27 f looking for friends & other austin newbies - Texas (TX) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

iceshots · 10-06-2008, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CdnNewbie1

We'll definitely check out Wimberly and the duck tour bus. How much was the tour? Is the amphibious bus included in the tour or separate?

How long did your family live in Toronto? How has it been adjusting to
Austin for you guys? What does your daughter think of the education system in Texas? I hope you have settled and unpacked. I remember that when we had moved from our last house, we had unpacked boxes stewing in the garage for 5 yrs.!

We've also spent ample of time furnishing our new home. If you're looking for good deals, you might want to try Big Lots. We bought our entertainment center, dining table and coffee table there and they were very good quality for what we paid for them.

I never had credit to begin with as I had not applied for credit in Toronto and lived solely on my debit a/c. But now, I realize how utterly foolish it was not to apply for one so I'm just starting to build a credit history. What government items were you referring to? I'd like to help.

Thanks for replying!

The duck tour is $25.95 per adult and the bus is amphibious. It is an open sided bus that you drive around town in and then splash into Lake Austin just above the dam. Do a Google search on Austin Duck Adventures to find it.

We were in Toronto for 23 years after moving down from Ottawa. I am originally from Montreal. My daughter has fit in well thanks to the drill team she joined at high school. Between that and homework, she has not had time to be homesick. There were a few waterworks events just prior to coming down here, and another when her BFF came to visit, but they were both prior to school starting. Since then, no time. My wife was just back home to supervise the packing and do some work at the Toronto site, and it finally hit her that she was leaving. But she won't miss the weather! Me, I can pick up and go almost anywhere as long as my family is with me.

We also had the advantage that both of us have been traveling to Austin for business every two weeks for the past year and a half. We basically saw each other on weekends only, but we got to know the city and area quite well before we agreed to the relocation.

The boxes are on the moving truck. We close on our house in a couple of weeks and will move in near the end of the month. We still have to find a fridge, washer/dryer, and a bedroom set for my daughter. I have already checked out Big Lots. Some interesting stuff at great prices, but nothing that fits what we are looking for right now.

The paperwork has primarily been around the SS number, and setting up employee profiles for work, benefits, etc. One large hassle is that they will not give my daughter a SS number since she is not eligible to work in the US. That meant going the "roundabout" route to get her enrolled in school, get a bank account opened and soon, to get her driver's learner's permit.

The credit issue was the biggest hassle. Even getting my daughter a cell phone was a nightmare. They wanted a $500 deposit because we did not have a credit history established. Luckily the guy at the store was able to get that knocked down considerably. People going from the US to Canada has the same problem in reverse.

Hope you enjoy Austin.

CdnNewbie1 · 10-06-2008, 09:59 AM

It's wonderful that you guys have the ability to adjust to change so quickly. That will get you far in life. I'm sorry that you had trouble with the paperwork. I am actually waiting for my AOS papers to go thru and do not have an SS number. We had the option of getting one but were not informed that there was a due date.

Google visa journey. You'll find more information there on paperwork and experiences from other people moving to the US.

Oh, btw, craigslist has also been an awesome source for us in finding things for the house. I've seen many bedroom sets (bed, headboard, side table, dresser) for as low as 200 in excellent condition. Some are even free.