All those in the US...

[OverRated]

... here is a lovely new thread. With an uninspired but easy to find title. And an old list.

Please update as needed.

1. Mamama - Chicago, DS 2
2. Twirl - MD - married, DD 3 and DS 1
3. Califrau - Milpitas, CA - married, ds1 (7), ds2 (4). sahm
4. Greatgooglymoogly - NY State - married, DS1 (3), DS2 (17 mths)
5. Alipiggie - Erie, CO - 2 DS's aged 5 and 4
6. Tinpot - North Carolina
7. dooneygirl - Oregon City, OR A married SAHM. DS 4 , DD 2
8. Earlybird - TN, DD (6)
9. SofiaAmes - LA
10. LATyke - Redondo Beach, CA
11. NannyK - Boston, MA
12. Marls001 - Bentonville, AR
13. Hellish - Ottawa, Canada
14. Sunchowder - Florida - DD Girlscout age poss 14ish, SDS um late teens.
15. SittingBull - near San Francisco, CA - married,two children, 1 DS 3 years, 1 DD 18 months
16. ChiTownLady - Chicago
17. MKG - New Jersey -ds1 22 months,ds2 3 weeks
18. Yesthereare4ofthem - NY State
19. Albert, Brazil - married to Brasilian, DS(7)
20. Texan Dallas, TX, married to a Scot, DD (7), DS (5)
21. Tiggyhop - Houston. DS (4) DS (3) and DD (20 months)
22. Bananapudding - Texas. married, DD 6
23. jabberwocky - TN married, ds1 3.10, ds2 6 months
24. Brooklynmom - NYC. DD, 14 months old...
25. Vixie78 - Houston Texas
26. TwinMommyToBe - Boston
27. Barefeete - British Virgin Islands
28. Dodgykeeper - Dayton, Ohio 29)Syd - Manhattan Beach, LA
29. Weewilliewinkie ? VA
30. Chocchipcooke - Ohio
31. Mummimamma - PA. Married, DS, soon to be 5, DD 1 (15 months)
32. Shouldalistenedtomymum - Canada - Hamilton, Toronto,
33. Anorak - Bermuda, DD 15 and DS 7

East Coast
NannyK - Boston
Twinmommytobe - Boston
Greatgooglymoogly - NY State
Yesthereare4ofthem - NY State
Brooklynmom - NYC
MKG - New Jersey
Mummimamma - PA
Twirl - MD

The South
Earlybird - Soon to be in TN
jabberwocky - TN
Sunchowder - Florida
Marls001 - Bentonville, AR
Tinpot ? NC

Midwest
Mamama ? Chicago
ChiTownLady - Chicago
Dodgykeeper - Dayton, OH
Chocchipcookie - Ohio

Rockies & Southwest
Alipiggie - Erie, CO

Northwest
dooneygirl - Oregon City, OR

California
SittingBull - nr San Francisco
Califrau ? Milpitas
Syd - Manhattan Beach, LA
SofiaAmes - LA
LATyke - Redondo Beach

Texas
Texan - Dallas
Tiggyhop ? Houston
Vixie78 - Houston
BananaPudding

Canada
Hellish ? Ottawa
Shouldlistenedtomymum - Hamilton

BVI Barefeete Bermuda Anorak Brazil
Albert, Brazil

Few comments...

In Ohio, you have one month to do your driving test. You can sit it and fail within this time, but basically, it's not something to let linger. If you don't have a SSN, you can get them to put 000-00-000 on the license.

For taxes, you are entitled to a SSN on a L visa. If you don't have one but need to do a tax return, you can get a ITIN (individual taxpayer indentification number). It has the same format as a SSN, but I think begins with a 9.

An alien spouse of a US citizen is on very dodgy territory if spouse dies. This is one of the most compelling reasons for getting citizenship. Basically, the govt assumes that an alien widow will repatriate taking US earned wealth with them, therefore the estate is taxed very heavily. There are not many ways of avoiding this issue other than naturalisation.

I'd rather to go hell than go to Ohio again.

Apologies to all those from there.

ST, did this situation come up with the 9/11 thing I thought there were some british women living with US citizens and they had children by them as well. This had real problems with money and that.

It's just very ordinary, Expat. Much prefer London.

I'd prefer busking in London in a subway than Ohio, ST.

Ex-FIL, a diplomat married to a German woman, was last stationed at Wright-Pat before retirement, so they had to go.

'The only things this place breeds are fat and kids', he warned us.

Ex h thought he was harsh. I knew he was right.

Sad, but true.

LAME-O.

OMG, NEVER again.

Yes, BGD - this was when we all learned about this. I was an expat in the US at the time, and did a lot of research on it, including learning that there wasn;t a lot that could be done about it.

EIS,

It's not that bad, but not a patch on living here. Basically, it's very materialistic, although people are very nice.

The people were okay.

But I could think of about a thousand other places I'd rather live, including some war zones.

Sorry, but we found it absolute shit and used to dread having to go there to see them.

Ex MIL fell ill with cancer there, and she eventually died of cancer, but she made him send her back to Germany first and I can't say I blamed her.

The ex eventually moved back himself and his brother married a German woman, though they live in Boston.

It just wasn't very pretty. And food just wasn't very good.

And sorry, but dry Highland 'festivals'? What's with that?

ha ha - remember going to the Kentucky Scottish gathering, which was very authentic but really missing the beer tent!

yeah, we went to one, we were so bored.

it was dry.

half-German, half-Wisconsite ex H said, 'we're out of here!'

this was before i'd actually been to Scotland, although he'd lived and travelled all over Europe.

he said, 'There's no such thing as a dry Highland festival.'

I never thought the day would come but it has.

I am going to defend Ohio.

If your experience of Ohio is one of the US's largest air-force bases then fair enough it won't be attractive. That's like judging Britain on Heathrow Airport.

There are lovely parts here - Amish country, Hocking hills, Audubon, Glen Helen...

I have not found it materialistic. In four years I have never been to a gathering here where people have gone on and on about house prices, new cars and private schools - the stuff of London conversation.

I can't think of anyone I know who's bought a new car recently. It just isn't a priority here. People focus on family - and children are welcomed and cared for by the wider community. So many people ask me about my DD.

My son goes to a public school where he mixes with everyone. We don't even have a private school nearby - we all use the state system. He's learnt to mix with all types - hey, just like real life - and we haven't bankrupted ourselves with school fees.

When I had my baby people were immensely generous and kind. I got given beautiful hand made shawls and one person cooked us a three course meal and brought it over. Lots brought individual dishes. My neigbour handmade my DD's christening booties!

People here may not be ultra-fashionable but they do have time. I'd rather be sick here than anywhere else in the world - not just the medical care but the fact that people rally round. I know if my DH was ill or away that my neighbours would cut the grass, shop, help out in any way they could.

Life isn't all about fashionable restaurants and clothes. (But we do have some good food here and many of us grow our own because we have the time and space to garden).

I wouldn't ever go back to the UK!

You've got me convinced, CCC. Maybe DH can get transfered to Ohio for our next move.

I can't believe I just said that. I'm going to go back to dreading where we might end up.

I'd as soon go to hell as go back to Ohio. I found it abyssmal after Colorado.

If others like it, that is their lookout.

Don't like it, don't live there. Fair enough. I didn't care for life in Texas, either. So I left.

And no, they didn't live on base he was some big shot high-ranking officer with medals everywhere from three tours in VietNam as a fighter pilot and they had this cracking house decorated by a professional.

But no thanks.

People rally round here like something else.

British people continue to astound me with their compassion and generosity, exactly as Americans do.

I would not be a sane person right now but for the outpouring of sympathy and kindness from British people. I am so forever grateful.

I'm proud to have a maroon passport. I'm proud of my Scottish children, as much as I am of their American heritage, too. They are citizens of both, but they were born and brought up here.

I love the UK as much as I love America. The NHS has saved my life.

My ILs have got my back. I hang on to the card my MIL sent, when I had my missed miscarriage. I know I am one of them. That I am theirs, too, and they will look after us.

Sis sent me some Hershey Kissed Cherry Cordials, however, and Dh and I find them nice.

I do find, on the whole, however, that for some reason, Ohio people want to go back there.

I don't know why. It's not for me to ask or care.

But I am happier here than I was anywhere.

I was bribed to go 'back home'.

Good deal, too.

Well, it ain't home to me. Never has been, for as long as I can remember.

I can't fault the people.

No way.

I am from there and the people, they are so decent and I think they get such a shit rap, especially here.

It's like America-bashing central sometime and that's wrong, because most a good people who would give you the shirt off their back.

And it's likely my daughters will take a bolt as soon as they are able.

I'd not deny them that, I got them their SSNs and blue passports as soon as they were born.

That's their life, not mine.

Even if it's in Ohio and I have to go have breakfast in fucking Shoney's or Perkins or Denny's .

I'm from Texas, FWIW.

I left Houston in 1989 and spent 4 years in Austin, TX. Then I went to Denver and Boulder, CO and from there to here.

Interesting... I'm glad you live in such a lovely place, chocchip. My neighbourhood is quite the opposite.

It is incredibly materialistic. All conversations revolve around who earns what, how much they can afford, how many people they hire to make their lives easier ('maids', drivers, nannies), house prices and private schools. There is only 1 state run nursery in the neighbourhood and at least 6 private ones. They start at around $800 per month I am a single mum and am not allowed to work.

That said, it is a relatively family-friendly place. If you can afford it. And the city is fab

I desperately want to go back to the UK

I think you have to take the rough with the smooth - no maids or drivers here!

I watched a 'happiness' report on some TV programme recently that said (apparently scientifically) in regard to money and happiness that it's not how much money you have. It's whether:

1. You have more than you started with; and
2. You have more than the people you socialise with; and
3. You like the people you work with - more important than the work you do.

So you need to move to a downmarket neighbourhood OR?

(btw I have learnt to avoid the Sandpaper people. I have just joined an intelligent Book Club which made me feel a lot better after the terrible Panera night.)

I think that is the secret - 'to take what you like and leave the rest'. Nowhere is perfect, there are nice/nasty people everywhere. And I do get a bit fed up with all the cultural snobby remarks about the US - has anyone actually watched Brit TV lately? A few gems in a sea of rubbish IMO.

We don't have Shoney's, we have Bob Evans EP. Yum, yum, pass the little syrup pitcher.

I'm sure you're right chocchip and I am the first to admit that I have rose-tinted spectacles when it comes to remembering the UK.

Unfortunately, I can't move to another neighbourhood for many reasons. And, I do have some wonderful friends here. They just tend to have different values. They are kind and generous though and have made me feel welcome so I am certainly not complaining. And, having no money doesn't cause me any grief other than frustration. It doesn't make me unhappy.

I'm glad you have found a decent bookgroup, especially after your Panera incident - what are you reading? I was meant to read 3 Cups of Tea but haven't been able to get hold of a copy yet so might have to skip it and read the February book when that's decided.

The brothers Karamazov!!!

Who says we don't have cult-chure in Ohio.

I have read precisely 20 pages and it's two weeks away...

The Brothers Karamozov? I obviously don't have enough culture to move to Ohio. To me, Russian lit is pretty much just country music with no music and a bunch of Russian names.

Wondered if you saw the Scrabulous/Facebook thingy, Cali. Never been on Facebook, but thought of you when I read that story. I wasn't going to bring it up, though. I'll send you DH. Nobody plays word games with him. You could put 3 people against him, and he'd still trounce them.

Very true, Califrau. And I am rather militant in trying to make this place somewhere I want to be!

But duckponds and villages

The only thing I used facebook for was scrabulous but then I deactivated my account so am not even using it for that. No-one will play word games with me. Because I use weird words like 'mog' and 'wonky'

Califrau - do you know any good online crafty stores? I need supplies.