? I think you should be more concerned with YOU and the state of your relationship than your visa app.

I wouldn't consider moving there at all if I thought it was so horrible. I don't think it's horrible, but just not what I am used to. It's not like I've never been around southerners. You drive 15 minutes east from here and it's a very southern little town. I don't have to like everything about somewhere to move there for a better life.

No, you don't; but after reading what you wrote, I'm not sure you'll fit in. You're willing to take advantage of the opportunities in the south (though Alabama would be one of the last places I'd think of moving to) and the low cost of living but are still blasting it as inferior as you look down your nose at southern accents and the history of the civil rights movement.

If you raise your kids in Alabama, there is a better-than-decent chance they will end up sounding local. If it bothers you so much to have blood relations with southern accents, please don't move to the deep south. We get enough attitude when we travel from people who think we're stupid, backwards, and racist; we don't need to be looked down upon in our own homes.

Nothing personal.

I think we'd end up somewhere in themountains - NC, VA or WVa

Hubby and I finally decided to move to Va.! The houses are pretty expensive but we are looking for a fixer upper that isn't gonna put us in debt. We think it's a nice place to settle down and raise the little on that is on the way...

I hear Virginia's gorgeous but expensive. Good luck!

I'm glad your marriage is working; I really am. With 50% of marriages ending in divorce nowadays, it's pretty easy to end up in the 'divorced' category. I think a lot of marriages end because the people involved didn't really know each other before tying the knot, which is why brief courtships and quick weddings concern me.

I don't think that anyone out there is disputing the fact that people need to get to know each other before they get married. What we are saying, however, is that it is not the government's job to tell people whether they know each other well enough to get married.

For the purposes of this discussion, USCIS' only job is to determine whether a marriage is genuine or whether it was entered into for the sole or main purpose of qualifying for immigration benefits. While the length of time the petitioners have known each other certainly has a lot to do with that determination, as long as the marriage is determined to be genuine, all the other considerations that you bring up have nothing to do with USCIS' job of enforcing immigration laws.

*shrug* Remind me to write my congressman.

Yep. Well, there are a few good reasons. Home owner's insurance rates are going up too fast. Good friends of mine bought a little house in 2002 for $62,000, a great deal! Now, only 4 years later they could sell their house for $140,000. They had a low monthly payment for a long time. Their home owner's insurance was maybe $1000/year back then. This year it jumped up to $3000 a year. My house which is bigger than theirs, home owners insurance policy is only about $1500/year, but I am sure next year it'll jump. And then the taxes too...

I know compared to NY/NJ, etc this all must sound cheap. But in the beginning of 2005, it seems the housing boom began here in FL, as in other places too. The house we bought for $134,000, we could have gotten for probably $70,000 two years earlier. Yet the income has hardly risen for this area....which=much more expensive to live here than it was 2 years ago. And Sujeet makes pretty good money compared to most people we know. And if it's going to get hard for us, imagine how hard for everyone else we know who makes half Sujeet's income. Actually lots of people in Florida are thinking of moving out of state for the reasons we are thinking of it too.

There are certain things about Florida I like, but I am tired of hot weather almost all year long. I'm tired of being somewhere where there are no mountains near by. I hardly go to the beach so I doubt I'd miss it much.

We are looking into Northeast Alabama, and also thought about southeastern Tennessee. Also some of my family and friends are considering doing the same. I have friends in Gadsden, Alabama, and I have visited there a couples times. (about an hour northeast of Birmingham)

The houses are adorable, the scenery is beautiful with rolling hills and foothills of the smoky mountains. The houses are cheap, property tax is cheap, and so is homeowner's insurance. The pay in Birmingham for IT stuff, if Sujeet had to get a job there and commute, from what I've seen is comparable to Tampa. Yet the expense of living in that area is way less than in Tampa and in our area.

The things that scare me:

~Moving to the real south by moving to Alabama---Florida is not very southern, I am mostly around Northerners who moved here from NY. And I like that. I'm not sure how I'll feel there.

~Getting a southern accent---yes it's silly but I do not want a southern accent! And my future kids...my future cute mixed babies may get southern accents.

~There is more of a chance of tornadoes in that area than in Florida (I know, it's silly)

~What if we hate it?

~Alabama is associated with lots of things that make me feel creeped out, like how it handled the civil rights movement and the racism. But I know that was a long time ago and in my friend's town, it's very artsy fartsy, which I like, and is getting more cultural these days.

Things that make me happy:

~Near mountains

~They actually have seasons compared to Florida, yet do not have very cold winters like up north

~I know people that live there that are awesome

~It's close to several cities. It's within 2 hours drive to Atlanta, about an hour to an hour and a half to Birmingham or Chattanooga

~Living in a cute house instead of an ugly Florida house and how cheap they are---I guess growing up in FL I am just sick of these style houses.

~Lower cost of living

But just thinking of moving is scary to me. I've been in Florida since I was 4. I'm sure those who moved from another country to be with their SO will not feel sympathy after having to leave your life behind. I know I shouldn't be a baby about moving.

Anyone on here living in Alabama and liking it? Hating it? Ahhh I can't believe I am actually talking about this leaving Florida business....

The last thing the south needs is another carpetbagger coming down for the low cost of living and opportunities but complaining about the atmosphere. I'm only HALF kidding here.

As someone who grew up in Texas, who has a mild southern accent and who has been in tornados...I gotta say I'm more than a little offended by your list of cons. It demonstrates a fair bit of ignorance of the south, its values, and the fact that it is the year 2006 everywhere, not just in Florida or in New York City.

If you have such an attitude about it now, I don't think you'll be happy there.

Hey there

I didn't know anyone came in here anymore.

Vicky

If you don't mind me asking, why did you file a waiver?

I'm just curious.

Why are those of us who don't buy into the the conspircy theories have to be called ignorant and close minded?? It really pisses me off actually.

Conspiracy nuts always think they're smarter than the rest of us. Ignore it.

Hi ,

Yesterday i went to the dentist and had two teeth abstracted. The pain afterwards was unbearable. That is not the scary bit. I was walking home afterwards not to far only takes 10 minutes. There where these two men walking just in front of me. I thought nothing of it. I was going to cross the road into the area where our complex is where we live i noticed one crossed over about 50 yards in front of me . The other one stayed in the middle of the inter section was watching me. There was another man in a pick - up on the corner. Now i,m getting scared as i kept thinking this is a set up. Something is going to happen to me. So i thougght quickly back tracked myself to the Shopping area. I have never been so scared in my life. You have to watch what is going on around you all the time. I"ll never walk alone again.

I thought i give you my first scary experience.

Kath

You were probably just being paranoid. It's extremely unlikely that a stranger will mess with you, particularly three of them, particularly in broad daylight.

I know it's scary and all being in a new place, but relax!

I think these are the factors that will bring about a painful but necessary revolution in American healthcare, though I don't think the US will turn to European-style socialized medicine, since it will crumble in the face of these factors...especially as Europeans get ever fatter.

I don't think it is so much because they are getting fatter, rather, it is because they are getting older and have bred no replacements. Here, around 20% of the population is over the age of 65. That is a staggering number that only grows with each passing year. Here in Witten, it is particularly easy to see. I have never seen so many elderly outside a nursing home. The fact is, old people contribute nothing to the system (built on the short-sighted assumption that the next generation would outbreed the first), but suck it dry like a leech. It just can't go on like this.

Here watching politicians doing things like raising the retirement age to 67, it is like putting a band-aid on a stab to your femoral artery. I imagine it will be only a shell of its former self in the coming years until the population pyramid has corrected itself again.

Germany could try to even out its numbers with immigration, but of course there would have to be jobs for these immigrants to work so that they could pay taxes into the system...enough taxes to offset what they take out. It's a tall order.

yep, it is easy to see when people haven't watched the video too before posting:-).

Do you honestly think you're the first person to provide links to half-cocked conspiracy theories about 9/11?

Do you REALLY think we haven't heard these arguments before?

It's bullshit.

no, but maybe after would be fine

Only if you want to get deported if you're caught.

Candace, that isn't true; we went to my husband's medical after his interview. It was the day of, but it was still after the interview. We were told that wouldn't be a problem, and that was just a couple of weeks ago.

Homesick, you put it so much nicer than I did! Thanks for clarifying, I think it was your post about the medical on the same day that I remembered seeing

I should add I don't recommend doing it the way my husband has done it. We hit a snag at the medical (they need a letter from hubby's GP saying he's not a nutter) and would have been approved at the embassy that day if we'd gotten this ####### cleared up BEFORE our interview.

Now we're waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

We were quoted over 2,000 pounds to pack, remove, and ship our books, CDs, DVDs, clothing, and kitchen things. We're not bringing any furniture or electronics with us aside from computers (which are being shipped by air minus their hard drives, which are traveling with us on the plane).

Oh, and we'd have to come to Houston to pick our ###### up. They won't deliver it to Dallas.

I think that's a ripoff quote.

Uh...

*is part of MENSA*

*knows plenty of people there with no common sense*

Andrew Weil said LSD helped him loose his cat allergies. When he was tripping out he held a cat in his lap and was cured.

I don't recommend LSD therapy for our visa applicants.

they probably are doing in case of any other future catastrophies. must be easier for them to cram all the people in there instead of forking over other funds for the victims of the last major mess

No, they're doing it so New Orleans won't lose its NFL team (the Saints), who were allegedly threatening to move to San Antonio.

There is no conspiracy.

conservatives in cali? is that the start of a joke?

According to my wife (who is from California), California is mostly a conservative state,

with the exception of San Francisco / Bay Area (and Hollywood )

That's exactly what I heard. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense that CA frequently has republican governors, had been a home to two republican presidents (and not a single democratic one) and so on. So, in a way it's just like the state of New York where NYC is the only place to find liberals.

San Diego and Orange County are pretty damn conservative.

I'm so tired of these dumb conspiracy theories. It went down the way the media says it did. We all watched it live on TV.

There was no US government conspiracy.

There were no implosions.

Another new Houstonian here (though I'd been working here for a few years before I met my darlin' man!). Just got my GC last week! A get-together sounds fantastic! I live in the Galleria area. Though I'm still working on getting a driver's license, I almost never drove in England, so I need to relearn again, and on an automatic!!

Good luck to all, and I hope we get to meet up sometime!! I nominate a BBQ place - what do they put in the sauce that makes it taste so good?!?

Naomi.

Sugar.

when i applied in '95 thru my wife for an H4 visa, i didn't even remember that application for a tourist visa back in '93. all i know back then was we got denied for a visa. the consul who interviewed me at that time in '95 was just asking for marriage license and pictures of our wedding and that was it. i just remember of that bank acct when my dad told me when they got the DS-230 forms, reading that question on form II.

They didn't ask if you'd ever been denied a visa before? They asked us that!

no. i remember the consul who interviewed me just asked for some proof of our marriage (pictures, license etc), that was it, got my visa in a week.

by the way, it's been 9 weeks now since the NVC completed the application for my parents, and up to now i still haven't got any appointment letter for their physical and interview. why is it taking so long? does anybody here have the same problem going on or happened before? thanks.......

Hmm...they should have asked you that, you need to be careful. You could potentially lose your US citizenship here. Speak to an attorney about your parents, but also how your parents' application might open up your own history to scrutiny.

Most insurance companies would consider your wife's pregnancy as a pre-existing condition and would not cover it. Contact your provider, though; you might be able to add her at this point.

If you can't and she has access to good medical care in Thailand, I would wait for the baby to be born. You don't want an uninsured pregnancy/birth in the US, that can be very expensive.

I think one of the things I will miss about Germany is the health care. It is easily the best health care and insurance I have had in my life. However, it is literally on the verge of collapse, just like all the other social programs here. You can hear it creaking everyday as they slowly take away the benefits one by one and introduce co-pays, tuition, no pension increases.

When I talk about going back to the US, I sometimes feel like a rat fleeing a sinking ship. Not that the US is so great either. I have been seriously debating it and didn't want to go back originally, but I think we are just going to have to. Not for the health care, but for major problems with the inflexiblity of the labor market and higher education system here.

We hear good things about German healthcare in the UK, but complaining and comparing their social services to those on the Continent seems to be a national sport here. I'm sure it isn't completely rosy!

I admit that the US is in a healthcare crisis. So are other western nations because we all have the same problems: aging populations, explosions in obesity and obesity-related health problems (like diabetes), increases in technology, sky-high medication costs, highly litigious societies, top-heavy healthcare management, and a relentless drive to privatize at the expense of efficiency.

I think these are the factors that will bring about a painful but necessary revolution in American healthcare, though I don't think the US will turn to European-style socialized medicine, since it will crumble in the face of these factors...especially as Europeans get ever fatter.

I don't know what's going to happen to US healthcare. It can't go on like this forever, but I think it will have to be pushed to an absolute crisis point before anyone will step in and do anything about it. As long as it can limp along, nothing will change. I predict the NHS will be slowly privatized and won't exist in 20 years.

One reason we think about both going for Dual citizenship is in case we have kids at some point. I can't bear the thought that if something were to happen to one of us there would be problems living with the kids in the survivor's country (say for example if they were in school). Does anyone know about this?

I think that reasoning is slightly paranoid, but hey...it's your life.