ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

Jiff Peanut butter in Walmart $2.78...

 

 

Think I need to move to Virginia!


Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-03-03 23:26:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

just wana add I miss supermarket food being cheap, Californian supermarkets are insanely expensive, $5 for a tub of peanut butter when in England id pay about a pound 50 which is what $2.50


Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-03-03 10:36:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

Iv been here just shy of two months now, and what I miss is cafes (workman style) where I can get a nice vegi fry up n mug of tea, English Chinese takeaways, nandos, being able to walk places without lots of people literally stopping their cars in the street to ask me if I need a ride anywhere. I miss the convenience of English life, I know everyone says tht americans are all about convenience but I haven't found this, for example if I was out and about in England and needed to get some milk and bread on way home id just run into garage n grab some knowing it would be decent stuff n im not being extorted, don't really find that here. And I liked that in England you have shops in shopping centres like boots where u can grab a lunch deal if u want something cheap but healthy and I miss there being book stores in shopping centres, I don't wana drive 10 miles to get to a big barnes n noble if im just browsing. I also miss stuff being the price it says on the label n no more and I miss not tipping lol


Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-03-03 10:00:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

I used to work in greggs last year haha, haaaated it, quit after 2 months.

I miss it not being that big of a deal to not have a degree!


Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-02-12 14:45:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

Im missing everything at the moment, i miss being able to be antisocial lol in England u can easily go shopping n not have to talk to anyone, here theyre all over you all the time. I miss being able to walk places! I live in California which is a particularly expensive state so i miss the cheapness of England. I also miss social gatherings that don't include alcohol, drinking seems to be a bigger part of culture here than im used to. its all homesickness but its hard to get out of the everythings different and therefore ####### mindset


Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-02-11 20:19:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

I was just thinking yesterday how grateful I am every year I've been back here that I never have to hear Cliff Richard's "Mistletoe and Wine" at Christmas. Anywhere. In fact almost no one has any idea who he is and I am 100% okay with that.

that's hilarious
Although things I hated in England I started to appreciate when I moved over there last time, probably due to homesickness. One example being eastenders, the acting makes me wana claw my eyes out but seeing it on American tv I'm like ooo Yey eastenders

Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2014-01-04 04:24:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?
Arghhh tipping and the tax not being included drives me crazy lol
If I buy something on a menu that says $10 that's all I want to pay then after tips and tax it's like $15

Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-13 16:19:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

Lol. Have you seen San Francisco rents? There's folks here who'd think that a bargain.

We just bought an apartment in SF, the cost of which would make you wince.

Oh my goodness I just checked, how do people afford to live in San Francisco? They aren't remotely reasonable prices
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-12 18:19:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

Interesting read, this topic. I'm English and have been here for 5 years. And I can honestly say I miss very little about the UK. Some things, but not much. Because for everything I miss from home, there's a perfectly adequate (and usually better) substitute here.
 
Sure, I miss a proper local pub - but I sure as hell don't miss standing 4-deep at the bar trying to get served at last orders. I LOVE the table service at American bars (and the sports bars are just the nuts). I miss fish 'n' chips from a proper chippy - but the proper, hand patted burgers made from freshly ground beef you get here make the skinny, frozen patties on offer at home look pitiful. I miss our football - in the sense of physically being able to go to a game - but we get more games on TV here than you do at home. And I've come to love the American version. And whilst the fans of opposing teams sitting together kinda takes the tribalism out of things, the pre-match tailgating is fantastic - can you imagine tailgating at a West Ham/Chelsea game!!!???? Somebody mentioned butter - Land 'o' Lakes will fill your dairy needs just as well as Lurpak, trust me. And as for Salt 'n' Vinegar crisps, yes, Lays make them. In humongous bags. And they look/taste just like Walkers. I'd also recommend another Lays product - Stax. They're like Pringles except better. And the Salt 'n' Vinegar ones are awesome.
 
Something else I don't miss about home - motoring expenses. You can shove paying $9-a-gallon where the sun don't shine! I drive a 5.6 litre, V8 pickup truck here - the fuel costs alone would bankrupt me at home. And I get to drive my truck on big, long, wide, (comparatively) empty highways here in the Midwest (as opposed to shitty, windy, little B-roads at home). And somewhere to live? Here (I'm about an hour North of Kansas City, MO) $100,000 (so what, about 60k English?) gets you a detached (oh, how my American friends laugh at that) 3 bed place with a basement in an acre of land. Name me ANYWHERE in the UK where you get that kind of bang for your housing buck!
 
There are some downsides to living here, of course. Yes, the healthcare is an issue. Not the standard of care you receive (and the promptness with which its delivered) but the deductibles/co-pays. I have insurance through work. It runs me about $70-a-month. But it's an 80/20 policy (which is the norm these days) and the plan only picks up the 80% after I've met the annual deductible of $1,000. And then I'm on the hook for more until annual -of-pocket maximum is reached (about $3,500 in my case).
 
What I simply can't ###### stand most of all though, is the GLUT of God/Jesus bollocks. Seriously, it's a nightmare. And the rank hypocrisy! I used to think I was conservative, politically speaking, until I moved out here. Now I realize just how ultra-liberal (by American standards) I really am. The conservative (Republican) movement is intrinsically linked to organized religion, specifically Christianity in a bazillion different forms. And you'd better believe you're going to hell in a handcart unless you're A) White B ) Straight C ) Wealthy D) Accepting of Christ and E ) Go to "my" church, mister!!!!  Awful!
 
But I have to say that, all in all, the pros of living stateside far outweigh the cons. I'm happy here, and have every intention of spending the rest of my life here. My advice to any of you embarking on this journey is rather than pine about the things you miss from home, to embrace the culture of your new home. As a guy, I found the easiest way to do that was through sport. Yes, absolutely I took the pi$$ out of baseball and referred to it as "rounders." Now I can't wait for the new season to start. Yes, I derided American football as "rugby for poofs." Now, if The St Louis Rams lose (and they frequently do) I'm genuinely pi$$ed off for the rest of the week!
 
Life really is what you make it, folks. Especially for people in our situation. Enjoy it!












You're lucky, il be living in stupidly expensive Southern California $1100 for a studio flat per month no thanks

Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-12 14:08:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?
I'm lucky that with my age (24) and being a non smoker I can get insurance for $150 a month in California which probably is what I paid in national insurance in England anyway towards healthcare I'd imagine (I know national insurance is for pension unemployment etc too but you can't forget that we do actually pay for NHS it's just not our choice) I was really unwell in England for 4 years goin to drs fr same thing n he just didn't test anything, went to American dr twice and then found out I had a massive thyroid tumour, the sue culture of America and competition between hospitals and doctors gives you a better more thorough experience I think, saying that I do agree that having a copay and deductibles will put me off going as much but that's probably a good thing as will save space for people that desperately need it, and will probably encourage healthier living
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-08 09:02:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?
I love American baked beans, but missed a lot of English food like crumpets which i strangely eat rarely in England but needed them there.
What I mostly missed was knowing where to get cheap things from, I missed Tescos and found places were often inaccessible without a car

Edited by Cam54, 07 December 2013 - 12:28 PM.


Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-07 12:27:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?
I live near margate in England which is dodgy as hell so everything is massively cheap but I lived in Santa Barbara California last time and found food ridiculously expensive $6 for a small jar of peanut butter!!!
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-07 12:24:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?

Having been here for over 5 months, I would say I really, really miss the NHS!  That I have to think twice before doing anything of a medical nature takes some getting used to.
 
I miss not being able to watch TV without being interrupted by adverts every 10 minutes.  We never watch anything live now - we record everything and then skip over the adverts.  There was a new stand-up show with Bill Cosby recently and I timed it - 8 minutes of show and then 4 minutes of adverts.
 
I miss decent public transport.  I miss high street stores.  
 
But the US has something that the UK doesn't have.  My husband.
 
I miss proper English crumpets - especially Warburtons.  I miss Reggae Reggae Sauce (I bought some off Amazon!).  As a veggie, I miss easy food labeling (I have to read all the ingredients on the package to work out if I can eat it).  I miss going to restaurant and having a good choice of what I can eat (I'm lucky if I can have a veggie burger).  








I'm veggie too!! And it was hard work when I was in California, you'd think California having a slightly hippyish reputation id b safe but veggi and meat restaurants are very segregated there
I actually preferred American healthcare when I last lived out there but I had a university of California plan so it felt like the NHS but with quicker better treatment

Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-07 09:10:00
United KingdomWhat parts of English culture will you/do you miss?
I'm trying to get my head around the lack of Boxing Day :(
When I last lived in America I didn't like that there wasn't really a tv program that everyone watched, like in England a lot of people watch X factor or eastenders etc and you can talk about it at work the next day. I know they silly little things but I think it's funny what you miss and I'm curious about other people

Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-07 03:55:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussioninterview- original docs and copies

When they ask you to bring original documents to interview which documents are they referring to? I'm confused as they have all our originally submitted forms

 


Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-09-20 09:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK1 petition approved, help!
Iv already got my case number and have sent off for my police check, my forms are all ready so I think il book my medical tomorrow and post my forms after that, thanks everyone
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-28 11:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK1 petition approved, help!
I can't figure out what order to do everything, I've sent off for ACPO certificate, shall I book medical now or when it comes back? And once I've booked medical should I send off my notification of readiness for interview or what til I've actually had the medical?.
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-28 03:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNot yet asked for I-134
That explains why the moody medical visa receptionist corrected me earlier when I booked my appointment lol
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-29 09:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNot yet asked for I-134
That second page was for immigrant visas , k1 is a non immigrant visa so it's fine I don't actually need it but il prepare it just incase
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-29 06:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNot yet asked for I-134
They don't make it easy do they! They ask for specific forms but let you hunt for whatever other information they need, iv got him to do it anyway I was just confused why they didn't ask, while I'm here what else do they subtly mention they need that iv forgotten? lol
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-29 04:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNot yet asked for I-134
Do they ask the petitioner or the sponsored fiancé for the -I-134 as neither me or my American fiancée have been asked yet and we already have an approved NOA2 and a case number. They've asked us for the other forms like the ds230 part 1, ds-156, ds156k, ds2001 and ds157 but nothing about sponsoring or income, do they always ask for this form? We'll be gathering lots of income proof anyway but do you think we should prepare this form anyway just incase?
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-29 00:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsProof of financial support
Does my fiancé's proof of financial support have to be original copies (main one I'm thinking of is his tax returns) or will photocopies suffice if he signs them?
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-29 14:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsnow i am really anxious
There's a 5 month wait at mo, I wouldn't worry at all, you're well under
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-30 14:46:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsnow i am really anxious
I applied in February and mine was approved last month, when did you apply?
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-30 12:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsLondon interview stories
Hi everyone, anyone who at an interview at the London embassy can you tell me what in particular they focused on the most and what sort of questions were asked? I want to be prepared and not give them irrelevant information
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-08-01 00:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsPrevious visa refusal

~~Moved from K-1 Process to K-1 Progress Forum~~
~:time: Difficult for members to understand your visa situation. You list Armenia as your interviewing county on your timeline, yet you show UK on your profile? wacko.png ~



I'm Catherine, 23 and a British citizen,

September 2011- go to university of California Santa Barbara to study with intention to stay for three months, meet my fiancée dan but he doesn't really hit my radar as I'm off having fun in the party school.
November 2011- dan invites myself and two other Brits to his family home for weekend for thanksgiving, we hook up and I think uh oh this is a nice one.
December 2011- decide I haven't seen all California has to offer so extend my visa to a full academic year all the while still dating dan
April 2012- doctors find big mass in my thyroid (6cm... Madness) so I'm scared I have cancer (it's benign don't worry), dan comforts me, I have to have surgery so my mum comes to stay to be with me and dan meets her, she adores him. This is when I start thinking maybe I want to stay even longer in this country with my gorgeous kind boyfriend
June 2012- extend my j1 visa again for 9 months on the basis that I find a job related to my degree
July 2012- find a job in a museum but it's part time so dans parents offer their home to me as I'd stayed with them a few times and renting a room was never cheaper than £650 anywhere else!! They were lovely and only charged me £150 a month .
July- December- happily lived with dan, missed home so planned to go back for Christmas
December 27th 2012- back in England, need to get a new visa as current has expired on passport, go to embassy expecting simple renewed visa and am flat out denied with no reason giving, bearing in mind I thought I was only visiting the uk i thought my life my over, I had nowhere to live and no job in the uk and I hadn't been away from dan for even a night in around 8 months at this point
January 1st 2013- dan suggests we get married so we can be together so we hastily put together our k1 petition...
And now it's August and our noa2 came back approved and currently waiting for interview













Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-08-05 16:48:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsPrevious visa refusal
Oops it's uk not Armenia, my story is in the introduction forum, il figure out how to link it here later
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-08-05 14:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsPrevious visa refusal
I was refused a second j1 visa last year and not giving a reason so me and my fiancée decided getting married was the only way we could stay together, anyone here had previous visa refusals but been granted a k1, our petition was approved I'm just scared about interview :(
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-08-05 13:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFebruary Not Approved yet :(
Mine only just got approved couple of weeks back and I sent mine off in January so I wouldn't worry too much
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-07-28 16:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK-1 Fiance Visa Denial After Interview
This feed is getting silly, on one side you have the rational people saying you can't judge someone's morals for trying pot when younger and then you have the other side of "I'm a saint, America is amazing" like they think someone is watching. Neither side will be convinced by the others argument it seems
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-07 04:38:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK-1 Fiance Visa Denial After Interview
Yeh good point , I cross roads in England not at the crossing but it's legal here and in America it's jaywalking
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-06 07:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK-1 Fiance Visa Denial After Interview
Just want to add. I can't stand drugs but appreciate that when you're young you can make stupid decisions and these shouldn't follow you
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-03 18:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK-1 Fiance Visa Denial After Interview
The point here is not that he had previously used marajuana it is that the doctor pressured him to admit it when it was irrelevant to his future actions in America , just because he might have smoked some pot at university by no means hel be shooting up in America . His lifestyle did not include drug use and did not appear to look like there would be any future drug use so why would the doctor knowingly focus on it
The horrible thing is I lived in California for 2 years and they were the biggest potheads I ever met, all holding their little medical marajuana cards
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-03 18:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK-1 Fiance Visa Denial After Interview
My goodness! it must be a cultural thing here, I should have put id guess that, I wasn't actually giving factual statistics obviously. In England at least I think it's the majority of adults that hav tried at least one drug
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-03 17:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK-1 Fiance Visa Denial After Interview
Haha no I wasn't being racist, you seem fun ...
I was simply asking because my Asian doctor at the medical was very unprofessional and kept prodding at flaws in my body which had no medical relevance, stretch marks and puppy fat aren't a public charge lol

Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-03 17:51:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK-1 Fiance Visa Denial After Interview
This is horrible, I would say well over half of perfectly healthy law abiding people have tried some kind of drug and it was cruel for the doctor to do that to him, maybe he hates his job and just wants to play with peoples lives, was it the Asian doctor by any chance?
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-03 17:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsApproved!!! (London K-1)

Like how many hours does it take in total to be through with the K1 interview? Assuming you were allowed into the embassy at 6AM. And your interview schedule was for 6AM.


You'll be better off asking in your region's section of the forum buddy as different embassies will most likely have different experiences

Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-09 13:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsApproved!!! (London K-1)
Congrats! Our visa took 10 months , when do you plan to move over?
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-12-09 06:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & ProceduresDS230 Employment History
I was wondering same as they only give you 5 lines and I'd had 7 jobs!!
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-08-04 13:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedureshaven't meet yet. Able to apply for k-1 visa?
Meeting in person will be a good idea for your relationship anyway, talking online is very different to spending real time together
Cam54FemaleUnited Kingdom2013-08-19 02:47:00