The Harrap Newcomers Guide
We decided a while ago to write down what we could remember about our experiences moving out here. It was a good job we did as we seemed
to forget so much. as we moved on to a different set of problems. Since then we have been asked for help by several newcomers and I hope the following guide is a good place to start.
There is lots of advice about. Plenty of people have a ‘tale’ to tell about their time. It would appear, however, that things change, and keep changing, so talk to different people, with recent experience, but these are our notes. They obviously reflect our own experience so we are not the people to talk to about childbirth; young children or the education system. Our boys were already at boarding school/university before we came.
to forget so much. as we moved on to a different set of problems. Since then we have been asked for help by several newcomers and I hope the following guide is a good place to start.
There is lots of advice about. Plenty of people have a ‘tale’ to tell about their time. It would appear, however, that things change, and keep changing, so talk to different people, with recent experience, but these are our notes. They obviously reflect our own experience so we are not the people to talk to about childbirth; young children or the education system. Our boys were already at boarding school/university before we came.
Going to America?
You should receive a “12 weeks to go” letter and then a “6 weeks to go” letter from BDS US (we had to chase them for them) which will give you a lot of useful information but, importantly, in one of them, should include temporary access details for the BDS US “Destiny” internet site. You will get
personal access to the site during the joining routine in Washington when you
arrive. It has lots and lots of information particularly about the money side of the process, but it even has a guide to commonly misunderstood words and phrases. (Forget about the same language; it took me weeks to work out that ‘broil’ meant ‘grill!’)
It is still a culture shock moving here. It’s not the same as when you come on holiday and expect to go home in a few weeks – You need to think about banks, driving licences, SSN (Social Security No) for example. You don’t need one – but if you do not have one, you will not build a credit rating. In USA lack of a credit rating credit cards can be a problem; store cards are impossible; telephone accounts, insurance policies etc can be problematic.
Some places but not all, will accept the FIN (Foreign Identification Number) on your military ID as substitute. There are lots of things to think about
and although at first all looks familiar and everyone is so very friendly, there are all sorts of hurdles to clear before you can feel as if you belong – if
ever.
That being said many people love being posted here. The lifestyle, travel, weather, experiences, big house, perhaps a pool are all opportunities, but moving is a process of adjustment. It was not difficult but is not as easy as some might suppose – and there are some real frustrations.
We were given a ‘dit’ to read at first that stated that moving to America was a process taking possibly six months starting with
• the realisation you were no longer on holiday;
• frustration at all the peculiarities of the system and difficulties of ours interfacing with it;
• the learning curve where you begin to find your way around and establish your American life;
• The final realisation you have been here for half your appointment and you had better make the most of it!
Most people love it out here. We are working on the fourth stage. We travel at every opportunity – it really is a big country and we are slowly learning the language – they really do not understand if you ask for ‘petrol’ in the ‘gas station’.
personal access to the site during the joining routine in Washington when you
arrive. It has lots and lots of information particularly about the money side of the process, but it even has a guide to commonly misunderstood words and phrases. (Forget about the same language; it took me weeks to work out that ‘broil’ meant ‘grill!’)
It is still a culture shock moving here. It’s not the same as when you come on holiday and expect to go home in a few weeks – You need to think about banks, driving licences, SSN (Social Security No) for example. You don’t need one – but if you do not have one, you will not build a credit rating. In USA lack of a credit rating credit cards can be a problem; store cards are impossible; telephone accounts, insurance policies etc can be problematic.
Some places but not all, will accept the FIN (Foreign Identification Number) on your military ID as substitute. There are lots of things to think about
and although at first all looks familiar and everyone is so very friendly, there are all sorts of hurdles to clear before you can feel as if you belong – if
ever.
That being said many people love being posted here. The lifestyle, travel, weather, experiences, big house, perhaps a pool are all opportunities, but moving is a process of adjustment. It was not difficult but is not as easy as some might suppose – and there are some real frustrations.
We were given a ‘dit’ to read at first that stated that moving to America was a process taking possibly six months starting with
• the realisation you were no longer on holiday;
• frustration at all the peculiarities of the system and difficulties of ours interfacing with it;
• the learning curve where you begin to find your way around and establish your American life;
• The final realisation you have been here for half your appointment and you had better make the most of it!
Most people love it out here. We are working on the fourth stage. We travel at every opportunity – it really is a big country and we are slowly learning the language – they really do not understand if you ask for ‘petrol’ in the ‘gas station’.
Before = getting organised
Visas – you need to get these early via the US Embassy/website in London. We have NATO 2 visas (you may need something else if non-NATO). These do is confirm our presence in the US as “Resident Alien”. This is your immigration status and you will come back to them for everything else.
They also enable you to join the shorter queues at Immigration and not getting fingerprinted. Once you have these, you can book the flights.
Routine – The routine is to fly into Washington on a Friday, stay in the Dupont Circle Hotel for the weekend. Embassy briefings are on the Monday, and then you fly on to your final destination or travel to your new home in Washington. You need to make sure that your dates to fly coincide with a “briefing weekend”. Once in the USA, you are entitled to 14 days’ car hire reclaimable. If you are flying elsewhere don’t get the car in Washington, get it in home location – it will be of far more use to you to have it longer in your final destination.
Advance of Pay –You are entitled to 60 days’ advance of pay before you go. Take it. It will eat up your allowances for the first year while you are here butit is worth it to have the money up front. You can afford to do this as “dollars for pounds” is a reasonable rule of thumb. It won’t hurt you.
You also need to do this to launder your cash into the USA. When you are at the embassy, they will take a cheque from you to the value of your advance of pay plus one month’s pay (if you want) and then, as soon as you have an account in the USA, will pay the equivalent amount in dollars into it. Trust me, unless you have already got an account open in the US, this is the fastest way to get large numbers of dollars– and you need to buy a car within the next 14 days or so. We said this place had its frustrations. This is one ofthem. Banking is stuck in the 19th century.
Moving Money: - Think hard about what you want to do. We worked out what we thought it would cost us to set up here – and much, of course depends on cars. In 2009 we came to the conclusion that about $25000 would do it. We took the maximum advance, moved some savings around, paid for some things with a UK credit card on arrival and I should think we came in slightly under that figure, having used up the arrival allowances and spent about $20000 on two cars. Start thinking about how you are going to fund your move now.
They also enable you to join the shorter queues at Immigration and not getting fingerprinted. Once you have these, you can book the flights.
Routine – The routine is to fly into Washington on a Friday, stay in the Dupont Circle Hotel for the weekend. Embassy briefings are on the Monday, and then you fly on to your final destination or travel to your new home in Washington. You need to make sure that your dates to fly coincide with a “briefing weekend”. Once in the USA, you are entitled to 14 days’ car hire reclaimable. If you are flying elsewhere don’t get the car in Washington, get it in home location – it will be of far more use to you to have it longer in your final destination.
Advance of Pay –You are entitled to 60 days’ advance of pay before you go. Take it. It will eat up your allowances for the first year while you are here butit is worth it to have the money up front. You can afford to do this as “dollars for pounds” is a reasonable rule of thumb. It won’t hurt you.
You also need to do this to launder your cash into the USA. When you are at the embassy, they will take a cheque from you to the value of your advance of pay plus one month’s pay (if you want) and then, as soon as you have an account in the USA, will pay the equivalent amount in dollars into it. Trust me, unless you have already got an account open in the US, this is the fastest way to get large numbers of dollars– and you need to buy a car within the next 14 days or so. We said this place had its frustrations. This is one ofthem. Banking is stuck in the 19th century.
Moving Money: - Think hard about what you want to do. We worked out what we thought it would cost us to set up here – and much, of course depends on cars. In 2009 we came to the conclusion that about $25000 would do it. We took the maximum advance, moved some savings around, paid for some things with a UK credit card on arrival and I should think we came in slightly under that figure, having used up the arrival allowances and spent about $20000 on two cars. Start thinking about how you are going to fund your move now.
Sorting stuff to send – This is in two parts:-
• The capacity allowance for two, plus dependent children, which is sent in advance by sea at public expense.
• Hand Baggage – you get an extra allowance – that travels with you when you fly.
• The capacity allowance for two, plus dependent children, which is sent in advance by sea at public expense.
• Hand Baggage – you get an extra allowance – that travels with you when you fly.
Shipment to USA
This was the part of the process we had the most trouble with. You are allocated a restricted capacity that will be shipped by sea by the pusser. You can always pay for more, but the idea is to get under the capacity because you will doubtless have more to bring back at the end of your tour. It helps if you know where you will be living and what you might ‘inherit’ (Electrics, china; pots; pans;pictures for example) from your predecessors. Since this load can take between six to eight weeks in transit it is usually sent in advance – and send it early so that you get it as soon as possible after you arrive. At six weeks in advance we had no idea where we would be living so had to make some guesses about what we took. We also tried to stay within the capacity. Some decisions were right, some were wrong, but you only know in retrospect. You can track your shipment on line and the embassy will be able to tell you where it has got to once you arrive in country.
Our notes for ‘next time’contain the following items in no particular order:
Our notes for ‘next time’contain the following items in no particular order:
• Electrical Appliances Since our electrical appliances will not work here without transforming the supplies, there is no point in bringing small appliances such as kettles or food processors. Anything that just has a battery to charge is not a problem. You can charge lap-top; telephone; camera or IPOD but they just take longer. Heathrow is good for adapters. Some people do bring much loved electrical items even TVs and use a transformer to run them but in this part of US there are all sorts of worries about current surges during storms so I am not sure this is ideal. We get an allowance to buy small electrical equipment. For what it is expected to cover, it isn’t enough but it isn’t too bad.
• American beds, like everything else over here, are big. As they are bigger none of our standard size bedding fits. So even if it is “queen size” a fitted sheet would not have the depth to cover the mattress. Duvets are obtainable but rare (in Virginia Beach at least), so are the covers. We used our allowance (and this is a generous one) to buy the American system – big stores all compete with bed bag deals and complete sets – that consists of a top sheet, fitted sheet, shams, (pillowcases), bedskirts and comforters. This system works well; although we were still hot in the summer. I bought quilts – because they are a good American souvenir - but a blanket would do as well. I did bring some blankets, but I have not used them. The only bedding from home I have needed so far is sleeping bags.
• Big houses equal big walls and to make the place seem lived in, pictures are a must. If you have large pictures bring them. I brought some pictures to frame. This is great so far as capacity but framing is very expensive. I might have done better to buy something new here (T J Max; Craft fairs) but so far I have obtained frames from Thrift shops and yard sales. (Saturday morning American institution of unloading your junk through a makeshift shop outside the garage – amazing what you find!)
• Ditto the above for rugs and curtains; we had echoing wooden floors throughout and blinds which seem to be the US preference, but only in the
front of the house. I should have brought my sewing machine, and, in the light of what I needed to do, it would have been worth the transformer I should need to get it to work. Eventually I bought a small sewing machine that I shall have to sell on when we leave. I brought about four rugs from the UK but none of them were big enough and we have had to invest in some new ones.
• DVDs: We did bring our DVD’s but they will not play on American Machines (which we were well aware of before we left). Multi-region recorders that will play both American and UK systems are easy to find on the internet. Ours came from Canada. We shipped the DVDs and Music CDs in CD folders to keep the capacity as low as possible. It made less than a box compared to the three or four boxes we last shipped down from Scotland. The original CD boxes are all in storage and a boy had a wonderful holiday job filing all the covers!
•Family Photographs were all brought digitalised although I did bring some of the more recent albums since I could not bear to part with them. The photos have been an excellent source of pictures and colour, and printing is easy at most big drugstores.
• Clothes: In order to reduce capacity vacuum pack all clothing such as jumpers, it makes a great difference overall. You will have to bring all clothes; summer and winter; sports stuff etc. The question is how you divide it up. When you send things in advance you must work out what you need for the remaining weeks in UK; any leave arrangements; stops in Washington and what you will need for the first few weeks on arrival because there is no guarantee your stuff will arrive immediately. I can guarantee there will be some things you will miss. There are plenty of opportunities to replace items once in America and the shipment will turn up – eventually.
• US style is very casual so tend to that and keep the Tiara in storage!
• BFPO: Some people reduce capacity and send light weight items such as towels to themselves, by post BFPO. We took advantage of this.
• Crockery and Cutlery: You will want to take China, cutlery and glassware but don’t forget cooking gear and bakewares, if your house is not so equipped. Again I was quite ruthless taking a complete dinner set and glassware plus favourite cooking pots, which I thought was sufficient. I very quickly found this was fine for everyday, but when you have visitors it is a different matter. I was also provided with two glass display cabinets and then had to find things to put in them. Although I brought the usual daily cookware, there are always the odd items I might use just occasionally that I have had to duplicate come Christmas. Another item, albeit electrical, I have not been able to replace was the multichef food processor. They use a different system here with mixers for cakes and a processor just to cut or prepare foods. The question would be: is the cost of a transformer cheaper than buying a new system? In the end I got fed up of mixing by hand and invested in a hand mixer. So I would look carefully at favourite cooking items as you may not find a suitable equivalent.
• I know this sounds daft but I would bring a few dozen light weight hangers – the metal ones are ideal. Bundled up they won’t take up much room and you will find your new house will have acres of hanging space. Hangers are cheap so you don’t have to bring them, but it is such a pain to be running out of the things all the time.
• Tools (Basic kit of hammer, nails, saw, clippers etc) are another item we missed. We took some, but we could have brought more specific items such as screwdriver set, pliers and Nick’s favourite hammer. We have also had to make a whole new collection of picture hooks.
• Books: We decided we would take only a limited selection of books for reference mainly, as we are always buying more. However I miss my books
and there have been several that we could have used. While I need no encouragement to buy new ones, Nick is already worrying about what we will have to send back. There is a happy medium here. Don’t be so ruthless as to find yourself without things you might need or like.
• American beds, like everything else over here, are big. As they are bigger none of our standard size bedding fits. So even if it is “queen size” a fitted sheet would not have the depth to cover the mattress. Duvets are obtainable but rare (in Virginia Beach at least), so are the covers. We used our allowance (and this is a generous one) to buy the American system – big stores all compete with bed bag deals and complete sets – that consists of a top sheet, fitted sheet, shams, (pillowcases), bedskirts and comforters. This system works well; although we were still hot in the summer. I bought quilts – because they are a good American souvenir - but a blanket would do as well. I did bring some blankets, but I have not used them. The only bedding from home I have needed so far is sleeping bags.
• Big houses equal big walls and to make the place seem lived in, pictures are a must. If you have large pictures bring them. I brought some pictures to frame. This is great so far as capacity but framing is very expensive. I might have done better to buy something new here (T J Max; Craft fairs) but so far I have obtained frames from Thrift shops and yard sales. (Saturday morning American institution of unloading your junk through a makeshift shop outside the garage – amazing what you find!)
• Ditto the above for rugs and curtains; we had echoing wooden floors throughout and blinds which seem to be the US preference, but only in the
front of the house. I should have brought my sewing machine, and, in the light of what I needed to do, it would have been worth the transformer I should need to get it to work. Eventually I bought a small sewing machine that I shall have to sell on when we leave. I brought about four rugs from the UK but none of them were big enough and we have had to invest in some new ones.
• DVDs: We did bring our DVD’s but they will not play on American Machines (which we were well aware of before we left). Multi-region recorders that will play both American and UK systems are easy to find on the internet. Ours came from Canada. We shipped the DVDs and Music CDs in CD folders to keep the capacity as low as possible. It made less than a box compared to the three or four boxes we last shipped down from Scotland. The original CD boxes are all in storage and a boy had a wonderful holiday job filing all the covers!
•Family Photographs were all brought digitalised although I did bring some of the more recent albums since I could not bear to part with them. The photos have been an excellent source of pictures and colour, and printing is easy at most big drugstores.
• Clothes: In order to reduce capacity vacuum pack all clothing such as jumpers, it makes a great difference overall. You will have to bring all clothes; summer and winter; sports stuff etc. The question is how you divide it up. When you send things in advance you must work out what you need for the remaining weeks in UK; any leave arrangements; stops in Washington and what you will need for the first few weeks on arrival because there is no guarantee your stuff will arrive immediately. I can guarantee there will be some things you will miss. There are plenty of opportunities to replace items once in America and the shipment will turn up – eventually.
• US style is very casual so tend to that and keep the Tiara in storage!
• BFPO: Some people reduce capacity and send light weight items such as towels to themselves, by post BFPO. We took advantage of this.
• Crockery and Cutlery: You will want to take China, cutlery and glassware but don’t forget cooking gear and bakewares, if your house is not so equipped. Again I was quite ruthless taking a complete dinner set and glassware plus favourite cooking pots, which I thought was sufficient. I very quickly found this was fine for everyday, but when you have visitors it is a different matter. I was also provided with two glass display cabinets and then had to find things to put in them. Although I brought the usual daily cookware, there are always the odd items I might use just occasionally that I have had to duplicate come Christmas. Another item, albeit electrical, I have not been able to replace was the multichef food processor. They use a different system here with mixers for cakes and a processor just to cut or prepare foods. The question would be: is the cost of a transformer cheaper than buying a new system? In the end I got fed up of mixing by hand and invested in a hand mixer. So I would look carefully at favourite cooking items as you may not find a suitable equivalent.
• I know this sounds daft but I would bring a few dozen light weight hangers – the metal ones are ideal. Bundled up they won’t take up much room and you will find your new house will have acres of hanging space. Hangers are cheap so you don’t have to bring them, but it is such a pain to be running out of the things all the time.
• Tools (Basic kit of hammer, nails, saw, clippers etc) are another item we missed. We took some, but we could have brought more specific items such as screwdriver set, pliers and Nick’s favourite hammer. We have also had to make a whole new collection of picture hooks.
• Books: We decided we would take only a limited selection of books for reference mainly, as we are always buying more. However I miss my books
and there have been several that we could have used. While I need no encouragement to buy new ones, Nick is already worrying about what we will have to send back. There is a happy medium here. Don’t be so ruthless as to find yourself without things you might need or like.
The bottom line is that while all things are available here – this is America – is it going to matter if you have two or more of anything. There is always Amazon if you really can’t find it in America. This is where I found Atora suet for the Christmas puddings and got it shipped via BFPO!
Hand Baggage to take on your flight
As this is governed by weight not capacity you have to think about not carrying things like shampoo or toiletries that can be easily replaced when you get here. This has to include all you may need for the unforeseeable time you might be without your stuff as well as what you need for the trip. Uniform was the big encumbrance for us as Nick had to take all his uniform, except mess kit, with him. Shoes take up so much room! We had also a considerable amount of documentation we did not want to risk losing track of. Personal valuables such as jewellery, cameras, certificates, laptops and electronic records added to the pile. We were only just under the allowance, and I think this was because we actually threw away our dirty washing the night before the flight!
Sort stuff to store – the ‘Carlisle Wagon’
• Decide what to do about valuables – jewellery for example you might bring with you anyway but what about any antique furniture, pictures you do not want to risk on the high seas or the dress sword you may not need? The answer is either extra insurance at Carlisle or helpful relatives.
• What documentary history are you going to need over the next two years? Key is access; at Carlisle there is none. Reports; records; certificates are effectively out of reach if they are stored in Carlisle.
• There are some items that do not store well eg fridges freezers and dishwashers. (You have no idea what goes on top of what.) We got rid of one freezer and the dishwasher but have stored a fridge and a fridge-freezer. Absolutely clean; dry and put teabags inside, we were told. We shall see! The packers made a great fuss of sealing and packaging the things.
• The instructions are very clear about what they do not want – explosives or food is obvious, but what about perishables such as art supplies or
modelling clay?
• What documentary history are you going to need over the next two years? Key is access; at Carlisle there is none. Reports; records; certificates are effectively out of reach if they are stored in Carlisle.
• There are some items that do not store well eg fridges freezers and dishwashers. (You have no idea what goes on top of what.) We got rid of one freezer and the dishwasher but have stored a fridge and a fridge-freezer. Absolutely clean; dry and put teabags inside, we were told. We shall see! The packers made a great fuss of sealing and packaging the things.
• The instructions are very clear about what they do not want – explosives or food is obvious, but what about perishables such as art supplies or
modelling clay?
After the Move = You are in USA
Foreign Military ID:There will be local arrangements for San Diego I am sure – but your main concern in this is ensuring that you have registered the right details for healthcare (Tricare) in the US. We needed to show birth certificates and passports – and a marriage certificate – to achieve this (so don’t let them take it to Carlisle). If either of the children are still in full time education in the UK and over 21, they will not be able to register as a dependant without a letter from the institution at which he is studying that says he is registered to study with them during that academic year (under 21 is ok).
The ID is essential for re-ciprocal health benefits from the US military providers(Tricare); for admission to military establishments and shopping in the PX. The main point is that if you are is not registered for Tricare, then you are responsible for health insurance. Health insurance is a saga and a half. Read the Destiny pages carefully to find what your children are entitledto. School age children are dependants, can be registered for Tricare and are treated the same way as you are when they are here.
It’s when your children are older, but still your dependants, it gets complicated. Some people with children who have completed their first degree use STA (back-packers) insurance as this is the only one that allows for extended visiting periods, or an annual policy. (The problem with visitors insurance there is that it is set up for visitors– if you are living in USA, you do not want repatriation.) The Embassy will supply you with a list of USA health insurance providers some of which do short term insurance for just 6 months, but it expensive and also very complicated to set up and work out.
Bank Accounts / Credit; -
You need accounts quickly because you want access to that money you moved. You don’t need a Social Security Number to get an account, the FIN will do. Ours are with Bank of America who gave us a joint credit card with a $5000 limit on it without any questions. We haven’t exceeded
that in any one month.
Cars:- Insurance through the Sunrise Group in Oviedo Florida is our recommendation (it is almost a pleasure to pay after several years of premiums inside the M25). They understand the notion of foreign military and were quick to snap up a lot of business when the US knee-jerked in the wake of 9/11 and cancelled insurance for all foreign nationals resident in the US.
JoinAAA – even if your dealer has sold you a comprehensive warranty (most will at least try) for breakdown coverage. You can also get armfuls of maps and guide books for free, and membership confers all sorts of useful discounts.
Fuel is cheap compared to UK; it has to be because distances are so great. But remember that the US gallon is a “short” gallon, not an imperial gallon. You will be forever filling the tank (price fluctuates wildly – has been as low as $1.83 per gallon and as high as $3.70 while we have been
here.
Furniture:- You will doubtless inherit from whoever you take over from. Good luck. We have won some really bizarre stuff!
Large electrical appliances: -Just think carefully about what you buy in the US. Most houses are let with cooker; fridge; laundry etc. However if you buy that huge widescreen HD TV that has a compatible format for use in UK included, you could take it back with you. Do you want to buy a desk top computer – or a laptop that you can take back to UK and charge faster than you can here?
Remember that your membership of AOL or whatever is your internet provider in UK does not count in the US. You will always have access to MSN and any free e-mail addresses you might have, but AOL US did not want to know us in terms of being an internet service provider. Fair enough when
you think about it; we had no account with them, but we have kept the free email address.
Internet/TV/Cable/Phone:- Get a package (Cox or Verizon are the favourites in this area – with Dish as a distant third). Our Cox package for Cable TV, internet and phone (plus calls to UK at 5cents a minute) comes in at about $125 a month. You might think that sounds a lot – but is about right for a better than basic but not too ritzy package. You might be able to do better locally. Is Verizon better? Well, they use fibre optics – so the picture might be better (especially on an HD TV) but it doesn’t do anything to improve the quality of the programmes. Cable is good enough for us.
The ID is essential for re-ciprocal health benefits from the US military providers(Tricare); for admission to military establishments and shopping in the PX. The main point is that if you are is not registered for Tricare, then you are responsible for health insurance. Health insurance is a saga and a half. Read the Destiny pages carefully to find what your children are entitledto. School age children are dependants, can be registered for Tricare and are treated the same way as you are when they are here.
It’s when your children are older, but still your dependants, it gets complicated. Some people with children who have completed their first degree use STA (back-packers) insurance as this is the only one that allows for extended visiting periods, or an annual policy. (The problem with visitors insurance there is that it is set up for visitors– if you are living in USA, you do not want repatriation.) The Embassy will supply you with a list of USA health insurance providers some of which do short term insurance for just 6 months, but it expensive and also very complicated to set up and work out.
Bank Accounts / Credit; -
You need accounts quickly because you want access to that money you moved. You don’t need a Social Security Number to get an account, the FIN will do. Ours are with Bank of America who gave us a joint credit card with a $5000 limit on it without any questions. We haven’t exceeded
that in any one month.
Cars:- Insurance through the Sunrise Group in Oviedo Florida is our recommendation (it is almost a pleasure to pay after several years of premiums inside the M25). They understand the notion of foreign military and were quick to snap up a lot of business when the US knee-jerked in the wake of 9/11 and cancelled insurance for all foreign nationals resident in the US.
JoinAAA – even if your dealer has sold you a comprehensive warranty (most will at least try) for breakdown coverage. You can also get armfuls of maps and guide books for free, and membership confers all sorts of useful discounts.
Fuel is cheap compared to UK; it has to be because distances are so great. But remember that the US gallon is a “short” gallon, not an imperial gallon. You will be forever filling the tank (price fluctuates wildly – has been as low as $1.83 per gallon and as high as $3.70 while we have been
here.
Furniture:- You will doubtless inherit from whoever you take over from. Good luck. We have won some really bizarre stuff!
Large electrical appliances: -Just think carefully about what you buy in the US. Most houses are let with cooker; fridge; laundry etc. However if you buy that huge widescreen HD TV that has a compatible format for use in UK included, you could take it back with you. Do you want to buy a desk top computer – or a laptop that you can take back to UK and charge faster than you can here?
Remember that your membership of AOL or whatever is your internet provider in UK does not count in the US. You will always have access to MSN and any free e-mail addresses you might have, but AOL US did not want to know us in terms of being an internet service provider. Fair enough when
you think about it; we had no account with them, but we have kept the free email address.
Internet/TV/Cable/Phone:- Get a package (Cox or Verizon are the favourites in this area – with Dish as a distant third). Our Cox package for Cable TV, internet and phone (plus calls to UK at 5cents a minute) comes in at about $125 a month. You might think that sounds a lot – but is about right for a better than basic but not too ritzy package. You might be able to do better locally. Is Verizon better? Well, they use fibre optics – so the picture might be better (especially on an HD TV) but it doesn’t do anything to improve the quality of the programmes. Cable is good enough for us.
The Learning Curve = After
Food:- You can eat very well and generally inexpensively (restaurants are the same the world over in terms of price). For everyday food, if you try to eat what you ate in UK, it is likely to be available but it will cost you over the odds. You don’t often find lamb – or duck (which is strange because they are all over the place when you are driving), marmite, beans can be found but at very high cost. Adapt. Eat the way they do here. Fish is excellent and plentiful, so is steak and pork. There are endless opportunities to eat out.
Some things you will never adapt to. For us, it is bread, salad dressing (which too often seems to be used as soup); mustard – might be yellow but it is not English – things like that. The real stuff costs more than you would expect to pay in UK. For example you might pay $4 for a loaf of something that resembles English bread and less than a dollar for something that does not taste as good as cotton wool! You have to work this out for yourselves – but as we just said, everything is somewhere. We eventually invested in a bread-machine!
Time:- All of our family (bar one) have trouble working out what the time is where – even after 6 months.
Space:- This country is huge. We went down to Florida in the first summer and back home through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our road trip was 10 days long and we only touched a very little part of this enormous, vibrant and diverse country. Their fuel has to be cheap; they could not exist any other way. There is no other way of doing business.
Travel:Outside major links between big cities, the US does not do public transport well – certainly not in this part of the country. There is no passenger rail link to Norfolk or Virginia Beach; Washington has some buses and the metro, but there are massive gaps in the service. The British Embassy is at the top end of Massachusetts Ave and the nearest metro station is Dupont Circus - at the other end. Not many people catch buses. It’s OK in Washington where it connects with the metro but in VB single white women do not ride buses. You have to accept e US way of doing business. You jump in your car/truck and drive. We might in the past sneer at the stereotypical American who drives 400 yards instead of walking. We now
understand, living in Virginia, why, at the height of summer they would do that. The humidity is so high that they would be drenched in sweat if they didn’t. You don’t think about that living in on the Clyde, in Scotland!
Shopping – Check out the discounts -the modus operandi seems to be set the price with the knowledge it will be discounted with 10 – 30% coupons. Most Chains like you to sign up and although you don’t like being bombarded with adverts the coupons eg with Bed bath and Beyond, Kohls, Michaels, Sears, make a real difference. Macys has coupons in the newspapers but better ones if you sign up. A Macy’s card is their credit card which is useful if you shop there frequently but it is also contingent upon credit scored and SSN. Beware everyone will try to sell you a credit card even the church!
So these are out notes hope they have given you some ideas – but remember everyone has their own tale to tell!
Best of Luck!
Some things you will never adapt to. For us, it is bread, salad dressing (which too often seems to be used as soup); mustard – might be yellow but it is not English – things like that. The real stuff costs more than you would expect to pay in UK. For example you might pay $4 for a loaf of something that resembles English bread and less than a dollar for something that does not taste as good as cotton wool! You have to work this out for yourselves – but as we just said, everything is somewhere. We eventually invested in a bread-machine!
Time:- All of our family (bar one) have trouble working out what the time is where – even after 6 months.
Space:- This country is huge. We went down to Florida in the first summer and back home through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our road trip was 10 days long and we only touched a very little part of this enormous, vibrant and diverse country. Their fuel has to be cheap; they could not exist any other way. There is no other way of doing business.
Travel:Outside major links between big cities, the US does not do public transport well – certainly not in this part of the country. There is no passenger rail link to Norfolk or Virginia Beach; Washington has some buses and the metro, but there are massive gaps in the service. The British Embassy is at the top end of Massachusetts Ave and the nearest metro station is Dupont Circus - at the other end. Not many people catch buses. It’s OK in Washington where it connects with the metro but in VB single white women do not ride buses. You have to accept e US way of doing business. You jump in your car/truck and drive. We might in the past sneer at the stereotypical American who drives 400 yards instead of walking. We now
understand, living in Virginia, why, at the height of summer they would do that. The humidity is so high that they would be drenched in sweat if they didn’t. You don’t think about that living in on the Clyde, in Scotland!
Shopping – Check out the discounts -the modus operandi seems to be set the price with the knowledge it will be discounted with 10 – 30% coupons. Most Chains like you to sign up and although you don’t like being bombarded with adverts the coupons eg with Bed bath and Beyond, Kohls, Michaels, Sears, make a real difference. Macys has coupons in the newspapers but better ones if you sign up. A Macy’s card is their credit card which is useful if you shop there frequently but it is also contingent upon credit scored and SSN. Beware everyone will try to sell you a credit card even the church!
So these are out notes hope they have given you some ideas – but remember everyone has their own tale to tell!
Best of Luck!
