Since this wasn’t apparent the last time I asked… no, I’m actually not a US citizen or green card holder (permanent resident). Just happened to be in this country for a long time due to career reasons.
Get an FBI background check, and get it apostilled. Easy to do from your local post office in the US, difficult and expensive to do outside the us, and you will need it for many things you might want to do in other countries
Why would you need an FBI background check outside of the US?
you need it if you apply for citizenship in some countries. they’ll ask for full criminal records of all the countries you’ve lived in.
Go camp at a dark sky park for a weekend.
Oh yeah, Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania is cool. Probably not “worth traveling there from some other state before leaving the country” cool, but cool. https://maps.app.goo.gl/SQp261ecxj7exAJy8
It’s one of my favorite places in the world. :) There are others, though.
If you are in Wisconsin or will be traveling through Wisconsin on your way out then you have to piss on McCarthy’s grave
Wait, he’s buried in Wisconsin?
Well, my weekend plans are set now!
His original grave is in Appleton, Wisconsin before the moved it to dc because locals kept pissing on it
Vandalise something
Open as many credit cards as you can and spend all the money and don’t worry about paying it back it’s all good
I mean the banks most likely gonna carsh in a few years anyway.
yeah I wonder why
Turn the lights off.
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Take a picture of “The New Colossus” in particular. I doubt people in the future will believe it was really there.
It’s such a beautiful poem too.
Brings a tear to my eye when I read it, but unfortunately not for the reasons Emma Lazarus may have hoped for when she penned it 😢
Statue of France**
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The price of copper is $4.44 per pound. Lady liberty is composed of 176,000 lbs of copper. Melting her down would be worth $781,440 which is less than it would cost to dismantle and melt her down. Basically she’s not worth the trouble.
You tell that to a tweaker with a van.
You finally did it, you melted it, you maniacs!
It’s not a cost issue, she’s a DEI hire.
Even without that, she’s a woman, and the Christian Taliban in charge don’t think they should exist outside the home.
This surely varies by state, but in Alaska, for example, I’m told Japanese vacationers LOVE to try out guns. So, if you can rent a gun on a range, shooting off weapons is the most American thing I can think to do before you leave.
A firing range is a whole lot more fun than one would expect.
Were you just on H1-B status the entire time?
I… don’t quite feel comfortable sharing the full details, but F-1; I have submitted a green card application too but no way it’s gonna pass now. I might find an opportunity to write about it a bit more in the future
Oh no worries, I was just curious as someone who’s familiar with the process. No need to elaborate further if you’re not comfortable sharing. Good luck with your future endeavors!
Close the door firmly after you leave.
So others can’t get out? So others still can’t come in? So we don’t let out all the AC?
Find out next time on: Puzzling Commentary!™
this has been a Desilu presentation.
OmegaMart if you’re near Vegas lawl
I had not heard of this until reading your comment, and I’ve just started down the rabbit hole… This place looks fucking incredible
Completely! I’ve heard about it from a few people and I want to go soooo badly.
is it really all that? the ads promise existential horror, but I never thought it’d deliver.
It’s an incredible art exhibit. Extremely inventive and fun. I have never been but I know people in America who have, and zero of them have been underwhelmed or disappointed. It’s my number one desire if I ever find myself near there.
Do not look into the cryptic lore. It will just make you want to go more.
I reeeeEEEEEALLY went to go.
I first learned of it from a video with one of my favourites, doseone.
Set it on fire & dip. Jk… unless?
It being the entire country?
You decide
California: “way ahead of you bro”
My answer depends on whether the country you’re going to has an extradition treaty with the United States.
- consider keeping your US phone number until all banking stuff is done since many banks do 2fa and this can be a giant pain after moving. Try to switch to an app if possible. Many providers also disallow known VoIP numbers.
- driving license was another one mentioned. Having it not expire before you can transfer it is preferable (assuming the target country allows transfer. Japan didn’t until after two years after I got here and my license expired so I had to start from zero despite driving for 15+ years in the US). You may need to get notarized driving records which is also easier before you leave.
- go through and change/cancel anything with an address on file – can be much easier from within the US. I went through the past year’s bank records to find anything sneaky that doesn’t renew monthly. If you have things that only renew every N years, don’t forget to cancel or update those (domain names, for instance).
- Make sure all city, municipal, county, state, and federal tax stuff will be OK to do after leaving (sometimes, some prep is needed)
- If you have any retirement plans like 401ks, IRAs, etc. see about rolling them over or whatever
- maybe do something with social security with regard to your target country if an agreement is in place, particularly if you didn’t work long enough to claim it. You can get US SS overseas in the vast majority of countries, but there are also certain provisions where you wouldn’t or it would be reduced based on what you have in the target country.
- Freeze credit reports at the agencies as others mentioned
Cool you moved to Japan? How has it been?
I’ve been happy most of the time. It’s not for everyone, but I’m a decade in and don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.
What’s the cost of living like compared to the US? I’m guessing you speak the language if you’ve been there that long?
Both the US and Japan have extremely varied costs of living depending upon where you’re talking about. I live in the countryside and things are generally fairly cheap, though inflation has been hitting hard since corona and a poor rice harvest last year. I studied the language a bit before I moved, came over as a language student (probably second-oldest there in my 30s), and found a job a few months later. I’m conversational, but my reading is pretty crap. I generally do all my own medical stuff and the like, though definitely run documents by my wife to make sure of some things (particularly government and finance). We basically only speak Japanese at home.
Tokyo can be expensive or not totally depending upon the experience you want to have. No need to own a car so no inspection, tax, insurance, gas, and parking spot cost. I lived there for 8 years without driving at all but did end up getting a motorbike after moving to the suburbs. I had to get a car when we moved to the countryside. Houses are going to be much smaller and much closer than most of the US. I earn well above the median salary (which is something like 4-6 million JPY/year for someone in their 40s) and pay roughly 26% of that out to pension, taxes, etc. Healthcare is far cheaper than in the US but not free at point of service like other countries. There are out-of-pocket maximums over some periods and tax rebates on the year if you go over 100k yen.
Thanks for the thorough reply!
driving license was another one mentioned. Having it not expire before you can transfer it is preferable
This is a giant, often overlooked issue. My home country of the Netherlands for example doesn’t allow a simple transef and makes you take a test (because road safety is important to Dutch people!). In Germany it’s even worse. There it depends on the state you obtained your US license in, since Germany has agreements with some states but not all…
In Germany it’s even worse. There it depends on the state you obtained your US license in, since Germany has agreements with some states but not all…
Wow, I did not expect that. Is it more with or without agreements?
Honestly, I can’t blame them. Some states are true shit holes without a functioning government.
Kentucky and Mass are both approved drivers’s licenses in France among others. It’s kinda random which states actually put in the work to have reciprocity.
There’s more with an agreement. Some also have a partial agreement, where only a written test is necessary. Here’s the full list, if you’re interested: https://www.german-way.com/for-expats/living-in-germany/german-drivers-license-reciprocity/
Yes. But im not allowed to say it. But you most definitely should
Mario sees you
Someone needs to
