Tell us a little about yourself and family.

My name is Kerrie Wiseman and I am 32 years old. I have been married to John for nearly 12 years and we have two children: Jack who is 10 and Phoebe who is 7.

What were your reasons for moving to the USA?

Unlike 85% of international assignees, it is I who has moved for work and my husband who has followed me! I am the Director of Business Development for a company that works with large organizations in Houston to help them relocate their staff from other Worldwide locations. I therefore look after people like you and I who have made the move!

How long did the emigration process take?

Too long! We were applying for an L1 Visa, which was approved really quickly at the US end, only to take for ever back in the UK. At our London Embassy interview (which I found so scary I would never want to do again!), they decided we needed to supply further information and having thought we would be flying the next week, we ended up delayed for over a month in what appeared to be a black hole in the system! Very stressful as we had completed on our house so had to move out to friends. Wouldn’t recommend it.

In which state do you live?

The only one of course – Texas!

What differences have you noticed between the USA and the UK?

Considering I thought the differences would be minimal, I could probably take up the whole site with what I’ve since discovered:- cheque writing is an art form, petrol stations pump the petrol for you (and I don’t mean a person doing it, I mean the pump automatically fills your car), you get incredibly used to drive-thru this-and-that’s which you swore you would never be so lazy to use when you first arrive, consumerism has gone nuts, everything is in HUGE portions (but this is Texas and everything is big in Texas), weather is glorious, houses are generally larger, you take your life in your hands when you drive and television advertisements take up more of the running time than the actual program you have tuned into watch!

What are your favourite things about the USA?

The activities on offer to take part in as a family. All sports events (baseball, basketball, ice hockey) are real family affairs with kids of all ages attending. The local gym here is more like a version of Centre Parcs and as a family of four we get full membership for just $89 a month!

What do you miss from the UK?

Eastenders, Eastenders, Eastenders! The BBC website gives a minutes snippet of each show which just leaves me desperate for more – how sad! Of course I also miss friends and family but we have a webcam and catch up with them at least a few times each week to say hello – it’s a Godsend.

If you or your spouse work how easy was it to find employment?

I was transferred across by my UK based company so for me it was a fait accompli before arrival. My husband has just got his work permit, however, and is just starting to look for work which in his field (Police Officer) appears to be very difficult for non-citizens.

How does the work environment differ from the UK?

People are at their desks from 7am, or earlier! They lunch at 11/11.30 (isn’t that snack time?!) and I find the ethos of “do anything to get to the top/close the deal" seems a lot more prevalent here. Also, with this being the Oil and Gas hub, the companies here deal in millions and billions like they are talking about hundreds and thousands – incredible.

If you have children how easy was it to enroll them in a new school?

Enrolling was easy – settling was a different story. My son is in 5th grade, the last year of “junior" school, so they are busy being prepared for the harder Middle (or senior) schooling. This presented big challenges for him in terms of learning a new curriculum that was being intensified, even for those who had been in it all their school lives. My daughter was wrongly graded and put into 3rd rather than 2nd and although it was their clerical error, we had to put her through all sorts of exams to “make a case" for an adjustment to be made.

How different is the education system from the UK?

I find it much more test and grading orientated. It appears my children get tests all the time and when their report cards come home (every six weeks) the teachers want to see me if they get a B on a subject (as only A’s are seen as good?!), whereas I’m doing a jubilant dance that I have such genius children! There are also far more rules and regulations which my son found difficult. Something that might have been classed as funny and cheeky of him back home, earned him bad marks and detentions here.

Have your children settled?

Both of the children seem to have finally (we have been here six months) settled into a way of life here. My daughter commented only last week that she couldn’t remember what her old school days were like as she felt like she’d always been here. We also live in a lovely neighbourhood at the end of a Cul-de-sac so they have far more freedom here to play out than they did back home and they love that.

Has your quality of life improved, if so how?

We definitely spend more family time together here which is lovely. We go to the local gym three times a week – the children to do various classes and John and I to maintain a semblance of fitness! The weather makes a big difference in that each day is like a Spring day so it makes you more likely to go and walk the dog together, or ride your bikes out. I also think we’re so conscious of how easy it would be to put on weight here (there are some great restaurants), that we are eating healthier too in an effort to buck the trend.

How does the cost of living compare?

Before I moved I thought everything was cheap, now that I live here (and get paid in Dollars), I think it’s more expensive. Utility bills are dearer although I also think some of the additional expenditure comes from the fact there is more to do here so therefore you spend more – more clubs, sports activities, events etc which all take money. Our mortgage is fairly Dollar for Pound, although the house is a lot larger than we had in the UK. Food shopping appears to be dearer as I spend more each week here than I did in the UK (probably down to the fact I keep buying Heinz Baked Beans at something pushing $2 a tin!). Petrol is cheaper though so it’s not all bad.

Do you have any long term plans?

We would like to settle here for the long term as we have family here and overall, we enjoy the confidence the Americans have in their abilities and the pride they have in their Country. We would not be able to afford the standard of living we have here in terms of the house, the neighbourhood and the activities the kids get to do so we hope we can continue here.

In retrospect is there anything you would change?

Gosh, that is a really difficult question to answer! I can’t say anything springs to mind at this stage but perhaps I’m too soon into the process to make that judgement.

Are there any final thoughts you would like to share?

The process of relocation is far more psychologically draining and stressful than you imagine it will be. I thought I was prepared for it, and aware of it once I had arrived but now that I look back on some of the reactions I had to circumstances, it makes me realize it took a harder toll that I had appreciated. My advice would be to ease in gently, get over the survival mode of the first few weeks and then cut yourself some slack so that you don’t expect to run before you can walk.

©Britishexpats.com and Kerrie Wiseman