Transitioning to Life in the U.S.

Congratulations! You've done it! You’ve successfully navigated the obstacles and complexities of the immigration process and have finally arrived at your new home in the United States. But, your journey is not quite over. Transitioning from life in the Philippines to life in the U.S. is not always easy. Despite the advantages that Filipinos have over other immigrants, such as speaking American English and familiarity with aspects of American culture, there may be unexpected challenges.

How quickly you adjust to living in America may depend in part on how similar your environment in the Philippines was to your current U.S. environment. For example, if you worked for a U.S. company in Metro Manila, the transition to a similar work environment in the U.S. might be relatively easy. On the other hand, someone from a small provincial town might have to make larger adjustments.

Your family situation can also make a difference in your adjustment process. If you were used to living with extended family in the Philippines, perhaps with household help, you may have to get used to living alone or with roommates and having to do household tasks yourself.

In the seventh article in our New Immigrant Survival Guide series (Coming to America — 4 Things You Should Know Before You Arrive), we provide some key tips for Filipinos coming to live in the U.S. If you would like to share your views, join the discussion on remithome’s Facebook page.

The Ask remithome section (A Cash Pick-Up Guide) explains what your recipients in the Philippines need to know about the Cash Pick-Up delivery method.

Join our Facebook discussion on life in the U.S.

For Filipinos Currently Living in the U.S.: What do you like most about living here? How is life in the U.S. different from what you expected? What surprised you most? What would it have been helpful for you to know before you came to the U.S.? Do you have any advice for Filipinos on their way over to the U.S.?

Click the “Like” button on remithome’s Facebook page and join the discussion!

 New Immigrant Survival Guide: Coming to America —
4 Things You Should Know Before You Arrive
Seventh in a Series of Articles

Immigrating to the U.S. can be viewed as a great opportunity. However, your success here will depend in large part on how quickly you adjust to your new host country.

We have previously published tips from recent Filipino immigrants to the U.S. (see First Impressions and Living and Working in America). In this issue we focus on 4 things that Filipinos should know about the U.S. before you arrive.

1. Most items in the U.S. are more expensive, often a LOT more expensive — Anything that involves land (such as housing) or labor (public transportation, taxis, restaurants) will be more expensive. See our article on Cost of Living Comparison: U.S. and the Philippines for a brief overview.
2. You will have to do more things yourself — Because you probably won’t have extended family or household help, expect to do more things yourself. This will include shopping for food, cooking, cleaning, laundry, household repairs, driving, and much more. As you become more self-reliant and independent, you may gain a sense of accomplishment from learning to fix a leaky faucet or discover that cooking becomes your newest hobby!
3. The American work environment is different — People tend to be less formal (they address their co-workers by first names, not sir or ma’am), more direct (which may come across as less polite), more time-conscious (they expect you to be on time), and more results-oriented (they want to know what you have accomplished). Tip: Americans tend to admire confidence, so try to make eye contact when you speak to someone. Looking down to show respect, as is common in the Philippines, may be viewed as a sign of low confidence or even dishonesty.
4. American universities are different too — There is more emphasis on class participation in American universities. And expressing opposing views is encouraged; just be sure to support them with logic and evidence.

If you are currently in the Philippines and planning to come to the U.S, we are interested in hearing your thoughts. From what you have heard from others, what do you expect it to be like living in the U.S.? What do you think you will like most? What do you think will be your major challenges in adapting to American life? What will you miss most about the Philippines?

To share your views and hear what others have to say, join the discussion on remithome’s Facebook page.

 Ask remithome: A Cash Pick-Up Guide (for Recipients in
the Philippines)

Question: I need to send money using your Cash Pick-Up delivery method because my recipient doesn’t have a bank account and she lives in a remote area of the Philippines. Do you have a guide that would help her understand your Cash Pick-Up process?

Answer: You can send this link (http://www.remithome.com/newsletter-june-2011.html#two) to your recipient so that she can access the following guide:

CASH PICK-UP GUIDE FOR RECIPIENTS

As a Recipient using remithome’s Cash Pick-Up delivery method, the following information is very important. Please read this carefully.

• The person sending you money from the U.S. will need YOUR NAME AS PRINTED ON YOUR OFFICIAL IDs — You will need 2 IDs to pick up your money at the bank branch, and the name provided to the bank by your sender must exactly match the name on your IDs. So provide your full name and NOT your nickname.
• Provide a CONTACT PHONE NUMBER to the person sending you money — It is important that the Philippine bank and remithome’s Manila office have a correct contact phone number in case we need to contact you. A CELL PHONE NUMBER IS PREFERRED, but a land line is acceptable. Click here for information on Philippine phone number as seen from the U.S.
• Tell your sender the BEST CASH-PICK UP LOCATION FOR YOU — Visit our Cash Pick-Up Locations Page and choose the most convenient location for you. Search the list by Province or by City/Town. Provide the Cash Pick-Up location to your sender.
• Transfers to the Philippines are processed at 2:00 PM (California Time), which is 5:00 AM in the Philippines, so your money will not be available immediately — If your sender has set up an email or text notification, you should receive notification that money has been sent to you. However, please allow the bank branch some time to prepare the transaction.
• Cash Pick-Up locations are all bank branches, so they are only open on business days — Banks are closed on weekends and on national holidays, so Cash Pick-Up will not be available on these days.

If you have questions about a specific transaction, please contact your sender and have him or her contact our office directly. To protect the privacy of our customers, there is only a limited amount of information that we can provide to recipients. For general questions about Cash Pick-Up procedures, please email remithome Customer Service at customerservice@remithome.com.