[Mikestar]

This is my first time in the states, I have been in the USA for over a week now, more specifically NYC, Boston and small towns in New England. I came to see family/friends and to see if life really is as good as they say it is. I had mixed expectations but had high hopes from the beginning.

In short it didn't dissapoint, I have been loving how everything is in the states, life is sweet on the other side of the pond. I want to become a US citizen.

Has anyone started a new life in America from Europe/any other part of the world and how did you make it happen?

Also, why shouldn't I want to move here - apart from the obvious problems like obesity, shallow people etc?

I honestly don't understand why America gets hated on this forum, maybe the grass is greener effect is strong but USA has everything for me, sociable culture, varied environments, good women, good food, good economy - the list can go on and on.

[teddy bear]

Frankly, I have noticed that people love to shit on a country/place they come from. It's like having a hope that grass is greener somewhere else and once you move everything will change because of the place. I don't believe it's the case. It's us who change when we are moving to the other place. Like even on my example - many people like it in Poland, while I hate it. I go to the UK, which is also hated (and for good reasons though) and I like it much more than Poland. Surely, if I stayed in the UK longer my perspective would probably change as you will get into same monotonous life and routine like you did in your native country - especially people on forum like this, that love to travel, love to experience stuff and hate boring life.

So, as I said - your perspective on the USA may change as well if you were to stay there for a couple of years, but it's true - I have never lived in nor visited the States, but it definitely has more reasons to be praised for than hated. Same like Europe, Japan, Australia and other 1st world places. Third-world shitholes may be praised because of lack of feminism, leftovers of traditional values and stuff, easy girls and 1st world money, that comes pretty far there, but would anyone actually be rather born in a shitty, economically devastated country with very little perspectives and shitty education rather than USA or Europe, where you have everything third-worlders dream about and your only worry is to pick future spouse first, making money (which you have tons of possibilities for) and surplus of 85kg overgrown Emilies? Probably not.

Every country has its pros and cons, and USA is heavily hated here because majority of users is American, and just as we Europeans see USA as some kind of more exciting, more interesting place, they feel the same about Europe. Besides, I believe Europe at it current state actually has many more problems than States - and those problems are mostly concerned with heavy refugees immigration, that just like a cancer is quickly spreading and slowly destroying Europe from the inside. So yeah, as I said - never been to the States, but looking in the future, at this point, States are indeed a much better place to live long-term than Europe.

Well, that's looking at the big picture though. I still believe, that just like someone has already said, it's best to take Western money and live in a countries, that still have some kind of traditional values left - and even better, make it so to choose where you want to live, and still have the Western salary.

Besides, someone in the other thread has said, that America has more of an hustling nature to it. That may be true, but I believe it's like this everywhere in developed countries. It only depends on what you people you work with, what industry you are at and what are your general goals in life. It's the same in Europe - want to forever be on a median wage and afford one single 4 stars hotel in Bulgaria for a week in summer with your fat wife, on-going credit for the next 20 years and lazy slobs as your co-workers? You just have to go with the flow, pick up any job, and you will sooner or later get to this point of median wage and boring life. That's the majority everywhere, regardless if it's America or Europe. You want something more, you want to hustle, and you want to get something out of your life? You will mostly end up in the cities full of people with similar interests.

Anyway, I didn't get into becoming an US resident too much, but I have briefly read about it and it surely isn't easy. Europe in general has more lenient laws to obtain residency. It also depends on which country you are and most importantly - your skills. From my brief estimations based on some posts of people, that managed to do that, you need to be simply good at what you do - as you are still a student I believe, it will definitely be much harder, but then again, younger people usually have edge in terms of immigration.
I thought of living in the USA in future as well, once I establish myself in the chosen field, have a several years of solid experience etc., but I have quickly changed my mind and focused on Japan - although, many things will probably change till then, so no point in really making those plans now.

Still, wish you good luck with your plans, but before you make any decided moves I believe you should stay there a little bit longer and gain more perspective.

[Mikestar]

(06-15-2018 08:27 AM)teddy bear Wrote:  

Besides, someone in the other thread has said, that America has more of an hustling nature to it. That may be true, but I believe it's like this everywhere in developed countries. It only depends on what you people you work with, what industry you are at and what are your general goals in life. It's the same in Europe - want to forever be on a median wage and afford one single 4 stars hotel in Bulgaria for a week in summer with your fat wife, on-going credit for the next 20 years and lazy slobs as your co-workers? You just have to go with the flow, pick up any job, and you will sooner or later get to this point of median wage and boring life. That's the majority everywhere, regardless if it's America or Europe. You want something more, you want to hustle, and you want to get something out of your life? You will mostly end up in the cities full of people with similar interests.

Anyway, I didn't get into becoming an US resident too much, but I have briefly read about it and it surely isn't easy. Europe in general has more lenient laws to obtain residency. It also depends on which country you are and most importantly - your skills. From my brief estimations based on some posts of people, that managed to do that, you need to be simply good at what you do - as you are still a student I believe, it will definitely be much harder, but then again, younger people usually have edge in terms of immigration.
I thought of living in the USA in future as well, once I establish myself in the chosen field, have a several years of solid experience etc., but I have quickly changed my mind and focused on Japan - although, many things will probably change till then, so no point in really making those plans now.

Still, wish you good luck with your plans, but before you make any decided moves I believe you should stay there a little bit longer and gain more perspective.

Teddy bear - I can fully understand your outlook as I am in exactly the same situation, I prefer the Uk to my home country (Poland). But I really don't like the UK - my main problem with it is the people, culture and the attitude (I have been here for 14 years). The USA is a perfect combo of what I like, I would hustle my ass off here and enjoy it because Americans know how to balance life better. Whilst you say that becoming a US citizen is difficult - this again is America and anything is possible. I already have two plans which could take me here but I want to hear how others did it. I also wish you best of luck with making it to Japan

[churros]

One could easily counter-argue that you have rose-tinted glasses. How long have you lived here? If you're looking for a "balanced life" you'll be disappointed. People come here to make money, period. There is a nice selection of sluts from all over the world, especially in the big cities. In fact I've always found it better for girls than anywhere in Europe. But there is no culture or history to compare with Europe. The people are generally less intelligent, and less funny, even among the educated. Public services are considered to be socialism, so you better like driving and paying through the nose for healthcare. But if you're an entrepreneur maybe you don't care about that anyway.

The only way for you to stay is to get married.

[Mikestar]

I have not been here for long but it took me three days to know this country is for me. But realistically speaking I have family which immigrated from Europe and through this I know what life is like and yes - like you said its all about work, Americans work some of the longest hours. The thing is I am young with time and energy so this is not an obstacle. I don't care about the people being less intelligent and there not being any culture, I definitely saw a culture which I fit into here in the cities.

What if I do a masters degree here, can I get citizenship that way?

[Dragan]

I say do it man. If you have high qualifications/ skills, it will be much easier to immigrate to the US. Like graduate degrees, specialized expertise, etc. But it's a bitch to get residency in the US, it's hard unless you have money, or highly valued skills.

Visit the part of the US you like long term to make sure it's a good fit. It's hard to make sweeping generalizations about the US, because it differs so much from region to region. For example, New Jersey is completely different than the American South, there are some huge cultural differences, different demographics, different types of girls, and different business environments, not to mention, way different tax rates. I know a lot of Europeans that moved to the US, and as long as they find a region that fits them well, they have a great time living there long term.

[zatara]

I've moved from Europe to the US for work. And moved back again subsequently. Its a great place to live for a couple of years, but its not somewhere I could live long term. Its got both positives and negatives:

+ The people are generally very positive and friendly. Its easy to make new friends.
+ The girls in their 20s are both easier and fitter (athletics wise) than almost anywhere else in the world. They're just great fun.
+ Wages are extremely high. Because so many Americans leave university with huge piles of debt, most white collar jobs pay more than their equivalents in Europe or elsewhere. And, on top of that, income taxes are usually lower. So your take home, net pay, is a lot higher generally.
+ Cost of living is surprisingly low. Aside from rent in a select few cities (Boston/NYC/San Fran etc) rent is cheap in a lot of the US. And cars, groceries, petrol, eating out, bars etc are much cheaper than in most of Western Europe.
+ Lots of career opportunities in certain fields. If you're in tech, or finance, in particlar its really really good to go to the US for a few years to advance your career.

+/- weather can be better than Europe or worse than Europe depending both on where you're coming from in Europe and where you're moving to in the US.

- Directly related to how easy it is to make friends, because Americans move around for college/work so much they don't seem so good at making "deep" friendships. Things are kept a lot more light.
- Everyone settles down young. Its pretty common for middle class people to get married and move to the suburbs in their mid 20s, which is unheard of in Europe. This can put a bit of a dent in your social life if all your workmates/people your age are settled and popping out kids.
- The biggest thing for me: the work/life balance is absolutely horrifying. In almost all of Europe you're guaranteed 6 weeks of leave a year at a minimum, which you legally have to take. In the US if you're lucky you get 10 days a year of leave, and even then in a lot of companies it can negatively impact your career prospects if you take this meager allowance. Theres also way more of a culture of working more than your 40 hours a week. And good luck with sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave...

I think the US is great to move to for a couple of years in your 20s when you can advance your career, stack some cash, and have fun partying. But I think its an awful place to raise a family, or live long-term, because of the work life balance issues.

The easiest way for you to move would be to get hired by a large MNC in Europe, and get an internal transfer over. Or for you to go back to university, complete a degree, and then apply for the year long J1 visa within 12 months afterwards. That would give you a year to establish yourself in the US. Which would ideally mean you get a good white collar job and prove yourself to your employer, so when your J1 visa expires they'll pay for work visa for you.

[godzilla]

A bunch of rambling thoughts here....

It was great to read your exuberant posts in the NYC thread. The US can be an exciting place for a newcomer. especially for Europeans who often think their countries are not exciting.

Americans on the outside are optimistic and confident. The most random person will joke around with you. Its fucking sunny as shit all the time. People wear pretty much whatever the fuck they want. The rules are not always the rules. All this makes it an exciting.

I actually enjoy America now, but it took me years to get there.

Deep down here, many people are deeply unhappy. People can be nice on outside, then stick a knife in your back the next day. There is a lack of a dominant culture that causes lots of confusion in the workplace, dating or even when you sit down at a restaurant. Women here think they walk on water and starting a family is difficult. The cost of living can be outrageous in the best job markets. Car dependency is costing us a fortune, etc, etc, etc..

Stay here for a long period of time before you do anything

[Mikestar]

(06-15-2018 10:32 AM)godzilla Wrote:  

A bunch of rambling thoughts here....

It was great to read your exuberant posts in the NYC thread. The US can be an exciting place for a newcomer. especially for Europeans who often think their countries are not exciting.

Americans on the outside are optimistic and confident. The most random person will joke around with you. Its fucking sunny as shit all the time. People wear pretty much whatever the fuck they want. The rules are not always the rules. All this makes it an exciting.

I actually enjoy America now, but it took me years to get there.

Deep down here, many people are deeply unhappy. People can be nice on outside, then stick a knife in your back the next day. There is a lack of a dominant culture that causes lots of confusion in the workplace, dating or even when you sit down at a restaurant. Women here think they walk on water and starting a family is difficult. The cost of living can be outrageous in the best job markets. Car dependency is costing us a fortune, etc, etc, etc..

Stay here for a long period of time before you do anything

But aren't people deeply unhappy in Europe too? Americans seem to know how to deal with it a bit better. Compare the faces of the London underground to NYC subway, I guarantee you will see happier faces in New York. I'm not looking to start a family or anything like that. The culture here is everything mixed up together and that is essentially what I am too, classism is not a problem like in England, what I like most is that everyone is on the same playing field in the USA, everyone came here to hustle and that energy created from that transpires to every day life.

Zatara - This is a great list of pros and cons. Yeah I could try that and get a J1 visa, it seems like a clear path, marriage is an option too because I own no assets.

Dragan - you're right I need to come here more often for longer and see what city suits me the most, I am thinking to see these cities for the future: Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Houston, LA.

[Dragan]

(06-15-2018 11:11 AM)Mikestar Wrote:  

(06-15-2018 10:32 AM)godzilla Wrote:  

A bunch of rambling thoughts here....

It was great to read your exuberant posts in the NYC thread. The US can be an exciting place for a newcomer. especially for Europeans who often think their countries are not exciting.

Americans on the outside are optimistic and confident. The most random person will joke around with you. Its fucking sunny as shit all the time. People wear pretty much whatever the fuck they want. The rules are not always the rules. All this makes it an exciting.

I actually enjoy America now, but it took me years to get there.

Deep down here, many people are deeply unhappy. People can be nice on outside, then stick a knife in your back the next day. There is a lack of a dominant culture that causes lots of confusion in the workplace, dating or even when you sit down at a restaurant. Women here think they walk on water and starting a family is difficult. The cost of living can be outrageous in the best job markets. Car dependency is costing us a fortune, etc, etc, etc..

Stay here for a long period of time before you do anything

But aren't people deeply unhappy in Europe too? Americans seem to know how to deal with it a bit better. Compare the faces of the London underground to NYC subway, I guarantee you will see happier faces in New York. I'm not looking to start a family or anything like that. The culture here is everything mixed up together and that is essentially what I am too, classism is not a problem like in England, what I like most is that everyone is on the same playing field in the USA, everyone came here to hustle and that energy created from that transpires to every day life.

Zatara - This is a great list of pros and cons. Yeah I could try that and get a J1 visa, it seems like a clear path, marriage is an option too because I own no assets.

Dragan - you're right I need to come here more often for longer and see what city suits me the most, I am thinking to see these cities for the future: Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Houston, LA.

Yeah people are unhappy too, but the work-life balance is arguably better, even though it's harder I think to climb the corporate ladder in Europe. London is a dystopia. Every time I'm there I feel the gloom, and people look dejected--you see it on their faces. On the whole, New York is a better city than London. But if you limit yourself to New York you're going to miss a lot of cool parts of the US. The US is arguably more business friendly as well.

Chicago is nice but gets cold, but for sure has a great food scene and is more affordable than New York. Philly is past its prime, and continues to loose population, but I love the fact that it is so close to everything in the Northeast. I haven't seen Miami but it sounds like an awesome place. I love Houston, it has a great food scene, all types of girl, is super affordable, and growing rapidly. The downsize is it's just a really big city with poor mass transit. I haven't seen LA, but a lot of foreigners like it a lot because of the California culture. You should add Austin to your list, Austin is an amazing city, feels like California, great city, lots of young people moving there, more affordable than other big American cities, amazing food, every girl loves it, and a great place to party. I also like Seattle even though the weather is horrible for all the outdoor stuff you can do in the Pacific Northwest. Also check out Kansas City, which is a bit smaller than these cities, but a fantastic livable Middle-American city to live in long term, and which is also affordable. One more-- check out DC. I love the city for the food and the culture even though it's not the best place for women.

[Henny]

Most Europeans would not consider moving to America as they regard Europe as the cradle of civilisation, some of the European countries have the highest living standards in the world. In Europe we have 50 countries that are accessable through relatively short flights. The best architecture in the world lies mostly in Europe. The list goes on.

And as far as women go it's generally a no brainer.

I think it's mostly people from poorer European countries that are attracted by life there, and emigrating to America has always been very popular with the Irish

I personally wouldn't live there, unless a met a mega rich American woman then I could try it for a while

[idane]

(06-15-2018 10:21 AM)zatara Wrote:  

- The biggest thing for me: the work/life balance is absolutely horrifying. In almost all of Europe you're guaranteed 6 weeks of leave a year at a minimum, which you legally have to take. In the US if you're lucky you get 10 days a year of leave, and even then in a lot of companies it can negatively impact your career prospects if you take this meager allowance. Theres also way more of a culture of working more than your 40 hours a week. And good luck with sick leave, maternity leave, paternity leave...

I guess if you come to the US to start your own business, you can do whatever you want work/life balance-wise.

[zatara]

(06-15-2018 11:32 AM)idane Wrote:  

I guess if you come to the US to start your own business, you can do whatever you want work/life balance-wise.

Much much harder to get a visa that way, though.

[idane]

Living in Europe but having traveled to US several times:

Europe is very much a big-brother society where all federal, national, regional etc computer systems and databases are connected. It basically means that the government knows everything about you - all without facebook and social media. Slowly, governments are trying to ban cash in all countries and only electronic transactions will be allowed. Once they control the electronic cash flow, they know almost everything about you.

1. You cannot buy a house/appartment with cash
2. You cannot buy a new car with cash
3. You commit a crime if you pay your car mechanic an amount larger than XXX Euros.
4. If you deposit more than something like 1000 Euros in cash to your bank account, the bank is obligated to ask you where the money came from.
5. Sweden being the worst country, Norway and Denmark following up, select shops are now allowed not to accept cash anymore - only electronic payments. In Scandinavia 80% of all payments are made electronically. Very soon you cannot walk into a gas station and buy a 50 cent chocolate bar with cash.

I truly believe the US will be the last western country fighting for freedom and acceptance to pay in cash.

[Dragan]

(06-15-2018 11:59 AM)idane Wrote:  

Living in Europe but having traveled to US several times:

Europe is very much a big-brother society where all federal, national, regional etc computer systems and databases are connected. It basically means that the government knows everything about you - all without facebook and social media. Slowly, governments are trying to ban cash in all countries and only electronic transactions will be allowed. Once they control the electronic cash flow, they know almost everything about you.

1. You cannot buy a house/appartment with cash
2. You cannot buy a new car with cash
3. You commit a crime if you pay your car mechanic an amount larger than XXX Euros.
4. If you deposit more than something like 1000 Euros in cash to your bank account, the bank is obligated to ask you where the money came from.
5. Sweden being the worst country, Norway and Denmark following up, select shops are now allowed not to accept cash anymore - only electronic payments. In Scandinavia 80% of all payments are made electronically. Very soon you cannot walk into a gas station and buy a 50 cent chocolate bar with cash.

I truly believe the US will be the last western country fighting for freedom and acceptance to pay in cash.

I agree, but in Germany they use cash much more than the US, and they are at least somewhat more privacy conscious and suspicious of mass surveillance than your average american.

[Henny]

Quote:

Living in Europe but having traveled to US several times:

Europe is very much a big-brother society where all federal, national, regional etc computer systems and databases are connected. It basically means that the government knows everything about you - all without facebook and social media. Slowly, governments are trying to ban cash in all countries and only electronic transactions will be allowed. Once they control the electronic cash flow, they know almost everything about you.

1. You cannot buy a house/appartment with cash
2. You cannot buy a new car with cash
3. You commit a crime if you pay your car mechanic an amount larger than XXX Euros.
4. If you deposit more than something like 1000 Euros in cash to your bank account, the bank is obligated to ask you where the money came from,
5. Sweden being the worst country, Norway and Denmark following up, select shops are now allowed not to accept cash anymore - only electronic payments. In Scandinavia 80% of all payments are made electronically. Very soon you cannot walk into a gas station and buy a 50 cent chocolate bar with cash.

I truly believe the US will be the last western country fighting for freedom and acceptance to pay in cash.

America is up the biggest snoopers in the world! Most internet snooping is done by the US ffs

Quote:

4. If you deposit more than something like 1000 Euros in cash to your bank account, the bank is obligated to ask you where the money came from.

Nowhere close, try 10k

[The Black Knight]

With regard to Americans complaining about America:

Keep in mind that you're catching the USA with Trump recently in office and the big positive momentum that has behind it. Things were very glum for the average heterosexual man prior to Trump's election. Things could still go either way 4 to 8 years from now.

Anyhow, you should avoid becoming a citizen. The US taxes citizens on worldwide income even if they don't live in the US and have no US assets/income. If you start making serious money and leave the USA, this becomes a major headache.

Also, keep in mind that you're likely young and don't need any gov't services and/or affordable healthcare yet. If/when that happens, you will wish you were in most parts of Europe if you're just an average wage earner.

Whether coming to America is a good idea depends on your country of origin and options there as well. UK? Sweden? Germany? Come to America.

Austria, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland? Might be worth staying since those countries haven't totally cucked out to Islam yet.

Want to make six figures+ and/or run a business? America.
Average wage earner and not a hard charger? Europe (mostly).

[asdfk]

I second Dragan: stay more then a week before you decide. Do a trial run of your supposed life there for a few months.

[churros]

(06-15-2018 09:52 AM)Mikestar Wrote:  

I have not been here for long but it took me three days to know this country is for me. But realistically speaking I have family which immigrated from Europe and through this I know what life is like and yes - like you said its all about work, Americans work some of the longest hours. The thing is I am young with time and energy so this is not an obstacle. I don't care about the people being less intelligent and there not being any culture, I definitely saw a culture which I fit into here in the cities.

What if I do a masters degree here, can I get citizenship that way?

Honestly you know nothing after three days. Basic travel fatigue hasn't even set it. Your best route to stay for several years in USA is a fully-funded PhD program, not a masters, and I reiterate, you're not staying without getting married. Nobody is getting HB1s these days.

[Aquarius]

I agree that the OP should spend more time and actually attempt to "live" in the US for say, a month or 2, before making the decision to move to the US.

The cities on your list are all very good. Besides perhaps Philly, your list plus DC, Bay Area, and arguably Atlanta are the tier 1 cities in the US (imo, Philly while declining is still tier 1 for now). All of them are excellent choices for hustling and busting ass for your career when in your mid-late 20s. I agree with everything Dragan has said.

Bay Area has a very strong East Asian flavor; while notoriously bad for women, there's no where better to hustle if you work in tech or something tech-related. Its very walkable, touristic, and has good architecture.

Atlanta is a jack of all trades tier 1 city ranked slightly below the big names that you listed, but is decent for pussy, and if you like rap music and black girls, this is the place to be in the US. Probably one of the few cities in the US with a large and highly visible black middle/upper class, and more hot black girls than hot white girls. It has a flashy Hollywood vibe, with a lot of fancy cars, hotels, shopping, and nightclubs.

If you want to visit Austin, I might recommend Nashville instead especially if Houston is on your list. Nashville is essentially a more conservative and much more culturally southern version of Austin. Country music is maybe 2/3 of all the music there. The quality of girls is high for US standards, and they're mostly blonde white girls. While Nashville has immigrants and a surprisingly large hipster/indie scene, it has much less of an international mixing pot vibe then the tier 1 cities.

Another good southern city with hot chicks is Charleston. Midsize cities in the Southeast as a whole still tend to preserve the unique Southern culture to at least a tangible degree.

[jordypip23]

(06-15-2018 11:59 AM)idane Wrote:  

Living in Europe but having traveled to US several times:

Europe is very much a big-brother society where all federal, national, regional etc computer systems and databases are connected. It basically means that the government knows everything about you - all without facebook and social media. Slowly, governments are trying to ban cash in all countries and only electronic transactions will be allowed. Once they control the electronic cash flow, they know almost everything about you.

1. You cannot buy a house/appartment with cash
2. You cannot buy a new car with cash
3. You commit a crime if you pay your car mechanic an amount larger than XXX Euros.
4. If you deposit more than something like 1000 Euros in cash to your bank account, the bank is obligated to ask you where the money came from.
5. Sweden being the worst country, Norway and Denmark following up, select shops are now allowed not to accept cash anymore - only electronic payments. In Scandinavia 80% of all payments are made electronically. Very soon you cannot walk into a gas station and buy a 50 cent chocolate bar with cash.

I truly believe the US will be the last western country fighting for freedom and acceptance to pay in cash.

Wow, I was not aware of all that. Sounds like Europe is further along on its trajectory towards a police state than the USA.

[zatara]

^^ literally all 5 of idane's points are completely wrong. I've bought cars with cash multiple times, I've paid my mechanic in cash every time, and I've deposited 1000 euros+ into my bank account in one go multiple times in Europe in recent years. There are also no laws in Sweden banning shops from accepting cash, some shops have just moved to credit card only because its cheaper/less hassle for them. Europe is nowhere near the top user of credit cards:

[LeBaron]

(06-16-2018 04:41 AM)zatara Wrote:  

^^ literally all 5 of idane's points are completely wrong. I've bought cars with cash multiple times, I've paid my mechanic in cash every time, and I've deposited 1000 euros+ into my bank account in one go multiple times in Europe in recent years. There are also no laws in Sweden banning shops from accepting cash, some shops have just moved to credit card only because its cheaper/less hassle for them. Europe is nowhere near the top user of credit cards:

I used to work in a bank here in France and I probably saw over a thousand detailed bank statements from different customers

-Shops in France cannot accept payment over 1500€ in Cash
-if you withdraw or deposit a large amount of money in cash and your banker have a slight doubt about the source of the founds they will denounce you to the governement and your case will be invastegated
-If you withdraw over 2000€ from your account you must fill a form and explain what you are going to do with the money
-while it is true that we nearly don't use credit cards I would say that 90 to 95% of the time people here pay with a debit card ( we don't have a credit card culture people here [/b]will do small loans instead)

oh and everytime you go to a bar/nightclub/restaurant please don't use your card pay with cash it will be used against you by your bankers in the future if you get yourself in a difficult position.

[Tail Gunner]

In terms of freedom, economics, and governmental control, the United States is a half-rotten apple in a bucket of mostly fully-rotten apples, which explains why so many people still wish to move here. People born here, who have an in-depth knowledge of history and politics, realize that the rot is now almost certainly irreversible.

True liberty belongs to those who can move from country to country, who have their assets diversified among the nations of the world, and who can live as a perpetual traveler who can move at a moment's notice. Strive to be the man who does not need an apple.

[traveler97]

(06-15-2018 07:38 AM)Mikestar Wrote:  

This is my first time in the states, I have been in the USA for over a week now, more specifically NYC, Boston and small towns in New England. I came to see family/friends and to see if life really is as good as they say it is. I had mixed expectations but had high hopes from the beginning.

In short it didn't dissapoint, I have been loving how everything is in the states, life is sweet on the other side of the pond. I want to become a US citizen.

Has anyone started a new life in America from Europe/any other part of the world and how did you make it happen?

Also, why shouldn't I want to move here - apart from the obvious problems like obesity, shallow people etc?

I honestly don't understand why America gets hated on this forum, maybe the grass is greener effect is strong but USA has everything for me, sociable culture, varied environments, good women, good food, good economy - the list can go on and on.

Do not make too hasty decisions, the US are great, especially for work (really high salaries compared to Europe), and good quality of life, but without a job, they can be far worse than Europe.
Don't forget that.