Letter From America

pks00

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Alright folks, how you all been. Suffering or enjoying the snow no less. I missed all of that. Apart from this week it just sunshines here in southern california. This week has been storms, heavy rains, flooding everywhere etc etc etc. Reminds me of England :)

Thought I will give a quick summary of what Ive experienced so far. I dont always have internet as I am using the wireless internet of the motel. And the internet I have is quite often slow.

Came here on a immigration visa so whole family now has green cards. So can now legally live and work here. Im still looking for work though. Job market is crap. Currently living in a motel room, managed to get cheap rent.

Funny place is this. All I can say is if you are young without committments then this is a good place for you as there are a lot more opportunities here than in the UK. But if you are in my situation i.e. getting on a bit wife and 2 kids then its hard.
Schools are hit and miss. I managed to get the kids in good schools otherwise schools are pretty average. Both get tons of homework everyday. Come back from school around 3, eat, play for 10mins or so then do homework till about 9pm, sometimes 10pm.

Driving is pretty easy here. For all you fast drivers, you will soon calm down here because they sue you over the smallest things here. Insurance can be expensive also. You can only park in the street in the direction of the traffic and not opposite. 25mph max around schools and copcars are around. Driving faster and they pull you over. I experienced a lock down. Went to pick up my lad, saw cops opposite and they had closed the road. Someone with a gun was loose. As a result the school is locked down. Waited over an hour in the heat as no shade to park anywhere either.

Food is great here especially if you like your mexican foods. Fast food places everywhere selling a variety of stuff.

Moby fones is a pain. If u get a contract then its always min 2 years. One provider does not give u simcards, the fones work without them so your stuck.
PAYG is crap. I managed to get one but you lose your minutes even when u receive calls. All payg are tied in to min length. After that u lose your minutes unless u topup. Some providers charge u a daily fee also.

You think calling helpdesk over in England is bad, its just as bad if not worse here. Most of the people I spoke with just dont understand English. I ordered a t-mobile simcard using my prepaid visa card online. They took the money but didnt process the order. On foning them up numerous times but they just did not understand the problem. Eventually when someone did, they put me thru what they said was the right dept. Well the person in that dept didnt understand English and just spoke in Spanish. What a joke.

Lecky stuff is dear here. I remember it used to be cheaper than UK but now found it more. Furniture is even more expensive!

I live in a area populated mostly by Mexicans. A lot of the not so overwight ones do have nice curvy bodies and one thing is for sure, they do like to show off their cleavage! Check out some of the hispanic shows and news. Phew! A taster for you on youtube for you - [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsO6PgE-VRk"]Hottie Gaby Ramirez[/ame] and [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8bz5DrTe4Q"]Busty Carolina Sandoval[/ame].

TV is crap here unless u got cable or satellite. Since I live in a motel, it has some channels from satellite but still reckon British TV is better. If you like your american tv shows then some reasonable shows on. Check out Leverage, its like a a-team with finess. Another action show is burn notice and white collar. Law and order already comes in the UK, that comes on a lot on the satellite channels here. Oh and for lovers of 24, I actually got to see it the first time its aired here. Usually have to wait for sky or download it to watch it.

A lot of people are thick here, they dont understand logic and can only function with what they are told to do. Basically a lot of uneducated people. Well we all knew yanks are crazy anyways. I just got more proof of it.


Anyways enough of the crap posting. Hope all your DWer's had a good xmas/new year and life in the UK is still good, well as good as it can be.
 
Glad your doing OK.
Its nice to get a real life insight into the American dream.
It takes alot of balls to up sticks and move the whole family to another continent and i take my hat off to you.
Don't know if i could do it!
Assuming you took a Digi camera with you, how about some pics?
Fit women with big cleavage spring to mind?
Seriously some pics of your local area and things of interest would be great.
What are fuel prices like in the US, are you driving the usual american Gas gusler or something more like us Brits are used too?
Any take care and hope you find Work soon.
 
Hey what's up homes, you hanging with the Mexicans now eh?

Where in California are you based, from the sounds of it you're in San Diego? My friend has an Indian restaurant in Santa Barbara if you're missing Indian food, check him out.

Have you eaten Popeyes chicken yet?
 
im in love with that first women. shes a weapon. :love::love:

unleash the beasts lol
 
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I used to live in Houston way back in the 90's from 93-2000 - and enjoyed the american way if life very much, so much even married one

moved back here early 2000 but hope to go back within the next 5 years.
 
You are my hero m8, uprooting your family to start a new life in a new country with no job lined up and slumming it in a motel Tit watching all day, absolute heaven, I wished I had the bottle do it m8.

You started this post with a song title from the Proclaimers "Letter from America" and I'll finish
mine with another of their songs "I'm on my way" :proud:

Keep us abreast of any news m8.


:Cheers:
 
Glad to hear your doing OK for yourself m8, and the kids are in school.

Something the missus wants to do soon but with a 2yr old Im just a little bit on the cautious side of stopping here when moving away would probably give him a better way of life instead of the little youths running round causing trouble.

Look forward to hearing more of your story next time you post.
 
Interesting to hear how things are for you over there.

I hope all goes well for you and your family and you soon start earning enough to really enjoy life in California.

:Cheers:
 
Good to hear things are going ok mate. Sounds like you have quite a fine view. :)

Hope job hunting goes well and you get something soon.

Burn Notice is pretty good, been watching that FX over here, halfway through series 2 now I reckon.

Anyways, good luck mate and thanks for the update.
 
How did you manage to emigrate without a trade or a job? :err:

Anyway, wish you and your family all the best mate, enjoy the sun. :)
 
Only ever been to the USA once on holiday (2 weeks), I was the only driver so had to do the Wallmart run everyday! Another week and I would have been fluent in Spanish ;)

Anyway, I have 3 pals who have immigrated to the states and they love it now. One of them looks and speaks like a yank now, what I mean by looks like a yank is he's fat as ****! He's been there 14 years.

The second has been in the USA for about 10 years and he's still as Scottish as they come!

And the third just moved 2 years ago, he's a senior design engineer so was poached by an American company and lives like a lord. I'm jealous!....lol

Funny how some people feel they need to change to fit in :err: (I.e. mate No 1)
 
The prices for electrical items was only really cheaper before due to the exchange rate but that has been pretty crap for the past 10 years or so. If you are living out there then you won't see any difference.

My Dad has lived in Florida for nearly 15 years now. He has even gained citizenship. I like it as a holiday and at one point did consider emigrating but as you say there are a lot of hidden costs. eg. insurances, healthcare, sales taxes, and then the tipping! lol

Have fun and hope you find some work soon, why not try acting?
 
...one thing is for sure, they do like to show off their cleavage!

haha yeah that definitely seems to be something the Latinas all over love doing mate - I live in Panama now and it's the same down here.

The Panamanian chicas and la Columbianas are stunning looking and it's like there's an unwritten rule that if you're a size 12, you push the boobs and booty into a size 10 and make it work!!

And yeah - they really make it work!! lol!

Great post - hope you & your family really enjoy America in all its goodness, badness and occasional uglyness. Fortune favours the brave so I know everything will work out fine for you there.

Look forward to the next instalment.
 
Damn internet wasn't working since last nite until just recently. Dont know why my lappy suddenly decides to stop connecting. Even if I go next to the router. Oh well.

Glad your doing OK.
Its nice to get a real life insight into the American dream.
It takes alot of balls to up sticks and move the whole family to another continent and i take my hat off to you.
Don't know if i could do it!
Assuming you took a Digi camera with you, how about some pics?
Fit women with big cleavage spring to mind?
Seriously some pics of your local area and things of interest would be great.
What are fuel prices like in the US, are you driving the usual american Gas gusler or something more like us Brits are used too?
Any take care and hope you find Work soon.

Thanks. It was a tough decision but if I didn't try it out I would keep thinking what if... Will try capture some pics. They complain about fuel prices here, but its cheaper than the UK. Its about 3 dollars to a gallon. All prepaid, u gotta pay up front then fill up.

Hey what's up homes, you hanging with the Mexicans now eh?

Where in California are you based, from the sounds of it you're in San Diego? My friend has an Indian restaurant in Santa Barbara if you're missing Indian food, check him out.

Have you eaten Popeyes chicken yet?

Jeez man, what with my tan and size now, I am more looking like a mexican!
Im in Anaheim, a bit far from Santa Barbara. I went to a few curry places but no way near as good as the UK. My plan is to win the lottery then get it imported from the UK from my local!


im in love with that first women. shes a weapon. :love::love:

unleash the beasts lol

Aint that true! Phoar!

I used to live in Houston way back in the 90's from 93-2000 - and enjoyed the american way if life very much, so much even married one

moved back here early 2000 but hope to go back within the next 5 years.

Is it cos you like it or pressure from the spouse! A number of people I know that married US girls never ended up staying in England. It seems US people dont like living in the UK too much. Perhaps thats a good thing ;)

You are my hero m8, uprooting your family to start a new life in a new country with no job lined up and slumming it in a motel Tit watching all day, absolute heaven, I wished I had the bottle do it m8.

You started this post with a song title from the Proclaimers "Letter from America" and I'll finish
mine with another of their songs "I'm on my way" :proud:

Keep us abreast of any news m8.


:Cheers:

Thanks, it is tough. The proclaimers, oh yea, class song. Was a no 1 for ages? I actually knicked the idea from Alastair Cooke's programme.

Glad to hear your doing OK for yourself m8, and the kids are in school.

Something the missus wants to do soon but with a 2yr old Im just a little bit on the cautious side of stopping here when moving away would probably give him a better way of life instead of the little youths running round causing trouble.

Look forward to hearing more of your story next time you post.

You thinking of coming to usa or moving to a better area? if to the usa, I can give you some more info on what to prepare for

Interesting to hear how things are for you over there.

I hope all goes well for you and your family and you soon start earning enough to really enjoy life in California.

:Cheers:

thanks, hoping the dollars start coming thru soon!

Good to hear things are going ok mate. Sounds like you have quite a fine view. :)

Hope job hunting goes well and you get something soon.

Burn Notice is pretty good, been watching that FX over here, halfway through series 2 now I reckon.

Anyways, good luck mate and thanks for the update.

cheers. check out the other shows if u can like leverage and white collar. a new show just started also called human target.


How did you manage to emigrate without a trade or a job? :err:

Anyway, wish you and your family all the best mate, enjoy the sun. :)

thanks. I managed to get a green card for all the family, thanks to my dad who is a us citizen.

Only ever been to the USA once on holiday (2 weeks), I was the only driver so had to do the Wallmart run everyday! Another week and I would have been fluent in Spanish ;)

Anyway, I have 3 pals who have immigrated to the states and they love it now. One of them looks and speaks like a yank now, what I mean by looks like a yank is he's fat as ****! He's been there 14 years.

The second has been in the USA for about 10 years and he's still as Scottish as they come!

And the third just moved 2 years ago, he's a senior design engineer so was poached by an American company and lives like a lord. I'm jealous!....lol

Funny how some people feel they need to change to fit in :err: (I.e. mate No 1)

Know what u mean about being fat. Im getting there, being at home doing jack and having lots of good fast food joints nearby, Im in need of new clothes!

The prices for electrical items was only really cheaper before due to the exchange rate but that has been pretty crap for the past 10 years or so. If you are living out there then you won't see any difference.

My Dad has lived in Florida for nearly 15 years now. He has even gained citizenship. I like it as a holiday and at one point did consider emigrating but as you say there are a lot of hidden costs. eg. insurances, healthcare, sales taxes, and then the tipping! lol

Have fun and hope you find some work soon, why not try acting?

thanks. acting eh. Well if u think the governor of california is arnie then u know u can do anything here without speaking proper English! A friend of mine who is a pharmacist, she tells me that most of her customers can't speak English properly as most as hispanic.

haha yeah that definitely seems to be something the Latinas all over love doing mate - I live in Panama now and it's the same down here.

The Panamanian chicas and la Columbianas are stunning looking and it's like there's an unwritten rule that if you're a size 12, you push the boobs and booty into a size 10 and make it work!!

And yeah - they really make it work!! lol!

Great post - hope you & your family really enjoy America in all its goodness, badness and occasional uglyness. Fortune favours the brave so I know everything will work out fine for you there.

Look forward to the next instalment.

thanks!
 
The internet here is slow at the best of times but one sign of rain and it is slower than a damn 56k modem!

Pissing down today and using the net was incredibly slow. Hopefully not a feature of American wireless.

695900970.png
 
The internet here is slow at the best of times but one sign of rain and it is slower than a damn 56k modem!

Pissing down today and using the net was incredibly slow. Hopefully not a feature of American wireless.

695900970.png

It's a feature of public wifi in any airport, hotel, motel or McDonalds m8.
 
Not too far from you is a place called Camirillo, it's one of those huge shopping outlet places. There's this fantastic Indian there that my mate would take me to and IIRC it was really good. I'll find out if it is in Camirillo and let you know. Whenever I'm in America I always miss Indian food, but I get to eat Popeye's chicken everyday which more than makes up for it.
 
It's a feature of public wifi in any airport, hotel, motel or McDonalds m8.

The internet is private, not available to customers. I get it cos he is a m8. He also has problems with the net very slow.

Not too far from you is a place called Camirillo, it's one of those huge shopping outlet places. There's this fantastic Indian there that my mate would take me to and IIRC it was really good. I'll find out if it is in Camirillo and let you know. Whenever I'm in America I always miss Indian food, but I get to eat Popeye's chicken everyday which more than makes up for it.

Thanks. I have heard of popeyes chicken but not tried it yet. KFC here are doing grilled chicken now and fiery hot ones also. Need to try that out soon
 
You still over there?

I've got a friend at work who is considering emigrating, can I give you his contact details so you can drop him a line to let him know how you went about it?
 
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