Starting Life/Work in US - Tips and Stories

[chasee]

Validity of learner's permit is 1 year sa CA, I dont know about other states. Got learner's permit 2x, nag expire yung una ko permit coz I was too chicken to take the driving test. Had to take the written exam again. When my 2nd one was about to expire, took the driving test and passed!practice lang... madaming madaming practice

[WinterBerry]

Mga sis in the US, kamusta naman ang summer niyo? I'm visiting some relatives here in AZ at sobrang init talaga!

[changelessme]

Validity of learner's permit is 1 year sa CA, I dont know about other states. Got learner's permit 2x, nag expire yung una ko permit coz I was too chicken to take the driving test. Had to take the written exam again. When my 2nd one was about to expire, took the driving test and passed!practice lang... madaming madaming practice

sis mag expire na ang learner's permit ko bukas  may vision test pa ba kung irenew ito? yan ang gagawin ko sis, madaming-madaming practice

[changelessme]

Please help, would anyone here know how long I can stay out of the US, I am a Greencard holder but I'm already out of the US for 7 months.  SOme say I can only stay out for 6 months, some say 1 year, ano ba talaga mga sis?

6 months lang yata sis visit the uscis site na lang sis asap

[crybaby05]

i'm planning to have my internship sa cali hopefully this year.. isasama ko si hubby and baby (1yo daughter) as dependents sa J1 visa ko.. plano namin ni hubby na makitira sa sister/cousin nya.. we'll stay there for a year.. gusto din sana ni hubs na makapagwork dahil legal naman for a J1 visa dependant.. pero night shift lang, kasi sya ang baby sitter pag umaga

madali lang kaya makahanap ng work na night shift? probably 20hours a week..

another thing is monthly expenses.. how much kaya ang gastos namin for a month considering na we'll be giving a minimal contribution sa sister/cousin ni hubs? ano pa kaya ang gastos namin aside from the groceries? and is $500 enough na for a month's groceries including baby's necessities?

sorry madaming tanong.. and thanks in advance

[changelessme]

^madali lang makakuha ng graveyard shift sis dont worry

[pretinnes]

hi mga sisters,

i'm new here in GT. less than a year pa ako dito sa US kaya wala pa ako masyadong alam. it's nice to read your stories and i'm learning a lot.

[krispie]

THanks mga sis sa help nyo Re: DMV. I already got my Permit. yipeeee! Sabi 1 year daw ang validity.

Now comes the actual, ano ba ang mga dapat ko pag aralan? dapat ba mag schooling pa ko for that? Ano ba ang mga dapat ko i-master? Kakatakot..any suggestions?

[xthine]

^ Make sure you make a full stop, yield, 3 point turn and look over your shoulder when switching lanes.  Good luck

[crybaby05]

i hope someone can help me and answer my query, thanks

[chocolatefever]

another thing is monthly expenses.. how much kaya ang gastos namin for a month considering na we'll be giving a minimal contribution sa sister/cousin ni hubs? ano pa kaya ang gastos namin aside from the groceries? and is $500 enough na for a month's groceries including baby's necessities?

sorry madaming tanong.. and thanks in advance

i think 500usd is enough for groceries, but let me warn you that i dont have a baby yet so i really dont know magkano aabutin ang formula and nappies. pero kung groceries lang, more than enough yan for 2 adults.  unless isasama nyo yung family ng tinitirhan nyo sa grocery shopping. kung madami sila, baka kulang.  also, hindi kasama dito ang eating out ofcourse.

as for your other expenses, there's gas for the car; car payments; car insurance; cellphone bills; laundry expenses (if you don't have one at home; but if you do,  minimal expenses lang sa laundry detergent, softener, etc)

since you won't be paying rent (i suppose), that's big savings for you right there.  if you will be sharing expenses, siguro you can share with the utility bills and yun nga, food.  as for how much you will contribute, it's best to discuss nalang with your hubby's sister/cousin kung magkano share nyo.  (kuryente, cable, phone;  yung gas and water, depende...if they are renting, there are times kasama na ito sa rent).

try also googling cost of living sa city where you intend to stay.  some CA cities are definitely cheaper to live in compared to LA, San Diego, or the Bay Area.

HTH somehow...

[xthine]

^^Im not sure if 500 is eough, it depends on how you budget.  I spend almost 200 biweekly on groceries for me and my friend. The other day I spent 200 on new stuff for my pup.  My sister back in Cali used to spend around 400 Biweekly for her family (2 kids). 

[mooncake and leaves]

WinterBerry: imcredibly hot about 2 weeks ago. now it's more tolerable. i got sick din, i think partly because of the heat.

kakatakot: CDC is predicting that about 40% of americans will have swine flu by fall. eh the vaccine is still unavailalble. so eek. katakot nang bonggang bongga.

[crybaby05]

Thanks sis xthine and chocolatefever..
How much ba ang monthly rent ng 1br or even studio type apartment in cali?

[chocolatefever]

^sis it depends on the area pa din. pag pangit ang area / not very secure, you can get a cheaper apartment siyempre. pero if you are looking for one in a safe area, good location, gated community...mahal.  for example, in san diego, rent can vary depending on the location you choose.

very expensive especially in downtown san francisco or in premier L.A. locations like west hollywood.  even in "better" l.a. suburbs like pasadena, mahal din. mahal din sa orange county.

what you can do sis, is search for apartments online in your chosen city. you can look in craigslist, apartment.com, etc.  this will give you an idea how much you will be needing.

HTH

[crybaby05]

^thanks sis.. nagbrowse nga ako sa apartment.com, very expensive sa cali

anyway, necessity ba ang car? kasi 1yr lang naman kami magstay just for internship purposes, pero si hubby balak magpart time work din..

[chocolatefever]

^in cities like L.A. and San Francisco (downtown area) you could probably get around by bus (or in SFO they have the BART and cable cars too); the public transport systems in these areas are pretty good. but in general, you will need a car to get around in Cali, especially if you live in the suburbs where buses are few and far between. unfortunately

[crybaby05]

^thanks sis for answering my queries

[chocolatefever]

^no prob sis! good luck and keep us updated!

[monsteradelicioza]

^thanks sis.. nagbrowse nga ako sa apartment.com, very expensive sa cali

anyway, necessity ba ang car? kasi 1yr lang naman kami magstay just for internship purposes, pero si hubby balak magpart time work din..

You can get around San Francisco on the bus pretty easily.  Other Bay Area cities I think not so easy.