no one

Special Education instructional assistant.

Love love LOVE my job, but it doesn't pay nearly enough and the school's not giving me full-time hours.

I'm making 1/4 of what I used to make as a certified teacher back in Canada. Took this job because California doesn't recognize my teaching credentials and I'm not sure if I want to jump through all the hoops again.

Used to have my career path all planned out, but now I'm kind of lost

Hi Em,

Hope you had a great labo(u)r day weekend celebrating it with your in-laws. I'm sure it must have been quite the joyous celerbation with all that food for your Mother-In-Law's birthday!

Lol...You're right, going to Canada (especially T.O.) on Labo(u)r Day is insane. Believe me, my husband and I will never ever do that again (or go to Canada again for a very very long time). Why I went is because of a family reason. I would have definately picked another day to go, and not have gotten stuck in traffic. But the person on the other end in Canada was way too stubborn-minded to realize just how chaotic it gets traffic-wise during long-holiday weekends, even though I tried reasoning with them, knowing perfectly well of the traffic conditions ahead of time. Sigh, I shouldn't have given in about that date, but that's ok that I was nice about giving in. Oh well, I'm done with that person, and I'm done with Canada, so on that note, it was a Happy Labo(u)r Day for me. A final farewell to Canada...

Oh ok, thanks for telling me about the Chinese reader. For years and years, no matter what computer I used, I still kept on seeing those odd-looking blank squares when others typed in Chinese, or some Chinese-related font. I don't know which part of the installation CD that is in (I'm using Windows XP), but that doesn't matter anyway, as again, I wouldn't know how to read Chinese even if I was starring at it in front of me on my computer screen.

Thanks for telling me about the French accents too. It makes sense that the accents would be French, as it is a language with all those accents in it (lol..I think there were different names for the accents, or something like that, that was mentioned in French class). I'll have to try that suggestion sometime, especially if there are some words in the English language, such as Fiancee (a French word that is also found in the English language, maybe because French and English have the same roots and thus share common words) that have accents on them.

Ant

A final farewell to Canada? Surely you don't really mean that! The Jasper region in Alberta's worth visiting, and I still need to visit our mutual friend R. in B.C. ... plus, I'd love to visit the North.

You're quite right -- there are names for the different accents:

é Acute

ç Cedilla

â Circumflex

è Grave

ñ Tilde

ü Umlaut/Diaeresis

There are others, but I don't know their names...

Just sent you a long email, btw!

We have everything ready to go for her AOS, EAD, and AP. It'll be in the mail tomorrow. She's been emailing friends in Spain a lot and been on the internet. She can drive, has access to money, etc., has a small job as soon as she has EAD, but she's definitely into a period of desperation. I just don't quite know what to do that would be most helpful to her.

Spain is wonderful..................definitely worth considering.

When I moved here last year, I was pretty depressed for months even though I could drive, had access to money, and did volunteer work. I wanted to contribute financially to our family, but couldn't. And more importantly, I'd wanted my husband to do a bit of hand-holding, showing me the ins and outs of everything... but of course, he was/is busy with work and couldn't do that.

Until I got my EAD/GC and landed a paying job, I was frustrated and depressed. In the end, everything turned out ok... as I grow to know my surroundings more, I figure things out on my own. I can't say that your wife's needs are like my own, but those were the things that could've made my transition here more pleasant

Hi Em,

Likewise, I haven't seen you awhile online too. The main reason why I came back on VJ was that a friend of mine needed some help with their immigration situation, so I was posting some questions online, hoping to find some answers here on VJ. How was your labo(u)r (yes, Canadian/British English spelling is better than American English spelling) day? As for me, the highlight of my labo(u)r day weekend was being stuck at the Peace Bridge for 1/2 hour, then being stuck on the QEW/401 for an hour, driving for a total of 6 hours, and feeling nauseous on the way there and back. Lesson learned: I'm done with visiting Canada (especially Toronto), especially on a holiday weekend! Oh well, labo(u)r day isn't much of a holiday, and there are other holidays to look forward to in America...

That's an interesting link that you sent about Chinese articles. Lol..one thing for sure I agreed with the link: "a definite article like English "the" does not exist as such in Chinese". I could read what most of the link said and understood the point you were conveying, but the Chinese words showed up like blank squares (lol...I don't have a Chinese reader on my computer, and even if I did, I wouldn't know how to read Chinese). I agree, the Chinese language sure does confuse a lot of non-native Chinese speakers. No wonder I never really did learn the language, as it's way too confusing for me. I'll just stick with English, the common language used here in the USA.

Hope you had an enjoyable Labo(u)r Day weekend. Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Ant

P.S. How did you do the accent thing, like for the word fiancee? Is there a button on the computer I can press for that? Or do I need a French/Spanish/Other language program on my computer for that?

Labour Day weekend was spent with my in-laws (it was my mother-in-law's birthday ), so it was filled with food, and more food.

Why did you decide to visit T.O. over Labour Day weekend?! That's insane, of course haha.

You don't need a Chinese reader to read Chinese on the computer... just the fonts, which should come with your Windows installation CD, unless you're using Mac/Linux (which I don't know too much about).

As for the accent thing, I have set up French as a second language on my languages bar thingy... you go to Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Add Other Languages > Details > ... (I'm using French (Canada), US-international keyboard setting)... so whenever I switch to French, I can type accents very easily... e.g. é = ' + e

Also, have her emphasize articles found in the English language (for example, "a", "an", "the") as again, in the Chinese language there is a lack of these articles. For example, in English one would correctly say, "I saw the cat", and in Chinese, one would incorrectly say, "I saw cat". Lol...

Hey Ant, you're back! Haven't seen you around for a long time. How was your Labour ("labor"...) Day weekend?

Anyway, just want to point out that in Chinese, there's actually a very complex system of measure words that serves the same purpose as articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_measure_words

This confuses the heck out of non-Chinese speakers...

Oh yeah, to the OP: I'm using Rosetta Stone off and on now for Spanish, and I agree that it teaches you only the basics (its focus is on vocabulary, so flashcards can be a cheaper alternative). Definitely supplement whatever language-learning software/CDs your fiancée plans on using with actual classes, because full immersion in the language and interaction with classmates help so much!

As I'm trying to avoid getting to the hallowed day when I receive my EAD and not actually be prepared to go about getting a job....... I thought I'd better get started on putting together my first resume (although as I understand it British CVs are actually pretty similar these days).

-Is it advisable to present US immigration status in detail (eg I-766 holder, etc)? if so, how?

-Has anyone got any links to good web resources for US resume/cover letter writing?

-Any thoughts on how to present a British first degree in the US?

-Any good job seeking sites (monster, etc)........

Thanks for anyone's thoughts.

Cheers, Ed.

- I noted that I'm legally able to work in the U.S. in the ending of my cover letter, not in my résumé.

- what industry/field are you looking at? It's probably best to Google up examples that are suited for your line of work. For example, I work in Education so my style of résumé might not be best suited for whatever you're applying for. e.g. The first part of mine has my education and teaching certification info, but for other types of jobs, it's not recommended that you put edu info at the top.

- I got my degrees in Canada and mine looks something like this (with a nicer formatting):

Bachelor of Education

• Intermediate-Senior English and Biology

• Five year Concurrent Program

Queen’s University, Kingston, ON. 2005

Honours Bachelor of Arts

• English Language and Literature

Queen’s University, Kingston, ON. 2004

- I used a combination of Craigslist and school district websites for my job search. If you have an idea of what types of companies you'd like to work for, you might want to look under "employment/career opportunities" in specific companies' websites.

Best of luck on your job search!

"Honey, do these pants make my butt look fat?"

"How's that pasta? As good as your mom's?"

"Do you find that girl attractive?"

"How do you like that shirt I got you?"

"Is there anything about me you would want to change?"

Want me to go on? The situation, the degree and other factors all come into play when it comes to lies and trust. In important areas such as fidelity, finances, health, degree of love, future goals, etc., etc., one lie is enough to sink things because the person is lying for specific deceptive reasons as well as pretending to be something they are not.

With all the above white lies you know that smart men will tell the white lie because doing anything else is just starting an argument you can't win and that will wear you out, while being totally pointless at the same time. I've lied, side stepped, ignored the question, told a joke in to every one of those questions.

I don't trust anyone 100%. Been there and done that. If you reach 90% with me you are a trusted friend, lover, family member, etc. If you reach 95% we've known each other for many, many years and you've never let me down. I can't see anyone going over 90-95% for anyone. My wife will be the only one who could get past 95%, but that is going to take a heck of a long time and she has to deserve it.

I agree with you on white lies and being honest in areas that really count. Whenever situations like those arise, my husband avoids the white lies trap by responding with, "I can't answer that question, because there's no right answer."

To the OP: I trust my husband with my life. Without trust, I wouldn't be with him in the first place. I know it's not exactly a saintly quality, but I'm unforgiving towards liars (with the exception of little white lies which I know to be exercises in etiquette anyway...) and backstabbers... once the trust's been broken, I can never look at that person the same way ever again.

I'm just wondering what the job market is like in the U.S., specifically in the Chicago area. I'm a student, so I'd be looking for a basic, entry level, part-time kind of thing. How much per hour, on average, is a person in that sort of job making? How easy or hard is it to find work right now? I'm kind of worried about moving to America, since the economy in Canada is doing so well, and from what I've seen, the economy in America is struggling.

Like others said, it totally depends on your field / area of expertise.

I also don't know much about Chicago, but I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area and I landed my job within a few weeks of job search... that was a LOT quicker than past job searches in Toronto (Canada) had been for me. The job I landed is in my field of work, but I'm also kind of overqualified for it (I have Ontario teaching certification which is useless here in California... so I'm not working as a certified teacher, but I'm still in the realm of education).

Most entry-level jobs here start around $10, but min wage is $7-something. The costs of living here are also waaaay up high (even when compared to that of Toronto!), so that's also something to consider when job-searching.

I'd say that if you're looking for an entry-level, p/t deal, it shouldn't be hard to land at all.

The now-defunct humour website, Brunching Shuttlecocks

I knew I wasn't going to get my EAD until a couple of months after filing for my Green Card, so I didn't apply for any jobs until then. In the meantime, I kept my eyes on job listings and did volunteer work.

Added our location as well.

Moraine Lake is AWESOME. But that's outside of Jasper, not Banff. We were there in June/July of last year. It's a definite stopping point for anyone.

Carla

Here's a picture of Spirit Island that Gene took when we were there....

Thanks for the correction Your photo's beautiful!

-Wife puts me on NutriSystem........I've lost 18Lbs so far! ....Oh Thank you Dear.....(no more pizza, spicy noodles w/ pork, etc)

HAHAHA... I caught my husband telling his friend just the other day that he now has to eat healthily because of me. Gone are the days when he was allowed to get his veggie servings inside a burger

None that I know of... I've checked Craigslist, MeetUp.com, MySpace, newspaper ads, etc., but the results are dismal for this area.

I'd go out of my mind if I couldn't drive here

I don't go out to eat too often...it's a waste of money. I prefer to make something at home. I've moved to a new state so I'm not really up on the restaurants around here. I love Applebee's though and Thai...just have to find it around here now.

Depends on the cuisine and the food. If it's a cuisine I'm relatively new to, then I'd like to see how others cook it first (e.g. before last year, African cuisine was new to me and I'd never tried injera before. I wouldn't have known how it's supposed to taste). Also, there are some foods that I'd definitely not want to try making at home due to how it's cooked, or how difficult it might be to buy the ingredients in small quantities.

I love trying new foods and drinks, but like many of you, we're trying hard to save money, so we eat out only a couple of times a month... my in-laws (born and raised right here in California) often order Mexican food, but I've gotten them to try new things like Chinese vegetarian food (mock meats, etc.), Eritrean food, and Vietnamese food

Like with most others who have replied here...

- biking, hiking, and walking around city parks / state parks / national parks / beaches

- wandering around the local Costcos and Whole Foods, sampling the "free" food

- borrowing books and DVDs from the public library

- spending time with family and pets

- attending some free or low-cost local activities (e.g. county fairs, free outdoor movies, farmers' markets, ... annnnd, there's going to be a police canine competition at a local park this Saturday!)

- grocery-shopping and cooking together (yeah, this can actually be FUN )

- board / card games ... though we haven't done these in a while now

- cuddling... and more cuddling... and more...

I live in Petaluma... that's *kind of* close to Sacramento

Don't worry... we understand That silver lining is going to be more visible soon... ! In the meantime, you *can* look for the jobs and apartments and make mental notes on where you'd like to apply for those as soon as you have the go-ahead.

Another consideration that we used when I moved down. . . my now husband flew into Detroit, rented a mini van from Enterprise at the airport (Enterprise would allow him to take it into Canada), picked me and the cats up in Chatham, and then we drove down to the Atlanta area. We rented the van for a week with unlimited mileage and the understanding that we would turn it in at the airport here. If we changed where we turned it in there would have been a drop off fee but since it was part of the rental arrangements, there wasn't. So - you may consider flying into Detroit or Buffalo, renting a mini van from Enterprise, driving on to Toronto, then driving the van back home and turning it in airport there, while site-seeing along the way. (Assuming their procedures haven't changed since 2004).

Hey, that's a good idea I think most rental companies are ok with border-crossing as long as you return the vehicle to the original country. After considering everyone's advice, I think we're going to do the entire roundtrip using our own vehicle. It just makes our trip a bit simpler, since it looks like 2-3 weeks will be do-able as long as we don't attempt to stop in too many places

I just spent a day in banff. To truly enjoy banff, one has to get out into the wilderness. Downtown banff is just a tourist trap that has oodles of tourist shops.

I just remember the highlight for me was Moraine Lake It had the prettiest blue waters I've ever seen (I went there many years ago in late August, I think).

I would definitely see the Badlands of SD just east of Mount Rushmore - you have to drive about 20-30 minutes south of 90 to get there but so worth an extra day:

The company I used for the one-way rental was Advantage

http://easybook.arac.com/comparisontravel/

Unfortunately, I don't know if/how that works travelling from Canada to US as it specifically states 2 US locations

Oh, and if you plan to go to 2 or more National Parks I definitely recommend purchasing an Eagle Pass - it's about $80 and good for admission for an entire year.

I've only seen the Badlands in Alberta, but these sound like fun too Thanks for the tips! After reading everyone's replies, I think we'll probably just take our own vehicle and do the whole roundtrip in it. Having that campershell helps

I used Avis last year pick up LA & dropped it in Seattle. They charage you an extra $200 to drop it elsewhere. And none did canada so we drove into vancouver & back down to Seattle to fly out.

Dunno muhc about the Northern Route - have done Rt 66 3x now..from Ohio - LA & I still hate it! Boring.

Montana is GORGEOUS, do not miss it.

That's quite a bit of money to do a different-State drop-off! After reading everyone's replies, I think we're going to do the whole roundtrip in our own vehicle... it's a lot less complicated that way.

Do you have any recommendations for must-see places in Montana?

Mount Rushmore is a wonderful bit of Americana, but I can't see spending a couple of days there. We spent a few hours. I suppose there ARE things around there that could capture one's interest, but many of the nearby attractions are tourist traps. We did take a nice photo of us in front of the presidents' faces, and we sent that photo in with our I-751 as evidence that we vacationed together.

Yellowstone, on the other hand, is easily worth a couple of days. The Grand Tetons is worth at least another day. The Grand Teton mountain range is the most spectacular in the US, I believe.

Don't forget the Devil's Tower (from the movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"), located in Wyoming, not far west of Mt. Rushmore. Another short stop, but a pleasant diversion from the long drive.

East of Mt. Rushmore, you've got Wall Drug and the Mitchell Corn Palace. Skippable, but you'll want something to relieve yourself of boredom, and it won't take long to see either one, so as long as you're crossing South Dakota on I-90 anyway, I'd recommend both.

I'd leave Yosemite for a shorter trip, since it's close to home and you'll be stressed for time anyway.

Don't worry -- I think we'll definitely be spending the bulk of our time in Yellowstone and Toronto! Sounds like we can do Devil's Tower and Mt Rushmore in a day (or even half a day)?

Thanks for your recommendations!

I'd say definitely doable, though if you take in Banff you'd be going around the great lakes and that would probably not leave you much time to enjoy it - I'd probably try and cut through to Toronto via Detroit.

You can easily get from Northern CA to Chicago in 3 days (I have done it) driving non-stop. Chicago-Toronto would take probably another 8-10 hours depending on traffic.

If it was me, I would personally save Yosemite for a later date and take the I-80 out to Wyoming, cut through Yellowstone (in my opinion one of the most beautiful places in the world) on the state highways (need to look up which ones) to catch the I-90 in NE Wyoming. You can take it east for about 600 miles passing by Mt Rushmore and the Badlands through South Dakota. I'd allow maybe 5 days to do that. Then shoot on to Chicago, spend the night (or 2) there and then take I-94 to Detroit and then whatever road connects Detroit and Toronton through Ontario. Do that in one day (not much to see between those cities)

I have done a one way rental about 10 years ago - I'll have to go look up the company we did it with. You're unlikely to get it through one of the major car rental companies, but there are companies that specialize in it. Let me go off and research.

Edit: whatever you do, don't go through Nebraska. most boring state ever.

It's all right... I think after reading everyone's replies, we'll do the roundtrip with our own vehicle. The different country drop-off is more of a hassle than it's worth!

We'll definitely spend at least a day (or two?) in Yellowstone. Will save Yosemite and Banff for later. And will keep your advice about Nebraska in mind

I also would HIGHLY recommend a couple of days in Yellowstone. I've been there a million times and never gotten sick of it, just one of those places you cannot miss....

My husband's been there, but I haven't ... we've agreed that Yellowstone will be our major stop on our way to Toronto!

Another option would be to do 98% of the driving in the US in stages:

• North CA to Butte, MT
  
• from Great Falls, a side trip to Waterton-Glacier, maybe Banff
  
• return to Butte, then go eastward on I-90 to Bozeman, and head for Yellowstone
  
• return to Bozeman, head east to Billings; take I-94 to Detroit (or, all the way to the end at Port Huron)
  
• cross border, drive to Pigtown
  

Haha, thanks for mapping our route out for us Will keep these routes in mind when we're making our final plans!

Thanks everyone for your replies!

Do most of the drive in the U.S. I love Canada, but the gas prices are nuts and the roads in the U.S. are better.

The gas prices here aren't tooo much better either! Hopefully there'll be tons of Costcos with gas stations enroute here in the U.S.