My first two weeks in the USA!
Apr 13th 2007, 2:50 am
#1
You're all mugs!
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: San Antonio, USA
Posts: 442
My first two weeks in the USA!
Well I thought i would take this opportunity to introduce myself properly and then give you a brief synopsis of my first couple of weeks here.
Basically, I left everything behind to pursue my career here on a temporary basis (3 years). I am from South London originally and studied for my PhD in Nottingham and got offered a wonderful, dream position here in San Antonio, Texas, which I really couldnt refuse. I left my fiancee, family and friends and arrived here with just a couple of suitcases, which is a bit humbling really having accumulated material things that amounted to a pretty nice little life in the UK. When I arrived, it was boiling hot (for me!) and I was dumped into some hotel and left there with no food, no transport, nothing. In academia, there is NO relocation package of any sort, you corporate types should feel VERY lucy believe me. You are left to your own devices completely in this game.
The next day, I went to find my work and boss and got hit with loads of paperwork and work related crap which just felt overwhelming given the circumstances. I was and am shocked by the bureaucracy here in the US. My instincts were just to turn around and go home and I swear I was very close to doing just that; my boss was passive at best and didnt have the time to help me out. I just wasnt sure I was doing the right thing. I had to find an apartment, get a bank account and find a car with no transport, which is a big deal when its 80 degrees outside and you have to walk everywhere. Its almost shameful to walk here and I hate that.
Therefore, the first couple of days were certainly very hard and all i could think of was home. But one girl at work (another brit) took me under her wing and has helped me settle. I must have got lucky in the end because everything was actually quite easy from then on. I opened a bank account (with no SSN) and found a really nice apartment (with no deposit, no SSN and no hassle). I have settled into work just about and have just found a cheap second hand car to run around in (Dodge Neon) and an insurance company to insure me (GEICO). My SSN should be arriving soon and I will get my driving licence as soon as possible. My friend has taken me everywhere, from food shopping to car viewings and has been so patient with me, which I'm sure has made things simpler.
Granted, im still sitting on my apartment floor with no furniture and sleeping on the floor with a sleeping bag (IKEA order in!), but its all life experience, right?
I have good cable (got given a TV) and internet and I have the FOX soccer channel, so there is always positives to take. Also, I have just been to a seminar where they give you dinner beforehand and a good one at that! Never would that happen at a UK university. Of course, I miss my fiancee terribly but she has just been offered a job in Nebraska (she is an animal scientist!) so at least we can see each other maybe on a monthly basis. Plus its so easy to stay in touch these days that sometimes it doesnt even feel as though you are that far apart (or maybe it just hasnt settled in yet, im not sure).
Some things that crack me up about this place so far. The obsession with the SSN is the major one. No-one has given me a good reason why you need it so much and, in fact, no one can really explain to me what its real purpose is. It seems to me to be just a kind of stealth ID card. Also, the media is a joke; CNN is a laughing stock, simple as that. Some things that annoy me, public transport is shit and good food is hard to find, although HEB is pretty decent.
That's me, thanks for listening.
Basically, I left everything behind to pursue my career here on a temporary basis (3 years). I am from South London originally and studied for my PhD in Nottingham and got offered a wonderful, dream position here in San Antonio, Texas, which I really couldnt refuse. I left my fiancee, family and friends and arrived here with just a couple of suitcases, which is a bit humbling really having accumulated material things that amounted to a pretty nice little life in the UK. When I arrived, it was boiling hot (for me!) and I was dumped into some hotel and left there with no food, no transport, nothing. In academia, there is NO relocation package of any sort, you corporate types should feel VERY lucy believe me. You are left to your own devices completely in this game.
The next day, I went to find my work and boss and got hit with loads of paperwork and work related crap which just felt overwhelming given the circumstances. I was and am shocked by the bureaucracy here in the US. My instincts were just to turn around and go home and I swear I was very close to doing just that; my boss was passive at best and didnt have the time to help me out. I just wasnt sure I was doing the right thing. I had to find an apartment, get a bank account and find a car with no transport, which is a big deal when its 80 degrees outside and you have to walk everywhere. Its almost shameful to walk here and I hate that.
Therefore, the first couple of days were certainly very hard and all i could think of was home. But one girl at work (another brit) took me under her wing and has helped me settle. I must have got lucky in the end because everything was actually quite easy from then on. I opened a bank account (with no SSN) and found a really nice apartment (with no deposit, no SSN and no hassle). I have settled into work just about and have just found a cheap second hand car to run around in (Dodge Neon) and an insurance company to insure me (GEICO). My SSN should be arriving soon and I will get my driving licence as soon as possible. My friend has taken me everywhere, from food shopping to car viewings and has been so patient with me, which I'm sure has made things simpler.
Granted, im still sitting on my apartment floor with no furniture and sleeping on the floor with a sleeping bag (IKEA order in!), but its all life experience, right?
I have good cable (got given a TV) and internet and I have the FOX soccer channel, so there is always positives to take. Also, I have just been to a seminar where they give you dinner beforehand and a good one at that! Never would that happen at a UK university. Of course, I miss my fiancee terribly but she has just been offered a job in Nebraska (she is an animal scientist!) so at least we can see each other maybe on a monthly basis. Plus its so easy to stay in touch these days that sometimes it doesnt even feel as though you are that far apart (or maybe it just hasnt settled in yet, im not sure).Some things that crack me up about this place so far. The obsession with the SSN is the major one. No-one has given me a good reason why you need it so much and, in fact, no one can really explain to me what its real purpose is. It seems to me to be just a kind of stealth ID card. Also, the media is a joke; CNN is a laughing stock, simple as that. Some things that annoy me, public transport is shit and good food is hard to find, although HEB is pretty decent.
That's me, thanks for listening.
Apr 13th 2007, 3:13 am
#2
Thinking about it
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Mid-West
Posts: 9,435
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
Hello, good evening and welcome.
Hope things keep improving - must be tough coming over by yourself.
If you're a sports fan some cable packages also give you TVG with the fox soccer channel - its the Yank racing channel but they show UK racing in the mornings - I like watching it at the weekends, along with the golf channel which shows european tour events complete with Brit commentators.
Good luck again.
Hope things keep improving - must be tough coming over by yourself.
If you're a sports fan some cable packages also give you TVG with the fox soccer channel - its the Yank racing channel but they show UK racing in the mornings - I like watching it at the weekends, along with the golf channel which shows european tour events complete with Brit commentators.
Good luck again.
Apr 13th 2007, 3:27 am
#3
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
glad things are working out for you 
and nebraska...that's a bit of a random spot
oh, and the SSN, aye, it's crap, don't give the number to anyone..but speaking of crap, can't remember what visa your on, but if your under 26, don't forget to register for SS, just in case you change your mind and stick around for the greencard and all that jazz.
and nebraska...that's a bit of a random spot
oh, and the SSN, aye, it's crap, don't give the number to anyone..but speaking of crap, can't remember what visa your on, but if your under 26, don't forget to register for SS, just in case you change your mind and stick around for the greencard and all that jazz.
Apr 13th 2007, 3:29 am
#4
Powder Maggot
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Nuevo Mexico
Posts: 4,452
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
Welcome to the US!
A familiar sounding story. Mine started with a one way flight to Eugene to study. (I'd never been west of Ohio at that point.) A couple of Californians on the plane told me how it rains so hard in Oregon... I arrived to a huge ass thunderstorm, the likes of which I never saw again in the ten years I lived there. In the airport I heard something about the Grateful Dead being in town and thought, "Oh crap!". On many levels - the primary one being somewhere to stay. Jumped in a cab and asked the cabbie to help me find a motel for the night. Sure enough, they were all booked, but eventually we found one that had one room for one night only. Gave that cabbie a huge tip - he saved my bacon for that night.
Next morning, got up early and grabbed a paper to look at apartments. Worked out where my uni dept was and dropped off my two suitcases there. Walked around town with the newspaper and managed to get myself the keys to an apt early that afternoon - reclaimed the suitcases and breathed a huge sigh of relief. That evening I found a grocery store that sold Guinness cans - still a novelty back then, and cooked myself a curry. It was a good evening.
Next day bought a stereo so I could actually play the CDs stuffed in my suitcases. The following day a mountain bike so I was mobile, and opened an account at the local credit union. It would be seven years before I got round to buying a car. But the next couple of weeks were some of the best of my life. Discovered I'd parked my two-suitcase world two blocks from a brewpub. Explored the area by bike. Noone had any expectations of me, and I had none of them. If only it were like that now....
A familiar sounding story. Mine started with a one way flight to Eugene to study. (I'd never been west of Ohio at that point.) A couple of Californians on the plane told me how it rains so hard in Oregon... I arrived to a huge ass thunderstorm, the likes of which I never saw again in the ten years I lived there. In the airport I heard something about the Grateful Dead being in town and thought, "Oh crap!". On many levels - the primary one being somewhere to stay. Jumped in a cab and asked the cabbie to help me find a motel for the night. Sure enough, they were all booked, but eventually we found one that had one room for one night only. Gave that cabbie a huge tip - he saved my bacon for that night.
Next morning, got up early and grabbed a paper to look at apartments. Worked out where my uni dept was and dropped off my two suitcases there. Walked around town with the newspaper and managed to get myself the keys to an apt early that afternoon - reclaimed the suitcases and breathed a huge sigh of relief. That evening I found a grocery store that sold Guinness cans - still a novelty back then, and cooked myself a curry. It was a good evening.
Next day bought a stereo so I could actually play the CDs stuffed in my suitcases. The following day a mountain bike so I was mobile, and opened an account at the local credit union. It would be seven years before I got round to buying a car. But the next couple of weeks were some of the best of my life. Discovered I'd parked my two-suitcase world two blocks from a brewpub. Explored the area by bike. Noone had any expectations of me, and I had none of them. If only it were like that now....
Apr 13th 2007, 3:30 am
#5
Powder Maggot
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Nuevo Mexico
Posts: 4,452
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
glad things are working out for you
and nebraska...that's a bit of a random spot
oh, and the SSN, aye, it's crap, don't give the number to anyone..but speaking of crap, can't remember what visa your on, but if your under 26, don't forget to register for SS, just in case you change your mind and stick around for the greencard and all that jazz.
and nebraska...that's a bit of a random spot
oh, and the SSN, aye, it's crap, don't give the number to anyone..but speaking of crap, can't remember what visa your on, but if your under 26, don't forget to register for SS, just in case you change your mind and stick around for the greencard and all that jazz.
Apr 13th 2007, 11:50 am
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 240
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
Thanks for posting your thoughts on your move. I can sympathise with a lot of what you are going through as an academic who moved from the UK to the US in 2005. It sounds like I was lucky, though, in that I got a good relocations package and get hit with far less paperwork here than in the UK. Yes, FSC is a great thing to have. Good to have BBC America too, though they desperately need to show more contemporary stuff more frequently and avoid endless repeats of things like Cash in the Attic. If you're interested, my wife's blog chronicles our attempts to cope with life in America, how to cope without British TV and radio, buying cars, SSNs and the like. It's called The Americanization of Emily, at http://uktous.blogspot.com/ . Cheers.
Apr 13th 2007, 1:37 pm
#7
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2003
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 974
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
- Tim
Apr 13th 2007, 1:51 pm
#8
Bugger Off!
Joined: Sep 2006
Location: Michigan
Posts: 2,858
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
Well I thought i would take this opportunity to introduce myself properly and then give you a brief synopsis of my first couple of weeks here.
Basically, I left everything behind to pursue my career here on a temporary basis (3 years). I am from South London originally and studied for my PhD in Nottingham and got offered a wonderful, dream position here in San Antonio, Texas, which I really couldnt refuse. I left my fiancee, family and friends and arrived here with just a couple of suitcases, which is a bit humbling really having accumulated material things that amounted to a pretty nice little life in the UK. When I arrived, it was boiling hot (for me!) and I was dumped into some hotel and left there with no food, no transport, nothing. In academia, there is NO relocation package of any sort, you corporate types should feel VERY lucy believe me. You are left to your own devices completely in this game.
The next day, I went to find my work and boss and got hit with loads of paperwork and work related crap which just felt overwhelming given the circumstances. I was and am shocked by the bureaucracy here in the US. My instincts were just to turn around and go home and I swear I was very close to doing just that; my boss was passive at best and didnt have the time to help me out. I just wasnt sure I was doing the right thing. I had to find an apartment, get a bank account and find a car with no transport, which is a big deal when its 80 degrees outside and you have to walk everywhere. Its almost shameful to walk here and I hate that.
Therefore, the first couple of days were certainly very hard and all i could think of was home. But one girl at work (another brit) took me under her wing and has helped me settle. I must have got lucky in the end because everything was actually quite easy from then on. I opened a bank account (with no SSN) and found a really nice apartment (with no deposit, no SSN and no hassle). I have settled into work just about and have just found a cheap second hand car to run around in (Dodge Neon) and an insurance company to insure me (GEICO). My SSN should be arriving soon and I will get my driving licence as soon as possible. My friend has taken me everywhere, from food shopping to car viewings and has been so patient with me, which I'm sure has made things simpler.
Granted, im still sitting on my apartment floor with no furniture and sleeping on the floor with a sleeping bag (IKEA order in!), but its all life experience, right? I have good cable (got given a TV) and internet and I have the FOX soccer channel, so there is always positives to take. Also, I have just been to a seminar where they give you dinner beforehand and a good one at that! Never would that happen at a UK university. Of course, I miss my fiancee terribly but she has just been offered a job in Nebraska (she is an animal scientist!) so at least we can see each other maybe on a monthly basis. Plus its so easy to stay in touch these days that sometimes it doesnt even feel as though you are that far apart (or maybe it just hasnt settled in yet, im not sure).
Some things that crack me up about this place so far. The obsession with the SSN is the major one. No-one has given me a good reason why you need it so much and, in fact, no one can really explain to me what its real purpose is. It seems to me to be just a kind of stealth ID card. Also, the media is a joke; CNN is a laughing stock, simple as that. Some things that annoy me, public transport is shit and good food is hard to find, although HEB is pretty decent.
That's me, thanks for listening.
Basically, I left everything behind to pursue my career here on a temporary basis (3 years). I am from South London originally and studied for my PhD in Nottingham and got offered a wonderful, dream position here in San Antonio, Texas, which I really couldnt refuse. I left my fiancee, family and friends and arrived here with just a couple of suitcases, which is a bit humbling really having accumulated material things that amounted to a pretty nice little life in the UK. When I arrived, it was boiling hot (for me!) and I was dumped into some hotel and left there with no food, no transport, nothing. In academia, there is NO relocation package of any sort, you corporate types should feel VERY lucy believe me. You are left to your own devices completely in this game.
The next day, I went to find my work and boss and got hit with loads of paperwork and work related crap which just felt overwhelming given the circumstances. I was and am shocked by the bureaucracy here in the US. My instincts were just to turn around and go home and I swear I was very close to doing just that; my boss was passive at best and didnt have the time to help me out. I just wasnt sure I was doing the right thing. I had to find an apartment, get a bank account and find a car with no transport, which is a big deal when its 80 degrees outside and you have to walk everywhere. Its almost shameful to walk here and I hate that.
Therefore, the first couple of days were certainly very hard and all i could think of was home. But one girl at work (another brit) took me under her wing and has helped me settle. I must have got lucky in the end because everything was actually quite easy from then on. I opened a bank account (with no SSN) and found a really nice apartment (with no deposit, no SSN and no hassle). I have settled into work just about and have just found a cheap second hand car to run around in (Dodge Neon) and an insurance company to insure me (GEICO). My SSN should be arriving soon and I will get my driving licence as soon as possible. My friend has taken me everywhere, from food shopping to car viewings and has been so patient with me, which I'm sure has made things simpler.
Granted, im still sitting on my apartment floor with no furniture and sleeping on the floor with a sleeping bag (IKEA order in!), but its all life experience, right?
I have good cable (got given a TV) and internet and I have the FOX soccer channel, so there is always positives to take. Also, I have just been to a seminar where they give you dinner beforehand and a good one at that! Never would that happen at a UK university. Of course, I miss my fiancee terribly but she has just been offered a job in Nebraska (she is an animal scientist!) so at least we can see each other maybe on a monthly basis. Plus its so easy to stay in touch these days that sometimes it doesnt even feel as though you are that far apart (or maybe it just hasnt settled in yet, im not sure).Some things that crack me up about this place so far. The obsession with the SSN is the major one. No-one has given me a good reason why you need it so much and, in fact, no one can really explain to me what its real purpose is. It seems to me to be just a kind of stealth ID card. Also, the media is a joke; CNN is a laughing stock, simple as that. Some things that annoy me, public transport is shit and good food is hard to find, although HEB is pretty decent.
That's me, thanks for listening.
Apr 13th 2007, 2:41 pm
#9
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: EK to DFW
Posts: 1,725
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
Pleased to hear that you're settling in.
When I first arrived last June I got out the car to walk into a restaurant, walked ten paces and said I've changed my mind I'm on the next plane out of here it's far too hot for me here and that was at 9pm!
Needless to say I spent the first two weeks in the pool with just my head sticking out.
Hope things keep getting better for you. Sounds like your friend from work has been taking good care of you, she probably remembers all to well how daunting it was when she came across.
Keep us posted on how things are going.
When I first arrived last June I got out the car to walk into a restaurant, walked ten paces and said I've changed my mind I'm on the next plane out of here it's far too hot for me here and that was at 9pm!
Needless to say I spent the first two weeks in the pool with just my head sticking out.
Hope things keep getting better for you. Sounds like your friend from work has been taking good care of you, she probably remembers all to well how daunting it was when she came across.
Keep us posted on how things are going.
Apr 13th 2007, 3:33 pm
#10
Homebody
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: HOME
Posts: 23,181
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
..........They are always banging on about not telling a living sould your number, and then everybody asks for it. Order a pizza and some guy wants your SSN. Silly really, I don't think it is as big a deal as they say. Prolly about the worse that could happen is some illegal immigrant could work on yur number and add more tax dollars to the IRS - like they are gonna complain.
Never, ever tell anyone your SSN - other than the IRS, the SSA, bank, employer, insurance companies.
To do otherwise is open invitation for identity fraud, which I believe is a far worse problem here in the US than anywhere else.
Apr 13th 2007, 4:52 pm
#11
MODERATOR
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Hong Kong, mostly.
Posts: 5,214
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
Umm, you know this is the cold season right? You have heat coming later. By next year, you'll have a sweater on when it is only 80 outside...
The SSN is a stealth ID, eventhough there are all sorts of laws that are supposed to keep the number from being requrired, you find it is pretty much required for anything financial.
Do keep it secret as best you can. Don't be afraid to challenge someone when they ask for it.
You'll also find some stores ask for your address (mailing list) or phone number (tracking shoppers). You can say 'no' (they won't be upset) and if they really press you, just say (202)-456-1414, ask for George.
(white house switchboard)
The SSN is a stealth ID, eventhough there are all sorts of laws that are supposed to keep the number from being requrired, you find it is pretty much required for anything financial.
Do keep it secret as best you can. Don't be afraid to challenge someone when they ask for it.
You'll also find some stores ask for your address (mailing list) or phone number (tracking shoppers). You can say 'no' (they won't be upset) and if they really press you, just say (202)-456-1414, ask for George.
(white house switchboard)
Apr 13th 2007, 5:01 pm
#12
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2004
Location: Mother Land.
Posts: 14,858
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
Welcome to BE Dukeynorton 
Apr 13th 2007, 5:03 pm
#13
Account Closed
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 15,019
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
welcome to spring in texas...the hot weather is on it's way
good that you are getting settled in. things surely can be dauting to begin with
btw DO NOT give your SS number to anyone other than bank/irs and employer and officials like that. for the others, if they want your business they will succumb to other forms of ID.
good that you are getting settled in. things surely can be dauting to begin with
btw DO NOT give your SS number to anyone other than bank/irs and employer and officials like that. for the others, if they want your business they will succumb to other forms of ID.
Apr 13th 2007, 5:09 pm
#14
Bugger Off!
Joined: Sep 2006
Location: Michigan
Posts: 2,858
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
Apr 13th 2007, 5:10 pm
#15
Bugger Off!
Joined: Sep 2006
Location: Michigan
Posts: 2,858
Re: My first two weeks in the USA!
Everytime I call the cable company, or the telephone company they say they need the SSN to confirm the address. That and the fact that you can easily get dead guys numbers from a government site on the internet. Seems like they can't be that important. But I agree, I am a bit of a silly sod at times