Moving to the US is not easy.
After we got the offer to move to Texas it has taken 7 months before we finally could move here!
But we finally made it here and are now moved in to a nice apartment not too far away from work. The fact that we do not have any furniture yet is just a minor thing, compared to all the rest.
The day after we got here we actually signed up at a gym (Lifetime Fitness, www.lifetimefitness.com), it is the nicest gym I have seen. With indoor and outdoor pool, as well as squash and racquet courts, besides the usual cardio and weight equipment. It actually makes you want to go to the gym, which is a great advantage.
After this the first thing to do was to set up a bank account, so I could get my relocation money and future salaries. This turned out to be very easy, however the check I got for the relocation, is taking seven days to be deposited into the account, we were therefore out of money the first weeks, and had to scrape off the accounts in Sweden.
Then we needed to find an apartment, after you found one you like, you need to apply, pay a deposit for the acceptance of the application. (By the way you need to pay a deposit for everything here.)
If you are approved you need to pay more deposit and the rent for the first month, this cannot be done with a credit card, but have to be done with check or a Money Order....... You also need proof from the electrical company that you have paid and connected electricity to the apartment.
Now if you do not have any money yet in your bank account it is difficult to pay with a check, so you have to pay with a Money Order, so we went to Walmart to get this Money Order, however they do not accept Credit Cards, only Debit Cards, and as you do not have any funds yet on your Debit Card, you have to pay cash, withdrawn from Sweden, for a month of rent plus the deposit.
We therefore raided three different ATMs in order to get sufficient cash so we could pay for the apartment. As this is a lot of money, they ran out of 20 dollar bills in some machines so we only got 5 dollar bills, when we paid at Walmart to get the Money Order, the guy didn’t look happy….
As I needed a Social Security Number to be registered as a new employee, you have to do this the first day of work; we went down to the Social Security Administration on Friday afternoon. To get in there was like going on an airplane, they were checking your bag and you have to go through a metal detector. After a two hour wait, I could finally apply for this, and I will get it in 4-6 weeks…… As I have to wait 4-6 weeks, this now turned out to be a big mistake, which I found out about the Monday after.
After this we went to the electrical company to get electricity connected to the apartment, and after another 45 minutes of waiting, this actually turned out to be no problems at all (I of course had to pay another deposit…..).
So on Saturday morning, the 31st, we could get all the paper work done (sign 38 pages) for the apartment and also pay for this, and move in. Home sweet home! www.villasatoakwellfarms.com
On Sunday we went to IKEA (I know, I am ashamed….!!) in Austin to see what beds and furniture they could offer, however of course they were out of the bed we wanted, so we went back without any furniture. However we stopped at a sporting goods store and bought an air mattress so we have somewhere to sleep.
On Monday we went down to get our drivers licenses. According to state law in Texas, all foreigners need to get a Texas drivers license within 90 days. We also understood that this will make it easier when you buy a car. However as I applied for a Social Security Number, I cannot apply for a drivers license until I have this number (which will take 4-6 weeks….). So the first thing I should have done was to get my drivers license. Now I have to wait until I get the Social Security Number, and then I can apply for a drivers license, hopefully within the 90 day limit.
That was a short summary of the first two weeks of our Texas adventure, still no car and no furniture.
