Living here vs USA, 2015

Started by 50fiftyball, July 26, 2015, 08:12:18 PM

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omaghjoe

#45
July 29, 2015, 06:59:06 AM
Quote from: Muck Savage on July 29, 2015, 06:45:57 AM
Outside family and family events.

Tullamore Sausages, real rashers, the Ma's bread, a local butcher, Knowing the food you eat is not stuffed with preservatives, GAA, having an unbiased news station that talks about world issues, Local and the best pint of Guinness out of Martins Doon (the Offaly Doon).
Some people laugh but I miss the rain in the summer, this place is hot (~37C today) and from May to October not a drop of rain. There are other little bits that I miss but the above are missed the most after being here this long.

Miss the rain myself Muck. In fact I have actually come around to the thinking that I actually like the rain and that all the winging about it at home actually brainwashed me into thinking that I didnt like it!
The sun is a pain in the hole, to bright to see anything and destroys ye if your out in it. I use a welders mask and boiler suit when venturing out midday. Bring on the clouds.

Didnt think that it got that hot San Jose thats 100°F! I though the Bay area had cool summers?

Mike Tyson

#46
July 29, 2015, 09:54:30 AM
Quote from: majestic on July 28, 2015, 02:15:24 PM
I'd love to go and live in the US for a couple of years - however have been always put off by the VISA requirements? Is it not very difficult to go across legally - unless you have a firm willing to pay for it? I have a good degree, but fail to see why American companies would incur the cost of taking an Irish person, when there is a decent supply of Americans that would have the same qualifications.

Yea I would also like a bit more info about the visa requirements. I've heard the easiest way is to get working for a company which has officies in the states and move internally? Any truth in this?

Denn Forever

#47
July 29, 2015, 10:22:40 AM
I have more respect for a man
that says what he means and
means what he says...

50fiftyball

#48
July 29, 2015, 01:55:24 PM
Quote from: omaghjoe on July 28, 2015, 04:41:49 PM
In SoCal community is very poor. Not alot of pride of place and it feels like alot of  people try to live purely individualist lives. People who spend their lives working here want to do nothing else other than get out and buy land where they can be secluded from other people. But on the flipside I know people who are moving here to retire, the overall consensus would be that they are mad tho.

Alot of people's social network is through their job, if that was the case in Ireland ye'd be considered a sad cnut. Maybe its a hangover in the Western US from the days when mining companies operated in remote towns and they were effectively ran the place, had their own currency and everything.

Could be a difference in attitude between the Western US and Eastern US, J70 but neighbours here for the most part leave you well alone.

Also Jell we do have friends scattered over the Socal area but the problem is the area is more like the size of Leinster than the city of Dublin, throw in the 24hr traffic nightmare and a young family and..... well you get the picture.

Dont get me wrong it suits me fine at the moment with a young family I have no time for anything else other than them, so dont think I would be overly involved in a community at home ATM anyway. However at least I would know whats going on out there, here I have no clue whats going on, or who people are, it can leave you a bit fearful and paranoid of people.

Within the immigrant communities tho there is community and a network but among est 2nd+gen of Americans not much at all.



All the responses to the thread have been first class, great insight.

I'm particularly interested in this omaghjoe, or if you or any of the other contributors can explain it to me - How would you sum up eastern US vs Western US, i.e. attitudes to life, friendliness, lifestyle etc.

I've been to NY, Chicago, Florida/Miami  in particular numerous times vs :
L.A. San Francisco a couple of times, and while I realise everywhere is completely different when you have to work & live there vs travelling, I've always found the West more appealing. i.e. at a weekend if you were in SF, you could drive down to Big Sur etc. and nearly be in a completely different setting.

I'm due to complete a degree in construction (q. surveying) next summer and would definitely love to try a few applications in the U.S., but most of the work for this job title seems to be in Texas or NYC.

Australia has never appealed to me, I'll possibly go some time but only for a holiday.

Muck Savage

#49
July 29, 2015, 04:10:50 PM
J1 - Student vise for 6 months, need to show you are going back to college.
F1 - student visa to go to school here. You have to show you have the finance and a sponsor if you get in trouble, not allowed to work legally
L1 - Inter-company transfer. You have to be with the company 1 year in a country outside US, then you can xfer here.
H1B - A company can get you a visa to come straight here if they are willing to pay the money i.e. are you worth it.

There are others but those are the most common outside the Green card lottery. The last two can be converted into a green card over time and then into citizenship after 5 years with the green card (can apply 4 years 9  months)

East vs West. West coast has more Sun, easier going and more crappy asian drivers. East coast closer to home, more historical sites but maybe more stressful.

Eamonnca1

#51
July 29, 2015, 10:12:44 PM
Quote from: omaghjoe on July 29, 2015, 06:59:06 AM
Didnt think that it got that hot San Jose thats 100°F! I though the Bay area had cool summers?

Depends which part of the Bay Area. I find the East Bay (Oakland/Berkeley/Alameda) to be the Goldilocks of the area. Not too hot, not too cold, but just right. SF can get a bit too cold, San Jose too hot.

gawa316

#52
July 29, 2015, 11:38:44 PM
106f here today ballix is sweated lean off me!

thebuzz

#53
July 30, 2015, 12:06:35 AM
Quote from: gawa316 on July 29, 2015, 11:38:44 PM
106f here today ballix is sweated lean off me!

That's 41 degrees centigrade? Ah I couldn't cope with that.

Spent a while in Germany, Australia, London and New York back in the day. I enjoyed myself rightly but never made any big money.

Home's hard to beat but you need to get away to realize that. If I hadn't went I would have thought I was missing something.

Met my future wife in 1990 just after I came back from New York and never looked back.  We have three teenagers now and life is busy but great.

whitey

#54
July 30, 2015, 02:56:56 AM
One thing that I love about living here is that regardless of who you are and where you come from you can be very successful. The two most successful Irish Americans I know (personally) came from very humble roots. When these guys made it, it didn't change tehm one iota. They stayed friendly With and continue  to hang out with the guys they grew up with, who in many cases are blue collar construction guys.  While snobbery does exist, most people take you for who you are, not where you went to school or what car you drive

Muck Savage

#56
July 30, 2015, 05:21:49 AM
Glad I'm inside in an air conditioned office these days but no AC in the car, driving in a 7:30am and the sweat rolling off me. These are the days rain sounds good

I agree with the comment that anyone can make it here, just a bit of neck. Most lads here are fairly sound no matter what they work at, although the brother did think a lot of villages were missing the idiot when he was out here for a couple of weeks. Its not easy here when you have no family call on or help out when needed. But you adapt like with all things and get through.

The one big thing that I like about work in this area, maybe a bit unique, but if you have an idea you can give it a shot. Most fail but the ones that succeed make trying worth it. Facebook, Google, Apple, Linkedin etc cultivate this type of thinking.



omaghjoe

#57
July 30, 2015, 07:33:59 AM
Ive never lived on the East Coast but from visits people seems like they're closer to the straight talking Irish attitude.
West Coast people are way more wishywashy, I get the impression people are always afraid of insulting someone, you sort of have to read between the lines when someone is insulted or doesnt agree with you. Unless what your said was non PC then there would be outrage :-)
A good example would be the common phrase "I dont think that's a very good idea" said with a up lift at the end to suggest its a question. The phrase itself and the tone it is said would suggest things are still open. However when actually translated into ordinary English its a very affirmative "No"

Also let me go into the PC thing a wee bit more, some stereotypes are acceptable, some arent, no apparent logic you just gotta learn them. The Asian drivers being rubbush is acceptable but the term Asian doesn't include South Asians from INdia etc. It means people without an eyelid crease, but you cant refer to that or bizarrely call them "Oriental" either. So it leaves us with the term Asian which is Incorrect but Politically Correct!

There is also more of an individualist outlook, you can be who you want to be without worrying about ridicule, which has its good and bad points.
In Ireland doing something beyond the social norm is frowned upon but it also acts as a understanding of what you can expect from people. In California you never know what to expect from people.
Also its not open mindedness per se, alot of people are very opinionated about others when you scratch the surface but its held back to their face or in public generally.

The craic is also very lite, sense of humour very different.

Not sure about if the more relaxed stereotype applied to SoCal since the 70s at least. Perhaps it would be valid in comparison to NYC but not so much other places, also there is the beach which still does have the relaxed vibe goin on, although getting there aint realaxin!

The weather is also big difference. it dry and hot in California, although the coast keeps quite mild, and when I say the coast I mean a few miles inland and the temperature starts to rise drastically. Much as I wouldnt be too fond of the climate, I still think I would prefer it to the brutal winters and hot humid simmers the East Coast gets. But the seasons are great too, In California the climate doesnt really change so it can give the impression that time is standing still or something.

One thing that encompasses everyone's attitude way more than at home and thats the dollar. How many you have define you as a person, rich people are admired, people strive to be like them. But there is generally no snobbery like whitey mentioned because there is no classes as such. A millionaire could go on the same way as a homeless guy, and theres plenty of both!

Wouldnt advise anyone not too come out here tho in fact Id encourage it. You could love it for a few years and then hate it after, you could love it for life, you could hate it from the start. Whatever way it goes its great to experience, something different you can take with you on your lifes journey, and booking a flight home aint that hard.

Oraisteach

#59
August 01, 2015, 03:29:22 AM
Veering a little off course here, you should listen to Simon Anholt's TED Talk "Which Country Does The Most Good For the World."  An interesting comparative analysis lasting about 17 minutes.  Ireland and the US figure prominently.
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