Nurse JG: Biggest Challenges in our First Few Months in the States

Time flies so fast. Little did I know, it’s been more than a year now since me and my husband turned a longtime dream into reality.

January 26, 2019, we arrived here in the USA, and we were clueless back then on how to start living our American dream. But God is so good that He blessed us with people who helped us with everything and made our adjustment period bearable.

How’s our first year? Honestly, it was not easy. We’ve been through a lot! And as I look back, I am in tears… tears of joy because finally, life is easier now. Me and my husband owe a lot to the people who helped us all the way.

Before we fly to the United States, I’ve been asking people and searching online how much we should bring as a pocket money. With all the people that I’ve asked, I got the same answer--- “as much as you can”. Many suggested bringing money that we can use for 2-3 months as I will have to wait for my SSN before I can start working. While that is true, the problem was, we did not have enough savings to cover that. By then, we just brought $2,000 as our starting budget.

For our house, my employer provided a free accommodation for us for 3 months. That includes electricity, water, cable and Wi-Fi. The house was fully furnished--- bed, appliances, cooking utensils, towels, etc…they were all ready when we arrived. They even bought a rice cooker, one sack of rice and a pack of mineral water for us. (Thank you!) That means, we did not pay for house rent and utilities for 3 months. Yey!

For the transportation, my workplace is a walking distance from our accommodation, so we did not spend much for transportation (details later 😊). For food/groceries, we did not have to buy a lot because it’s just the 2 of us at home.

And for the expenses that needed a credit card (e.g. train ride, Uber), my aunt made a credit card extension for me (Thanks Tita Pia!), and we did not have to pay her back (hihi 😊).

We are based here in a small city in Eastern Texas. Though they have bus and train here, it’s not like Philippines that they are easy to take advantage of. Bus trips here are very organized. They have a specific time to leave the bus station, and they have specific loading and unloading areas. You can’t just say “Please drop me off there and there”, just like in the Philippines, because they will not. So, if we want to go somewhere far from the loading/unloading area, we will need to walk.

They also have Uber here, but it’s expensive. To our experience, a 0.7 mile drive would cost $6-7 plus tip. And for the train (Amtrak), booking is being done online. It’s not like in the Philippines where we just walk in and buy a train card at the station. Train ride here is not cheap as well. And for all these modes of transportation, we need to pay through credit card (and we didn't have one instantly back then).

In order to attend church worship services, we needed to ride a train going to Little Rock, Arkansas. And from LRK train station, somebody will come and pick us up (Thank you brother Froi!). It’s a 3+ hours trip, frenny! Since we didn't have a credit card yet that time, my aunt did our train bookings. But not long enough, she made a credit card extension for us to use. (Thanks Tita!)

On our third month, we got our own car, yey! (Ooops! There comes our first loan here in the Land of the Free haha!) Our Filipino friends were done in driving us for free hihi! And we’re done in riding the train as well. Thank you Lord for this blessing!

Me and my husband were first time drivers. Before we fly to the States, we just had a few days practice driving with my sister and her friend (Thanks Callit and Mac!). But honestly, it was not enough. I did not gain the confidence that I need to drive on Texas roads.

Then here we go, haha! We needed to get a driver’s license to get our own car. We were able to get a temporary license to do practice driving, but the question was, who will lend they car? Who will teach us how to drive here? We were too shy to ask that favor because first, most of our Filipino friends have brand new car. Will they let new drivers like us use their brand new car for practice? What if we incur damage on it? Yay! Second, everybody is busy here. Who should we ask favor from?

We were so thankful that one of our Filipino friends offered to teach us. (Thank you, Doc!) He let us use their brand new 2018 Rav4 (haha!) and was very patient with me and my husband. He thought us how to observe speed limits, traffic light rules and how to do parallel parking.

My husband passed the driving exam on his first try, I did on my third haha! Yay! I struggled a lot, but hey, I passed it! Haha!

Here in the United States, for us to be qualified for a loan, we need to have a good credit score/history. Here’s how I started to understand what a credit score is. First, we need to have a credit card. Next, we need to use our credit card as much as we can, then pay it on time. That’s how we earn a credit score. Then when we apply for a loan, they will look on our history, how well do we pay our bills/debts.

Credit score will take time to build up. How can newcomers like us make a car loan when we don’t even have a credit card/credit history?

The moment I got my first pay, I applied for a credit card through Discover. And thankfully, they approved me, yey! So, of all our purchases, we used my Discover card. On our third month, me and my husband tried our luck to apply for a car loan.

We initially wanted a 2019 Honda CRV. We went to a Honda dealer here in the city. They checked my credit score, and unfortunately, it was not that high. They said, they might approve me if I have a consigner. A cosigner is someone who guarantees to meet any missed payments and even repay my loan should I fail so. And, it should be a relative. I have 3 aunts and 1 uncle here in the States, but none of them were willing to cosign. I understand them though, it’s an additional liability as they said. So there, we were denied.

Then we tried our second option, 2019 Toyota Rav4. With high hopes, we went to a Toyota dealership, they checked my credit history and I told them we just came here in the States so there’s no way I can have a high credit score. I also made them aware that no one can cosign me. Of not so long waiting time, Toyota got hold of a financial institution that’s willing to finance our car loan. On the same day, March 23, 2019, we drove our brand new 2019 Toyota Rav4. We love you, Lord!

I worked in a BPO industry in the Philippines, so somehow, I was confident with English. But when we came here, that confidence slowly faded away. At the grocery store, at the restaurant, even at work, there were times that I struggled to communicate. Texan accent is a little hard to understand at first and people here sometimes use words that are new to me (slang). While having them repeat what they said or asking them what they mean helped a lot, I learned that sometimes, smiling can be a good response too. Haha!

There were also times that I didn’t know how to express myself, that I can’t get hold of the correct terms or words. This happened a lot of times, especially when I was nervous. Up until now, I still have those “loading” times, but for sure, I am better now. Haha!

I only worked as a volunteer nurse for one year, and it was long time ago now (2011-2012). This means, I was not able to practice nursing for 6+ years.

Going back to nursing practice was not easy. And it was even harder that I had it happen here in America--- where I need to speak English all the time, where I need to work with people with different cultures, where some of the medicines are unfamiliar and where the hospital equipment are more advanced. It was hard. I can’t count the times I cried my silent tears.

What made me get it through? It’s the idea that this is my long-time dream, that I waited for this opportunity for so many years, that many are dreaming to be in my shoes. Plus, plus, I am under a contract, that I need to pay thousands of dollars if I give up. I had no other choice but to endure, until I get used to it.

But you know what frennies? I am still blessed. I was assigned to work with a preceptor that’s so patient and helpful. I told her my background, she treated me like a newbie. She explained everything, she understood my pacing and encouraged me as much as she can. On the later part of my training period, I moved to weekend nights, where my preceptor was a Filipino and most of my co-nurses were Filipinos too. This was the time when I felt everything is falling into place. They were all very helpful, and they made every workday easier than before. (Thank you, guys!)

Right now, I am more confident to go to work. No more “kaba” moments whenever I receive patients. Hard patients or not, I am not afraid anymore, not because I am good but because I know I am not alone. Thanks to my ates and kuyas in our unit!

It is true, frennies, that when you come here in America, it’s not the end of the challenges in our journey. It’s the beginning of new sets to overcome.

So, to all of you, my frennies, who are set to come here in the Land of the Free, congratulations! Bring with you a lot of confidence, endurance and determination. Remember, starting here is not easy. We've been through those also. Just go with the flow. Do your very best in everything. One day, you’ll say, “I’m glad I’m done with the most difficult part of my adjustment period. Life is better now.”