biggish data

Have any of the non-USC on this thread noticed anything about how their spouse drives that is irritating? My sweetie doesn't use the turn signal much. Must be all those round-a-bouts. I know my husband gets annoyed with my driving. I tend to do a lot of rolling stops. I think I picked that bad habit up in California after a friend I had riding with me said, "Don't stop at the stop signs in this neighborhood! We'll get shot!"

USC husband taught me to drive, but there are still moments when I make a mistake (like last night I accidentally used my right blinker when I meant left) and he yelled "WRONG BLINKER!!" and scared the ####### out of me. :lol:

He does everything 100% the correct way, and in his 10 years of driving has never had any accident or made any big mistakes. Which sometimes means he makes a huge deal out of small mistakes that I make when learning.

But I'm also guilty of the rolling stop signs.

Edited by Gemmie, 06 May 2010 - 02:19 PM.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-05-06 14:18:00

I understand your point Vanessa, but because the complaint is of a serious nature and not a "pet-hate" or some irritating habit, it just seemed out of place. If I came in here and posted that my husband slept with his co-worker, it would be just as out of place, even though I could claim that it's still something annoying that he did, and I have a right to talk about it with our online friends.

As for the point itself, yes I would be VERY annoyed if my husband did that.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-05-06 14:14:00

Let me be clear: I love my fiancee dearly, and I try to do what's right for her. She had no business making such an impulsive decision without consulting me first. (I would of course have said no!) How can you even defend such actions? What if your spouse had done the same thing, would you be so understanding then? Not likely.

I don't think she was talking about what your fiancee did, it was more about the way you posted it on the public forum that she uses too. I have to admit, I didn't know she was also a member and was a bit surprised when I found out, because your issue wasn't really a pet hate (laughable and banter-inspired) but more a legitimate problem you had with her at the time.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-05-06 13:59:00

About the Brits being committed faster, me and my husband were discussing this the other day and decided it was due to the difference in dating styles. In the US, if you ask "do you want to go out with me" it usually means on a date to see how things go... in the UK, I remember the same question meaning "we're now a couple".

I'm glad the top sheet thing isn't just us. I was confused and irritated when he wouldn't let me get rid of the sheet, he just kept repeating "it's supposed to be there" and in the UK, we just have a duvet cover.

Irritating stuff...

- When he chews he has way too much saliva in his mouth so it sounds all squishy/loud and sometimes puts me off my food. When I asked him about it, he said it's because of his overbite, his saliva "pools". Gross!

- He can't burp without BLOWING it out of his mouth. Literally, he actually blows.

- He eats the same things constantly (pizza, PB&J sandwiches, nachos) and refuses to eat any fruit or veg. This legitimately worries me. He's the worst to go grocery shopping with because he never knows what he wants.

- Sometimes during the night, he starts cracking all of the joints in his body.

- He gets over things much more quickly than I do. So when I'm disappointed about something, I need to mope about it for a few minutes and he just moves on to something else, which causes a mini-argument (I think he doesn't care, he thinks I'm over-reacting).

- When I'm speaking to him, I catch him looking at the TV/reading something/looking away. He gets irritated when I expect him to stop everything and look at me when I'm talking. Is it too much to ask to actually act like you're listening?

It's the little things you learn to live with. I'm still working on dealing with them rather than nudging him and telling him to stop. I know I do things that irritates the ####### out of him, too.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-05-06 10:03:00

Yeah it didn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling when the woman had no idea what she was doing. I'm going to go to the bank again, ask them for the route number that they DO have, and then call the estate people on Monday and just give that to them, see what they say. If it fails, I'll be making a new thread.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-20 15:53:00

I'm a bit confused, what happened to the money that got transfered then? Surely it didn't just disappear? I must have missed something?

I ordered a credit report from Experian before, who claimed that there was no "score" , just a list of information about opened and running accounts and such. It's frustrating though, you were making an effort to sort it out and got penalized for it, doesn't seem fair

We cancelled the transfer and it was sent back to us.

Apparently it's just because I had an active account with an overdraft but hadn't used it for a year. I didn't think that would be a problem, but I should've looked into it, I guess. I just would've hoped they would've contacted me with a clear statement that they're closing it and want the money ASAP.

On a side-note, I had also been waiting on my grandfather's inheritance money. They wanted me to send them my bank details including a route number which you can only get from your bank. I live in such a small town so they aren't experienced with foreign transfers. The woman told me they had never done it before and had to look everything up in the policies. They concluded that this 'route number' was too many digits than the estate company was asking for. So sent them a copy of their policies for foreign transfers stating that they must go through 3 different stages. Well today my brother called (after they 'couldn't get in contact with me') and told me that the estate company didn't understand any of it, and just needed this one account information along with the route number. Banging head against wall now.

So the UK are wanting account info with the route number, and the US are claiming there isn't a route number that fits their boxes. Neither are understanding the other.

Why does trans-atlantic finances have to be so difficult???

Edited by Gemmie, 20 August 2010 - 02:13 PM.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-20 14:11:00

I *think* that was the last thing they wrote to me. I had no idea I had to make transactions within the year to keep it active. I'm so naive. The guy was really polite but couldn't tell me anything other than the issue is no longer with them, but Wescot. So I guess I'll just pay them and hope it doesn't affect me too badly if/when I move back to the UK. I didn't really HAVE a credit score before (no credit cards or loans other than student loan) so this can only be bad.

Thanks!

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-18 15:31:00

I just rang Halifax and they said it's nothing to do with them anymore, they passed my information onto the debt collectors as the overdraft had been there for a year.

Wouldn't want to let me know or anything. :rolleyes:

Edited by Gemmie, 18 August 2010 - 12:01 PM.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-18 12:00:00

But aren't they supposed to contact me first informing me that they're closing my account and need the balance paid? Also, I don't understand why they told me they would be adding monthly interest and then pull this barely 2 months later. Could it have something to do with the failed Swift transfer?

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-18 09:18:00

So before I left the UK, I kept my student bank account open with Halifax because I still had a 620 GBP overdraft that needed paying off. Because it was a student account, it was interest-free for a year after graduation, and once that time was up, I got a letter telling me that an interest of 11 GBP per month would be added. Fair enough. So we attempted to send money over through Swift transfer to just pay the whole thing off. Well two weeks later, it still hadn't gone through and when we asked Swift, they said it had left them, but for some reason hadn't made it through to Halifax. So we cancelled the transfer and figured we would try again later.

Well this week I got a red letter from Wescot, debt collecting agency, claiming that I owe 620 GBP, and that I need to pay this to them immediately or further action would be taken. I looked online and found my bank account was closed and said 'Enquiry Only'.

I plan on calling Halifax later this afternoon, but was wondering if anything like this had happened to anyone else? I thought bank accounts and overdrafts were ongoing?? I've never had any problems with my account until now. Wescot stated they report to credit companies so I'm worried this will affect my credit score in the UK.

FYI, I had set my limit at 800 and as I said I had only used 620 of it.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-18 08:26:00

What happens if it takes too long to arrive, does it become pickled pickle?

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-18 15:59:00

YUM YUM.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-18 15:46:00

I just bought BRANSTON PICKLE.

Num num num num num.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-18 15:37:00

I think the key with the food is to not focus so much on trying to find/replicate favorites, but to explore into new tastes and dishes and find different and new favorites here.

I've grown a huge love of corn on the cob since moving here, which I never ate in the UK. I'm addicted.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-17 15:27:00

I don't know how 'homesick' I'll be, but you and I disagree on this major point, mate. Every time I'm abroad, it's the food that makes me miss England the most. I've yet to find a place that can cook up a proper English breakfast, or any English fare for that matter, but L.A. is a big city so I am hopeful.

Yeah, I'm not big on the food in the US either. Too much corn syrup, sugar, and fat. I miss fresh fruit that can be shipped from Europe quickly, so I'm not told things are "out of season".

The Americans are great for coffee though. Yummy.

I used to think I was English but now, with the perspective from here, I realise I am British.

Please elaborate.

Edited by Gemmie, 06 August 2010 - 04:00 PM.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-06 15:59:00

Nice to hear about your experiences so far.

I'm always interested in how culturally different things are, not just between countries, but between states.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-05 15:25:00

EXCITED!!!

So excited to see you excited.

We had a small ceremony too with just 5 of us. We were going to do a bigger one later but now we're not bothered. It was special enough.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-09 10:41:00

Sending back P3

Ditto, I used normal Royal Mail delivery.

It took them 5 weeks to get back with an interview date, but they did receive it quickly.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-08-12 13:04:00

I might be wrong, this is just me. But I don't think people are going green-eyed monster because you got to spend time together in person often. I think the reason people bring it up is because you yourself often do the "They have THEIR NOA2, they have THEIR interview date, what about me" etc. It's just a way of saying 'they were lucky to get their next step through before you, but you've been lucky to see each other often whilst others haven't been able to' and putting things into perspective.

There was someone in my filing group that had her case lost TWICE by USCIS, so by the time we were getting our visas, she was still putting together another package to send. Then after going to a judge and being told that USCIS must come up with her NOA2 in 30 days and then having that be ignored, she finally gave up after 1.5 years of attempting the K1. Well I heard the other day that her husband has just been granted a visa to HER country, two years after they originally filed for the K1, and they're so happy to finally be able to be together. In a lot of ways, she gets green-eyed that me and my husband were together after 9 months of the K1 and didn't have to go through all that. But in other ways, I get green-eyed that there is a house and job waiting for him in her country, whilst I've been trying to get these things in America ever since I came. Ultimately, they've gone through a lot of pain to be together and I've gone through a lot of pain to make my own life in the US, but no one can say who has suffered more. It's all about give and take, and when you play the game of comparing yourself to others, whether it be about speed of the process, number of visits, ease of transition, etc... it's really a pointless game. My point is, people aren't being jealous of your time together in my view, of it they are it's just in response to your own jealousy about others process.

Try not to stress yourself too much with tying up the loose ends and preparing for the wedding. Julian will be home before you know it, and there will be another big obstacle you have to overcome, and I guess that happens throughout life.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-23 09:29:00

While I don't believe your MP call had anything to do with it (as I predicted it would be a few days), congratulations Melissa and Julian.

How are you feeling about the interview, Julian?

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-16 11:08:00

Your case isn't a joke. That's why people congratulate you when you hit the next step and advise you on your mini-freak outs. Believe it or not, people actually want Julian to get his visa and the two of you to be happy together.

It's how you handle the process that people dislike (and what people are making jokes about).

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-11 12:35:00

I don't see any problem with Julian trying everything he can to speed up his process, if he actually believes it will do something. Personally, I don't think it will put him to the back of the queue but I don't think he'll get it any faster either. Hence why you hear of celebrities that are turned down due to visa laws, and having to go back to their country until their visa is processed under normal processing times. But the point is, if he wants to give it a shot, then I don't see why not.

The problem that most are having, Melissa, is that you're constantly whining that you've been waiting so long, and you're sick of it already. Julian saying that 'I've been waiting over a year already, this is MY bloody time' and claiming that they should be processing things 'in a timely matter' comes across as a child stamping their feet. They receive THOUSANDS of cases and process them as quickly as possible. They even try to work with your travel dates even though you're told repeatedly not to book anything until the visa is in hand. I don't know why he's thinking the workers at the Embassy are just sitting around reading magazines. At my interview, it was busy as he1l, they literally approved hundreds of visas because they got to me. I had a 5 hour wait at the Embassy. Is Julian going to get his MP to speed up that wait too?

I've seen you quite a few times comparing your case to others', asking why theirs have been through faster than yours. But whenever someone tries to point out that your case is in safe hands and is in great processing speed in comparison to their own, you're quick to jump up with "well this is MY case, so if I want to complain about it, then I will". If you don't want people who have been waiting longer than you to drone on about their own case and tell you how lucky you've been, then stop doing it yourself. It's so easy to compare yourself with others in this process and feel that you're being left behind, but in reality, you're not. Everyone in my filing thread had a moment where they wondered if they would ever get their approval, and now they're all married, with green cards, and adjusting to American life.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-10 15:43:00

I don't believe so, could be wrong. I was under the impression that they decided not to file.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-10 12:52:00

No I think Julian made it clear that they've been waiting since April, but still thinks it's 'absolutely ridiculous' or whatever. He and Melissa just feel since they were originally going to apply over a year ago, but chose not to for personal reasons, they're entitled to their visa being granted quickly.

Guess that means all of us that were unable to apply right away due to divorce decrees, access to children, insufficient funds etc are entitled to have it easier too.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-10 12:36:00

If they receive an interview date now or within the next few days, Julian will only attribute that to his call to the MP. Nevermind that it was on schedule anyway.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-10 12:09:00

In that time I had just gotten my NOA2, and same for many others. It might seem like you've been waiting forever but you've had quite a smooth and fast process. You'll get your date soon. How long have you been waiting for that? I do remember mine took 5 weeks to even be registered in their system.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-10 10:35:00

So sad

I'm so sorry, Sienna.

Hang in there, you'll soon no longer be sad and instead be relieved that someone like that is out of your life.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-24 09:57:00

Perm Res & US Citizen to UK - max stay?

I agree, thoughtful and meaningful post. :star:

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-30 15:02:00

Perm Res & US Citizen to UK - max stay?

If you want to live there permanently, of course you'll need more than your passport. That's just for people that want to stay up to 6 months.

. I don't want to go over for 6 months and then have to come back.

How long are you planning on going for? If you're planning on settling there for over 6 months, you'll need to look into getting a visa. You cannot work until you have this. Your husband is a UK citizen, correct? If so, he'll be able to work as normal.

Unfortunately I know nothing about UK visas as I only did immigration to the US. But I *think* there's something for couples that have been married for less than 4 years, and another if you've been married for more than that. Someone else can clarify.

Edited by Gemmie, 28 September 2010 - 03:33 PM.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-28 15:32:00

PINS & NEEDLES!!!

I'm SO EXCITED for you, Dodi.

My husband was given the day off work so he could tidy up at home and pick me up from my 5pm landing time. I remember feeling so freaking happy that the journey to be together was over, and when I saw him in the waiting area, I dropped all of my things and gave him a great big hug. He asked how I was feeling (I had said goodbye to my best friends before I got on the plane) and I burst into tears, and cried all the way home. It was like I saved all the tears for his cuddles. It was just so emotional... I'll always remember the day.

Enjoy!

Edited by Gemmie, 06 October 2010 - 10:54 AM.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-10-06 10:53:00

Who else here is going through London but is not British?

I think there have been a few people going through London that aren't British, I think it's pretty much the same except the main difference is the birth certificate and police checks in the home country.

Do you have any specific questions?

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-10-07 15:34:00

Advice please

Thanks for the advice everyone.

The job called me today and made me an offer!!

I told them about the test being in 3 weeks and they said it was fine, and to let me know when I had my license. So all of that worrying over nothing. I'm still going to keep calling the RMV to see if there are any cancellations but the immediate panic is gone.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-10-14 12:48:00

Advice please

I checked all offices within 50 miles and they all came up at least a month away - only three appointments were left for the 2nd. My FIL said it's because the instructors are driving all over the state so it's all spread out now.

I'm hoping you're right, and that they won't mind me needing a couple of weeks to get my license whilst they process things on their end. They did say there would be a week training as well.

ETA: Thanks for the tip, I'll see if I can find a private school to let me take the test.

Edited by Gemmie, 13 October 2010 - 02:02 PM.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-10-13 14:01:00

Advice please

Okay I need your professional heads for a minute.

As I posted earlier, I had my second interview last week for a great company and it sounded really promising, I left feeling happy and confident that I was going to get the job. I told them that other than my driving test that I'm taking this week, I can start ASAP. They told me that they were away this week so they'll call me the week after, so I can also get some practice in with my driving (the job requires driving every day). Well today I went to book my driving test (which I had been told you can book a few days out), and the earliest appointment they had is three weeks away! :bonk:

So I booked my test for November 2nd. Do you think I should call/email the HR department or the supervisors and let them know that I won't be able to take my test until then? Or do you think I should wait and see if they offer me the job, and then tell them the truth?

I don't want them to think I completely lied about having a test booked (I was just ignorant to how long it took), but I also don't want to jeapordise my position. Any advice is appreciated.

Edited by Gemmie, 13 October 2010 - 01:54 PM.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-10-13 13:54:00

Do they courier the visa the day it is issued?

Are they still doing SMS notification? I was texted to inform me that it was issued and would be at my house 8am the next day. So TWO DAYS after my interview, I had it.

Congrats on your visaaaa!

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-09-23 10:23:00

Recommendations for schools

Didn't take the GRE, but something called the praxis which is for teachers. He did pretty well and said it felt great to get such a high score because of the different testing techniques...like getting a 40% is still a pass. I have to admit-I wish the US was tougher on the exams so that getting an A means more.

Thanks on the congrats! I guess the praxis is similar to the BA scoring in the UK. When doing a Bachelor programme, a 40% is a pass. And then anything about 70% is top mark / A. I think when the Americans hear that, they assume it must be easy to get an A but I think the grading is a lot more stringent. Hardly anyone in my class got over 70, and when you did, it was pretty fabulous.

In comparison to over here where I hear that almost everyone gets high scores.

How is this useless? You obviously married well. The most useful phrase in the English language (besides "Si, man") is "Yes, Dear," si man.

I married a smart bugga'.

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-10-22 14:20:00

Recommendations for schools

I was going to apply to graduate school but decided not to because of the new job offer. But I did find it all quite stressful, I had no idea it would be so frustrating to fill out an application. Some of the websites are a maze of instructions and forms. You'd think that doing the immigration process would've made me immune. Does he need to take a GRE test?

I informed my lecturers that I needed letters of recommendation, but the thing is that some schools wanted an actual letter and others wanted a specific form filled out, which meant I couldn't do anything until I'd looked at the requirements for every school I was interested in (to save sending over a million different documents). Not to mention the expense if you want to apply to more than one school. Some of them wanted over $100 for the application fee!

Good luck with it anyway, I'm sure you'll do fine. My husband was quite useless in helping me, he just nodded and agreed with whatever I said. :lol:

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-10-22 10:12:00

Married Peoples!!

I can't imagine how you were feeling going through all of that on your wedding day, but I'm glad it worked out. These memories will make you laugh for many years to come.

Congratulations MRS!

Gemmie

Female

United Kingdom

2010-10-27 10:05:00