Americans Living & Studying Abroad

cell phone

laurahale@netzero.com — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 03:28:47 GMT

I just joined this group. I am going to be living and going to school in Israel and I was wondering if anyone has imput on a good cell phone. I want one with an Israeli number but that can call the United States without making me broke. Any ideas?

Picking a local expat group?

laurahale@netzero.com — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:49:33 GMT

What do you look for in joining a local expat group? There are quite a few available near me, all with similar annual fees. Some seem to offer a free visit to one of their meetings.

I'm a new arrival to Switzerland, and a new mom, and I unfortunately lost my job when my husband got transferred (originally my bosses said I could work via the internet, but then changed their mind), so I'm now a homemaker as well.

Paris Accomodation

laurahale@netzero.com — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 18:23:02 GMT

Hey Everyone!
Does anyone have a recommendation for an affordable and clean place to stay at while visiting Paris? It'll be me and 2 other college-aged girls, so we are considering either staying at a hostel or cheap hotel. Any tips appreciated, thanks!!!

*Cross-posted to eurotravel and americansabroad*

graduate studies abroad: TA/RA and 1040

laurahale@netzero.com — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:42:54 GMT

Hi,

I'm a permanent resident of the US of A since 2002, and I'm currently a graduate student with TA/RA in Canada since January 2008 (planning to graduate in the middle of 2009). I'm obviously required to pay all Canadian taxes, although I haven't specifically checked if some exceptions could be made, so is there anything that I can do to ensure that I'm not taxed twice, when/if I complete 1040 next year? Some documentation on IRS.gov claim that a 330-full-days-abroad rule must be satisfied to use 2555-EZ, but then form 2555 doesn't appear to list the same restrictions.

I've already spent two weeks in the US this year, and I might spent a few more weeks in August (with my parents at their residence), and then at the end of December. Then I'll be less than 330 full days abroad. Is that going to matter at all, or should I simply use 2555 instead of 2555EZ with no difference in the end result? Obviously, even with less than 330÷365 of the maximum foreign earned income exclusion of 85K, grad students don't make nearly as much for the number of days in the equation or the housing deductions to really matter.

If it makes any difference, in Ontario I am driving a car with an NC licence and insurance that is registered in my name, and most likely will be crossing borders in the vehicle. I'm faced with a dilemma — from one stance, I need to stay in the US as much and as often as possible such as not to abandon my permanent residence status, but from another, there is this 330-days-abroad tax thingy that so many documents talk about as if it is terribly important... Any ideas? Is it possible to combine both approaches without any significant loss? Also, since they rarely make any stamps on US/Canada border crossings, would I be required to prove that I was less than 1 year in Canada at any single time (I plan to cross borders once every 4 month to go home, and maybe some additional times for travelling / conferences), for the permanent residence requirement?

C.

Americans on WHV

laurahale@netzero.com — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:40:55 GMT

i have been wanting to do create something like this for a long time and no better place to start then LJ!

when i was searching for information on americans on working holiday visas in new zealand i found very little information. i found tons of stuff targeted towards europeans (mainly uk'ers) but nothing on americans and that frustrated me greatly! i have been wanting to start something targeted towards americans and the right forum and format finally came to me.

if you are interested in working holiday visas (you don't have to be american to join!) please join:

americansonwhv

x-posted all over travel communities (sorry in advance for the spam!)

laurahale@netzero.com — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:10:47 GMT

I've found the site wholesale-fares.com today and wondering what sort of feedback you guys have on it. Good, bad, so-so? I'm starting to think I should just suck it up and work extra hours :P

(Looked in memories....also x-posted to poor_skills)

laurahale@netzero.com — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:15:42 GMT

For those who plan to travel to Moscow or St Petersburg or Siberia and needs a Russian visa:

s. Hotels.
We are proud to announce our on-line visa site www.VisaAble.com In just a few minutes you can prepare your own tourist invitation and print it out in the comfort of your own office, ready to go to take to the Russian Consulate.

Moneyback garantee. Instant tourist invitation from 15 euro for your friends + Registration in Moscow & St Petersburg. Easy.

Studying Abroad in Ecuador/Argentina

laurahale@netzero.com — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:29:26 GMT

So. I haven't quite decided yet (It relies more on my father - as for me, I'm all set about going!) but if I can get enough money, I will be going to Ecuador for the 2009-2010 school year, when I will be a senior in high school. I'm really liking the idea of Ecuador, but if for some reason there's a huge crime problem due to Colombia or something, I'd be going to Argentina instead. So, my information search has, so far, been all about Ecuador. Haha.

By the time I do the exchange, I will either have completed college-level Spanish III or IV. I want to know, if you know about that amount, did you still end up doing a ton of studying so that you could understand and be understood?

I was wondering - have any of you guys been to Ecuador as high schoolers? If not, then college is fine too, but I was really hoping for someone who's done the same thing as I want to do. I'm wondering if there's anything I should be wary of, how much things cost, (I mean, the types of things that host families won't buy for you - it'd be nice to tell me what things your host families DID buy for you.) and I'd like to know how easy it is to get around if you have bad vision, because I'm visually impaired. D:!

What I mean by that is, I'm impaired even when wearing glasses - so, I'd like to know things like if it's easy to tell which bus is going where, if there are crosswalks or if you just run across the street whenever you think you won't get hit, stuff like that. I'd also like to know how the schools are set up. I mean, how can you study thirteen or so subjects at a time? Do they do block schedules or something? Do they do more of oral lessons or do they do a lot of writing on the whiteboard? About how much studying did you end up doing? And, of course - what were your uniforms like?
(X-posted to travel_advisory)

...Also, this comm layout is awful. It's hard to read, guys! Not to mention a bit annoying. D:

Going between London Heathrow and Gatwick

laurahale@netzero.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:06:17 GMT

First of all... I'm so frustrated that I didn't book my tickets a week ago, when they were about $150 cheaper!!!!!!! What is with these airline ticket fluctuations????

Now that I got that out, so, I'm looking to book a flight from JFK->Madrid, then Munich->JFK. I'm looking on British Airways' website since they consistently seem to be the cheapest airline. When I do this search, they come up with flights where I have to transfer between Heathrow and Gatwick one way or both ways. It says "The cost of travel between airports is not included in your fare."

If I search a bit more, I can find flights that only use Heathrow; just, they're about $40 more than the ones that involve both Heathrow and Gatwick. I have no experience with London Gatwick, so I have some questions.

My questions are:

-How easy is it to travel between Heathrow and Gatwick? I'd guess there'd be a shuttle or something, but I have no idea what London or its airports are like, other than having been through Heathrow a couple times on other flights.

-If there *is* a shuttle between the airports, does it cost something?

-Finally, is it worth it for me to pay the $40 extra to get flights that only go through Heathrow and avoid the hassle all together?

Studying abroad/banking

laurahale@netzero.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:24:51 GMT

Hi.

I'll be studying abroad in Austria from September until the end of April, and I was just curious if any of you had a particular bank you had a good experience using while abroad. I plan on bringing a debit card and probably a credit card for emergencies. I've been researching a bit on my own, but am probably forgetting to look at some banks, and those ones I'm forgetting may have the best rates.

So, basically, any recommendations for banks that offer low rates on debit cards used abroad?

Thanks!

laurahale@netzero.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:36:36 GMT

Have any of you arrived in your study abroad destination to find that you were completely unprepared?

Or, I guess more specifically, what were your experiences like integrating with native students at your study abroad university?

I've received my Spanish student visa, purchased plane tickets, and am supposed to leave for Madrid in less than two months, but lately I've been feeling increasingly insecure about my decision.. My main concern is language competency; I'm not terribly worried about my writing skills, but my listening and speaking are another issue. Although I've technically met the language requirement for the program (CIEE Madrid), I still feel like my speaking skills are insufficient. What's more, I'm already pretty quiet in my classes in the States.. I can only imagine how terrifying it'll be direct-enrolling in a regular Spanish class, with a Spanish professor and all Spanish students.

Do you have any ideas on how to prepare as best as I can in the next 1.5 months? Practicing speaking with people is probably the best way, but I don't really live around any of my Spanish-speaking friends right now. All stories and/or advice welcome!

Thanks.

Moving to Israel!

laurahale@netzero.com — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:29:13 GMT

Hey everyone, I just joined the community and thought I'd see if anyone had any advice about moving to/ living in Israel. I will be leaving on August 20th for one year, under circumstances where I haven't had much time to plan in advance. I currently work as a pre-school teacher, but I don't speak Hebrew (I can read it, but have no idea what it means...useful, right?) so I worried about what kind of job I'll be able to find as an english speaker there. I would be willing to work as a nanny as well, or pretty much any job where I'd make enough to pay rent each month.

I will be living in Jerusalem, and staying with my boyfriend who attends Hebrew Union College there for the first two weeks after m arrival. Any/all tips about finding jobs, roommates or friends would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!!

help! Quick translation needed!

laurahale@netzero.com — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:07:58 GMT

Is the following an accurate translation of "I am very sorry. I forgot what day it was.":

Ich bin sehr traurig. Ich vergaß, welcher Tag es war.

I am totally mortified because I started up several loads of laundry, and mis-read today's date. Today was not our laundry day, and there was a note on the door that I think is asking for the washing key and something else, but BabelFish can't make sense of it.
Things like this make me want to hide in a hole and cry.

International Blackberry Rental from Verizon

laurahale@netzero.com — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:08:38 GMT

Hi All,

I browsed the memories for questions relating to cell phones but didn't find any on my question.
I am going to Berlin next month and looked into renting an international blackberry from verizon. Does anyone have any experience with this or advice to give? Such as how the phone works, is verizon helpful at all, is the phone rental in good shape when you get it or have other travelers beat it up, etc.? The reason I am more interested in this option than the pay as you go deal would be because on the blackberry i could do email and internet so i wouldn't have to bring my laptop and that would make packing so much easier.

So if anyone has any info, good bad and ugly, about global rentals from Verizon I would greatly appreciate your help.

Thanks guys!

Hey

laurahale@netzero.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:02:20 GMT

I'm studying abroad in France for a semester and I was wondering if I need a visa if I plan on visiting the UK for just a week. I don't think I do, but does anyone actually know or not?

tourist visas to Russia

laurahale@netzero.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:18:43 GMT

This is a weird one. I'm living and working in London for a year (moving in August). I want to visit Russia while I am there, but there is no way I can plan an itinerary before I arrive in London. Will I be able to apply for a tourist visa through the Russian Embassy in England? Or do I need to have it done before I leave the US? Any insight or experience with tourist visas to Russia is greatly appreciated :)

random roma questions

laurahale@netzero.com — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:07:43 GMT

I'm getting ready to move to Rome and I have a few kind of random questions...

1. Does anyone know of a place to buy good blow dryers/flat irons/curling irons/etc? I'm going to need to buy them once I get there because I don't want to risk frying the ones I already own. And it's less to pack.

2. Any recommendations for tattoo parlors/piercing places?

3. I'm a female with pretty big feet (size 10). I've heard that Italians (and most other European sized shoes) don't make shoes in big sizes. Is this true?

Yeah, they aren't the most important of questions. But I'm curious.

Thanks!

excess luggage

laurahale@netzero.com — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:16:25 GMT

Does anyone have any experience with shipping luggage?

I am currently living in Cape Town, South Africa and have acquired a lot of stuff. Some of this stuff will be coming back to the Sates with me in a few months, but this also means the 3 bags I arrived with will probably be more like 5 or 6 upon my departure in a few months. I'm not sure if it will be cheaper/easier to pay for excess baggage fees, especially since I'm flying United/Star Alliance flights back and their fees have increased. I've looked into some firms, but some of the fees I was quoted were more than my plane ticket. If anyone has any experience with this, especially in this region I would love to hear your thoughts!

I also have the added problem of flying into one city (DC) to visit friends and then flying to my final destination (Chicago). I'm fairly certain if I pay to fly with all my luggage to the states I will have to pay more fees to go to my final destination. So ideally I'd like to find some way to ship most bags direct to Chicago, though this is not critical.

UiO

laurahale@netzero.com — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:29:05 GMT

Hello, I have a question...

Does anyone here go to the University of Oslo? I'm planning on attending next fall, but I have a couple of questions... Or any university in Norway or Scandinavia. How hard is it exactly to get accepted into the schools there? Is it as hard as going to the ones in US? Easier etc? I need lots of help so any type of guidance would be awesome!

I have an appointment for my passport on the 25th of this month so I'm getting that out of the way. Anyone! Help me please!

Moving to Sweden

laurahale@netzero.com — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:41:22 GMT

Hi, I am aileen and I am glad to be finding communities like this since I will need all the knowledge/networking. I will be leaving Texas to go to Malmo/Stockholm, Sweden in May 2009. I do have 5 cats and moving with a bed/2 large bins/4 medium bins, and a few small bins. I may have more, but doubt it, I was wondering what companies any of you used to ship your stuff/how long it took to get there as well have any of you used animal transportation companies for overseas?
I have all the paper work for my cats, and am currently pulling mine as well. Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Intro

laurahale@netzero.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:51:55 GMT

Just saying hello, I'm here at the suggestion of ariadnelives who said she has some LJ friends who post here. I'm an American who just moved to Scotland, having gained entry clearance on a spouse visa. It's an exciting time!

I'm glad for communities such as this one, because they're such a great resource and it's nice to be part of a group of people who are expanding their horizons and experiencing life in other places. I never thought I'd be one of 'em, but I'm happy that I am!

Anyway, just thought I'd pop in and say hi. I look forward to reading more, and contributing where I can.

Spain

laurahale@netzero.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:04:02 GMT

I am studying in Spain for a month, and I have a long weekend for travel coming up. I now have my options pretty much narrowed down to either Lisbon or Barcelona but don´t really know that much about either. Which would you suggest, and why?

Friend leaving to study in Israel....

laurahale@netzero.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:05:36 GMT

Hi Group,

I have a friend with a birthday coming up. She's leaving for a 14 month program in Israel, so I wanted to give her something that would be useful/helpful/comforting when she's away.

I thought about getting her a calling card so that she can call the US from Israel but not sure where to even get one (credible websites?). I've also thought of getting her an Itunes gift card so that she could load up on some songs for the long flight....

If you have any suggestions regarding what a good gift would be (either storebought or something I could make) I'd appreciate it.

Thanks a million!

moving to Austria/Germany

laurahale@netzero.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:27:07 GMT

We are moving in late October to Austria (possibly Germany) and will have the following things:

- one big dog
- 4-5 legal size boxes of books
- 4-5 boxes of soft goods (clothes etc)
- 2 legal boxes of breakables

We are selling all of our furniture before leaving..

Any suggestions or previous experience on getting it all moved over the pond? Shipping? Cargo? etc..

We live in NYC and plan on flying direct to Munich.

Help with Rome Hotel/Hostel!

laurahale@netzero.com — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:07:34 GMT

Hello!

I am studying abroad in Salzburg right now and am planning a long weekend trip to Italy. I had intended to go with a friend, who offered to handle all the hotel details - which was great until she informed me today that she is no longer going. I've already bought my Eurrail pass specifically so I could go to Italy, so I am still planning on going. So basically now I have less than 2 weeks to figure out where to stay while in Italy. This is what I get for trusting the details to someone else.

I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations for either 1.) hotels/hostels you have actually stayed in that are decent and well-priced OR 2.) websites where I can look to find cheap but safe places to stay. I'm a 23 year old female student, if that makes any difference at all.

Thank you so much!

Also, sorry in advance if you see this on your friend's page multiple times.