I have officially relocated to USA, my experience so far, the good, the bad and the ugly

[GoodShepherd]

Once you find a place and get settled in, thrift stores and garage sales (depending what part of the country you are in) can both be excellent ways to get great deals on quality stuff, or at least find something at a cheaper price than retail to get you by in the meantime. Also FB marketplace is a great place to find quality free stuff, especially for larger furniture items like sofa, dresser, bed frames, etc...

I actually drove past a garage sale a few hours ago late this afternoon and stopped to check it out, people were very friendly, before I even decided to buy anything they gave my daughter a little doggy teddy for free, they had a kind of vaccum floor cleaner for $2 that I enquired about and they werent really sure if its working or not and said I could take it for free, havent tested it yet, its dusty but doesnt look like its been used much, its a Bissell. Found 4 more really nice ceramic mugs and they threw in a tin opener too, total amount I spent for everything was $4 which is an incredible deal if you ask me.

Iv heard about thrift stores but havent visited one just yet, my wife is on facebook market place and she has seen some free give aways, Im not taking any big things just yet until I have long term accomodation so havent messaged anyone about those items just yet, but people are very generous and helpful here, most people are always trying to help.

 

[GoodShepherd]

For your cellular internet:

There is a Reddit group called NoContract (https://www.reddit.com/r/NoContract/). It has updates with cheap options.

I am using Panda Mobile and I pay $15/month for "unlimited" data/calls/SMS. The data limit is 30GB/month and then it slows down but fast enough for Voip calls, emails, etc. Unfortunately the promo is over and now it might be $25/month. But it is to show discounts you can find in that Reddit group.

There is a trick where you instal Uber Driver app and show to a T-mobile (or AT&T) representative at their stores and ask for a "business plan" that costs only $10-$15/month for unlimited data. It is very useful since you can use Google Voice to get an US number and use the app for calls/SMS. Check Reddit NoContract to find a recent solution.

If you don't use a lot of data, you can save a lot of money by using Roamless (Roamless.com). You'll pay more per GB of data but it does not expire. You'll put $5 for 2GB that can last a year or more if you don't use that much data. No monthly payments. Use Google Voice for calls or Roamless app itself.




For nutrition:
Get an Air Fryer. It is easy to use and you can teach your kids how to use it. Throw a good/cheap source of protein like chicken drums or pork ribeye. For sides you can buy frozen vegetables; Those are affordable and you can just microwave it for 2 minutes. Stay away from processed foods.


There are more "life hacks" but that is a good start.

I will check out that reddit group, I already have a t-mobile US number, even though the data didnt work the package was already opened and because it was a prepaid sim card the guy said he couldnt refund me so I will just use it, unlimited texts, calls and data, I think it was $15 or $20 a month the deal.

Someone my wife met on market place want to give us an airfryer, I might pick it up tomorrow, we used to have an airfryer it came in very handy back home, my wife prefered it to an oven.

 

[GoodShepherd]

First off, a warm welcome to the USA!


You may want to read up on CDMA vs GSM when looking at mobile carriers in the USA. That could explain why your phones are not compatible in the USA.

I always buy used GSM unlocked mobile phones, which I've done for years because of international travel that allowed me to swap sim cards in another country.

Also, if you are looking to buy mobile phones, I would strongly suggest you look for used GSM unlocked phones on www.backmarket.com.


Will do.

Have you guys found or look into an Orthodox Church yet? And are you familiar with the various types of Orthodox Churches' affiliated dioceses, organizations, etc. in the USA? (I'm guessing you haven't decided on where to live yet...?)

Thanks for the info, Iv been looking on my gps for Orthodox churches, there seem to be quite a few nearby, I just havent had an opportunity to go to church yet since arriving unfortunately which Im really keen on doing ASAP. I was part of the eastern rite Greek Orthodox church in SA so Im looking for an Orthodox church that is part of the canonical church to join, whether its Serbian or Russia or Greek I dont mind, some of the websites said they do the entire services in English in some parishes here which is really good as in SA the services we mostly not in English but the sermons and some of the chanting was in English but the rest mostly in Greek, which I didnt mind either.

 

[GoodShepherd]

@GoodShepherd

I hope you can put a good word in for me and my family. You dodged a bullet for not going for Australia.

I dont want to discourage you from coming to America or anything like that but because you are in Australia and its considered a 1st world country it might be a little more difficult for you to move here unless you have money or a rare skill or if someone employs you here thats probably going to be the easiest was for an Australian.

While your currency is still strong and the relations between USA and Australia are still ok I guess it might be a good idea to first come here on a holiday trip with your entire family and get a 10 year tourist visa and come check out the place and compare it to back home etc.

In my situation I didnt have the time to do that, currency has become junk status, relations between US and SA are very bad, the embassy might even be closed down in SA and SA is in a very bad state right now politically, I could see the writting on the wall and had to rush here even though it took almost a year, Im also one of the few countries being accepted for asylum into the US, the white house has invited South Africans.

Because things were getting bad in South Africa I had more reasons to take such a risk coming here and was prepared to go through the hardshipd and challenges I just went through but because Australia is obviously not as bad as SA its going to be a little harder for your family (maybe not you) to want to take the risk I did because your losses will be greater than mine, just something to consider and think about.

I have never dreamed of coming to live in America, only very recently did I think about coming here because of the situation in SA and also because I have some family here.

If you would like to start a thread about coming from Australia to USA that might be a good idea so we who are on this side can give you tips, ideas and discuss the pros and cons and to help you compare Australia to USA.

 

[GoodShepherd]

Incredible story and Godly courage @GoodShepard !! Welcome to the last holdout of Western Civilization.

Pretty amazing that you were able to find help with a fellow forum member @chance vought , God bless you Mr. vought, you are a Good Neighbor and deserve high praise. The fact that this forum facilitated such an exchange already justifies its entire existence, even if nothing else were to ever come from this place.

May Christ be with you @GoodShepherd , I hope you can find a good Church soon! Keep us updated with your journey and don't hesitate to ask any questions.

Thank you, I hope to be a good citizen some day and add value to America and respect the country and its people

 

[GoodShepherd]

God bless you and your family Good Shepherd! You have been through a lot and I'm glad you made it.

Reading your story reminds me of how much easier I had it when I was single and moved abroad. It was my first time to deal with visas, phones, international bank transfers, etc. I couldn't have succeeded without a lot of help from friends of friends and acquaintances, and I think everyone understands this and wants to help travelers.

I'm glad you've found Americans to be friendly and helpful!

As far as phones, there was already a link posted where you can buy, but let me add another one I think is good where I've bought some used phones.

Swappa

Swappa - Buy and sell used and refurbished tech

swappa.com

Mobile phones / cell phones can get technical, so don't hesitate to pose questions here.

Its a pleasure to be here, thank youthanks for the link for future use.

Yip without having help here in America I dont think I would have made it, you need help on the other side.

 

[GoodShepherd]

I will echo the voices shared by @FrancisK and others above.

First, big ups to @chance vought for helping out big time in the real world. You are the man.

Props to @analyst_green and others for providing practical advice.

Also, to mirror what @Samseau noted, this thread demonstrates what this forum can be when it is at its best - real world charity and real world friendships. Once you've had these kind of experiences, it will change the way you view the underlying meaning of the forum. I hope this thread encourages other members to connect with each other.

@GoodShepherd - may God bless you and your family. Well done on taking a bold leap into new territory and guiding your family to a better future in the longer term. You are a man of courage and your family is lucky to have you as their lead.

I don't live in the US so can't help with logistical advice. Hopefully you can find a local church community that will welcome you and your family soon.

If you have any concerns about privacy, you could consider starting a thread in the private sub-forum here. This is not public and is only accessible to heritage members such as yourself who have been connected to their past accounts on RVF. This may allow you to get more tailored information, e.g., according to your state-based services. That said, I still recommend keeping this thread updated to reach a wider audience.

Keep us updated with how it goes. You have friends you haven't met all around the world wanting the best for you.

Thank you for your kind words, even though you are not physically in the US I would still value your prayers from your country and the engagement on the forum is always good.

I will keep the thread updates as I can, I font think I will need a private thread some people have sent me direct DMs that pretty private

 

[Northern Pilgrim]

I will check out that reddit group, I already have a t-mobile US number, even though the data didnt work the package was already opened and because it was a prepaid sim card the guy said he couldnt refund me so I will just use it, unlimited texts, calls and data, I think it was $15 or $20 a month the deal.

Not sure on your specific phone, but around 10 years ago some phones were possible to 'unlock' from their previous network/carrier in other countries by paying $10-$15 online and getting a code, which made it possible to use on any major carrier in the US once 'unlocked'. Haven't needed to try it since then, but worth looking into, especially as you already have a working Sim.

 

[eradicator]

If you truly are having trouble finding an apartment without having to provide proof of income, as a last resort, what you can try is paying one years worth of rent all at once instead of paying a monthly lease. Aside from that what you can try is showing your last tax statement from the previous year or a bank statement that shows that you have money to pay the rent

 

[GoodShepherd]

Not sure on your specific phone, but around 10 years ago some phones were possible to 'unlock' from their previous network/carrier in other countries by paying $10-$15 online and getting a code, which made it possible to use on any major carrier in the US once 'unlocked'. Haven't needed to try it since then, but worth looking into, especially as you already have a working Sim.

I found a really good bargain on a Chinese android phone called a realme c51 that I bought through a clothing account, the last year december, the deal was also interest free, a samsung with the exact same specs was literally double the price so I tried out this unknown phone and Iv been really happy with it, its not the best phone in the world but for what I need it for its perfect.

 

[GoodShepherd]

If you truly are having trouble finding an apartment without having to provide proof of income, as a last resort, what you can try is paying one years worth of rent all at once instead of paying a monthly lease. Aside from that what you can try is showing your last tax statement from the previous year or a bank statement that shows that you have money to pay the rent

If I had 1 years rent upfront I wouldnt have needed any help, you must keep in mind my currency is in rands its around x20 weaker than the dollar, I stayed a few days at a very low budget hotel probably the cheapest you can find called extended stay, 1 nights stay is what I was paying for 1 weeks rent before I left South Africa when I was renting a temporary place before flying over, because my family let me down a bit I landed up paying 10 hotel nights plus the living expenses of food etc cost me extra out of my savings and also the unexpected longer wait in South Africa to fly over here due to the backlogs to make an appointment at the US embassy also cost me extra money I had to pay rent and grocery expenses for longer than I wanted to without being able to work much as we had to sell most of our work equipment and moved house etc so we had to live off our savings longer than planned.

I didnt fly direct into the USA either for strategic reasons, I stayed 2 weeks in Europe at another family members house, the flights cost the same I didnt spend more but I had to have a plan b incase I didnt make it into the USA, because of the Trump deportations and the anti immigration policies I was told they were being more strict with people coming in, I know a guy who arrived in USA and wasnt allowed in and they flew him back out the country, so I was worried about all these things, so flying in through the EU 2 weeks later with shenghen Visas just made my entry more secure, I also knew of a couple from South Africa who were interigated and put in a room and had their bags searched etc so I was trying to avoid this, even if you have all the paper work if the officer at the immigration desk denies you entry for whatever reason, he doesnt like your face, they deport you to the country you came from . So I had to prepare for all this, I would rather have been deported to that European country than back to South Africa.

I think what helped me was the big power cut that happened in Europe the day before I left, it created a bit of a backlog and a delay in flights so I think in America and also in Europe they rushed things a bit to make up for the delay, to catch up so I was very fortunate and that played in my favor

I think if I had 3 months rent upfront I could probably get a place without any papers or credit if I deal directly with the owner and not through an agency, Craigslist and Market place they have rentals sometimes directly from the owner or if someone could help us with free accomadation for a short time until I save a bit in dollars, for a single person it would be easier, we are 5, it was just unfortunate but Im sure things will work out.

The state Im in so far what Iv been seeing it is possible to find places under $1500 per month and even less sometimes, anyway Im going to try and do something very soon, this week I will start, so God willing I will come up with that amount.

 

[Thomas More]

For work, you might consider a temporary employment service such as Manpower. These might pay lower, but often with the opportunity to become a permanent employee at the place where you are temping.

The advantage they offer is you can often start work within a day or two, whereas the hiring process for a regular job often takes weeks.

I did this 20 years ago when I moved to my current city.

 

[Based_Christian_Dude]

Congratulations and welcome to the last (semi-)freedom western country. Reading this thread reminded me of my family's past in the US...
and some of their follies affecting me

I am assuming that you want to stay here forever and get citizenship, which is a good idea with the current Presidential administration and the fact that America needs better and more unvaxxed citizens again. Some information and suggestions I can offer:

• Look to settle into a Libertarian-leaning State. The huge emphasis on Libertarian-leaning. While it's obvious to avoid Democrat-controlled bureaucratic nonsense like California or New York, Republican DOES NOT automatically mean it's a good state either. Red states can have their own forms of unjust bollocks with a Conservative/Christian-twist.
• Study the basic laws of the Federal government, State government, and your local area's government. You don't have to know all of the intricacies of each (that's what American lawyers are for) but law enforcement expects you to know the basics regardless of how large and convoluted the USA Legal system can be. Some laws in one government can contradict another government's laws, e.g. gun laws, taxes, drugs, etc. It's a good idea to find a decent lawyer to add to your phone's contact list. There might be a time you unknowingly committed a misdemeanor or felony with someone watching.
• Develop good financial literacy and open accounts at decent institutions in regards to banks, credit unions, brokerages, insurances, accounting, etc. Most Americans are twats with finance, so many financial institutions know that they can screw over the average American and get away with it; but, there are some decent institutions that will compete for the niche of financially literate folks. YouTube and Reddit will help with your research to find them.
• Understand how all forms of taxation works in the US, such as income tax, sales tax, property tax, etc. Taxation can be the most expensive or the cheapest thing you pay for. See what I mean here: https://christisking.cc/threads/the...r-economies-outside-the-system.854/post-54289
• Since you are into Cryptocurrencies, find your local crypto folks to transact with. Whatever you do to acquire your Crypto, DO NOT USE CENTRALIZED EXCHANGES HERE!!! @chance vought and your local Monero folks can help with this.

 

[eradicator]

“Since you are into Cryptocurrencies, find your local crypto folks to transact with. Whatever you do to acquire your Crypto, DO NOT USE CENTRALIZED EXCHANGES HERE!!! @chance vought and your local Monero folks can help with this.”

To onboard you really have to use a cex like coinbase or Gemini or whatnot.

Yes, I do have a Palau id. Which allowed me to confirm my identity on most of the exchanges, such as MEXC, Bingx, Bitget, kucoin, gateio CoinW etc. but you still need a way to onboard and offramp into Fiat.

Basically, you turn fiat into USDC by on ramping at a CEX such as Coinbase, or M1, financial, or Robin Hood, or Gemini,. You can send USDC to an exchange like xt.com if you don’t have a Palau ID. Buy US DT with US DC, then buy whatever coin you want, transfer to Tangem wallet. And when you want to sell, you do the opposite.

And yes, we are teetering on an alt coin season right now, perhaps.

But anyways, I’m not sure I would recommend going through a temp agency because they take a huge chunk of the money you would be making from what I understand. I tried it a little bit many decades ago and found out what the score was. They get a huge portion of whatever money you would be making and you get a very small amount of money as a result for your work, if you have a way of contacting any employer directly, I would suggest going that route.

 

[Based_Christian_Dude]

“Since you are into Cryptocurrencies, find your local crypto folks to transact with. Whatever you do to acquire your Crypto, DO NOT USE CENTRALIZED EXCHANGES HERE!!! @chance vought and your local Monero folks can help with this.”

To onboard you really have to use a cex like coinbase or Gemini or whatnot.

Yes, I do have a Palau id. Which allowed me to confirm my identity on most of the exchanges, such as MEXC, Bingx, Bitget, kucoin, gateio CoinW etc. but you still need a way to onboard and offramp into Fiat.

Basically, you turn fiat into USDC by on ramping at a CEX such as Coinbase, or M1, financial, or Robin Hood, or Gemini,. You can send USDC to an exchange like xt.com if you don’t have a Palau ID. Buy US DT with US DC, then buy whatever coin you want, transfer to Tangem wallet. And when you want to sell, you do the opposite.

And yes, we are teetering on an alt coin season right now, perhaps.

But anyways, I’m not sure I would recommend going through a temp agency because they take a huge chunk of the money you would be making from what I understand. I tried it a little bit many decades ago and found out what the score was. They get a huge portion of whatever money you would be making and you get a very small amount of money as a result for your work, if you have a way of contacting any employer directly, I would suggest going that route.

Not necessarily, there's decent DEXes like Haveno (Monero) and BISQ (Bitcoin) where he could schedule a P2P meetup with cash for Monero/Bitcoin. He could also advertise goods or services or even offer to buy Monero (and swap to whatever coin later) on XMRBazaar. Worst-case scenerio, he could purchase a used, cheap gaming PC and mine some Crypto. It may not be convient like a KYC CEX, but then again he already has travelled across the world to come to America. Besides, the US Federal Gov can be ruthless with Crypto persecution.

On related side-note, this is also a decent multicoin wallet to have here in the West: https://cakewallet.com/

Using your crypto in the West:

• https://coincards.com/
• https://cakepay.com/
• https://cryptwerk.com/

 

[GoodShepherd]

For work, you might consider a temporary employment service such as Manpower. These might pay lower, but often with the opportunity to become a permanent employee at the place where you are temping.

The advantage they offer is you can often start work within a day or two, whereas the hiring process for a regular job often takes weeks.

I did this 20 years ago when I moved to my current city.

Thanks for the tip

 

[GoodShepherd]

Congratulations and welcome to the last (semi-)freedom western country. Reading this thread reminded me of my family's past in the US...
and some of their follies affecting me

I am assuming that you want to stay here forever and get citizenship, which is a good idea with the current Presidential administration and the fact that America needs better and more unvaxxed citizens again. Some information and suggestions I can offer:

• Look to settle into a Libertarian-leaning State. The huge emphasis on Libertarian-leaning. While it's obvious to avoid Democrat-controlled bureaucratic nonsense like California or New York, Republican DOES NOT automatically mean it's a good state either. Red states can have their own forms of unjust bollocks with a Conservative/Christian-twist.
• Study the basic laws of the Federal government, State government, and your local area's government. You don't have to know all of the intricacies of each (that's what American lawyers are for) but law enforcement expects you to know the basics regardless of how large and convoluted the USA Legal system can be. Some laws in one government can contradict another government's laws, e.g. gun laws, taxes, drugs, etc. It's a good idea to find a decent lawyer to add to your phone's contact list. There might be a time you unknowingly committed a misdemeanor or felony with someone watching.
• Develop good financial literacy and open accounts at decent institutions in regards to banks, credit unions, brokerages, insurances, accounting, etc. Most Americans are twats with finance, so many financial institutions know that they can screw over the average American and get away with it; but, there are some decent institutions that will compete for the niche of financially literate folks. YouTube and Reddit will help with your research to find them.
• Understand how all forms of taxation works in the US, such as income tax, sales tax, property tax, etc. Taxation can be the most expensive or the cheapest thing you pay for. See what I mean here: https://christisking.cc/threads/the...r-economies-outside-the-system.854/post-54289
• Since you are into Cryptocurrencies, find your local crypto folks to transact with. Whatever you do to acquire your Crypto, DO NOT USE CENTRALIZED EXCHANGES HERE!!! @chance vought and your local Monero folks can help with this.

semi-freedom, I laughed at this and the unvaxxed part So far Iv been well recieved by people including Christians and conservatives, the liberals online didnt seem happy that white South Africans are coming here as refugees my wife saw some of the comments online and today I met a white liberal and he didnt seem to pleased either although he warmed up to me afterwards.

The advice you gave me is good thank you

 

[GoodShepherd]

Just an update on our situation... we are running low on funds and are biggest challenge as I mentioned earlier is housing, it seems we have possibly found a place to rent and an agent who is going to ignore background credit checks and all that paper work, so all we will need is the first months rent of $1449 and a deposit of $1449, we have the funds for half this amount but we dont have enough for the deposit of $1449.

Unfortunately our savings in rands are not worth much when converted in dollars and after all we have been through to get to the USA thats all the life savings we have left, which Im not concerned about because I know we starting life over again in the USA we will make that back again in the future but right now Im stuck at this little situation. Im ok with car and groceries just need this next big milestone of housing.

The area where this housing is situated just so happens to be in the best rated school district in this state which will be a big advantage to my kids as they at least get to be in a great school district, we can always upgrade and move or buy a house some day in the future but at least the kids wont have to move schools as we will stay in their school district area to give them stability, nothing worse for my kids as foreigners to be moving up and down to different schools at this critical stage of their lives. School apparently starts again in August which is perfect timing.

If anyone is in a financial position to contribute to help us reach the $1500 deposit I would really appreciate your assistance and would like the opportunity of being able to pay you back the money that you are willing to loan me sometime in the future, Godwilling before Christmas. Any amount no matter how small will be of huge assistance to our family.

I have a US bank account that a family member opened for me in their name that I have full access to through the banking app (they dont), I also have a strike bitcoin account for those who might have and bitcoin to spare

I do apologize for being a beggar on the forum, I will also be asking friends and family members in South Africa who might be in a position to assist me although the exchange rate will be a problem every bit of contribution helps.

Feel free to send me a DM, much appreciated

Oh and I have also been helped with US phones, a member of the forum mailed me a phone for my wife which should arriving soon and a family member loaned me a spare phone for my GPS and data usuage when Im out to get around. Another member of the forum is mailing me a generous walmart voucher which will cover our groceries for a good amount of time so we have been really blessed

 

[chance vought]

Surely there are 15 of us that can chip in a Benjamin or at least a Grant. That’s basically a meal out these days. PM @GoodShepherd for details - I wish you all could meet him in person and see his family for yourselves, but I think you know him by reputation and hopefully I have some reputation to spend here. This is a loan and not charity - he says he will square up with everyone by Christmas if possible. I believe he is a man of his word. I really want him to stay and succeed here in the USA. Thank you all.

 

[FrancisK]

@Samseau
@scorpion

How do you guys feel about starting a fund raiser for our brother here similar to what we did for the annual expenses? You guys think that's a good idea or just keep it private in PM's?