ianthe

Hi, my name is Effy, I'm 24, and I'm in the process of moving to America to get married. I met my fiance almost three years ago and we have both been travelling back and forth visiting each other. He's the love of my life and I can't wait to start our lives together in America. This process has been very long and difficult, we have been waiting for our fiance visa to be approved for nine months. Luckily we're finally getting to the end -- my medical appointment is next week and after that all that's left is the final interview. We have a wonderful attorney who has been helping us every step of the way. I'm glad this forum exists, it's really great to connect with people going through similar things. Thank you for having me!

Jerseygirl

Hello ...welcome to BE.

Where in the U.S. are you moving to?

I see you have already found the U.S. Forums...I'm sure you will get lots of advice about the immigration process and about life in the U.S. For many of us BE is our British fix when we are feeling homesick.

Please contact me if you need help with anything site related.

Good luck.

ianthe

Hi! I'm moving to San Antonio, Texas. It's so beautiful and I love it, but I do find myself feeling homesick after being there for a while. I always thought that America would be exactly the same as Britain since we're both English-speaking countries, but they're surprisingly different in many ways and there are lots of things from home that I miss when I'm there.

Thanks for the warm welcome

Jerseygirl

We have quite a few members who live in Texas...not sure if we currently have any in SA though.

When I first moved here an Australian lady told me that she thought it would have been easier to adjust to life in the U.S. if the language hadn't been English. I found those words to be very true.

Because 'English' is the official language and because we've seen so many U.S. TV programs and films...we think America is very much like the UK. It is not. The language is American English and sometimes getting yourself understood can be very frustrating. The culture is very, very different. Religion, guns and the ra-ra society...America is the greatest country in the world etc...are very difficult to stomach IMO.

ianthe

Absolutely, that's exactly how it is. The culture is so different, I wasn't expecting it. Everything is different, even just how people interact with one another in casual day-to-day encounters, it's all subtly different. And a lot of the political differences are shocking, that aspect of American society can be quite scary honestly. But my partner is there and that's all that matters I'm just glad to have found this forum, it'll be great being able to talk about this kind of thing with people who understand.

Jerseygirl

BE has been a life line to many expats...me included. It really does help to chat and offload your thoughts and concerns to like minded people.

Anyway...I look forward to seeing you in the U.S. forums.

ianthe

I can see why, it's a very friendly and helpful place. Thanks for welcoming me