Moving to the States from Europe

[kelm2601]

Originally Posted by EVAunit1981

Look into going to college at an American university. There are lots of foreign students in American colleges.

I've never been to Denmark but from what I understand it's much more walkable than the US. You will probably want to get a car ASAP. Though you may be able to get by without one depending on where you live. Expect to see lots of people driving and hardly anyone cycling or walking. Don't expect to find public transportation like Europe has here in America.

a) There are so many small towns in so many states that I hesitate to start naming them. The climate you described sounds like the Deep South (Alabama, Mississippi, etc) or the south west (Arizona, New Mexico, etc.) The southeastern part of America (The South) is different in a lot of ways than the southwestern part of the country. Accent, food, culture, weather, climate: lots of things are different.

The South will have more rain than the south west and I remember you said you didn't want to live where it rained a lot. But the south west has more desert and I know you didn't want that either... so pick your poison I guess.

Also know that in America people use Fahrenheit when talking about the temperature. 25-30 degrees Fahrenheit is pretty cold here!

b) Who knows? With Obamacare coming in, even I'm not sure what health care will be like a year from now. I'll just say that healthcare is great but it's not cheap.

c) Lots. Sorry I can't help you any more.

d) Unsure. It won't be cheap.

e) There are lots of Atheists here, even in the Bible Belt. The South might be a little more of a culture shock for someone like yourself. But I don't think that by itself would be a big deal for you.

Please, don't go pushing your opinions onto other people. As long as you keep your opinions to yourself you should be ok.

Also, in the South it's common for an acquaintance or stranger to ask where you go to church. You probably won't encounter this anywhere else in the country. Don't get offended if this happens to you. It's just how people make small talk. It's just assumed that most people in the South go to church because many do.

Thank you alot!

I do not mind rain, at all, I must have expressed myself in the wrong way, I like rain, alot, I just don't like the "aftermath" of rain, where basically everything is wet and disgusting for hours , with dirt floating around the street etc.

I only brought up the religious thing, because ... Well, it's not like I go out and offend religious people on the street, but if I end up in a smalltown where e.g as you mentioned, people asked where I go to church or likely, I wouldn't feel right to make an upfront lie, I'm not an agressive atheist and I don't pin down people for being religious, but I felt like I had to ask.

@ car issue. I know how to drive but I've never gotten around to getting a driver's license. Basically because it's about 2100 American Dollars (at the current rate) here in Denmark, not to exclude the car itself, insurance and ofcourse whatever amount of fuel you would use, making it an expense for vanity and nothing else, basically. But I kinda have a feeling that it's not the case in America, since you a) Will be able to get a driver's license at the age of 16, b) I've heard that most college students drive to school , c) Seeing that pretty much everyone, in every topic has mentioned the lack of footwalks, paths to ride/walk on, it seems like everybody can afford to get a driver's license.

Thank you very much for your contribution!

[kelm2601]

Originally Posted by Squirl

You must have a "green card" or "I-9" visa to work in the United States. The easiest way to get a green card is to marry a U.S. citizen. To get an "I-9" is difficult because you must be sponsored by a U.S. employer and have job skills that are difficult to find among the nationals. Your level of education and job experience at this time in your life doesn't qualify you for an I-9. The best way to come here is as a student. That will be expensive unless you get a scholarship.

There are hot climate towns all over Texas that fit your fantasy. But locals will have all the jobs locked up. So, I don't think you will find your best chance here in the U.S. for immediate fulfillment of your fantasy.

I know that Germany is actively recruiting for young workers; but the climate doesn't fit your fantasy.

When I was growing up on the U.S. east coast in the 60's, I romanticized the midwest part of this country after seeing a number of movies. I dreamed of living in a small midwestern city where people were kind and there was not much pressure to excel. So, I went off to college in the midwest, leaving my family behind in New Jersey. I met and married another student from that part of the country. He was the wrong person in many ways, but one major hurdle we had was that we had such different family and religious backgrounds that I never felt I truly was at home in that marriage. Over the years -- even after getting a divorce -- I never lived near my family. Now that I am retired, I do regret that I did not have more involvement with my family even though, at age 18, it was the last thing I wanted.

I know that I might have gone a little crazy with my "fantasy", but when you really want something and you put your mind to it, it's hard to just swap around details in your "perfect ideal life".

Considering the family issue, I think it's the other way around this time, I believe, that in American culture, you have a (Generally speaking) different relationship with your family. I'm the kind of guy who could pack his backpack up tomorrow morning, leave on an airplane and never look back, honestly, I would be able to do that if I had the shot, I know that I might come across as a heartless bastard, since I have alot of family and friends here who love me, it's just how my life is, I don't have anyone that's precious enough not to leave behind and maybe that's one of the big reasons I want such a gigantic change in my life, talking to, watching movies, listening to radio, in whatever scenario possible, I have almost always found the american person (again, generally speaking) more appealing than the European ones. Ofcourse, it's not all perfect, fine and dandy, but in general, I have found the American more appealing than the European and practically my entire "adult" life, I have been sure, that if I am ever to get married, it will be to an American. Just the thought of spending that much time with someone who natively speaks a language I don't enjoy terrifies me, I do not enjoy the Danish language in any way and I try to avoid it as much as possible. Maybe I'm crazy. Hell, I am crazy, but I can't help it.

As you mentioned, I guess I will meet a certain paradox here. By moving to a small-town, the locals will alredy have "locked up the jobs", as you so firmly put, and there will be a much lesser chance for a job, on the other hand, if I was to move to a bigger city, the chances of a job might be better, however, ontop of my head, I'm guessing that it would be a "worse" job in terms of work-quality, since the "good" jobs are posessed by people with qualifications.

Thank you for bringing up Germany, it is very kind of you. Or, just the fact that you went off-topic to expand my horizon, very appriciative of that. But I wouldn't want to move to a country where I can barely pronounce a sentence without being grammitcally incorrect on more than one issue, it would just never work out for me. My English/American isn't that good either, and at some point I am terrified of having to encounter a world of people who don't speak my native tongue, even though I've aced English/American exams since my first year in grade school, I use English/American when I have to communicate with my neightbours, I even find myself unable to use a Danish word in a certain sentence, where I would otherwise be able to use the English word, aka not being able to translate the meaning of an american word to danish.

I apologise for using the term American/English, I have a feeling that it might offend some, but that is what it's called here in Denmark. It's called English Class, but we've been taught American and English simultaneously.