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I've just taken a job in Portland, OR and will be moving over in a few months from New Zealand. We're sorting out visas at the moment but I'm getting worried about all the other issues with migrating to the US, in particular credit, living costs, finding accommodation, transportation, culture shock (lol)... Plus there's probably a whole raft of things that I haven't even thought about yet.
I've been over a few times for conferences and things but haven't been to the NW, so am not sure what it's like although everyone tells me that Portland is a great place to live.
Any help/advice/suggestions for someone making the big leap would be muchly appreciated!!
Speaking in terms of geography and climate, the Northwest is probably more like NZ than any other part of the U.S. so at least you have that going for you. Portland's a decent town; clean and relatively low crime rate.
Speaking in terms of geography and climate, the Northwest is probably more like NZ than any other part of the U.S. so at least you have that going for you. Portland's a decent town; clean and relatively low crime rate.
Yeah, I really have to agree. The Pacific NW climate wise and culturally is probably the closest to NZ you'd find in America. Portland's a really fun city.
I've just taken a job in Portland, OR and will be moving over in a few months from New Zealand. We're sorting out visas at the moment but I'm getting worried about all the other issues with migrating to the US, in particular credit, living costs, finding accommodation, transportation, culture shock (lol)... Plus there's probably a whole raft of things that I haven't even thought about yet.
I've been over a few times for conferences and things but haven't been to the NW, so am not sure what it's like although everyone tells me that Portland is a great place to live.
Any help/advice/suggestions for someone making the big leap would be muchly appreciated!!
Questions about transportation, cost of living, accommodation, and even, to a degree, culture shock might be better answered in the Portland forum.
Honestly, I don't even know where to start! I can't imagine how you must feel!
Thanks everyone, it's nice to know Portland won't be (relatively) too much of a change, as I am quite attached to NZ .
I will head over to the Portland forum and ask more specific questions there, Though any general advice about living in/moving to the US would be great too.
At the moment the whole move is still all a bit surreal.. I only got the official offer at the beginning of the month and will be moving by July at the latest and end of May at the earliest. I'm sure it'll start to sink in and get a whole lot more frightening very soon!
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