densusan

I'm in Northern New York......about an hours drive from the Canadian border.......beautiful countryside but winters are brutal. Been here over 5 years now.

Deb I am sure you will do perfectly wonderful with your interview

Ok I have logged in because I need to vent where the person involved can not read ha ha

So as most of you are aware when I moved here to the USA I left 3 of my children in AUS...my two sons are living with my parents. My youngest son requires a kidney transplant and is currently on Hemo Dialysis -- so this is why he isnt here with us -- the costs involved plus waiting for a transplant already meant more then he was willing to do over here in the USA. So I get updates from my *ahem* Mother at least twice a week as to how he is doing etc. Now I have been here for almost 6 weeks and I am STILL waiting for either her or my father to even ASK how we are, are we coping etc. Not a bloody words gets mentioned in regards to our life here...it is kind of out of sight out of mind. So today in her email update she takes this wonderful tone of how I am such a horrible mother as I have not called the boys all except once the day I arrived here. I got very upset & then angry. Just because I call first thing in the morning AFTER her & my father have left for work she thinks I have not called. I was trying to go back to sleep when Eric got home from work but I am so angry & my stomach is in knots.

I miss my kids more then anyone can imagine -- I cry more often then even Eric knows because I miss them so bad and hate not knowing what is happening in their lives every single day! I dont get to hug them, kiss them or just look over to see them there....and my stupid b*&^% of a mother seems to think that I am moving on with my life without any thought of them.

I am sorry to vent here...but I seriously needed to get it off my chest as my head is splitting & my heart is aching terribly this morning because of this.

Hi Terri, I don't post on here much anymore but I felt so sad when I read your post. I totally understand how difficult it is to be away from your kids, as many others on here do too. I know sometimes it feels like out of sight out of mind and the last thing you need is your mum saying such horrible things. You are not a bad mother! Even though my kids are all grown up 20, 22 & 26 years old I had the guilts when I came to live here 4 1/2 years ago and I too used to cry so often because I missed them so. I also have 3 grandchildren....one of which is turning 1 next month and I haven't even seen her yet but my life now is with my husband and it is the choice I made. All my boys gave their blessings when I left Australia and told me the most important thing was for me to be happy but u never stop missing them and being there for them. Just rememeber that you have a wonderful new life ahead of you here and don't let people that don't agree with your decision to move to the USA spoil that for you. I had quite a few family members not happy with my decision to move here and it will eat u up if u let it. Hugs to u,

Sue

My husband's sister and her husband live in Rome. We were at Turningstone last Sunday (for Bingo). Those people love their Bingo and I have to say although I have never played before, some people were winning crazy amounts of money!?! Small world. We won't be living there. It will be either Tampa or Albany if the husband gets the transfer he wants. It is pretty but I would not be able to handle the winters. We went out to Lake Delta so I could take pics and I lasted 5 minutes. It was minus 28 Celcius. Forget that!

We will head up there often though to visit her so stay in touch!

Would have been great to have an Aussie living close by.....oh well. Yes will stay in touch and next time u are visiting in Rome just let me know. Yes the people here do love to gamble and I think more so in the winter because unless u are into all the winter sports there isn't much else to do. Trust me on this....the winters are long and hard and I totally get why u wouldn't want to live here but spring, summer and fall it is a different world......very beautiful.

I checked out the USAA website but can't find any info on international money transfers but thankyou for the info.

Hi Susan

I've never used XOOM but I did sign up for http://www.tranzfers.com/ when I moved to the UK for a while. I never actually got around to using it as i moved shortly after. It was suggested to me by a organisation that helps people change countries, but I don't know whether this suggestion was commission based.

Either way i hope it gives you another idea. I know transfering money between countries is SO expensive! Good luck and please let us know when you find a good one

Thanks so much for the info and I promise if I find a reliable, safe and reasonably priced one I will let u all know. I guess the thing that concerns me the most is the security aspect, so I'm not looking for the cheapest just a little better than $40 a transfer. Thanks again for the tip.

Hey there - I just spent 5 days of my trip in Rome, NY. And yes, it was very, very cold. First time I've ever seen snow.

We've never used XOOM but we do internet transfers. I will check with the husband about how much he pays. I think it's about US$23. I know NAB does not charge me to receive. He is with USAA so his fees are lower than normal.

OMG! Rome NY is about 1 1/2 hours from where I live and we were down there on thursday shopping and then spent New Year at the Turningstone Resort in Verona NY. What a small world it is. May I ask why you happened to be in Rome? Do you or will u be living in New York state? Always lots of snow this time of year but they don't get nearly as much as we do......I still think it's pretty but after 5 winters of living with it it has plenty of downfalls too!

My bank account here is Key Bank and their fees are ridiculous so any info would be welcomed. XOOM only charge between $4.99 an $10.99 per transfer which is really good.

Hi eveyone.....hope you all had a great christmas and new year both here( and in Australia. Ours was very white and very, very cold!!!

I was wondering if anyone has used "XOOM" to transfer money from their us bank accounts to australian bank accounts and if so how reliable and safe is it? I have always used my bank to do wire transfers from the USA to my Australian bank account but they charge $40 a transfer and then Westpac charge another $10. I have to do one transfer a month, so am looking for other options.......any input would be appreciated.

Thanks, Susan

Hi!

I hope you are all well.

I married my american fiancee yesterday! YAY. I have a question for you all regarding name changes. Should i go ahead and change my australian passport with my married name or should i keep this in my maiden name? Im confused as to what i should do first.

Thanks!!!

Jodie

Hi Jodie,

First of all CONGRATULATIONS! We have been married almost 4 years and I have still not officially changed my name in Australia. To do this you need to lodge a change of name by deed poll because even though they recognise the marriage they do not recognise your change of name. I still travel with my passport in my previous name and I carry my marriage certificate and of course my greencard and book overseas flights in my previous name. You can only obtain a new australian passport in your married name after you have done the change by deed poll because you need the certificate. Hope this makes sense. Oh and yes I am slack but will do it before I need to renew my passport. I did speak to someone at the Australian Consulate in New York and they were very helpful, so maybe call your nearest Aus/Cons and they should be able to help you.

Hope this helps.

Susan.

Welcome to all the new comers and I hope you all have smooth journeys

Well said........ I have 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren I left behind and miss them terribly but they are always in my heart & thoughts and I love them so very much. I didn't realise until I read this old thread that there were so many other parents out there having the same feelings of guilt I have experienced and still do at times after 3 years. I visit every year and talk to them at least weekly and hope one day to retire back in Australia but it's not the same as being present in their lives on a day to day basis. When I left I left with their blessings because they loved me enough to say " Mum you deserve to be happy...we will miss you and we love you but we want you to be happy and we understand". I feel very proud that I have raised 3 wonderful, loving and unselfish young men and I make sure they know how very proud of them I am.

There are many VJ'ers facing the decision of having to leave behind children, grandkids, parents and other family and friends and I want to wish all of them the best of luck. I'm sure you will find wonderful support from most people on here.

GOODLUCK to everyone with up-coming interviews ! Hi to everyone.....hope all the newly landed are adjusting well to life in the USA and married life.

Hi Susan, I don't know what the rules in SA are like but in QLD they refuse to accept an overseas (outside of Australia) marriage certificate as a valid evidence for (free) name change and instead I'd have to lodge an official name change application and pay the fee. My situation was complicated further by the fact that I was not born in Australia and so I had to resume residency there for 12 months before submitting my application (soo stupid that they would not consider my past 11+ years of residency). Anyway I moved to the US exactly one day before my 12 months was up so I was kind of screwed. Luckily I found out from the Aussie Embassy in Washington D.C. a few months ago that I could use my overseas marriage certificate to change my name on my citizenship certificate first, then use that to update the name on my passport using the PC8 form. The name change for the citizenship certificate is $AU55 which actually works out cheaper than the BDM fee of $AU130. I'm going do to it in a couple of months once my husband's Aussie spousal visa second-stage-processing (similar to CR1->IR1 removal of conditions) is complete and can post my reviews later if you like.

Yes you are correct Kaffy.......I didn't explain myself very well. You are required to do an official change of name through births/deaths & marriages in your home state. I still haven't done the change of name but will probably do it before my current passport expires and I need to renew it.

Hi there,

We have been married for over 3 years now and I am yet to change my name in Australia. I come from Adelaide and I was told that even though Australia recognise the marriage they do not reg. the new surname. That being said all you have to do is fill out the required forms (should be able to find them online under births/deaths/marriages) with the required fee. You will not be able to change your passport until this is complete but if you make contact with the Australian consulate in your state (USA that is) they will be able to send you info on how to go about gettign a passport in your married name. This is only my personal opinion but I would wait until you are done with AOS. Hope this helps

Susan

Oops I mean Vancouver, Washington.. the one next to Portland.. not BC in case that's what you thought I meant

It's so nice to see the sun out and to feel WARM! Reminds me of the nice weather we had in Brissy

OOPS.......yep I thought you meant Vancouver BC. Oh well make the most of the beautiful sunshine.

Hi I'm down in Vancouver right now and it's going to be 84 today (29 celcius) bring on summer!!

HEY KAFFY,

Lucky you........I lovvvvvveeee Vancouver....... it's a beautiful city! 84 hey.....well aren't you lucky because we seem to be stuck in the 60's and it just won't stop raining, so YES please bring on summer!

Susan

Anne, OHHHHHHHHHH! Forgot to mention about your nephew mimicking you! Let me tell you I work at a school and the kids are constantly trying to mimick my aussie accent. Most people get a real kick out of listening to my accent but think I am british (they have no clue). One of the kids said to me oneday "I like your accent where are you from?" and I replied back to him "Thankyou I like your accent too!" and he looked at me and said "But I don't have an accent!"

Get used to people asking you where you are from and quite a few seem to have trouble understanding but they get it in the end!

Hi Anne,

Glad to hear you are settling in ok. I too live in a very small village in Upstate New York (hour from Canadian border) and yes everybody seems to know your business but they are all very friendly country folk & would do anything for you. So yes there are positives & negatives about living in the country. All the wildlife is wonderful and the beautiful scenery, great people but on the negative side the shopping is pretty average unless you are prepared to drive along way and the employment opportunities are limited but I would rather live here than in one of the big cities!

You will need your SSN before you are able to open a bank account. Don't stress too much about the AOS because that will all work out fine.

Hi to everyone else ......hope everyone is doing well.

Susan

You will find the Land downunder in "Regional Discussions" sub-forums "asia- east & pacific". GOODLUCK

Don't quote me on the following info because it's been a longtime since I filed for AOS. I forget to get a copy of my original medical & vaccination results before leaving Australia and had to go to a Civil Surgeon here in the USA so that he could fill out the form and sign it. Luckily my doctor in Australia gave me documentation of all my vaccinations and he just transfered the info to the required form. I hope this helps but check the guides on this website and you may find the answer you need.

Try posting on the Land downunder forum where you will find lots of helpful Aussies.

Hi Susan,

Its always so refreshing to get back on to aussie land after living away from home for a while isnt it? Also, leaving aussie is hard too cuz there's nothing like home! Im sure I'll get home sick even though I've lived in the states previously..but this time it will be on a permanent basis....Im glad you enjoyed yourself!

Thanks MZ,

Very refreshing going back to oz. Certainly makes me realise what a wonderful place it is and how great the lifestyle is in Australia......something I will never take for granted. Life is certainly different in the USA but I'm not complaining cause I'm with the man I love and oneday we hope to go back to Australia to live. Just miss family & friends so much at times........we all know that feeling.

Hope everyone is doing well & enjoying the nice spring weather!!!! Yay roll on summer!

Take care everyone,

Susan

All the best for your wedding day tommorrow Cham & Kai........I'm sure it will be wonderful!

Anne, Glad to hear you made it ok and without too many problems and hope all your wedding plans are coming together.

We've been back from our trip to Australia for almost a week now and I have only just recovered from the jet lag.....must be getting old.....mind you going back to work tuesday didn't help much. It was a great trip and wonderful to spend time with my kids, grandkids, family and friends but I wish it had have been longer. The weather was perfect and walking on the beach every morning was soooooooooo great.......I miss the ocean!

Take care everyone,

Susan

[/size][/color]CONGRATS ANNE.................Great news. So glad it all went well for you! It's like a big weight off your shoulders isn't it!!???!! When do you fly out of Australia to be with your guy?

Cham, I'm sure everything will be fine so try not to stress too much. We all understand what you are going through because we have all been through it or are going through it, so you know you have lots of support on VJ. It's a tough thing dealing with all the immigration stuff but you'll get there. Sends us all a little

Take care everyone

LOL......................Not sure what happenned there????? Oh well.

Susan - thank you for sharing ur story about Georgia. How did she handle the flight? My Lagotto does well in a crate and would probably just sleep the whole way (she sleeps at least 18hrs a day, if not more!).. but I still worry since I'm sure it's a stressful thing.. first time flying for a pet. I would book her on a direct Brisbane to LA flight (about 12hrs). Not sure if we'll get them to fly her onto Portland for us, or if we'll drive/fly down to collect her. but it's still early days and we're still deciding if it is even best to bring her over or not so I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much just yet

Kaffy you are very welcome. If Lagotto does well in a crate that is great because Georgia had never been in a crate and it stressed her out. They are not allowed to have tranquilizers to calm them, so you just pray they cope ok. They will keep her overnight in LA (those are the rules) before they put her on the next flight to where you are. We added up the total time Georgia spent in the crate from Adelaide to Buffalo (including layovers) and it was 36 hours and then to top it off we had a 4.5 hour drive home!!!! Have you spoken with any of the companies yet? They will be able to tell you what the risks are.

I understand why you don't want to get your hopes up. I hope it all works out the way you would like it too.......it was sooooo worth it for me and I was very thankful when she got here safely.

Happy weekend everyone

Susan

WELCOME TO ALL THE NEWBIES

IF Kais interview is on the 7th of April..a tuesday...WHAT day should I make his plane arrival for

he has to be here 1 week before the wedding..he wants to come on the 13th as that is my day off...BUT what if his visa is delayed??? ACK any ideas..as the wedding is the 25th

Hi Cham,

Just wanted to remind you that Friday 10th., April is Good Friday which is a holiday in Australia as is Monday 13th., April, so there is no mail delivery. I guess it all depends on whether they issue Kai's visa there and then or mail it to him.

CONGRATS MATT & ANNIE on your interview/ LOTS of good news on here lately.

We are leaving for our vacation in Australia(Adelaide) on the 1st., April and I am sooooooo excited . I am spoiled because I have managed to go back every year since living in the US and my last visit wasn't that long ago in August 2008. Get to see my 2 grandsons and my 3 boys YAYYYY. My middle boy is turning 21, so we are having a big celebration. My husband is coming this time (his first trip to AUS in 3 years) so we decided not to stay with family and have booked a place at Brighton Beach and a rental car.......should be interesting because I haven't driven there in 3 years.

HI KATH, Hope all is well with you.

Take care everyone & all the best,

Susan

Welcome back!!! Hawaii and New York.. you lucky girl Good luck with your ultrasound and hope bubs isn't a stubborn thing and keeps it's legs crossed (as I have heard can happen sometimes )

densusan- Can I ask who you used to transport your dog from Aus to here? Our dog is still living with my parents but we're moving out of our apartment in a few months and will be able to have pets after we do. I have quotes from Dogtainers, Jetpets and Petcarriers and they vary in price a little but all provide the same thing. Do you have a rec between those companies? thanks!

Hi Kaffy,

I wish I could remember the name of the company we used to bring Georgia here but it's so long ago. They were out of Adelaide and recommended by the removalist company Allied Pickfords and that's about all I recall. I will see if I can dig up the paperwork but I have a feeling we didn't keep it. Georgia had to be boarded for a number of weeks before she flew here because of restrictions with animals flying when the temperatures are too high or low. It certainly would be worth looking into it soon because once summer hits you may find it hard to find someone willing to fly your dog here. The one good thing about animals flying into the US from Australia is that there is no quarantine time because of Australia being a rabies free country, so you get to have them as soon as they get off the plane.

It's very expensive to get your 4 legged friends here (I'm sure you know that) but I am sooooooo happy I made the decision and got to enjoy another 3 years with her. Georgia certainly got to experience lots of firsts when she got here...............snow & ice just to mention a few.

I'll have a look on the net and see if any of the companies ring bells. I know the cost of 6 weeks boarding and her flights from Adelaide to Buffalo NY was very close to $4000 but of course it depends on the size of your dog (Georgia was a 55lb. liver spot dalmation) and where they are going. From memory you are on the west coast so it should be cheaper and you are lucky you have your parents to look after the dog until the flight.

Hope you work it all out and I'll post here if I find any info.

Susan

ha ha hamp Nice to meet you!

INTERVIEW IS ON APRIL 7TH AT 8:00 AM!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO FINALLY!!!

CONGRATS!!!!!!!

CONGRATS to you too Annex on your interview

I'm sure everything will go fine for both of you and you can look forward to being here in the USA very soon. Enjoy the view of Sydney whilst you wait to be interviewed..........it's amazing.

Hi to everyone else.........hope all is well. We had a very sad weekend we had to have our beloved dog Georgia put to sleep after over a week of illness.....she was 14. I brought her here from Australia 3 years ago and she was worth every dollar it cost to get her to the USA. We miss her so much

Take care everyone,

Susan

After being approved on the 29th., January my 10 year greencard arrived in the mail today