Schools in American

I've been thinking about what to write here for a long time.  The trouble is that states control a lot of education, and so it's very, very variable from state to state.  No Child Left Behind introduced standards which all children were supposed to achieve, but what the standards were (and what the subjects that would have standards were) was all left to the states. 

American Healthcare

I'm not even going to try to start to explain that.

Oh all right then, but not much. It's very complicated. You have to pay, but no one knows how much. Not even the doctor or the dentist seems to know how much until several days after you've left, when you either get a demand for more money, or a check because you overpaid. Or sometimes both. On the same day.

You'll have health insurance (probably). That means that they'll pay for some doctors (in network), and they'll pay less for other doctors (out of network) and they won't pay some doctors. Your health insurance will cost you, or more likely your employer, a lot

Holidays / Vacations in the US

A holiday isn't a time off work - it's a special day. Mother's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc are all holidays. Even if you go to work.

Mother's day isn't the same day as the UK, but you'll have problems missing it.

Halloween is big on trick or treating (obviously). When it comes to halloween, the rule is that if you have your porch light on, you'll be expected to give out candy. If you're after candy, go to the houses which have their porch lights on. People dress up at halloween, but you are allowed to dress up as anything you like - it doesn't need to be halloween related, as long as you are dressed up. People often dress up at work, again, it doesn't matter what you dress up as.

Thanksgiving is a big thing - it's a 2 day event, making 4 days of festivity. People traditionally go home to their families, causing all kinds of travel chaos around that time. Avoid going on any road trips, or airports, around that weekend. The nice thing about thanksgiving is that no one needs to worry about 'the real meaning of thanksgiving'. The real meaning of thanksgiving is to sit around, eat, drink and (possibly) watch (American) football on the TV. Which leads to ..

Christmas is a much smaller thing than in the UK. My theory is that this is partly because of thanksgiving. You've just had a holiday which involves sitting around eating, drinking and seeing family, so it feels strange to have another devoted to the same thing - particularly when there is more religious belief amongst christians (who might need to worry about the true meaning of Christmas) and more non-Christians, who don't worry about Christmas. Boxing Day doesn't exist, and it's not a holiday. You go back to work on the 26th. Places don't close much at Christmas - you can go to the movies, lifeguards work at the beaches (I know this, because we were admonished by a lifeguard for being on the beach after dark, when it was supposed to be closed.)

As in the UK, there are a few other days scattered around where you don't go to work. The complication is that some of these are 'federal' holidays, which anyone who works for the government gets off - that means no post, no school, etc, on those days. But everyone else has to go to work.

Here's a list:

1st Jan: New Year's Day.

3rd Monday in January: Martin Luther King day (Federal holiday)

3rd Monday in February: President's Day (Federal, I think)

Last monday in May: Memorial Day

First monday in September: Labor Day

2nd Monday in October: Columbus Day (Federal)

November 11th: Veteran's Day (Federal)

4th Thursday in November: Thanksgiving

25th December: Christmas day

American Language

We speak the same language, in theory, but we use a lot of different words. You can read about these in books, or look them up on web pages (like this one) , so I won't bother to list them. You will, however, forget, when you are put on the spot. So try to be prepared. Before buying petrol, remember that it's called gas. The one to really watch out for is chips. Chips are crisps, if you want chips, you need to ask for fries. You can know this, but it will take at least one disappointment before you remember for good.

Swearing

You should obvious be as careful (or careless) about offending people as you would be in the UK, but there is a little variation. The word piss, or pissed, especially to mean annoyed, is not as offensive as in the UK. The word twat is more offensive.

Getting a Credit History in the US

A problem I have already alluded to is your credit history. Without a credit history, there is a lot you can't do. But it's hard to get a credit history, because you can't do stuff to get one. Some providers will give you a really rubbish credit card, where you are required to put money into an account, and then they will let you spend it on your credit card. But it gives you the beginning of a credit history.

There is quite an art to getting your credit score higher. Having credit cards, or loans (which you pay back) or bank accounts helps. And the longer you have them, the better. Having credit cards that have lots of clear balance on them helps too - the more spare balance on your card, the better. BUT you have to use the card a bit, to show that you can use it and pay it back. The ideal (I read somewhere) is to use 35% of your credit limit each month, and then pay it back.

But, don't apply for credit cards to try to get a better score, because every time you apply for a card, they run a credit check on you. And every time they run a credit check, it hurts your credit score a little. I have an American Express card, and I realised that my credit score was hurting because I was using it each month (it was a 1% cashback one), so I applied for a higher credit limit. I'd had the card for 6 months, and had religiously paid the balance every month - in fact, I was so scared of a black mark that I paid it almost weekly. When I applied for a higher limit, they didn't take this into account, they ran my credit score, which came back saying that my balances were too close to the limit on my credit card, so they wouldn't give me a higher limit. (But I wanted a higher limit...)

Then I applied for a mortgage, and found that the credit check American Express had run had knocked my credit score just enough that I couldn't get the mortgage I applied for (and because I'd applied, that was another hit against my credit score. Aaaghhh!)

In theory you can get your credit score once per year from the credit agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. They don't make it especially easy though. I now keep track of my credit with TrueCredit, which costs $15/month, but lets me keep an eye on it.

Insurance companies and prospective employers might also run a credit check, to see what kind of person you are.

Pets in the USA

Again, my knowledge is of Los Angeles / California. I don't know how true this is of other places (if you know, tell me). Vets are expensive. Some pet stores will offer some vet services, such as vaccinations, for much cheaper on specific days - like Sunday mornings.

Dogs

Lots pf people have dogs. But where you can take those dogs, and what you can do with them is pretty restricted. You cannot let your dog off the leash (lead) in parks, or in open countryside, or in national parks, unless it's specifically allowed - which means you're in a dog park.

Dogs need to be licenced - if you're old enough to remember dog licences costing 37 1/2 pence from the post office, you're in for a shock. They are around $70.

Cats

Cats are common, but tend to be kept indoors more - partly because of the range of exotic fauna that wants to eat or at least injure your cat (think coyotes, rattlesnakes, racceoons).

Shops

Lots of chains don't have branches in every state - it's a big country, after all. Here are some of the obvious ones.

Walmart

I don't need to tell you about Walmart. Lots of cheap crap, made in China. Very limited food selection, nothing fresh. (Don't try to buy olive oil, they'll stare at you blankly). Occasionally useful when you want something cheap and semi-disposable.

Target

Like Walmart, but classier. Sells lots of stuff, and some food. SuperTargets have fresh food, but not much.

CostCo

You need to pay to be a member of CostCo, which costs (I think) $80/year. It's worth it.

They sell food and household stuff in bulk, for the most part. They also sell other stuff - electronics, furniture, garden things. They tend to be on the cheap side. But they are also good. They have one of the best return policies (I forget what it is, but you have a long time, and no questions asked). They also do good food - their apple pies and birthday cakes (for example) are often rated amongst the best. They are one of the only stores to test mince meat (grounds, as it's called) for E Coli, so some suppliers refuse to deal with them.

They don't sell cheap wine, so don't try to buy that here. There clothes aren't super cheap either.

Home Depot

Home Depot is B&Q. It's big and it sells lots of stuff. Unlike the UK, there don't seem to be builder's merchants where proper tradespeople go - everyone goes to Home Depot.

People looking for casual work tend to congregate in Home Depot car parks (they're called Day Laborers, and wave at you when you drive in). People with pick up trucks hang around outside, offering a delivery service.

Trader Joe's

Everyone likes Trader Joe's. It's a bizarre food store. It sells mostly healthy stuff (almost no hydrogenated fats, quite a lot of organic stuff). The stores are usually small, and they tend to change their lines around fairly frequently. Home of the famous 'Two Buck Chuck' - bottles of wine for $2, which (at least according to my unsophisticated palette) is not bad. Mostly in California and the west.

Friendlier staff than any other supermarket.

Fresh and Easy

I've never been in a Fresh and Easy, but it's Tesco. Well, it's owned by them.