ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomI am not a happy camper....

These subcontractor types always makes me nervous. I had a passport sent to me in NZ, meant to be a signed for packet. Didn't arrived although it showed delivered when they checked it out.

It was delivered. The driver left in on the porch across the street, and down a few houses. Not sure how street number 15 could be mistaken for 29 but there you are. No one signed for it either. The Courier company told me to 'go over and get it' myself.' And even though it was dark by this time, and they had a big nasty looking dog, that is what I did. My packet was still lying on the porch, just out of reach of said chained up pit bull.

I raised holy old of course. In the end the driver admitted to not being able to read. They sacked him. The Canadian Consulate at Wellington changed courier companies. And I got to fly home on time.


Whoa! That's a horror story! Yeah, like I said, if this doesn't get here tomorrow by 1pm I'm going on a crusade of sorts.
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-29 13:51:00
United KingdomI am not a happy camper....

no worries u will surely get it tomorrow :thumbs:


Thanks for your kind words of comfort :) I'm really hoping they will deliver tomorrow.
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-29 13:15:00
United KingdomI am not a happy camper....
Well just off the phone there with DX a little while ago. Since I have not left my flat all day long waiting for the visa that was supposed to arrive between 8am and 6pm. Around 4:45 I checked the status again and it said "Courier Attempted". Which is false since I have been home all day long.

I rearranged delivery for tomorrow between 9am and 1pm and if they don't deliver between those times there will be problems.

First off, I had a sneaky suspicion that DX used subcontractors, which was confirmed to me twice tonight by DX. No 'official' driver or van, just some dude (or lady) that uses their own car and maybe drops things off. Unsettling to say the least when dealing with such sensitive documents.

BUT! I'm not saying you'll have a problem. Oh no, I've had this problem before several times with a company called Hermes. My suspicions are that for my area Hermes and DX are using the same subcontracted courier. It is so bad that I will not order from any company that uses Hermes because they just simply can not deliver the parcel, however, under these circumstances I don't have a choice not to use the company. If tomorrow at 1:01 that package is not in-hand I will make it my mission to find out who this subcontractor courier is.

Even more troubling, I found this on Gumtree: Dx-Secure-Require-Self-employed-multi-Drop-Couriers' in Glasgow in Drivers, Riders & Courier Jobs Contract type: All, Permanent, Temporary.... Nice.

Sorry, this was a "kind of" informative, definitely peeved post rant.

Edited by Mrs GH, 29 November 2011 - 01:05 PM.

Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-29 13:04:00
United KingdomChicagoans/Hoosiers?

My fiance is from Hastings. He talks fast sometimes and that is when they have a hard time understanding him. I am use to his accent now. I don't think it is quite as strong as some of my friends from Manchester :)


Yeah, I think quick-talking can confuse people a lot.

My mother and father-in-law have really broad Glaswegian accents and I honestly struggled a bit understanding everything they said when I first met them.
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-12 07:08:00
United KingdomChicagoans/Hoosiers?

lol i found a good MMO helped pass the time while waiting for my gc.

I'm a brummie living in north indiana. lve had 2 years of messing around with drive through's where ill use my birmingham accent and after the 3rd "huh"
i put on some dodgey american accent and they understand me clearly.... bloody hell !


Hahah! Is your American accent an: a) Queens, New York City accent or b) drawling southern accent?

My husband's from Glasgow and it seems like people can understand him pretty well face to face in the US, but over the phone it gets difficult for them.

One of my best friends is actually from Halesowen-- I think the brummie accent is great! :)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-12 06:57:00
United KingdomChicagoans/Hoosiers?

you probably tired of repeating yourself to the yanks :P When my family and friends can't understand my fiance I tell him "babe, speak English" :lol: Just joking ! I know what you mean. Would be nice to have someone from the UK to talk to. I worry about my fiance feeling the same way. It would be nice for him to meet others here from the UK :)


What part of the UK is your fiance from that people can't understand him?
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-09 07:29:00
United KingdomDX Tracking not working?
If you read the slip (I think it's on the slip?) they give to take away with you, it says that they do not start tracking your parcel until they have received the visa from the embassy. Today your visa is most likely being processed and put in your passport and tomorrow DX should receive it and start tracking.

Edited by Mrs GH, 13 December 2011 - 06:04 AM.

Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-13 06:03:00
United KingdomGoulds Parmacy Question
Congratulations!!
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-13 07:43:00
United KingdomPOE coming up...any advice??
Have you looked at the POE reviews for Newark?

http://www.visajourn...ewark&dfilter=0
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-13 13:22:00
United KingdomSending evidence to the embassy...
From what I've seen it's about 1 day turn around. They processed ours in a day and a few other (UK) people's visas on here were done in a day as well. I think after they received MrsP's passport it took them about a day to process her visa!

So my fingers are crossed he might just make it home to you for Christmas!!

Edited by Mrs GH, 12 December 2011 - 11:09 AM.

Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-12 11:07:00
United KingdomFlights before Christmas...
We got ours from http://www.lastminute.com

As Dave & Roza had suggested-- just keep in mind that there are adverse weather conditions during this time of year. We chose to purchase flight insurance for our trip home in February.

Once more, congratulations :)

Edited by Mrs GH, 13 December 2011 - 05:56 AM.

Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-13 05:55:00
United KingdomAPPROVED!!!
Congratulations!!! So pleased everything went smoothly for you! :)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-12 07:18:00
United KingdomFlights and the British Winter

We have travelled between Boston and Edinburgh and Boston and London in Nove,Dec,Jane and Feb with no issues except for one christmas when David's plane was being de-iced and the moron driving the de-icer vehicle struck the plane's wing. He was delayed but still got here! You should be fine!


You might want to book a room at the Hilton at the airport and head to Buffalo in the morning! You guys will be exhausted!


Thanks so much!! I think I'm a little freaked out because Buffalo has had such a mild winter so far that people have been saying it's going to get really nasty around that time.

And wasn't it around that time last year that the East Coast went into meltdown?

Wouldn't mind being holed up in the Hilton though... :)

What do you think Maya? Are we in for a rough winter??
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-14 07:59:00
United KingdomFlights and the British Winter

AHHH I fly to Europe tomorrow. That does not sound good. I have been very cozy in Cali weather. I wish you safe travels, you're almost there. :dance:


How fabulous! Have a good flight!!
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-13 17:32:00
United KingdomFlights and the British Winter
I think you'll be a-okay!

I'm getting a little nervous about our flight out at the beginning of February. I keep telling GH as long as we make it into Boston okay I'll rent a car and barrel on through to Buffalo!! It's the right time of year (end of Jan beginning of Feb) for everything to go belly-up weather wise in the Buff. If we can just make it in on the 2nd, I don't care if all hell breaks loose on the 3rd (at least my folks have a generator) :) :)

So are you pretty much all packed and ready to go?? x
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-13 17:20:00
United KingdomInterview At Embassy
We arrived an hour before our scheduled interview time and it worked out well.
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-19 05:59:00
United KingdomAmazon & UK Treats

One strange thing I have noticed about the US food is that they add sugar to everything (bread tastes like cake) but chocolate which is supposed to have bags of sugar in it is kind of bitter and not even close to being sweet enough. I do miss good British sugar free bread but I sometimes make my own or I just have a bagel sandwich with ham egg and cheese instead. Yum! I'm certainly not starving.


When I first moved here a girl I worked with told me Hershey's "tastes like sick" :(

We went British shopping and Nick picked out some treats. Wasn't sure how to cook those banger things. Somebody please tell me.



MONSTER MUNCH! Good pickings. Not too sure on the Banger front.
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-15 13:01:00
United KingdomAmazon & UK Treats

i looked at crumpets, they said would have to eat within a few days of arrival


Shouldn't be difficult! :P Warburtons?
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-02 10:23:00
United KingdomOnward and Upward
Wonderful! You've got to be very busy preparing for your upcoming wedding :)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-26 13:22:00
United KingdomHappy New Year / Hogmanay!
Just wanted to wish everyone here a Happy New Year! 2012 will be an important year for a lot of us, so here's to it! :)

Edited by Mrs GH, 31 December 2011 - 06:04 PM.

Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-31 18:04:00
United KingdomMedical Review - London

I asked a mod to move this thread to the UK forum.


Thanks Ryan! How's your wife settling in? :)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-10 10:45:00
United KingdomMedical Review - London
Great review-- would probably do best if we could get it moved to the United Kingdom forum(?), since it's region specific. (I just mean a lot more UK people would have a chance at it helping them out :))

Anyway, wow, the NHS doesn't give you a smear test until you're 25??? I got one on the NHS here when I was 21. Then again, I also insisted my dentist give me a teeth cleaning even though I was told 2 years in a row I didn't need it :blink:

Edited by Mrs GH, 09 December 2011 - 03:13 PM.

Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-09 15:11:00
United KingdomWhat do you say when Americans tell you they are Scottish?

Lol That's funny...as a kid I always thought my dad being from England was so cool! Lol I loved visiting at the holidays just b/c I could just listen to my Nanny talk with her "fancy" English accent!! Lol Even at a very young age I dreamed about marrying an Englishman one day and moving to England...lol lol lol


Awww! That's sweet! I think I thought it was boring because I was so far removed from it. Like there were kids in the class who had Ukrainian and Swiss ancestors and it just seemed really exotic and interesting to me...

I probably would have thought it was really cool if my dad or mom or even grandparent(s) were from there :)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-02 17:43:00
United KingdomWhat do you say when Americans tell you they are Scottish?
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-02 16:31:00
United KingdomWhat do you say when Americans tell you they are Scottish?

I don't think that Americans tend to mention English heritage very often - it's not as "glamorous" as one of the Celtic nations or other countries where English isn't the native language.



Hahah. I remember being about 8 years old and we were assigned to do a little presentation for class on our heritage. I remember asking and being told from various older family members that my family's roots were "primarily English" and actually thinking to myself "Oh man, well that's BORING". :P
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-02 15:18:00
United KingdomWhat do you say when Americans tell you they are Scottish?

You mean physically? Like growing roots into the ground like trees?? :rofl:

(kidding btw)


Haha. I'm glad you have a sense of humour about things! (I mean that genuinely) :)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-01 16:09:00
United KingdomWhat do you say when Americans tell you they are Scottish?
All of you (Scots) can look forward to Pixar's "Brave" coming out in theaters next year! ;)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-18 18:42:00
United KingdomWhat do you say when Americans tell you they are Scottish?

So micmac, you're moving to America. Jump forward two generations. Would you feel irritated if a grandchild or great grandchild of yours had heard stories about you and wanted to know more about you and maybe the town where you came from? It's just a curiosity about one's roots.

America is a land of immigrants. My roots are German. Many German immigrants settled in rural Texas and married other Germans and so on for generations. I have many relatives still living near the same area. It was interesting enough for me to go to the town in Germany where the families originated, so tiny somebody had to lead us there. We walked around the church and grounds where they had lived as children. There were gravestones older than America. We were invited in to a gathering next door that happened to be the town museum. I smiled when I saw all the men outide eating together, while the women ate separately. It was so much like my childhood memories of my kinfolks in rural Texas. Herr Mueller gave me a lovely book and showed me on a map where my paternal ancestor's land was. It was a lovely day. I don't speak German or like German food or think Germany is all cuckoo clocks and beer steins and bratwurst. But like it or not, my ancestry is German.

And the really weird thing I experienced while driving all over Europe--- I felt this sense of comfort in Germany that I didn't feel in other countries. I'd see old ladies that reminded me of grandma and and my great aunts. And the German accent felt oddly familiar. Guess it just recalled nice childhood memories of lovely people with German accents who baked cookies.

We Americans can't go back very far without running out of Americans, so we have to jump the pond to know the rest of the story. Don't take it in an offensive way.


Well said as usual Nich-Nick!
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-14 18:08:00
United KingdomWhat do you say when Americans tell you they are Scottish?
I suppose it can just be a general topic of conversation. Most people back home in the US usually just assume GH is Irish anyway. Hah. I think someone asked him if he were Swedish once too.

But, ugh, the "Hell, I'm Scottish too" comment is lame...

I get where you're coming from, that it can be daunting at times with people making those comments.

I will say, though, that Scottish folk trying to put on an American accent when they talk to you can be equally cringe worthy. It's my father-in-law's forte :)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-14 17:09:00
United Kingdomthe age old question of how to keep in touch...
We use Vonage and LOVE IT! We have a both a UK and American telephone number on the account.
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-07 10:52:00
United KingdomWe're having a baby :)
Aww! Congratulations!!
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-28 11:42:00
United Kingdom'The Move'

If you don't mind me asking what were 02 like to deal with when you rang them up to cancel your contract and what way did you describe your situation?


I just called up O2 last week to cancel my plan. I just told them that I was moving back to the United States and they seemed pretty cool about it, a nice Yorkshire guy talked to me for awhile about Florida ect.

I think it goes smoothly once they learn you're moving out of the country, so you're not just going with another provider.
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2012-01-05 08:09:00
United Kingdom'The Move'

So, I obviously spoke to soon as I've been having difficulty getting the US company to return my calls or send me any kind of accurate. update. Not so helpful now!


Oh no! We decided to go with "Allfreight" so we'll see how that goes (fingers crossed it goes well).
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-31 21:54:00
United Kingdom'The Move'

The Post Office advertises that it doesn't charge you a fee, and a lot of other companies do for transferring money overseas. Plus, you can open an account, review the exchange rate, and then decide when to transfer the money over, which I think is quite good, so you get the most out of the money you have. I've done one transfer so far, and it was in my American account the same day. Beware, though, that receiving banks sometimes charge you for the pleasure of you obtaining your own money internationally! My American account charged me $15 for receiving the international wire.

L


Thanks for the warning! They get your with the fees anyway they can, don't they?
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-01 07:16:00
United Kingdom'The Move'

Eat bacon until you are sick of it, because in the US we only have streaky bacon.


No problem there, we are not back bacon loving folk ;) Streaky bacon here we come!!

I used anglopacific (www.anglopacific.co.uk) for my move - I had spoken to a number of companies (including Seven Seas and John Mason), but they offered a reasonable deal and were really helpful (or have been so far!)

The one thing I wish I'd done prior to moving was sorting out how to move my money from the UK when I needed it. I didn't want to move it all at once given the interest rate in the US is worse than the UK, so I set up an account at the Post Office and UKForex. Not being in the UK made it a bit more tricky as they like having a UK address to send verification information to. So, if you're planning on moving savings gradually, or would like to keep some money in UK bank accounts for a while, it might be an idea to set up those accounts prior to leaving the UK.

Good luck with the move.

L


Thanks!! Someone else on here had posted about opening a Post Office account, so would you suggest that's one of the best options as far as transferring money goes?
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-28 15:02:00
United Kingdom'The Move'

I was surprised at how smoothly everything went (if you haven't already used the services of a professional moving company, I highly recommend it; they took care of all customs paperwork and it was a lot cheaper than I had imagined!), but one thing I did forget to do was cancel my cell phone service well in advance. I sent the letter off (they usually require 30 days' warning) before I left, but what I hadn't anticipated was there was a piece of information I left off the letter - it took three more months and my parents having to forward mail from the UK to get everything properly sorted!


Thanks very much for that! We're looking into different moving companies at the moment. I found the thread on here that Poiteen started. Do you have any recommendations as far at that goes? We're currently looking at: sevenseasworldwide.com and shipit.co.uk
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-27 17:24:00
United Kingdom'The Move'

Do you have any pets? Taking pets to a different country can be a
long and expensive process :thumbs:


Thanks for the reply :) Nope, no pets for us just yet.
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-26 10:47:00
United Kingdom'The Move'
We are now at the stage where we have the plane tickets booked and we are starting to tie everything in the UK up for the move to the US.

We have a list of things we need to get done before we go (ie. HM Revenue & Customs, bills, ect) For those in the US: What are some of the things you came up against that maybe in hind sight you wish you would have considered sooner?

What are/were the essentials on your check list to get done before you make/made the move?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated :)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-11-26 10:29:00
United Kingdomget police checks
Good luck! Hope you get an interview asap :)
Mrs GHFemaleScotland2012-01-05 08:10:00
United KingdomLiving in UK or USA - second thoughts

(I didn't realise how much I minded the English weather until I moved to a sunny country ;))


One of the toughest things to deal with in moving to Scotland was no summer. Now, I can deal with a crappy winter as long as I have the promise of a nice toasty summer. Wind and rain, rain and wind. More wind. More rain. The damp. :angry:

However, last summer there was a bit of a heat wave and then there was the problem of no air conditioning.... it is a no-win situation for me. GH is a hardy native and fine-tuned to deal with such things so he doesn't notice.

Edited by Mrs GH, 14 December 2011 - 11:39 AM.

Mrs GHFemaleScotland2011-12-14 11:38:00