Living Life In The Home of the Brave and the Land of the Free- United States

It's pretty surreal to be in the US right now. I have been here before for a holiday and coming back this time never made me think that I will be here for good and most importantly, find the love of my life. I have traveled quite a bit and lived in different countries all over the world. I have learned to live with people from different countries, made friends from different nationalities and learned about other cultures than mine. And theses experiences have made me who I am today. It has opened my eyes as to how I see the world and everything in it.

Before moving to the US, I lived in one of my favorite

countries in the whole world- London, UK, for a couple years. And I have loved the life I lived there. It opened a lot opportunities for me. Opportunities to travel, to explore, learn a lot about the most glamorous and sophisticated life of the British Royal family and how the Brits love their tea- seriously love their tea! Anyways, I came to the US for the second time a year ago summer of 2017. It was just a holiday to spend some time with my grandma for a couple of weeks and travel a bit in the east coast as planned. But life happened and I have been here ever since.

Anyways, if you are someone who is thinking of moving to the States, you have probably been thinking about and imagining your life here. Maybe there's an opportunity that had come up and you are not quite sure. On the other hand, it's a fabulous opening up of an entire new world. On the other, you are aware of the risks involved.

So here are some of the things I've learned about living in the United States.

THE CHALLENGE TO FORM A NEW IDENTITY

As an immigrant, we are challenged to form new identities. As a person who comes from a different country I have to clearly communicate who I am and be open to learning about others. When we don't have enough exposure, we tend to stereotype things and people. All we can see about them are fragments of what is clearly visible.

As a Filipino, I belong to this dynamic community that is one of the most successful immigrant groups in the States. Almost all of us grew up having a family member who lived or work in the States and I remember always being excited about receiving a "balikbayan box" for Christmas or New Years. There are a lot of Filipino communities all over the US and I am proud to say that we are one of the most appreciated workforce in all over the world.

CHANGE WILL NEVER BE EASY

If you ever moved house, you definitely know how unsettling it can be for the first few days or weeks or months. Moving overseas is all that- and then some . And it all happens at the same time altogether. The feeling of being out of control of the new change that is about to happen is so strong that you can either embrace it or fear it. You have to decide whether to roll up your sleeves and say 'let's do this' and start living life or turn back to the comfort of your home.

When you move abroad and decide to settle for good, change is inevitable. Everything you see and recognize will change in a heart beat. The moment you step off that plane, your world will shift on its axis and rotate on a slightly different tilt to reveal a more intriguing and exciting side.

Personally, I think it is awesome. You will get the chance to chase your passion and your dreams, discover yourself and take on opportunities that come your way. You don't need to be scared of the changes that will happen as long as you set your mind on your goals. Change might just be what you need and what will make your life better.

The road won't be easy but taking it is certainly possible.

LEARNING THE LOCAL 'LINGO'

I honestly found it rather easy to adapt living here in the US. I guess because I have never really had any difficulties communicating in the English language in both oral and written.

I sometimes find it amazing and somewhat amusing when people ask me how is it that I know how to speak the language well. They say that us Filipinos actually can communicate and speak the language better than any other expats that come to the US. Filipinos have a better opportunity with jobs and integrating themselves in the community as we are able to communicate and use the english language competently.

But when I talk about the local lingo, like in the Philippines, we have several dialects and intonations, the same can also be said in the US. They do not however have other dialects but there are variations in the accents in different states. Anyways, local lingo and specific jargon can sometimes be confusing. In time however, you get the hang of it and get used to it.

TAXES ARE NO JOKE

I cannot even begin to comprehend how this country seriously implements their tax laws! Well to be honest, I did have an idea about it and I am not new to it I guess as I have lived in London and it is one of the most expensive cities in the whole world and their taxes are just no joke either. But taxes are important whether we like it or not.And we have to pay our taxes.

The one thing I noticed and actually asked my husband about it is that when you go to a grocery store to shop or any other store for that matter, prices you see on stuff in the shelves or counters are not final because once you get to the cashier, the taxes are calculated on top of it. And this was one difference I have noticed while living in the UK because back there, the taxes for products you avail or buy are already computed together with the value of the product. I guess it is also the same back home in the Philippines which I think is more convenient.

I experienced filing my first income tax last year here in the US under the Married filing joint category. I must say that it was rather an 'easy breezy' process. All you have to do is make sure to hire a tax agent and submit all paper works and documents that are needed and they will do the rest. Of course, there are situations when you are required to actually pay the government for taxes you owe based on your yearly income computation but on the other hand, sometimes the government owes you and gives you a refund of the taxes you paid. And we all want that! So last year me and my husband got a couple thousand dollars in tax refund. And that was fun!

THE COLD WEATHER IS ARDUOUS

Winter! winter! is very long and can drop to -30 degrees with wind chill! And yes, the cold always bothered me anyway!I grew up in a tropical country and I am used to the warm humid weather. Although I love to dress up for the cold weather, and autumn is my favorite season, there is just no getting used to the cold specially here in the state of Wisconsin where winters are brutal as they say.

My first winter in Wisconsin last year was no joke and I have officially met the winter's chill face to face but I tried to look at the bright side. We've all been there when it's below zero and your gas is almost empty that you have to get out of your warm car to stand in the freezing cold while you wait for your tank to fill up. And trying to get the credit card in the slot while struggling to push all buttons is a challenging especially when you are wearing thick fuzzy mittens.

Getting out of bed in the morning. I cannot even begin to explain. It's sooooo cold! please just let me stay under the warm covers all day! If the dog would just leave you alone, you probably will. But when the dog's gotta go, she's gotta go. And our princess Jazz will do exactly that. So you lazily drag yourself out of bed and shuffle to the door and the brisk Wisconsin winter wind slaps you right in the face reminding you who's boss around these parts. Getting out of the nice hot shower isn't much easier and sitting your ass down a cold toilet seat isn't either.

HEALTHCARE IS EXPENSIVE

Healthcare in the US costs about twice as much as it does in any other developed country in the world. I have done a bit of reading and research and found out that even with all the money being spent on healthcare, the World Health Organization ranked the US thirty-seventh in health care systems and The Commonwealth Fund placed the US last among top 11 industrialized country in overall healthcare. But why is the US paying so much for care and not appearing at the top of the ranks? I'm sure the government can come up with numerous legit answers for these questions.

Having worked in the healthcare system as a registered nurse in the last 13 years, I have seen the differences in the delivery of healthcare system in the countries I have worked in. One of them are drug costs. And drug costs in the US are ridiculous! This is another major difference in health costs between the US and every other developed nation in the world. The public definitely believes that drug costs are unreasonable. In most countries, the government negotiates drug prices with drug makers and manufacturers. However in the US, the Congress specifically denied Medicare the right to use the power to negotiate drug prices. As with the specifics, I really do not know how and why.

I remember when my husband had to check himself in the ER for runny nose and slight temperature in the winter time. Walking in the ER alone cost us a wobbling $1000. Of course the doctors and nurses did all the routine labs and tests and he was hooked with fluids for the entire time he was in the emergency room. At the end of the day, he had a sinus infection and a $ 6,000 hospital bill. Thankfully enough, we have an insurance that covered most of the cost and we only had to pay $ 650 out of pocket. Totally insane! If you do not have insurance policies to cover and protect you in times of healthcare needs, you will definitely burn your pockets for your out -of-pocket expenses.

I hope my post helps anyone who is thinking of how it is living in the US. Thanks everyone for reading!

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