How is your American dream working out for you?
Mar 19th 2008, 1:14 am
#46
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
Yes, the US is crap is many ways. Endless, boring suburbs, no good curry, it can really be the 'land of the bland'. Public transport is shite, which really bothers me. In the UK I took the bus, train everywhere. Didn't own a car and I was 23 when I left. Where I live now, I can walk to most places though, which is nice. However, I work in a job where I make great money, long vacations, finish at 3pm and I have a lot of prospects. In fact, I am about to take 12 weeks paid leave to go back to the UK to take care of my sick parent. I own my own home and I will have it paid off in about 10 years, I own my car outright, I have savings. I have a great pension plan and awesome healthcare. I go back to the UK two or three times a year and take another vacation somewhere else. So, things are good here in many ways. I don't know if I can give that up. I think the term is 'golden handcuffs'. For all the newbees to the US, it took me 16 years to get here though and I have had some REALLY hard times up til now.
Mar 19th 2008, 1:36 am
#47
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2004
Location: Baltimore, USA
Posts: 526
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
Mar 19th 2008, 5:52 am
#48
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: London-Arizona-London...don't ask!
Posts: 122
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
Why are we discussing heat in Baltimore....when did it last get to 110 degrees there? And stay there for 6 weeks?
and BTW....this is the best quote I've ever seen, it really sums up how I feel too:
My standard of living is twice what it was in the UK . However I look forward to returning as my quality of life was ten times better
Mar 19th 2008, 6:14 am
#49
Mr. Grumpy
Joined: Jun 2003
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 3,100
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
for the first two years I was here, my standard of living was slightlym worse but quality of life was higher
now, after 5 years both are higher
its funny, my dad left the Uk for Oz in the 70's and never looked back.
from where I stand now it looks like I will be the same (but from a USA perspective obviously)
Making proper friends here has made a big difference, for the last couple of years its not just me going out with the wife, her girlfriends and their husbands/boyfriends
Mar 19th 2008, 9:57 am
#50
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
I found Baltimore's 100 degree plus days awful - I was sweaty within minutes. In Arizona, I've always found the heat to be much drier and much more bearable. JMHO.
Mar 19th 2008, 1:37 pm
#51
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 68,280
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
I watched: Homicide: Life on the Street
That was enough of Baltimore for me ....
Mar 19th 2008, 1:49 pm
#53
Queen of my house
Joined: Aug 2007
Location: Ohio
Posts: 5,043
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
In the wonderful "resort city" I live in we can relate to much of that. We had a family who used to live across the street whose sons were breaking into houses. My youngest son was "jumped" two blocks from the house by a local "gang", he was with three friends and jumped by four with an extra four watching in a car. One hit in the face with the side of a gun and he needed plastic surgery to fix his face and has a titanium plate holding the bones together under his eye. If he had not had health insurance I would hate to think how much it would have cost.
Mar 19th 2008, 3:56 pm
#55
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2008
Location: Syracuse, NY
Posts: 2
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
Nice to see you on this site, and interesting to read about your situation. I'm amazed at how far ahead one can get with research in the US compared to the UK.....although I suspect (and in my limited experience) that research protocols are a little more flexible in the US.
When you say junior doctor, I'm assuming that you mean resident, right? SpRs (ST3s) get to lecture med students at my UK school
Interesting comment about working less hours for more money - Ob/Gyn ST3 could expect to work max 56 hrs (some are doing 48hrs!!) for about £48K
Can I ask what sub-speciality training?
When you say junior doctor, I'm assuming that you mean resident, right? SpRs (ST3s) get to lecture med students at my UK school
Interesting comment about working less hours for more money - Ob/Gyn ST3 could expect to work max 56 hrs (some are doing 48hrs!!) for about £48KCan I ask what sub-speciality training?
I don't know if the research protocols are any different - most of the work I've done has been on international studies so the same protocol is done in the US, UK, Russia, Brazil... I'm mostly in clinical human trials though - I know that the UK has some of the strictest animal-research rules in the world, but I can't comment directly because I've never worked with animals!
Mar 19th 2008, 4:51 pm
#56
A Cockney Floridian
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: Originally-Leyton E10,London, then Harlow new town, Essex, and eventually ended up in Orlando area
Posts: 164
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
Been in the US since 1990, im in the Orlando area.
the worst thing for me now is the homesickness
and the TV is shite here except for a few gems (like Seinfeld )
I now with my US wife download,burn to DVD and watch nothing but UK shows.
we are downloading around 12 hours a week of UK tv. (we are up to date with EE, Doc Martin, new tricks ,casualty etc)
and as you can now buy region free DVDs you can order UK dvds to your hearts content. so that goes a little ways to ease the pain.
But.... I STILL want to go home, and we are actively talking about it.
I still think my childen will have a better education in the uk and as myself and wife are both history buffs, it will be great to jump in the car and spend the weekend in Amsterdam or Brussels, and for travelling Europe.
on top of which my wife loves the way of life over there , the pubs the social aspect etc-here we all pull up into our driveways and go in and shut the door to the outside world.
plus Ive been reading at how the UK standard of living is now HIGHER than the US-although the US is still a cheaper cost of living (but for how long?)
we like Florida (especially the winters) and the people I work with are Diamonds, I just miss home so much and the way of life-we are looking at the home counties to move back to.
the worst thing for me now is the homesickness
and the TV is shite here except for a few gems (like Seinfeld )
I now with my US wife download,burn to DVD and watch nothing but UK shows.
we are downloading around 12 hours a week of UK tv. (we are up to date with EE, Doc Martin, new tricks ,casualty etc)
and as you can now buy region free DVDs you can order UK dvds to your hearts content. so that goes a little ways to ease the pain.
But.... I STILL want to go home, and we are actively talking about it.
I still think my childen will have a better education in the uk and as myself and wife are both history buffs, it will be great to jump in the car and spend the weekend in Amsterdam or Brussels, and for travelling Europe.
on top of which my wife loves the way of life over there , the pubs the social aspect etc-here we all pull up into our driveways and go in and shut the door to the outside world.
plus Ive been reading at how the UK standard of living is now HIGHER than the US-although the US is still a cheaper cost of living (but for how long?)
we like Florida (especially the winters) and the people I work with are Diamonds, I just miss home so much and the way of life-we are looking at the home counties to move back to.
Mar 19th 2008, 4:56 pm
#57
Not dead yet
Joined: Apr 2004
Location: In a world of my own where I know everyone
Posts: 15,042
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
Been in the US since 1990, im in the Orlando area.
the worst thing for me now is the homesickness
and the TV is shite here except for a few gems (like Seinfeld )
I now with my US wife download,burn to DVD and watch nothing but UK shows.
we are downloading around 12 hours a week of UK tv. (we are up to date with EE, Doc Martin, new tricks ,casualty etc)
and as you can now buy region free DVDs you can order UK dvds to your hearts content. so that goes a little ways to ease the pain.
But.... I STILL want to go home, and we are actively talking about it.
I still think my childen will have a better education in the uk and as myself and wife are both history buffs, it will be great to jump in the car and spend the weekend in Amsterdam or Brussels, and for travelling Europe.
on top of which my wife loves the way of life over there , the pubs the social aspect etc-here we all pull up into our driveways and go in and shut the door to the outside world.
plus Ive been reading at how the UK standard of living is now HIGHER than the US-although the US is still a cheaper cost of living (but for how long?)
we like Florida (especially the winters) and the people I work with are Diamonds, I just miss home so much and the way of life-we are looking at the home counties to move back to.
the worst thing for me now is the homesickness
and the TV is shite here except for a few gems (like Seinfeld )
I now with my US wife download,burn to DVD and watch nothing but UK shows.
we are downloading around 12 hours a week of UK tv. (we are up to date with EE, Doc Martin, new tricks ,casualty etc)
and as you can now buy region free DVDs you can order UK dvds to your hearts content. so that goes a little ways to ease the pain.
But.... I STILL want to go home, and we are actively talking about it.
I still think my childen will have a better education in the uk and as myself and wife are both history buffs, it will be great to jump in the car and spend the weekend in Amsterdam or Brussels, and for travelling Europe.
on top of which my wife loves the way of life over there , the pubs the social aspect etc-here we all pull up into our driveways and go in and shut the door to the outside world.
plus Ive been reading at how the UK standard of living is now HIGHER than the US-although the US is still a cheaper cost of living (but for how long?)
we like Florida (especially the winters) and the people I work with are Diamonds, I just miss home so much and the way of life-we are looking at the home counties to move back to.
Mar 19th 2008, 5:27 pm
#58
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,903
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
You took the way I used resort city to seriously. The only people who seriously think it is are the local government officials. Personally I do not go to the beach except to visit one of our favourite restaurants. Ofcourse when the family come to visit you have to go then.
Mar 19th 2008, 5:40 pm
#59
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
I'm currently a pediatric resident, going into pediatric infectious disease next year (for three years). I think the total hours as a resident might be pretty close to a junior doc in the UK (60-80 a week) but salaries are $40k and over as opposed to 25K sterling. Although the absolute value is the same, the local buying power is certainly not! SpR's I know got around 50k sterling when I left the UK, so that figure fits with what I remember. As a fellow here I do get raises above the residency but they're not stellar - the cash cow is once you reach Attending (UK - Consultant) level.
I don't know if the research protocols are any different - most of the work I've done has been on international studies so the same protocol is done in the US, UK, Russia, Brazil... I'm mostly in clinical human trials though - I know that the UK has some of the strictest animal-research rules in the world, but I can't comment directly because I've never worked with animals!
I don't know if the research protocols are any different - most of the work I've done has been on international studies so the same protocol is done in the US, UK, Russia, Brazil... I'm mostly in clinical human trials though - I know that the UK has some of the strictest animal-research rules in the world, but I can't comment directly because I've never worked with animals!
Thanks for the information
Your Peds fellowship sounds awesome! My ideal is to do a MFM/genetics fellowship....time will tell....I have a few more hurdles yet. And my US city only has 6 residency positions in ObGyn 
Mar 19th 2008, 5:55 pm
#60
Illinois Rapscallion
Joined: Dec 2004
Location: In a one bar town
Posts: 1,728
Re: How is your American dream working out for you?
Came over here 4 years ago to marry a beautiful young lady......turned life up on its head ....moved from Wigan and its many wonders to a one horse town in rural Illinois....dream not so much ....nightmare at first.
The first 12 months were terrible, homesickness like you wouldn't believe...misery and depression all the way.Then I kicked myself in the arse and lived for today,not yesterday or tomorrow, just today. Life's been good since.....
Employment wise I work harder than ever, its very physical but it won't kill me and for some reason my employers love me...2 promotions in the last year and a healthy 14.6% pay increase. The standard of living here is great.The area we live in is virtually crime free and the local people warm and friendly.
Sure there are plenty of things I miss from the UK, but as time moves on they are less and less important....would I go back to the UK ...hell no! Plus I just bought a 5.3L supercharged automobile and its doesn't fit in my suitcase...
In the end life is what you make it
The first 12 months were terrible, homesickness like you wouldn't believe...misery and depression all the way.Then I kicked myself in the arse and lived for today,not yesterday or tomorrow, just today. Life's been good since.....
Employment wise I work harder than ever, its very physical but it won't kill me and for some reason my employers love me...2 promotions in the last year and a healthy 14.6% pay increase. The standard of living here is great.The area we live in is virtually crime free and the local people warm and friendly.
Sure there are plenty of things I miss from the UK, but as time moves on they are less and less important....would I go back to the UK ...hell no! Plus I just bought a 5.3L supercharged automobile and its doesn't fit in my suitcase...
In the end life is what you make it