I am sure everyone must have made a list of their own of stuff they want to take with them to USA. I would like to share a list of things which we got from India.
- kitchen items
- Pressure cooker (3 litre)
- 1-2 non-stick flat bottom pan(some apartments have electric stove
so it's difficult to use traditional karahi)
- a pan for making tea/coffee
- 6 stainless steel plates
- 6-12 stainless steel bowls
- 6 stainless steel glasses
- 12 spoons and 12 forks
- 2-3 serving spoons
- Grinder (if you make idli-dosas everyday)
- 1 packet of all basic spices you use like Dhania powder, Garam
Masala, chilli powder etc.
- all your important medications
- other miscelleneous things which you think are important.
Grocery items like daals, spices, rice, oil, flour and every thing else you use for cooking can be bought from Indian stores in USA. Even some American stores carry Indian daals and spices (in the international aisle)
No need to carry stuff like iron, dinner set, comforter & sheet set, tupperware or storage containers, shampoos or creams as you can get everything very cheap from Walmart.
We did not carry much clothes as you get good quality clothes at a reasonable rate especially if you stay near an outlet mall like tanger. During sale, it's very cheap and if you have coupons , nothing like it ( I will talk about coupons in another post). Do bring your jackets and sweaters if you are coming in the winter season (maybe one-two for each person). Once you settle down, you can explore all this.
Carry minimum jewellery as you are not going to wear it so often as in India. Same with sarees and salwar suits as you are not going to wear them much or only when you go to the temple. A good option is to bring some kurtis which you can wear with jeans.
As for toys for kids, bring minimum. You can get lots of toys (used and almost new) from garage sales here (I will write about it in another post).
Showing posts with label Indians moving to USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indians moving to USA. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Schools in USA
For getting registered in the local library, normally photo ID and proof of residence is required. You can show your passport and copy of lease to become a member. Check with the library if they require anything else.
One reader has asked "Should we search for public schools in possible location we would be moving or should we first look for a good school-district and then accordingly select a place / city of residence?"
I think you should first search for public schools in the area where your office is located. Then try nearby areas if the rating is not good and accordingly look for place of residence. Office proximity is good if you have to rush to the school for some emergency or to attend parent-teacher meetings.
After you have shortlisted the school, you can call/e-mail the school/district and ask them the procedure of admission. Normally they require proof of birth, immunization records signed by local pediatrician and proof of residency (you can get admission only in the school allocated to your current residence). My son had joined school in 1st grade but the school did not ask for any previous school records. You have to check with the school.
In my next blog, I would give information on how to look for apartments in USA and what are the things you have to consider.
One reader has asked "Should we search for public schools in possible location we would be moving or should we first look for a good school-district and then accordingly select a place / city of residence?"
I think you should first search for public schools in the area where your office is located. Then try nearby areas if the rating is not good and accordingly look for place of residence. Office proximity is good if you have to rush to the school for some emergency or to attend parent-teacher meetings.
After you have shortlisted the school, you can call/e-mail the school/district and ask them the procedure of admission. Normally they require proof of birth, immunization records signed by local pediatrician and proof of residency (you can get admission only in the school allocated to your current residence). My son had joined school in 1st grade but the school did not ask for any previous school records. You have to check with the school.
In my next blog, I would give information on how to look for apartments in USA and what are the things you have to consider.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Tips for moving to USA
I am a Mom of two small Kids. Moved from India to USA two years back. This blog is helpful for those who have small kids and planning to move to USA.
The first thing you have to do is look for an apartment in USA. Staying in hotel is okay for 1-2 days/weeks but then it's better to settle down fast and nothing like own place and home food. We shifted to our apartment within two days of landing in USA. What nobody tells you is that you have to start the process even before you reach here. In USA, all schools have ratings based on their performance (10 is best) and it's better to stay in the area where school rating is good enough.
So before you come here, do a thorough search and decide in advance. There is a great website http://www.greatschools.org/. You open the site and put the name of the city and state where you want to shift or you can put the zip code (if you know). It will display all the schools in the area and their rating. Most Elementary schools are from kindergarten (ages 5+) to 5th Grade. Some may have pre-K. Education in public schools is free. So you click the school'name which has a good rating. It will show everything from parents reviews to test scores to compare schools. If you click "compare schools", you will get a list of all the schools in the area and nearby. Suppose the place you are going has schools with poor rating, then you can search for schools in nearby area. It's better to stay in an area where school rating is better which may mean further from your office. I can tell from my own experience. I didn't know a thing about ratings when I came to USA. We took house within walkable distance from my husband's office. While great for him but my son had to study in a 3 rating school. Now he studies in 9 rating school. Needless to say, there is a huge difference in both the schools in terms of education and overall culture.
Everyday I would be adding more tips on how to settle down here.
. If you have any questions, I would be glad to help.
The first thing you have to do is look for an apartment in USA. Staying in hotel is okay for 1-2 days/weeks but then it's better to settle down fast and nothing like own place and home food. We shifted to our apartment within two days of landing in USA. What nobody tells you is that you have to start the process even before you reach here. In USA, all schools have ratings based on their performance (10 is best) and it's better to stay in the area where school rating is good enough.
So before you come here, do a thorough search and decide in advance. There is a great website http://www.greatschools.org/. You open the site and put the name of the city and state where you want to shift or you can put the zip code (if you know). It will display all the schools in the area and their rating. Most Elementary schools are from kindergarten (ages 5+) to 5th Grade. Some may have pre-K. Education in public schools is free. So you click the school'name which has a good rating. It will show everything from parents reviews to test scores to compare schools. If you click "compare schools", you will get a list of all the schools in the area and nearby. Suppose the place you are going has schools with poor rating, then you can search for schools in nearby area. It's better to stay in an area where school rating is better which may mean further from your office. I can tell from my own experience. I didn't know a thing about ratings when I came to USA. We took house within walkable distance from my husband's office. While great for him but my son had to study in a 3 rating school. Now he studies in 9 rating school. Needless to say, there is a huge difference in both the schools in terms of education and overall culture.
Everyday I would be adding more tips on how to settle down here.
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