ok if yo are in florida there is an "all organic, and fresh" super marhet called "whole foods" they are all over florida.. they are not cheap but best stuff to eat there... no crap in it all... (:

I have gone all organic now i really dont care how much it costs. I like to know what im eating and i really dnt trust whats put in food out here. I was getting very bad stomach pains until i changed over to organic foods. Could somebody tell me if the bottled water is ok to drink as again ive heard it isnt.

I would personaly give any where 2yrs before going back ......
are you still there ?
I lived iin Florida for 2yrs and are now in canada for 10yrs.We are thinking of moving back now,but we have given it a good go.
take care

I think 2 years is long enough to realise if america is for us. At this moment in time it really isnt for me at all. I liked what i had in the uk all my friends, family, job all these things i miss so much. I may feel differently in the future but i really cant see it. I have a daughter back home and we miss each other so much.

It must be dreadful to be parted from your daughter ..how old is she ?

She is 21 its horrible being so far away from her.

Yes,that must be hard -you poor thing .

Is she working yet ,studying ?
Maybe a visit from her could help cheer things up ?

Reading your posts makes it sound like you woke up one day, and just found yourself stranded in the US ,did the job happen very quickly ?

When I was VERY young I travelled for work A LOT , I always hated it when I first arrived ,time would go by and before I knew it I was happier .

I wish that you feel better soon.

I think you should buy a water filter, tap water is not always *that * good ,you can even buy them in PINK these days

The stress you are under will be causing your system to go out of whack ,making you feel wretched and making the food issue more pressing IMO .

Good news ...America has many fantastic elements to enjoy -I promise you may never get to love it ,but you might just survive lol !

Keep us posted

My daughter does work back in the uk she also has a steady boyfriend. Im hoping that she will come and visit soon.
Our move was all very rushed, this time last year we were making regular visits to france we were in the process of buying a little holiday home there. My husband lost his job in the march and was applying for work all over the world. I started a new job in the june and worked full time until a couple weeks before we left for florida. So i do feel i never really got used to the fact we were emigrating i just let my husband deal with all the move. And then in between all this my dad suddenly passed away It all seems one big mess. I had never even been on holiday here. I know in my heart that i wont stay out here i really dnt like it enough. The weather is great and it has some beautiful beaches but its not what i want. I just want to go back home.

I am so,so sorry for the loss of your Dad

I see what happened now ...you sounded like you were in shock to me -what you have explained confirms IMO .

It must be totally unsettling to find yourself here ,not even any chance to find out about where you were heading ...

Goodness me ,I don't really now what to tell you now ...you have my sympathy.

But ,I think we need to think of a way to help you get through this don't we ?
KEEP posting and venting ,for the moment, that will get you through .

Take care of yourself ...remember nothing is forever ...and you will live and laugh again

It was a terrible shock loosing my dad and im so worried about my mum also because she still hasnt excepted hes gone. I feel that i should be there helping her.

Since getting out here ive thought of nothing else but returning back home this is why its very difficult to try and focus on anything else. Now one of my sons is saying that he wants to finish his education here and then hopefully work, which is great but i did say to him that i will be going back home next year with out fail. He was so angry saying my duty is to stay and i cant leave blah blah blah!! Hes nearly 17 im thinking why cant he stay? Am i being really selfish? But there no way im staying any longer than i have to.

My life isnt in america i need to be back home where i belong!!!

Someone quoted a handy little phrase to me the other day..."if you can't change it, change the way you think about it".

If you don't invest in your space, you won't get anything back from it.

Try to see it more as an adventure playground rather than a Eastenders-less prison.

There's a lovely nature reserve called Honeymoon Isalnd just outside Clearwater. Check it out.

I hope you cheer up.

yup ,great advise

Have been reminding myself of this almost every day for a couple of years or so now, it's a handy maxim for all expats to remember. Another is "Wherever you go, there you are".

An Eastender-less prison? Sounds like my idea of heaven. Not the prison bit, the other bit.

Home is "where you hang your hat."