chaine1

I hate doing anything repetitively. I don't mind doing house work and cleaning (hey, it's work where I can instantly see the progress of my efforts). And I do like to cook and bake, and find a small amount of satisfaction in creating healthy tasty meals. My husband likes to cook more than I do, but his British tendencies (if he boils Brussels sprouts one more time, I may vomit), mean I like to be involved.

However, I get sick of doing both, and also work in binges. If I vacuumed or sweep the floors everyday, I think I'd snap. We also tend to work in shifts, where once I get sick of vacuuming, he takes it over for a few weeks, and vice versa.

Any kind of maintenance jobs, whether it's cleaning, or even self-maintenance (I can think of better ways to spend ten minutes rather than blow-drying my hair) I find pretty boring and tedious.

I did used to have a maid who came everyday. It was like living in a hotel, coming home to a perfectly made bed everyday! However, I had mixed feeling about it. Loved never having to do the chores, but I also often felt that I had no control over my household - someone else knew where everything was, and if I needed to find something I could rarely find it.

So the silver-lining, I suppose, for me, is that I am in control of the house and its contents and condition.

Hi there,

I've flown several dogs into the USA, and normally it is the airlines' policy about not flying dogs (or anything living that may be place in luggage holds) during the summer months. I've never used a company, but don't understand why they would have a blanket policy to not fly pets in the summer. I flew two dogs out of Kuwait in July, when temps were well over 120 F.

Lufthansa will fly pets in the summer, but it may depend on the aircraft used. Look for airlines that say their cargo holds are air conditioned.

Good Luck!

Hi Guys,

I'm about to make a very big decision and wondered if anyone has any advice. It's taken 7 months to get our K1 approved, I arrived almost 8 weeks ago and my US partner has told me she wants to move back to the UK. We lived there together for 15 months until DOMA was repealed, as soon as it was repealed she was very very excited about moving back to the US, however now she tells me she wants to move back to the UK. I'm so torn, I don't want to waste the time and effort we've put into getting here and I'm terribly homesick myself, so I don't want to make a rash decision. Should we give it a chance? It's very hard to do that when she wants to go back to the UK, she says she doesn't see the US in the same light since living in the UK.

Any advice, should we stay or go?

Thanks

Claire

Sorry things aren't going as well as expected, adjustment-wise. I just wanted to comment here, as an American citizen who moved back to the USA with my immigrant spouse after living abroad for 5 years.

8 weeks is hardly time to adjust to a big move. When we moved back, I think I had a harder time adjusting to life back in the USA than my husband did! I felt homesick for people, friends and foods abroad, even though this is my home country! There are still moments I wish we were living abroad, and we've been back for 2 years now.

I think it helps if you focus on the reasons you immigrated to the USA. When I feel like moving abroad again, I remind myself why we are here, and that there are things I would have to give up, if we were to move abroad again. I guess my point here is that from my perspective, the experience is what you make it, but 8 weeks is hardly time to adjust to a big move. I think that is a question you both need to ask yourselves - why did we move here?

Good luck in your decision - I don't envy you!

I would wager if you took the scenario I laid out and applied it to the Muslim country you mentioned, you would again find a increasing level of activity based on attire .

Not really, no. In the Muslim countries I've traveled to (~10, in addition to the one I called home), the women wear a variety of clothes..the more conservative will be in the niqab, but they also run the gamut of western clothing with women wearing shorts, capris, low cut tops and etc. There maybe less skin shown on average than here in the USA, but to apply your logic to the culture - the women wearing western clothing would face more sexual harassment than those in the niqab. And that isn't the case.

Here in the USA, I've been harassed wearing a loose sweater and jeans while walking by a construction site.

I stand by the argument that clothing has nothing to do with it. Provactive clothing may get attention and draw eyes - but it's a big leap from some guy checking you out to some guy making lewd, inappopriate comments. That's all on the man to make that (disgusting) leap, and his flawed, pathetic psychology.

After living abroad for 5 years, my husband and I (the USC) arrived in the USA in July 2012. I assumed, like you, that it would be near impossible for us to buy a house together, but by November 2012, we had jointly purchased our home.

According to the loan officer, adding my husband to my credit card was responsible for boosting his credit score into a range where he could qualify for a home loan. I don't know why this worked for us, and not for others.

I made a post about this at the time, you may find it helpful. Link.

Good Luck!

My husband hasn't been successful finding much rugby on TV, but I think the satellite company DirectTV plays the most rugby of any provider.

My husband uses the internet to watch, and then hooks his computer up the TV. He says to try:

www.vipboxus.co/sports/rugby

The Mirror is reporting two passengers were using stolen passports (article).

Australian newspaper reporting that according to a flight tracker, the plane plunged 200 meters and changed course in the last minute of transmitting data (article).

So sad. I've flown Malaysian Airlines many times, and loved them. And the 777 airplane.

RhettVoe posts an awful lot like the user Noah Lot, who seemed to regard long-term travelers with disdain and mistrust. Here is a link to a very similar thread involving Noah Lot, with sinilar comments.

Just an observation.

OP, the link I posted may be of interest to you, as it discusses a UK citizen who was denied a tourist visa.

I would have thought a conservative anti-Obama individual would have heartily embraced this map to add fodder to the - "see, racism hardly exists in the USA!' folder.... ,

This looks like BS to me.

The article does discuss some of the inherent problems with the data. Honesty was one. It may very well be BS. However, after living in the Middle East for several years, I will say racial issues and tolerance were..very interesting there.

I don't have much to say about this, just thought it was fascinating and wanted to share...from The Washington Post (article)

Just so you know, even us born and raised in Minnesota folks are complaining about this winter. It has not been a normal winter. Still I don't blame you for wanting to live in a warmer climate. I plan to do the same myself come retirement.

That's what everyone was telling me last winter, when it was still snowing in May! I'm starting to think this is something said every winter, to convince us that winter is not really this bad, it's just a bad year!

This winter is definitely much colder than last winter. I think I'd rather the long winter of last year, and not this bone-freezing cold. The wind yesterday was brutal.

Chaine I remember you from the ####### thread

You're the forensic crapologist.....

haha! Truth.

You guys are such good sports! I hate the cold weather. I can't wait to move somewhere warmer. Hubs is quite okay with the cold, but I have a feeling it's the novelty of seeing snow for the first time and all that. I quite like the first snow, and then get sick of it soon after. Having 75 degree weather all year round would be okay with me.

I agree completely! I wasn't sure how I'd like a winter culture...but I've decided it probably isn't for me. Once I'm done with my degree, we are back to warm beaches (husband is half-annoyed and half-amused by the winter...he likes the chaos and excitement of a big snow dump, but the temps are too low).

Singapore is hot and very humid throughout the year while Minnesota is very cold.

I think I am adapting well to the temperature difference after so many years of living here.

I put on many layers of clothes during the winter too, especially when I am outside shovelling the driveway.

Driving sucks when there is snow fall.. A normal 30 minutes drive to work could become 2 hours drive!

On the bright side, I don't have to mow the lawn for half a year because of long winter.

There are many outdoor activities to do in winter.

I have learnt how to ice-skate, cross country ski, and still run outside with my run club weekly.

Oh, I have a malamute dog which loves to go for a walk outside, no matter how the cold the weather is.

I love the Hong Kong Noodle restaurant by the U of M campus.

Merrytooth- you are hardcore! That's one of the things I miss a lot in the winter - going for a jog. I'm too much of a wimp, and worry about slipping on ice to do it. I'm always super impressed seeing people around here jogging in negative temps!

Welcome to Minnesota.

Hope you enjoy the cold winter here

This is my second winter here...the first was full of novelty and interesting...the second one is a bit harder to take, as I think the reality has hit!!

How did you adjust, coming from Singapore (love Singapore, by the way!)?

So, advice-wise, what are some of the downsides/upsides to living in upper MN vs let's say the Twin Cities area? I've been accepted into a uni up there, but I don't know if I could get into UMN in the Twin Cities.

I've lived on coasts my whole life, but decided to give Minneapolis chance, as I got a pretty good scholarship to the U of M. In all honesty, I kind of wish I had looked further south. I miss seafood and mild winters.

From my perspective, the winters are crippling. Life almost comes to a standstill in the winter (we had a party here in February one year, and people couldn't believe we'd do that). People hibernate, with good reason. RIght now the ground is white with about a half foot snow pack and will remain so until likely April. That was something hard for me to fathom before moving here. The ground is frozen solid and white for a good 4-5 months of the year. This makes the growing season extremely short (~3 months), and we like to garden. It's been difficult to adjust to that. I wear long sleeves from September to May. Dark until 8:00am and dark again by 4:00ish.

The winters are much more bearable if you find an outdoor activity...but that doesn't take away the uncomfortableness of walking around on campus with frozen nostrils and icicles hanging from your eyelashes.

And that's in Minneapolis. Go further north, and to me, the winters would be unbearable. Snowpack for 6-7 months. Dark. Less human contact. But that's my perspective. Many people would love that.

Oh, I believe in "Minnesota Nice"..

I think it is hard to make friends in Minnesota...

Yes! I've been surprised by how insular Minneapolis is...I thought I was moving to a big(ger) city, but quickly found it was big city with a small town mentality.

(Hope you don't mind me posting here...haven't logged in for a while and was reading around....)

so if people have two miles to merge into a gap, they should wait until the lane ends and try to force their way into a gap that is not there, causing the fluid line to stop.

The zipper merge was new to me when I moved to Minnesota. May seem counterintuitive, but yes, it is often employed. Read here if you want to learn more.

I'm sure you've probably heard of it, but if you are in Phnom Penh, the International School of Phnom Penh is an option. I have a friend teaching there. It's an IB school, which is very highly regarded.

Honestly, having taught in both international/American schools, and schools here in the USA, your daughter could get an excellent education at American/International schools. In many ways, these schools are far, far superior to public US schools, but both have their positives and negatives.

Good Luck!

You seem like you have done a fair bit of research. However, I would highly suggest delaying pregnancy until you immigrate, if possible. My husband and I moved to the US (I'm the US citizen, but we were living abroad). Moving internationally is terribly stressful and full of so many unknowns. In my opinion, adding on the extra stress of pregnancy, and then returning to NZ for an extended period of time is setting yourself up for, at best, an incredibly stressful experience. How will you gain employment if you are only in the USA for 1 month, and then in NZ for 6 months? Will you keep your NZ job?

We've been here for almost a year now, and my Kiwi husband has mixed feelings about the USA. Overall he likes it, but he also views it as work-obsessed, very competitive, and uptight. If he had his way, we'd be moving to NZ tomorrow. Are there specific reasons you want to immigrate to the USA?

Tell your wife as a teacher she will be able to get a higher pay cheque in the US.

US is one of the best places in the Universe to study and be a part of.

Teachers are highly recognized provided she has a teaching license, which can be easily obtained.

Teaching in the USA with a foreign degree presents several challenges. If she has a three-year degree (common in NZ and other commonwealth nations), it may be evaluated as not equivalent to a bachelor's degree, which means she would not be able to work as a teacher (as she could not get certified). In addition, the education career has taken a pretty big hit, and many states have a surplus of teachers. Many open positions receive upwards of hundreds of applicants. You're painting a rosy-picture here, and the reality is a bit more bleak.

Hey guys, I'm a US citizen from Atlanta,Ga and have been living in the Philippines for the past two years with my girlfriend who is a British citizen. We are planning on getting married and I am not sure what route we should go, getting married in the Philippines and then filing an I-130 and doing a DCF or entering the US on a K1 fiance visa and getting married over there. Are there any advantages to either as far as time, money or one being an easier process to go through. My girlfriends sister entered the US and now lives there but went on a fiance visa and she said the process was very long and tedious. Also I heard that there are financial requirements to be able to bring a foreign spouse into the US and I can't seem to find any information on it? If there are financial requirements, being as I have not filed US taxes for the last 2 years, would I have anything viable to use to show my financial capacity? Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Are you planning on returning to the USA to live? Your post is a bit ambiguous regarding your intent, apart from wanting to marry your girlfriend. If you are not returning to live in the USA, then no need to file for anything.

Also, you mention you have not filed taxes for the last 2 years. Even as a citizen abroad, you are required to file taxes (unless you didn't work or earned below the threshold). That doesn't mean you'll have to pay any taxes, but you still must file.

Hi Amelia,

I filed from abroad while my husband and I were living in Kuwait. As Penguin said, you do not need to return to the US to file the paperwork. And you can put your Ugandan address on the paperwork. I did the same, even though Kuwait has terrible post. I never received any paperwork from my petition. As a resident abroad, there is a chance of being auto-expedited by the USCIS. While it seems this pathway has slowed down from when I experienced it, there are reports of petitions being approved in 30-60 days. If that happens, you both may be able to make it home before the birth. Read through this thread: USC petitioner living abroad It is long, but it full of good information.

You will need a co-sponsor. Your income in Uganda will not be accepted, unless you can prove it will continue after leaving. You can PM me if you want more help applying from abroad.

Good Luck!

She's flying Ulaanbaatar -> Beijing -> Los Angeles. While Ulaanbaatar -> Beijing will not be a problem, I seriously doubt they have anyone fluent in Mongolian for Beijing -> Los Angeles. Would they just look at her passport and fill stuff in for her, without communication, in that case?

For secondary, I'll be giving her a home-made phrasebook for her to point to stuff, and an explanation to call me if they need an interpreter, especially if they have trouble getting one for Mongolian (it's not a very common language, obviously). I am concerned, though, that they won't know what to do with her, and that she will be freaked out, having never left Mongolia before.

Hey duraaraa-

Having spent an ungodly amount of time in airports and airplanes - she'll be fine. I was once on a flight from Kuwait to Beirut, and I guess, being the friendly-looking white girl, I was approached by an Ethiopian woman who gave me her passport and customs card. I eventually figured out what she wanted, and then discovered there was an entire group of them who needed the same help. The flight crew eventually discovered and said to me - 'oh don't worry about doing that, we'll take care of it.' So the flight crews are obviously familiar with this and used to helping out.

I was also approached one time in an airport by a couple who had a card written in English by their daughter saying: Our names are _____, we are on a flight to ______, can you help us find this flight? The phone number to our family is ___________ if you need it.

I think the phrasebook is a great idea, just reassure her she'll be okay! She will! There are friendly people all over the world, ready and willing to help!