Living in the USA...

[Indifference]

Well, I have wanted to live abroad for quite a few years and have finally found the right opportunity to do so for a few years in the US, near Washington D.C.

The time is now nigh, as we fly out at the end of this month & have sold our PPOR here in Melb. (yes the $ are going to be put to work whilst abroad) So there's no turning back now! We have never been to the US (other than LAX in transit), so the family is about to have a rather big adventure.

We have travelled abroad, but never for more than 5 weeks at a time.... No intention of coming back to Aus before 2013, so as they say in Poker "I'm all in!"

So, any tips or tales of experiences in the the good ol' US of A?

 

[andrew_de_a]

I lived in LA for six months and loved it. So much to do, only problem is the traffic.

Have fun!

 

[kathryn d]

Well, I have wanted to live abroad for quite a few years and have finally found the right opportunity to do so for a few years in the US, near Washington D.C.

The time is now nigh, as we fly out at the end of this month & have sold our PPOR here in Melb. (yes the $ are going to be put to work whilst abroad) So there's no turning back now! We have never been to the US (other than LAX in transit), so the family is about to have a rather big adventure.

We have travelled abroad, but never for more than 5 weeks at a time.... No intention of coming back to Aus before 2013, so as they say in Poker "I'm all in!"

So, any tips or tales of experiences in the the good ol' US of A?

Make sure you have medical coverage.
You can still change your mind !!!

 

[Mooze]

If you've got kids - investigate the schools thoroughly - there can be some really good public schools and really bad ones right next to each other (same as here).

Get ready for accent shock - a large number of people will ask you to repeat several times what you've said because either a) they want to hear your accent again or b ) they honestly didn't know what you said (also if you've got kids make sure they don't take debating as a first semester subject)

Take plenty of cadbury's etc over with you to help with homesickness at times. Little comforts make all the difference.

Take the opportunity to travel around - car travel over there is so cheap - makes road trips worth while but hotels can be expensive.

Enjoy the big adventure

 

[rstephenp]

Va

Mate,

1) Make sure have an American Express card (not a co-bank one such as Westpac & Amex). That was my Saviour.
You have 6 months to build a credit history. If you have a good credit rating in Australia, It counts for nothing. Only Amex will give you a card if you have a good history in Australia. Do you have a family or relative or got a job in US. They would need to co-sign most of the things e.g. rent, buying a car etc.

2) Drivers license, you need to have two proof of id - 1) Passport & Visa 2) I went on E3 visa, I had to run around, finally the DMV (RTA is Oz) sent my application to the HO in Richmond & they allowed me to take a test.

3) You can pay $5 in check. You cannot online transfer funds from your bank to another persons bank account. It will go either as a check delay from 4 business days to a week or Pay wire transfer fees which is online with a fee. Check which bank features best suites you.

4) Prepared to buy second hand....Look at craigslist ..the best. I sold all my stuff on craigslist

5) Website like Passwird..announce sale and discount from all retailers.

6) Social Security application...enquire where you can apply.

7) Street lighting sucks - Very few street lights will you find.

I lived in Virginia VA and worked in DC. Its is nice but be ready for frustrations. American people are nice to work with.

Take care
S

 

[Amadio]

Agree with all of above - good advice on banking, credit card, driver's licence, schools, medical insurance , travel, social security, etc
Plus:
Learn how to tip. Really hard for Australians but understand that the people serving you are getting paid about $1 hour. Their income is what you pay them and it's why the food is so cheap.

Driving is a breeze compared to Australia - Americans are very polite, especially on freeways, and visitors need to be aware of rules which aren't in the rule book. Like, merging onto a freeway one car at a time and don't even think about overtaking in the slow lane.

Bite your tongue in political or religious arguments. Americans are very sensitive and it comes as a complete surprise to them that everybody doesn't regard their country as the best on earth. Australian humour is not appreciated or understood.

Have fun.

 

[andrew_de_a]

Bite your tongue in political or religious arguments. Americans are very sensitive and it comes as a complete surprise to them that everybody doesn't regard their country as the best on earth. Australian humour is not appreciated or understood.

Have fun.

very good point, some people are very sensitive when it comes to politics/religion

 

[BayView]

Well, I have wanted to live abroad for quite a few years and have finally found the right opportunity to do so for a few years in the US, near Washington D.C.

The time is now nigh, as we fly out at the end of this month & have sold our PPOR here in Melb. (yes the $ are going to be put to work whilst abroad) So there's no turning back now! We have never been to the US (other than LAX in transit), so the family is about to have a rather big adventure.

We have travelled abroad, but never for more than 5 weeks at a time.... No intention of coming back to Aus before 2013, so as they say in Poker "I'm all in!"

So, any tips or tales of experiences in the the good ol' US of A?

Make sure you put your Social Security application in as soon as possible.

The other thing is getting connections to different services. Without a credit history, they won't want to know you, so you'll have to put up sizeable cash deposits/bonds for things like phone/internet, electricity and gas etc.

We didn't go down the credit card path; just stayed with the debit card.

See if you can arrange for travel insurance before you go instead of trying to sign up for their disgraceful and haenously expensive attempt at it.

We did this, and were able to extend it for a further term even though we were still over there. Ours was through Toursafe. 100% cover.

 

[Indifference]

Very informative posts! Thank you for all the feedback.

I take the banking tips onboard in earnest, as I see this as a significant hurdle... establishing a credit history from scratch will surely be a headache at some stage.

I am fortunate not to have too many housing worries, as my employer will be helping out with this, but I do have to find a suitable house. So the living tips & traps are very useful.

Medical is one big headache, but fortunately, my employer helps with these matters as well, so hopefully not too many dramas, but I am looking into additional family medical and general insurance cover.

I think it take a while to adjust to the cultural aspects, but that is after all half the the fun of being abroad. New places, new faces and new experiences... Can't wait!

Thanks again for all the tips. Greatly appreciated and very informative!

 

[Amadio]

If your employer is picking up the bulk of the medical insurance then you will probably be on a family plan anyway. The difference in what the employer pays and what you have to pay is approximately what you may be used to paying in Australia if you have private health insurance. This is considered a token amount in the USA.

Try these guys as a starting point if you end up having to pay for some additional insurance yourself.
http://www.nasro-co-op.com/health/state/dc/individuals.shtml

Then there are all kind of online agents who do the comparing for you, and take a small commission from the health insurance fund that you decide to go with.

The health world in the USA is a bit of a quagmire, as you will see.

 

[Indifference]

USA realities

Thanks to all that provided advice prior to my big move. It helped a bunch.

Well, been living in the USA for 3 months now and OMG 90% is the same as Australia, but the 10% of things that differ.... well, they differ markedly.

Common sense.... I don't think this is part of US culture.

Bureaucracy..... it is simply insane compared to Oz. Ie. It took me over 1hr at the DMV (read RTA) just to get a ticket to wait in line! Then, it took another 5 hours, and no, there is no other way to do it! Yes this is a typical experience after receiving feedback from work colleagues.

Litigation.... You need insurance for everything here, even renting a house you need personal liability insurance.

Telecommunications.... Australia please stop complaining. Comparatively ours really isn't that bad!

Alcohol.... according to Aussie government politicians rationale, Americans should all be raving winos, because liquor is so damn cheap over here. Ie. 1.75L bottle Jim Beam $21 from my local. Well, Americans aren't all wino's and I think our liqour taxes are outrageous. Oh, and spirits are 'hard liqour' only sold at certain bottleshops. Many only sell beer/wine.

Banking... what friggin' hotpot. Our banking system is streets ahead. Yep, really.

REAs... wow, things are really a bit different over here, more so with rentals. It has to be experienced to fully understand it I think. (I still don't)

Many things in the US are great, and we are enjoying the experience thoroughly thus far. I have however, never ever seen such big soda cups in my life.

Still not sure why I wrote this post, but it may be remotely interesting to someone.....

 

[Brett IP]

Many things in the US are great, and we are enjoying the experience thoroughly thus far. I have however, never ever seen such big soda cups in my life.

Your not wrong about that We were over there for a month in August and couldnt beleive it either. A medium drink was more than enough for both the wife and I to share.

How about the sandwich toppings at servos etc. About 10 - 15 slabs of meat, we are lucky to get 2 in Aus.

 

[Brett IP]

Alcohol.... according to Aussie government politicians rationale, Americans should all be raving winos, because liquor is so damn cheap over here. Ie. 1.75L bottle Jim Beam $21 from my local. Well, Americans aren't all wino's and I think our liqour taxes are outrageous. .

Had to reply on this one too, we felt the same. Bought a 2ltr bottle of Smirnoff for $20 & a carton of Coronas for $14 when we got there. Couldnt believe it, Australians are getting ripped off big time.

How are you finding the driving over there? Many comment that its great but we drove all the way from LA to NY, up and down along the way (7000klm +) and found them overall rude, more so than Australia. They will speed up on you when merging & honk at the drop of a hat. Pain in the butt

 

[intrigued]

Indifference:

I would be interested in the industry you are working in.
From memory you are in the same industry I did my time in (or similar), of which I now consult in the industrial side of the game.
So I would be interested to hear about the conditions.

Regards

 

[Indifference]

How are you finding the driving over there? Many comment that its great but we drove all the way from LA to NY, up and down along the way (7000klm +) and found them overall rude, more so than Australia. They will speed up on you when merging & honk at the drop of a hat. Pain in the butt

So far it is not too bad. I agree that you need to be a little more assertive in your driving style, but hey, with over 300 million ppl, that is to be expected. They are happy horn honkers though... but nowhere near as bad as driving in SE Asia. Now that is shear madness!

 

[BayView]

ppl, that is to be expected. They are happy horn honkers though...

What was also surprising was they honk their horns, but no-one really took offense to it.

Here in Aus, it is an invite to a spanner to the side of the head from my observations.