Things You dun Like abt America, YET?

Ladylethal · January 29, 2010

Have you seen the way they drive in India???

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And my husband thought we're crazy drivers in Brasil. Geez! :blink: Btw, I find them crazier here in Puerto Rico compared to Brasil, but nothing beats India's traffic.

Leo&Farah · February 6, 2010

This seems a fun thread to post on.

Firstly, since there seems to be some prickly people around, things I love about the states:

1. Honest to God, my first 'delight' was ravioli in a can. Especially when I was used to having to pay exorbitant prices at Italian restaurants just to satisfy any ravioli craving. Of course, the quality is not the same at all. But the fact that theres ravioli in a can?! Thats variety and choice!

2. Responsible medical advertising. The first time I saw drawn out medicine commercials listing all their side effects, I assumed there was some law behind it. After being used to old style propaganda advertising where everyone claims their product works and everything is in fine print or overlooked, this aspect of advertising I can respect. Youre messing with people's health, I like the accountability.

3. Drive by ATM machines. The first time we went to one, I thought we were at a gas station. When I found out it was an ATM I just sat there with a '#######' look on my face and took a picture on my phone camera like some crazy tourist. Apparently theres drive by pharmacies as well. I have yet to experience this but its nice that its there.

4. How cheap some things are. The fact that I could buy a mainstay standing lamp for 8 bucks at walmart is just mind boggling. Things are expensive where I come from. Dollar for dollar, with less income, we would have had to pay 100 over for the same lamp. I love how groceries are dirt cheap. Its so much easier to budget on food.

5. 1 dollar meals at MickeyD and BK! I had them both back in Malaysia but hell, the cheapest thing you could get there was maybe a regular drink for 1.99 before tax. A single whopper junior meal cost 10 bucks before tax. And average income per hour is still $3.50 to $4.00. So imagine my delight. Bigger income per hour, and 1 dollar meals to satisfy my absurd craving for unhealthy fries now and then.

6. Books. Books used to cost around $30 bucks over. So with an average wage per hour of $3.50-$4.00, you could afford a book in say...9-10 hours? Over here its $5 to $10 a book, thats about an hour to two hours work and voila, you have 3-4 days of story time.

7. Cars. You can buy second can cars for a few thousand dollars here hell some even a few hundred. Thats unheard of in Malaysia.

8. High speed internet. God I love being on a fast network.

9. How polite everyone is and how they always tell me to have a nice day after each transaction. Of course, this could be largely influenced by the fact that I'm living in a town with a population of 30k people, but still. I like basic human interaction, no matter how small.

10. RETURNS. This was an amazing concept that is great for people like me that make impulse buys and have buyers remorse. I LOVE RETURNS. No way, no how was this allowed or very rarely at least in Malaysia.

11. Blockbuster DVD by mail. This is great for movie buffs like myself that are too lazy to get off the couch to go rent some. Just add to a queue, wait for it to arrive, enjoy and put it in outgoing the next day. Free postage!

Okay thats all I can think of. There's more, no doubt, but thats all I can get off the top of my head at the moment. Onto what I don't like:

1. Health care. The fact that everything here needs prescriptions. I'm used to being able to buy birth control OTC and going into one of a thousand optical stores to do a free eyecheck to get glasses or lenses. Over here, I had to pay 60 bucks for a birth control prescription for one year. Everything seems so expensive.

2. How you need insurance for everything. I slowly realized that Americans love insurance. Theres even pet insurance. Where for me, having home insurance is already a stretch, some people find it normal to insure their furry friends. It confuses me.

3. Credit score. You need good credit to get a credit card but you need a credit card to build a credit score (yes, I know of secured credit cards). Just seems like a huge catch-22 to me. How everything hinges on credit: loans, leases etc and correct me if I'm wrong, you have to pay to get a credit report to see your credit. I dont understand why they would have a grading system only to make people pay to see their grades. Its especially hard since we both started out the old fashioned way and have no credit score so people are staying away from us like we're a couple of hyenas. I feel sometimes like I'm underwater in monetary matters and have to slowly learn how to breathe in it while moving in slowmo.

4. How cold it is. My hubby keeps telling me I'll get used to it but being 90 lbs, I dont think I have enough insulation to ever get used to it. I feel like a popsicle even with the heat on and the house at 70 degrees.

5. How ignorant some Americans are. Sorry to be blunt but here it is. Sure there are exceptions and brilliant people as well but Ive noticed how some people seem to like hiding under a rock. On the plane ride to the states the first time, there was a lady that said to me "Well its good you speak American. I'm sure you'll fit right in". She was being a dear with good intentions but its ENGLISH, not American. Its like that movie 'Just married' where Aston Kutcher goes to France or something and says the signs should have American on them. As for issues with my name. I have twice now had my name written down as the city issuing my passport in Malaysia because it seems to be too much strain to read "Name" just a line down and easier to assume that "Issuing City" is my name since in American passports, the name is always on the first line. So yay for being "Kuala Lumpur". I got a two debit cards, one wrong and one finally right because of it. Had to shread 6 batches of checks because it had my Kuala non existant city name as an account holder on it. And I almost got married as a chick named after a city until I had them correct it. Just surprised considering my social security card with my actual name was in their hands for reference along with the passport. :devil: More so when the lady at BOA said I can only have my joint account with my hubby in my maiden name following my social security card, then promptly writes the city that issued my passport as my name which has nothing in common with anything in said card.

Well jeeze, thats all. And just to stop those who intend on going on a 'we love america' crusade with signs saying 'you chose to come here, deal with it', seriously, chill out. A rant is healthy every now and then and sometimes connects people. I posted the good and the bad to show that there is no hatred, anger, angst, what have you towards this new country I've moved to. Infact, I would say I'm settling in quite easily that sometimes I dont even think about it. Just seems natural to me.

All in all, happy to be here and happy to finally be with my hubby who completes my life the way peanut butter and jelly do.

Darnell · February 6, 2010

Hey Farah - time for curry laksa !!!! Have you found decent hawker-stalls yet? (yes, I'm missing da food, you betcha )

cutie_nauthy · February 6, 2010

wahahah..

it amazed me how a person complains a simple things on how the ways here in America..

but hey, I didn't even complain how my life went on and still on same stage right now..

I never complain how hard it is for me to ride my mountain bike in 24miles - 4hrs travel time during those times that my work schedules falls on weekends..

I do dislike the cold weather but I love the outdoors that goes with it...

I don't complain I don't have a car - what I did was just "wish" i have one..

during my first wk here in America - I was pretty amazed how thing goes and the ways and each single day - I did learned new things and now, I know the ways though I till have a long way to learn more..

I like the way it goes here.. for instance, there is no age - race - sex - personality discrimination unlike over my country there is..

I like the way also when a household has low income and can get a support from gov't like food stamps and you can go to school w/o paying it righ away but pay it later when you are done!

if there is few things that I dislike here in america that would be..

how difficult it is to have a residency and the public transportation are so limit but I am ok with that for I always find ways for everything!!

I struggled alot in my life here in America and I am still struggling up to know with my immigration stuff!

but all I can do is appreciate each single day and hope and pray that things will be better for me and sooner I can be a good use to America..

ps. I love the sunset and sunrise here in US.. pretty amazing and beautiful!

cutie_nauthy · February 6, 2010

wahahah..

it amazed me how a person complains/whines a simple things on how the ways here in America..