Pauly1

Hi all - I'm a Brit who'll be relocating to the Houston area in about three weeks time from Cambridge, and would be grateful if there are a few other peeps who could help with a few questions some time?

To set the scene I'll be moving over myself before my missus joins me after our wedding in April in Scotland. I know not the easiest way to relocate - but hey it's a chance of a lifetime!

As a bloke on my own and with a wee bit of a thing for the rugby I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction to find some places where I could catch the Six Nations. Or even if there are other Brits who meet up for the like and other social events?

Sorry to be so dull and predictable with sport as my opening gambit - but being on your own for a few months I'll need that little something to get me by on the weekends !

Cheers and thanks


Paul

Andy_Aitken

Hey there,
Not in Houston myself, I'm in Las Vegas, NV.
If you want to see Rugby anywhere in the US the best places are the British Pubs here, I have one I can go to called the Crown and Anchor, most big cities have them or you could find a British shop in Houston and ask in there, they usually know of all the best places for us brits to go to for a taste of home.
You may also try any Irish pubs too, they may play the games.

Hope this helps and good luck with the move.

SarahInTX

Sport isn't my thing, but check out this web page for starters . . .

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_loc=...7005&cflt=pubs

Where are you going to be living?

The Houston expats have meetups occasionally. Got one scheduled for January 27th, which is before you get here, but keep checking back for future dates.

Sarah

Pauly1

Cheers Andy & Sarah.


I'll be out there in 3 weeks and for the first few months I'll be on my own, therefore I'm just rent an apartment next to my place of work - which is Freeport (80 miles south of George Bush Intercontinental).


After that we're hoping to move in the direction of the city and our preferred location is Sugar Land on the southside. We were taken around so many new communities/gated communities by our relocation agent - but that's not my thing. The first place we saw was a gated community where the agent said to us: "you have everything here you need, pool, tennis courts, baseball, golf, churches and there is no reason to leave once you're here."

Well that was our cue to exit! Very nice homes and everything - but just had the feel of a cross between the Truman Show/Butlins/Spanish resort, if you know what I mean?

We'll rent for a while and once we get established we'll look to buy and that will give us a better chance of oberving how the general health of property market is in Texas.


Paul


p.s. found a place called Big John's to watch the rugby.......I'm saved!

snowbunny

Sugar Land?

Are you a right-winger who attends church every Sunday?

Pauly1

Sorry Snowbunny, I'm not I'm not sure how to take your reply, therefore I'll take it in good spirit.


So to answer your question in a round-about way you couldn't be further from the truth. I'm very liberal, and since I'm a scientist I don't believe in organised superstition.


So should I be worried about Sugar Land?


Paul

snowbunny

It was meant in good spirit.....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...nguage=printer

I'll let the other Houston-area folks weigh in. Sugar Land has relatively low crime and is nicely planned, but it was Tom DeLay's former district and the people there reflect that. Some people don't mind this; others do.

Pauly1

Wow, when I said I was liberal I meant in the easy going UK/European sense. Reading this makes me feel like a left wing radical-cum-social/political misfit.

I don't have anything in common with this guy. Although I'm pretty sure that he is not representative of everyone and how does that old adage go...... the empty can rattles the most.

But sincerely coming from Glasgow and having experienced the nasty and intolerant side of religion this gives me food for thought.

Will pass this on to the missus.


Ta


Paul

snowbunny

There are several Houston-area expats round here. They can give you a better feel for things.

I am a native Texan (long story) but am very liberal (well, compared to most Texans). While some people can live in tolerance with the Republican right, I wouldn't be able to (I live in Austin, aka Sodom and Gomorrah to those who live in Sugar Land).

Pauly1

Gotcha - looks like I'll have to find a way to carve out a little niche for myself amongst Sugar Land society.


Paul

Ozzidoc

Welcome to the forum. Now that you've found us, pls stick around!!

Scientist blokey moved from Cambridge to San Diego in California.

What kind of science do you do? and tell us a little about your visa situation.

SarahInTX

Hi Paul,

Freeport, like you say, is 80 miles from Houston proper. If that is going to be where your work is going to be, I'd be looking at Lake Jackson or even Alvin, Pearland, and Friendswood/Clear Lake area. You've got yer gated communties (I agree, ANATHEMA!!!!) as well as older parts of the cities.

Snowbunny has it right. It is pretty "conservative" around here. BTW, I've lived in San Leon, which is 60 miles northeast of Freeport/between Houston and Galveston on the east side, for almost 20 years. (I've been to Freeport a few times. An ex bf had a fishing boat in a marina there.)

See http://tinyurl.com/2gyte5

There is absolutely NO public transport between Freeport and Houston -- probaby nothing within Freeport itself -- so you will need to get a car asap.

I believe most of the other Houston expats are in Katy, the Woodlands, Spring (i.e., north and west of the city), so feel free to IM me as I may know most about the south side.

Sarah

Pauly1

Hi Ozzidoc - well if I can say this without being to unclear: I am by trade a chemist but in actual fact my specialisation is the organometallic chemistry of precious metals. I have basically done my PhD and worked in this field since 1995. I have primarily been working in the area of pharmaceutical applications for 8 years. I am now changing my focus with my employer (who is relocating me) to a commodity area. i.e. speciality polymers. On paper it's not as sexy as my previous field, however it's a good career with great science and I've not been this excited about science in years.

I'm really up for this move on the science front as the colleagues I have met have a great amount of drive. On the personal front the move is also exciting - but maybe not as much as I have done a bit of moving about before. My history looks a little like this:

Scotland - Germany - France - Netherlands - Germany - Scotland - Germany - Scotland - England - USA

Here's hoping I get as much out of it as my previous moves.


On the visa front I have a L1B visa at the moment (hopefully that will be changed to L1A soon) - my employer will however start the Green Card process immediately. On the flip side my missus will remain in Cambridge until we're married (April in the Highlands) and then she'll join me on a L2 visa, even though she is Canadian.

Pauly1

Sarah, we've scouted out a few areas, and we do like the homes and facilities in Sugar Land over and above Pearland and the other southern Houston communities.

I'll be in Lake Jackson until my missus comes over, for convenience sake, and then we'll begin the hunt for a house in Sugar Land. We've found the area and now we need to focus on the house. Thankfully the market isn't as limited and as frenzied as sout east England. And if we don't get a house straight away at least there's plenty more fish in the sea.

Long term Lake Jackson is a no-no. It's right next to work but too isolated for me. Also the town is full of employees from my place of work. I've got nothing to hide, but I also have nothing to reveal and living in a town full of company people is too claustrophobic for me. From a simple human side I'd rather meet many more varied people who aren't just like me. Thankfully the company will provide a car for the first 2 months, which is a god send and then I'll try and get a car. Big question is buy or lease? The father-in-law works for GM in Ontario so maybe we can get a deal???


Out of interest we're trying to keep our home in Cambridge as a going concern (we'd be crazy to step out of the UK market) has any one else done a similar thing and have any advice for dealing with the banks with all things mortgage?

Ta


Paul

Ozzidoc

Thanks for sharing. All sounds really interesting. The US is fab for science - there's loads of cash about, which seems to make scientists' working lives a little easier.

Wow - I'm impressed with the number of tmes that you've moved....itchy feet at times, I guess LOL.

Can wifey work on L2?