Moving to America

[Makalakumu]

Oh yeah, and some of you are suggesting Wisconson and Minnesota. If I ask her, can I stay on your couch afterwards?

Oh well, its your loss. You can have my couch. All I can say is that you are missing out on some great country and great people.

 

[MisterMike]

New Hampshire most livable state, 2nd year in a row:

www.whdh.com/news/articles/local/B70311

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/03052005/news/68212.htm

THE CRITERIA

A sampling of the factors Morgan Quitno Press considers in naming its "Most Livable State":

Electricity prices.
Number of Superfund sites.


<LI>Teenage birth rate.

<LI>Infant mortality rate.

<LI>Unsafe bridges as a percentage of the total number of bridges.

<LI>Percentage of households receiving food stamps.

<LI>Highway fatality rate.

<LI>Normal daily mean temperature.

<LI>Marriage rate.

<LI>Per capita legislative appropriations to arts agencies.

<LI>Job growth.

<LI>Percentage of eligible population that votes.

<LI>Percentage of population with bachelor’s degrees or higher.

<LI>Home ownership rates.

<LI>Per capita state and local debt outstanding.

<LI>Age-adjusted rate of suicides.

<LI>Personal bankruptcy rate.

<LI>Low birth-weight births as a percentage of all births.

<LI>Pupil-teacher ratios in elementary and high schools.

Average weekly earnings of employees in the manufacturing sector.

 

[ShaneLayton]

I know this may be completely laughable to some people, but have you considered Alabama? We are not all rednecks down here! Birmingham is the largest city in the state, and offers pretty much anything you want in a city. If it’s not enough, Atlanta is only 2 ½ hours away. We have a small Bujinkan presence in Birmingham (our group, a Taka-Seigi group [Phil Legare’s organization], and a group that is part of RVD’s American Bujinkan Dojo organization). We train regularly with the BTSD folks. We have visited the ABD folks and trained with them once, extending an invitation to train with us from time-to-time, but thus far they have declined.



I am originally from Lubbock, Texas, so Alabama is a change for me. It’s nice and green here. We have hills around Birmingham, mountains further north in the state. We are only a few hours from the Florida beaches or the Tennessee mountains. Want a gun permit? All you need is $20 (max set by state statute, may be lower in some counties), a pulse, and a felony-free record.



UAB is a top-notch university, and we have a Honda plant (one of my training partners’ wife works for a Honda supplier based in Japan), and a Mercedes plant close (if you want to expand your linguistic capabilities to German). The Japan-America Society of Alabama (http://www.jasaweb.net/) may be able to assist you.



To be even-handed, though, let me give you some of the downsides. Firstly, it’s not Japan. It is the South, and life moves a bit slower down here (but, this is the South so saying “howdy” to people walking down the street is still okay, as is looking at people, opening doors for people, just being polite). Secondly, this is the Bible belt (now, don’t flame me, I’m Christian but I believe in the separation of church and state). We have some rather odd laws. For instance, I live in a wet county, except on Sunday. Montgomery (the capital) is full of sexually-repressed politicians who cow-tow the Southern Baptist Convention so orgasms are frowned upon in this state. We do have a state income tax (as well as sales tax), and an occupation tax payable to the city and county (unless you hold a professional license, “professionals” do not pay occupational tax).



All that being said, this really is a wonderful place to live. I would move back to Lubbock, but my wife is from here and wants to stay here. If mama ain’t happy . . .

Shane Layton

 

[Don Roley]

Shane,
Isn't Alabama a bit humid in the summer? I can take cold weather and hot weather. But hot, humid weather is one big weakness for me.

As an aside, I have been thinking about going to something like the following,

http://www.nationalbartenders.com/index.htm

and learning to be a bartender. It is not like there are bars in only one area of America.

But of course, that would mean a big problem in trying to teach an evening class of taijutsu. And it would mean that all my experience in Japan would not mean much in my new job- unless it was a bar that had a lot of Japanese tourists.

Still, it would almost be worth it to hear the scream of "Dame! Dame!" from Kizaru all the way from Matsudo when he reads this. :boing2:

 

[Shaolinwind]

Might I reccomend Pittsburgh? I can't advise you on your job but I can say the economy is particularly good here. You can rent a really great 1 bedroom apartment in the suburbs for 500 bucks. It's a very clean city, low crime, lots of cultural centers, tons of museams, concert halls, universities, major business centers, and a superb transit system. I am pretty happy with this city and would reccomend anyone moved here. We got mountains, that's for darn sure and you only have to drive a half hour to get to green acres territory. Oh, and I can tell you who serves the best sushi!

Thanks for all the replies. Both here and by PM.

I think I should explain the mountain bit.....

A while ago I saw a thread by someone in Kasas comlaining that there was no Bujinkan groups near him. I causually asked my wife about the idea of moving there. The temperature dropped about ten degrees and she let me know in no uncertain terms that she has lived her entire life with the ability to see mountains on the horizon and that was going to continue. Considering that she will be making the change from being able to speak in her native language to English, I think a few conditions like that are not unreasonable.

For that matter, I hate big cities like Tokyo. I would die if I had to live there. She complains a lot about how there is nothing to do even in the city we are in now. (Less than a hour north of Tokyo.) I sometimes feel like I am living in an episode of Green Acres. :erg:

So another thing to think about for me. How to keep her happy and me happy in that regard.

As for job- I have never had a full time job in America. My degree in related to Japan studies. I really am at a loss as to what kind of jobs I CAN do should I move back. I can speak and read Japanese fluently and know more about Japanese history than some of the proffessors that taught me the subject back in university, but how does that relate to the job market?

One thing I may do is lease a house and go back and get a TOEFL certificate. That may be my best bet. But I would like some other options. As I said- I really do not know how the job situation works in America since most of my adult life has been in Japan.

Again thanks for all the ideas so far. I am going to to a little research of places mentioned so far on the internet. I may be contacting some of you with specific questions in the future. :wavey:

 

[Tgace]

http://ias.berkeley.edu/southasia/fbi.html

Do you speak a foreign language fluently? If so, there's a place for you in today's FBI! Language needs include: Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Pashtu, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

Address for Applications:

Attn: FBI
935 Pennsylvania Ave., NW (Mail in apps not accepted!)
Apply online for consideration
Washington, DC 20535
United States of America

Position is open until filled.

Contact Information:
FBI
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.fbijobs.com

 

[Tgace]

http://www.unabombers.com/News/00-11-02-BS-NotebookInSpanish-3.htm

FBI's global crime war short on language experts; Agency is facing translation backlog

 

[Don Roley]

Me, work for the FBI?

Excuse me while I fall off my chair in helpless fits of laughter.

I would love to help America in any way I can. But I was not always a mild-mannered English teacher. There are no records of court appearances or arrests after I became a legal adult. But lets just say that there are things that the FBI would find that would raise the possibility of me not being the best type of person in the world. And as such they would probably reject me.

I do not think of myself as a bad person. But lets just say there are some things that I can be potentially be charged with by a DA even now. If that is the case, do you honestly think I could pass even a simple background check for something like the FBI?

I do appreciate the effort. But you can imagine why I am a little put off by the rubbing of my face into the missed oppurtunities I have?

I am going to go drink a few more recipes from the site I listed earlier. I will blame you for any hangovers I have in the morning.

 

[Makalakumu]

As an aside, I have been thinking about going to something like the following,

http://www.nationalbartenders.com/index.htm

and learning to be a bartender. It is not like there are bars in only one area of America.

But of course, that would mean a big problem in trying to teach an evening class of taijutsu. And it would mean that all my experience in Japan would not mean much in my new job- unless it was a bar that had a lot of Japanese tourists.

Well, its time to reconsider WI and MN.

If you want to be a bartender, Superior, WI is the place to be! We have more bars per capita in this town then anywhere in the nation. There are sailors from all nationalities coming through here all of the time. One of my students is a bar tender at a little dive down by the docks. He makes a crap load of untaxed money AND gets to practice his martial arts in a real life setting.

You'd still have time to teach taijutsu and I think it would go over big time up here.

Anyway, here's to my home!

:drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :barf:

upnorthkyosa

ps - I can't find a cheesehead smilie...

 

[Don Roley]

Well, its time to reconsider WI and MN.

If you want to be a bartender, Superior, WI is the place to be! We have more bars per capita in this town then anywhere in the nation. There are sailors from all nationalities coming through here all of the time. One of my students is a bar tender at a little dive down by the docks. He makes a crap load of untaxed money AND gets to practice his martial arts in a real life setting.

You'd still have time to teach taijutsu and I think it would go over big time up here.

All that and nature too!!!! Now if only I can convince she-who-must-be-obeyed that it would be a great idea. She seems to think I would be a natural bartender. But I fear if it is not famous enough in Japan that she can locate it off the top of her head that she would reject it out of hand as being the boonies.

If only I could take her there and let her see the place. I can do that later this year with Las Vegas, southern and northern California, Oregon and maybe Washington. My family is having a Thanksgiving get together and I plan on traveling a lot before ending up in the place we are having the feast.

I think I can show her a lot of Oregon and the southern part of Washington. Maybe more if I had a reason to see Seattle. Gawd that area is so beautiful that is makes your jaw drop. But WI would just be a place she does not know and probably has an image as a place out of Hee- Haw. Yeah I know it is not, but if some of you think about how little you know about Japan you can imagine all that she does not know about America.

Just as an aside- the "Betty Ford" recipe from the site I previously linked tastes a hell of a lot like cough syrup. :drinkbeer

 

[Shaolinwind]

Another great idea, wonderful area.

Well, its time to reconsider WI and MN.


If you want to be a bartender, Superior, WI is the place to be! We have more bars per capita in this town then anywhere in the nation. There are sailors from all nationalities coming through here all of the time. One of my students is a bar tender at a little dive down by the docks. He makes a crap load of untaxed money AND gets to practice his martial arts in a real life setting.

You'd still have time to teach taijutsu and I think it would go over big time up here.

Anyway, here's to my home!

:drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :drinkbeer :barf:

upnorthkyosa

ps - I can't find a cheesehead smilie...

 

[ShaneLayton]

Shane,
Isn't Alabama a bit humid in the summer? I can take cold weather and hot weather. But hot, humid weather is one big weakness for me.

You would acclimate easily, I think. However, we do have little storms from time-to-time that reach us even as far inland as we are (side note: watch out Jason, Katrina's coming and she ain't too happy with the Big Easy!!).

As for the FBI, your age may preclude you from a Special Agent position (its that LEO forced retirement rule. I've never met you but if you are older than 37 they won't want you.). Right now they have a preference for Farsi and Arabic (all dialects).

I hate cold weather. I loved Hawaii (always warm and not nearly as humid as you might think thanks to the trades). If I had my druthers I'd move there and never come back to the mainland. There won't be any gas in Hawaii soon (funny how price caps tend to dry up supply) but Oahu is a small island and I need to get in shape anyway!

And we have a real need for real English teachers down here! I love Southern accents and colloquialisms but some of these kids have no idea what real English is like!

Anyway, good luck on your search.

Shane

 

[Makalakumu]

All that and nature too!!!! Now if only I can convince she-who-must-be-obeyed that it would be a great idea. She seems to think I would be a natural bartender. But I fear if it is not famous enough in Japan that she can locate it off the top of her head that she would reject it out of hand as being the boonies.

If only I could take her there and let her see the place. I can do that later this year with Las Vegas, southern and northern California, Oregon and maybe Washington. My family is having a Thanksgiving get together and I plan on traveling a lot before ending up in the place we are having the feast.

I think I can show her a lot of Oregon and the southern part of Washington. Maybe more if I had a reason to see Seattle. Gawd that area is so beautiful that is makes your jaw drop. But WI would just be a place she does not know and probably has an image as a place out of Hee- Haw. Yeah I know it is not, but if some of you think about how little you know about Japan you can imagine all that she does not know about America.

Just as an aside- the "Betty Ford" recipe from the site I previously linked tastes a hell of a lot like cough syrup. :drinkbeer

I'll go around and take some pics today of our city. You can share them with she-who-must-be-obeyed. Check this thread in about 12 hours.

 

[Tgace]

All I can say Don is ....."you may be suprised". Lots depends on how bad and how old. (and how bad they really need someone to fill the job)

 

[ginshun]

I will have to put in another vote for WI along with upnorthkyoso. I personally love it here. I don't think you'd be too out in the boonies in Supreior, but if so, there is always Madison or Minneapolis.

I have no idea where the nearest Bujinkan school would be. Our school is mostly based on taijutsu, but we are not affiliated with the Bujinkan, and don't claim to be. I think I saw that there was a Bujinkan school around Green Bay or Appleton somewhere, but nothing to the north of us as far as I know. Possibly Minneapolis, but I have never checked.

 

[Don Roley]

Just as an aside.....

The votes for Washington state seem to be in the lead. And I have a chance to visit North Oregon this Thanksgiving and may be able to roam up that way to show she-who-must-be-obeyed what it is like up there.

I will probably also be in Las Vegas the first few days of that trip (what better place to deal with jet lag than a a luxery casino open 24 hours) and am looking for ideas of what to see. Mind you, my wife would be best impressed with good shopping areas and good schools than my desire for a living in a natural paradise.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Don,

While being from Michigan and I am really partial to this
beautiful state, you could not go wrong moving to
Oregon or Washington! They are two fantastic States
and I would probably move out there myself if I did not
live in Michigan!

Brian R. VanCise

 

[rutherford]

This is literally in my backyard. http://www.uvm.edu/perkins/landscape/LS_View.php?FileName=LS00184

One of the nice things about VT is that all children get medical coverage from the state if you don't have existing coverage . . . Which might be the case if you're not working right away.

How many people do you need to get to attend a seminar for it to be worth your time?

 

[Blindside]

I just spent a week in Bellingham, WA working on my in-laws house and I must say that I would move here in an instant. Beautiful area, mountains, sea, and forest, are just a few of my favorite things... (sorry for breaking into song there).

Western Washington Univeristy is located in Bellingham, so TOEFL testing shouldn't be an issue, WWU also has an East Asian Studies department, so language tutoring could be an opportunity for you or your wife.

Shopping isn't exactly world class, but it isn't the boonies (I live in podunk Wyoming, I KNOW the boonies).

I'll be in Seattle and the Olympic Penninsula around Thanksgiving, maybe I can be a local guide. At the very least I can direct your wife to Bellevue Square (the previously mentioned, ridiculously large mall) since I spent waaay to much of my teen years there.

Lamont

 

[Shogun]

I just spent a week in Bellingham, WA working on my in-laws house and I must say that I would move here in an instant. Beautiful area, mountains, sea, and forest, are just a few of my favorite things... (sorry for breaking into song there).

Western Washington Univeristy is located in Bellingham, so TOEFL testing shouldn't be an issue, WWU also has an East Asian Studies department, so language tutoring could be an opportunity for you or your wife.

Shopping isn't exactly world class, but it isn't the boonies (I live in podunk Wyoming, I KNOW the boonies).

I'll be in Seattle and the Olympic Penninsula around Thanksgiving, maybe I can be a local guide. At the very least I can direct your wife to Bellevue Square (the previously mentioned, ridiculously large mall) since I spent waaay to much of my teen years there.

Lamont

What he said.