Moving to the states

[CβL]

Hey guys,

I just was offered a new job in the states, and I decided to take it (being an ultra-poor student at the moment). So next year I will be moving to Washington state. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for moving overseas?

[Goldtop]

Dont have any good advice for ya sorry bud, except to make sure ya take advantage of their medicinal dispensaries! Make the most out of your new life what sort of job did ya snag mate?

[CβL]

Haha, I think I'll investigate those. ;)

I'm going to be a software developer. I've never programmed in a big team before, so it'll be a nice learning experience. Plus having an accent over there... it just makes everything so easy. ;)

[Evil Genius]

lol you mad?

Just kidding. The States can be funny, depending on where exactly you are going to move. Would probably prefer California though.

[whitewind]

Don't take your job for granted, my cousin had a really well paid job which ended quite abruptly after a couple of years when there was a big takeover. Learn to be polite because there is a huge rate of shootings in the US compared to anywhere else (this is the one thing my cousin could never get used to, how many people pack a piece even if doing something normal like going to the supermarket).

On the plus side, the US has some extraordinary national parks so make sure you check out the scenery. And make sure you collect plenty of funky seeds to send back to the guys at the forums ;)

[Psylo]

I just was offered a new job in the states, and I decided to take it (being an ultra-poor student at the moment). So next year I will be moving to Washington state. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for moving overseas?

 

Uh, work visa ? How much do you need us to talk you through the process?

I don't think it's going to be too much of a cultural transition.

[CβL]

I might be mad. I will miss NZ, but I think I'll miss it even more when I go away for a while, and then decide to come back. The first thing I told my parents "what about my plants? - can you take care of them?", so many of them will be looked after hahaha. :D

I will be a bit further north than CA, but I think the summer is as good.

Don't take your job for granted, my cousin had a really well paid job which ended quite abruptly after a couple of years when there was a big takeover. Learn to be polite because there is a huge rate of shootings in the US compared to anywhere else (this is the one thing my cousin could never get used to, how many people pack a piece even if doing something normal like going to the supermarket).

On the plus side, the US has some extraordinary national parks so make sure you check out the scenery. And make sure you collect plenty of funky seeds to send back to the guys at the forums ;)

That's really good advice. I will definitely make sure I become "valuable" as quick as I can. I also was reading a bit about the area in a guidebook, and it did mention to just hand over your wallet/car if approached at gunpoint. I have been in the US before, but I guess I'd forgotten how serious those assailants can be. I will have access to some awesome National Parks, so I'll be bringing my tramping equipment. I'm looking forward to doing some long hikes around there. I did have a guy's email who used to live in the area and owns a horse ranch, but I foolishly didn't email him, maybe I still should.. better late than never lol.

Uh, work visa ? How much do you need us to talk you through the process?

I don't think it's going to be too much of a cultural transition.

They are sponsoring me for a work visa, so that will be good. I don't need every single thing explained, but mainly the stuff that's really important and easy to forget or easier to not even know about. But I think you're mostly right about the culture, I think it's not too different at all, at least last time I was there anyway (2008).

[Goldtop]

Just dont let the wrong wallet inspector fool ya blunty ;) is crime in wc any better or worse then the rest of their states?

[Psylo]

Don't take your job for granted

 

Learn to be polite

 

doing something normal like going to the supermarket

 

Yea, right on. Don't rock the boat. Knuckle down, fly straight, keep calm, and carry on.

[solomon]

Get in contact with some Nookers

Friend's worked as trimmers for a dispensary or something similar when they were in the US.

Good luck mang, hope you get the chance to travel around the country a bit.

[whitewind]

Yea, right on. Don't rock the boat. Knuckle down, fly straight, keep calm, and carry on.

 

And, erm, what might be your recommendations kind sir?

[Goldtop]

Even better man, get your medical card, and supply the dispensary! Software tech is just a put on ;)

[mira]

Washington state is pretty cool and if you are going to be along the coast or in one of the big cities like I suspect you are if you are going to be programming then the atmosphere is quite liberal compared to the rest of the US. I suspect the climate wouldn't be too much of a shock for you either though it can be a little dreary at times.

Culturally I can't really think of anything I'd warn you to be aware of. America isn't that scary/different. Crime will depend heavily on the city and neighborhood you live in. And you are right about the accent. Girls are complete suckers for NZ accents, but just realize you are going to be called British and Australian all of the time since most people over here can't differentiate them.

The parks in Washington are stellar, and it's a good area for mushroom hunting too.

[Goldtop]

The parks in Washington are stellar, and it's a good area for mushroom hunting too.

 

*Blunt grins behind computer screen*

[Sallubrious]

Try not to say cunt in public.

You can fuck as much as you want but if you say cunt they get very offended for some strange reason.

Stay out of any political debate, their over inflated sense of patriotism tends to cloud their judgement. There's no place for reason in American politics it's all about emotion.

Congrats on the new job mate.

[space cadet swami]

Take some warm clothes...ur gonna freeze ur ass off...lol

[Marcel]

I'm married to an American and we moved there back in 2000. We went there for good with the dream of becoming famous artists in New York but after a couple of planes got snagged on some skyscrapers (turning NY into a provincial shit-hole) and endless hours of work for shit pay and crazy rent with no time to make art, we packed it all in and came home to Australia. It was just under 4 years that we lived there.

The US is an amazing country. Don't watch their television and don't read their newspapers and you'll realise there's an exciting and vibrant and beautiful layer of people just below the surface, especially in the bigger cities. American culture is more than pop music and movies and conservative politics. People are intensely political there; everything is a political statement. Recycling is a political act, what you listen to, your neighborhood, what your hobbies are: all these things are picked up as political indicators and help people categorise you as friend or foe (liberal or conservative). It really confuses people if you don't fit a political line on every issue. For example, if you're a greenie and vote Democrat and wear a FREE PALESTINE t shirt but don't think marijuana should be legalised, people get very bewildered and don't know what to do with you. It can get annoying at times, but it's no big deal.

A lot of amazing things happen there. Amazing education movements, underground art, eco movements, psychedelic communities, etc. You'll only be bored if you choose to be. Australians and Europeans dismiss Americans as stupid fat cows because that's what they see on TV. That's no more true than the idea that all Africans run around with Kalashnikovs in dry, barren mud ghettos. In fact, a lot of what we hold dear comes from the US. Good music, the psychedelic revival, contemporary thought, urban homesteading, all come from or grew substantially in the US. Even the act of hating the US and labelling all things American as conservative, reactionary shit is a very American stance.

The NW Pacific is especially interesting. Oregon is an exciting place (especially for ethnobots). Make sure you visit Ashland if you go to Oregon! Washington is great too, but cold and wet. I've heard that there are 340 rainy days a year in Seattle. Ouch!

As for immigration logistics: don't fuck with the Department of Immigration (or whatever they call themselves these days). Don't miss form submission deadlines. Don't make mistakes in spelling your name on the forms. It may not be the same in Washington, but in NY, even something as easy as submitting a form will mean missing two days of work. Be nice to the people working there even though they are the angriest and most misanthropic people you will ever meet in your life. They have the power to send you home or to jail on a whim. Otherwise, everyday life there is not that different to life anywhere else in the Western world.

Have fun and congrats on the job offer. Having a job in the US on your resume is an amazing help in Australia. Opens all sorts of doors.

[Teljkon]

dfgdfgd

Edited December 19, 2021 by Teljkon

[Zen Peddler]

Id move to the states tomorrow if there was a reason for me to. I loved the west coast and Montana surprisingly. I found most of the people I met pretty laid back and accepting rather than negative and judgmental. I thought id hate america but it was the opposite.

Moving overseas is a pain in the arse. There are so many things that you have to change and get organised before you can do anything. I moved to asia, but when there we had to get govt numbers to rent a place, then waste three days getting a phone number and sim card, then getting a visa and hacing to go back and cahnge all our details again and shit. In between we couldnt work legally and when we did anyway, we had to get a bank accoint which required a visa so we couldnt get paid, etc. language was a barrier though at times even when we spoke mandarin pretty well.

Edited May 4, 2012 by Zen Peddler BlueGreenie

[CβL]

Thanks for all the sound advice guys. There's literally a goldmine of things in here that will help me out.

I think I might try and also get there a bit early so I can set up camp and buy whatever is important. I will also definitely be getting some seeds, and if anyone knows any plants in that part of the country to look out for - let me know (via PM or here).

[Auxin]

If you like hotsprings ferry over to the olympic peninsula and find the obscure 'rustic' hotsprings, not sol duc.

The road washed out 2 miles away from the 'rustic' one and rather than fixing the road the government just gave up on the park, its now maintained by campers and is unofficially semi-nudist due to simple lack of enforcement ...or that was the way 14 years ago, lol. I dont get to that part of the country often.

I assume it'll be around seattle... things to do at least once:

Mildly intoxicated adventure through pike place market

Seattle art museum special exhibits, I caught the Van Gogh tour there- awesome

Investigate available culture festivals

Midnight 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' screening, assuming its still running that is, if you've never gone before tell them your a virgin

And if you have an LSD fueled frolic in carkeek park at midnight, dont get caught, cops can be a bummer

And yes, kiwi accents drive girls nuts here.. work a lisp in and it'll drive boys nuts too.

[Teljkon]

On 05/05/2012 at 8:48 PM, Auxin said:

And yes, kiwi accents drive girls nuts here.. work a lisp in and it'll drive boys nuts too.

dfgdfg

Edited December 19, 2021 by Teljkon

[Zen Peddler]

Hey Seattle is a rocken's city although we got hassled by some rapper with a gun at one stage for nothing in particular when we suddenly found out the heart of the city was actually rough as guts. Pike markets were a trip and always plenty to do at night for the short period we were there.

Weirdest experience we had was just how stoned everyone in the midwest seemed to be. We met endless stoners and I was assuming id meet semi-psycho militia types rather than stoners.

I so loved the west coast and midwest over the east side. California was pretty awesome. Bigsur was a trip and we knew someone and got to stay up there for a while with some interesting characters (two dudes, both worked in the movie industry for years before snorting lost them their jobs, etc).

One thing people dont tell you about the states is just how fucking amazing the scenery is. Each state is so different and shit like Yosemite and Zion Nat Park will blow your mind.