Return of the saywhat.

OK November 5 at Chicago. I went up to the official who hangs around arrivals and said my wife was a USC (Not an 'ultra sarcastic cow'), and I was immigrating. She sent us to the USC/green card line and then right to the front - in front of 10 people waiting !

The officer looked at the pack and obviously didn't know what to do. He stamped Carolyn's passport and then went to see a supervisor. He put my passport and envelope in a folder and told me to get my luggage and then report to the customs guys on the ultimate exit door !

Did that - they sent me to the examinations area of customs and they put my file on the counter next to 2 others.

There were 2 families waiting. We waited 12 minutes or so and a lady came up and fiddled with the files - she called my name and i signed a credit card type machine (twice) and put my inky fingerprint by my signature.
She told me to go over and leave via the luggage xray machine. It took 30 seconds - the whole thing. I said 'am i done' and she said yes. No smile, no welcome to America, not a flicker of warmth. Nothing.

I was expecting a stamp on my visa to validate it as a 12 month green card but the stamp is on the page above and she scribbles 'IR' on the stamp.

So it was easy peasy - the other guy in the line said he had budgeted 3 hours for it - but if the lady had been at her desk it would have been 30 seconds and not 12 minutes and 30 seconds.

phew !


Then I hired a car and drove to Milwaukee. Hired a U-haul and got Carolyn's furniture, got rid of the hire car at Milwaukee, got rid of the store, drive 1,300 miles to Tampa, put the stuff in store, got rid of the u-haul, bought 2 brand new Toyota Camry's same colour, went for Florida licenses - Carolyn got hers and I got mine after much arguing that my 551 stamp on an IR visa IS a green card. Mine is a temporary licence (bit of paper) as they send it to Tallahassee for USCIS checks (OH NO !)
She said if Tallahassee dont clear it in 1 month she will print me a real license anyway. They took my Wisconsin license so my only photo ID is my passport.

Got a really nice condo for peanuts and an answer phone and cable package and US computer cables and a router/printer/scanner and then lost a thousand dollars on my foreign exchange dealings... never mind, I dont need money now I am in the US where everything is at give away prices. It really is lira land.

My Toyota Camry is a V6 3.5 litre 268 horse power dream machine and was less than some motorbikes I have bought in the UK

I can fill it with gasoline for the price of a few beers in Yorkshire and the insurance was ok too. We have cheap health insurance which is fine until I put Carolyn to work.

So all is going well so far...ok off for brekky on the patio (78 degrees) yippee !


alan

I was wondering how you made out in the move! You've been a busy bee Alan! Glad it all went well!

Welcome to America!!!!

Glad you made it safe

Chas came through O'hare and breezed through - didn't have to go to the 'examinations area' (sounds painful!). Too bad you got someone 'green', but I guess all that matters is that you're through and getting settled.

Glad you made it safely, without the crap you went through to get your visa.

Congratulations Alan

Glad something was finally trouble-free in this whole process for you.

Yeah, I didn't have much in the way of a warm welcome when I went through JFK last week but at least they were quick.

Really glad to hear that you're having a good time. Makes a nice change for everything to be going smoothly for you.

Thanks folks - I don't have the green card or ss card or a 'real' driver's license or the plates for my car actually in my hands yet but for once it can all take it's time coz I am looking at the stars with some nice wine at 2 quid a bottle and it's all an awful nightmare that has gone before...

When I get Carolyn packed off to work to keep me in the style to which I wish to become accustomed, I will spend more time on VJ and help out the poor souls who are following..

who knows , my own journey may well not be over yet !

alan

You've made it, man. You're the envy of everybody still in limbo. Many congratulations - I hope we all share your (eventual) luck.

You really can't beat Yorkshire Bitter though. Congratulations on making it there and best of luck for the future!

Great news, Alan! I was so pleased to hear there was FINALLY a good piece of news about your journey.

Welcome to America -- enjoy spending your lire, I mean, dollars!

thanks folks - i got a credit card today (secured)

great deal at 3rd 4th bank - (silly name) - they waived the annual fee and there is no 'set up fee' so it was free. I always pay off every month but i need a card to rent cars and buy stuff from ebay - cant do ebay with a uk based card

you just shove some dosh in their money market account and designate 1000 or whatever to secure your card - then they mail the credit card out next day.

If you want to increase your credit limit , you just designate another 500 or whatever of your money market account and thats it - 2 minute job

I wanted a money market account anyway so having the first 1000 designated as security is no prob. They dont unsecure the 1000 for 12 months but who cares as i will always keep more than that there..

getting it unsecured won't matter at all

dont go near those capital one people etc as they are total rip off merchants

that was a really easy way to get a credit card... feel much better now

its the fifth third bank which is an even sillyer name !

ok bank though

part of my car insurance clauses have been 'sunsetted' - I think that must be the same as 'dusked'

It's great having hundreds of new verbs to use....think it's wine time now so i can be 'happied' tonight - come to think of it rod stewart claims to have 'bedded' people so using adjectives and nouns as verbs isnt that new

Homer Simpson said he never learned english at school as he had no intention of ever going to england....

Sounds like you're good to go


Good Luck

Welcome to the United States of America, Alan!

Thanks chucky I am loving it this time...
All these huge roads and parking spaces and I go to the mailbox 30 yards down the road in my slippers with all the squirrels and lizards running along - its great...

There are some bad dudes here too - 4 of em in an old battered car made a lurch at me tonight but I know about that insurance fiddle etc so I got out of the way quickly.

My wife got her driver's license and they said they could register her to vote at the same time - they insisted she tells
them which party she votes for ! It goes on the registration record !

Then the woman in the bank who opened our account asked which church she went to !

I am really naughty and I would have said I was a black belt satanist just to wind her up and as for who i would vote for if I could - I would say 'screaming lord Such ' but they wouldn't have a check box for him so I couldn't register

Carolyn predicts I will be shot before Christmas but its all very interesting. I know I have to go with the flow on these culture differences and fighting it would be like trying to tell the Chinese why it's a bad idea to bind girls feet.

When Carolyn's brother asked about my religion I told him I came from England which is in reality a 'post religious society' and he is still trying to figure it out... He thinks its something like the Amish I reckon...

The big question is, have you found an authentic duvet and electric kettle?

Hey Alan,

Glad to hear you made it there all safe and sound and that you are mostly enjoying yourself!

Good news - too hot for a duvet and we put the kettle in store in Wisconsin so I hauled it 1300 miles south in a truck and
I just used it for some wonderful instant nescafe original !

Life isn't all roses but America is going to be ok as long as I don't talk politics or religion

A world of strange contrasts - the mail boxes for parcels are in the street with keys hanging out of them - when i get a parcel they lock it and put the keys in my regular mail box

Those keys would not last 10 minutes in england - but then half a mile away there are people who would kill me for 50 dollars

A land of huge contrasts encapsulating the best and the worst. A land of great extremes of climate and religions and politics and everything else. Very interesting and very safe and very dangerous.

There is no such life experience as 'living in America' - its a million different experiences depending on who you are and what you are and where you are and what you believe. Same as England but hugely magnified.

Hum - I still think I will stay just for the stimulation at least

Great to hear more from the ongoing tales of Saywhat. And now - new topics outside of immigration!! Most entertaining

Hey ALan,

I laughed when I read ur POE expereince...... some one has said it right.. the more you read , the more knowledge you get. its all about listening to people... thanks alan... Love to know more about u and from u

Jigi