How it going in USofA?… Here is how…

February 3rd, 2006 at 08:02am

Its nearly six days now since I landed up here in US. And everyone seems to be asking just one question. How are you finding US ?. Quite natural!

Well, my answer is… so far so good. Its a nice and different experience all together. Everything is new to me. The culture, the society, the system, the food…..everything is different and new. But, the best part is, its good.

The place that I am at is very scenic, but its not a place for youngsters who would like to have fun etc… But its a very peaceful and beautiful place.

Here are some pics that I managed to take…

Kingsport - Click to Zoom

Horse!! - Click to Zoom

Road Uphill! - Click to Zoom

Kingsport itself is a very small place in Tennessee. Actually there are 2 more towns close by. One is called Johnson City, and the other Bristol. These three cities together are known as “Tri-Cities”.

Well, talking of change… its a totally different lifestyle out here. But its not a shocking change for me. May be I was kind of ready for it and had heard about this lifestyle from multiple people. Its only that I am experiencing the change now!

Ok. Somethings I would like to make a note of in random order…

• The people out here are generally very very friendly. They are ready to help you if you ask for help. People respect your privacy, and the same is expected from you!
• The Infrastructure is just top notch. May it be roads, power or whatever. Its just great.
• People follow rules. That’s really good. May it be traffic/road rules or any other public rules.
• Everything is big! From roads to shopping ‘malls’, and every other shop is part of a chain.
• You ‘must’ have a car to go around. There is nothing called public transport at least at the place that I am at. (There is some bus service, but its ..something very very very very basic).
• Every mall or shop or office has solid parking space. That’s because, everyone owns a car!
• There are lot of places & systems that just work on trust! And people live up to it!. That’s one thing which really surprised me.
• Most of the houses are made up of wood.
• Paper is used royally here. No one uses Hankey! Tissues are used for almost everything.
• Almost all the houses (apartments for rent) come with basic stuff even if its unfurnished - fridge, oven, surface heating (electric hotplate - as known in india), dishwasher. Hot water is always available. AC - cooler and heater.
• The place that I am at, the temperature outside is pretty low - around 0 to -3 C at nights and around 15 C during day. But, you won’t feel it when you are indoors. May it be office, or house, or shopping or in car. Everything is temperature controlled.
• SSN is the most important thing to have with you. Drivers ID is the next most important document. Without these two, its very difficult to manage!
• You must have a credit card with you when you are here. One… since its accepted at almost all the places and Two… it helps you build something called as credit history.
• Its not easy to get a credit card! (which is totally different compared to India, where one is forecibly given a credit card!!!)
• To get a credit card, you should have a good credit history. And to have a credit history, you must have a credit card! - Perfect chicken and egg problem.
• So, the way out is, you need to go for something known as “Secured” credit card. Its something like, you have to deposit some money in your account, and that becomes your credit limit. Its not a debit card!! Its still and credit card. :)
• Without a SSN and Credit card (and so…credit history), its difficult to get services like telephone, mobile etc. If you need those services, you need to a good sum of money as deposit (refundable in most cases). I had to pay deposits for the apartment, and the power supply.
• Getting a Mobile phone connection too is not so easy!. Its a must that you have a good credit history to go cellular. Where as in India, every tom-dick and harry has a cell phone now!. The cellphone air-time charges too are quite high out here compared to India. Prepaid connection is way too expensive compared to postpaid.
• Day to day things/supplies are pretty cheap out here. Electronics stuff is cheap. Stuff related to kids is expensive! What i mean is, there is value for money. Specially in the southern states. Not sure about areas like NJ or Bay area.

So, thats about it for now! More as and when I find time! :)

Tags: Kingsport, Life, lifestyle, photo, tennessee, tn, USA

Entry Filed under: Kingsport, Life, USA