Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2015 20:22:54 GMT -5
Keep in mind too there is an island version of cabin fever. Visit before you decide to move and don't be blinded by touristy stuff. That gets old very quickly. Yep- Island Fever. There are a lot of opportunities for actuaries in Bermuda and the Caribbean and you get warned about that. One friend who moved to Barbados was warned that living there was very different from vacationing there. He eventually moved to another company in the Caymans and 3 of their 4 kids were born in the islands before they moved back tonTX so I guess it worked for him.
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justme
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Post by justme on Sept 9, 2015 21:00:56 GMT -5
How much money do you have set aside? There's a lot higher cost to getting off the island vs just driving somewhere else on the mainland.
And what do you mean by worst case scenario is to go to the police and they'll send you back? I'm so confused
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2015 21:40:27 GMT -5
Don't let anybody tell you differently but you can be lonely and isolated anywhere, even in a city of 10M people. Maybe it is even worse there since there "obviously" must be something wrong with you if you feel isolated among millions. No outside influence to be blamed right? I'll never forget the title of a book (also I forgot everything else about it) that I had to read in 6th grade written by the great-grandmother of the current Dutch king. The title was "Lonely but not Alone". I doubt it was the lesson the nuns wanted to teach us, but it was the one that stayed with me → loneliness is an internal force. For me, it wasn't about being lonely, it was about being trapped on a little island with a million freaking people!
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Sept 9, 2015 23:25:34 GMT -5
How much money do you have set aside? There's a lot higher cost to getting off the island vs just driving somewhere else on the mainland. And what do you mean by worst case scenario is to go to the police and they'll send you back? I'm so confused No, it was just an answer to comments of "worst case scenario". All it means is that under a worst case scenario I would show up at the police station and ask for help. It's an hypothetical situation.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Sept 9, 2015 23:42:22 GMT -5
I agree that it's a wonderful thought, but she does have a condo that she will at least have to rent out. I think it's in a bad part of town so she won't get much, but she will still have to cover maintenance. Plus, she wants the CPA so she need to make sure there is a reciprocal agreement and that she can satisfy the work experience requirement. My son passed the exam right after graduation and before he got a job. He had to work for someone he hated for two years because the clock starts over if you leave. Ava needs to figure out if she's a fancy free person or an adult with responsibilities that she can't easily shed. It is not as easy as saying, "Go.' That's what I try to say to my students who are graduating that want to go to California to be an actor/actress. They are 18. Ava isn't. She owns that condo. She has career plans beyond waitressing. I am not trying to be a downer. I am just reminding you, Ava, that you need to think about whether this will work for you at this stage of your life. Good luck! I know I have the condo and I'm not 20 anymore
Reality is, no matter where I go the condo will have to be rented out. I'm not staying in a place I'm not happy just so the condo remains owner occupied. I mentioned in other threads that about half of the units have been turned into rentals. They rent quickly, there are no empty units and the owners seem to be doing ok.
About career goals, I don't know. I'm kind of disappointed. I'm slowly realizing my current job is dead-end. I could search for a new job, but I do not want to start working for a new company here in CT. I feel sort of trapped in the current situation because I cannot move forward where I am and I'm unwilling to get another job in this state. So until I move I'm kind of stuck. After so much work and getting the MBA, it makes me feel sort of sad.
Again, I haven't made a decision yet. I don't jump into things. The earliest I would move anywhere would be February or March, so still 6 months away.
Things that started to pop up into my head against moving to Hawaii are mainly three. One, my savings are finite and it sounds extremely expensive to move there. Then I would have to eventually move to Florida, and maybe I'll be broke. Two, Ava's well-being is very important to me. I cannot let her sit in a kennel for four months. I don't see her surviving that, specially at her age and the fact that she's always been with me. I think she qualifies for the 5 days quarantine, but I'm not sure. And three, Hawaii is exactly in the opposite geographic direction of where I want to be. Visiting would be more difficult than it already is. The time difference would make even calling home a challenge.
I have a lot to think about. If I don't decide to move, I'm taking a week off work and visiting for sure, now that I have a place to stay and someone to show me around. I've always wanted to go to Hawaii.
The only thing I'm certain is that by 2016 I HAVE TO get out of CT. I cannot stand this place anymore. Just how emotional I got on the slightest chance of moving away gives me a clue that my time here is pretty much up. The problem I have with Florida, and the main reason why I'm not already there is because I don't have any sort of reliable network there. Whatever I decide, it's time to make some big decisions and take some risks.
Again, thanks everybody for bearing with me and letting me use you to inspect my thoughts and feelings.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Sept 10, 2015 7:23:27 GMT -5
Don't let anybody tell you differently but you can be lonely and isolated anywhere, even in a city of 10M people. Maybe it is even worse there since there "obviously" must be something wrong with you if you feel isolated among millions. No outside influence to be blamed right? I'll never forget the title of a book (also I forgot everything else about it) that I had to read in 6th grade written by the great-grandmother of the current Dutch king. The title was "Lonely but not Alone". I doubt it was the lesson the nuns wanted to teach us, but it was the one that stayed with me → loneliness is an internal force. For me, it wasn't about being lonely, it was about being trapped on a little island with a million freaking people! Clearly you should never go to Sea Isle City NJ on a weekend in the summer!
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Sept 10, 2015 9:57:20 GMT -5
Worst case scenario, I go to the police station and they'll probably send me back to the mainland.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Sept 10, 2015 10:05:14 GMT -5
For me, it wasn't about being lonely, it was about being trapped on a little island with a million freaking people! Clearly you should never go to Sea Isle City NJ on a weekend in the summer! It can't be worse than the hell that is Ocean City! I grew up going to Sea Isle with my dad. :-)
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Sept 10, 2015 10:19:55 GMT -5
If you want to live in Florida, go to Florida. While Hawaii sounds interesting, it also sounds like it will derail where you really want to be.
What is stopping you from job hunting in Florida now? How do you remedy that?
We decided to move to place after spending 1 day visiting and me having 2 interviews. It was a great let's go situation even with 2 kids. I knew no one in this town although it put me closer to my family. It was a great decision. I do a little of the what ifs, but I am glad we went for it.
I have friends from high school who have done 2 stints in Hawaii. They just came back again. The last stretch was for 4 years. They have 3 kids and the traveling back and forth was hard. I don't know if cost of living got to them, but their house there sold for $700k and an equivalent here would be $250k.
I know sometime you've just got to leave. One you make the decision it is harder to press on to stay. I'm glad once we decided to move it happened very quickly. If it had been drawn out, I think it would have killed me.
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cktc
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Post by cktc on Sept 10, 2015 11:12:32 GMT -5
The problem I have with Florida, and the main reason why I'm not already there is because I don't have any sort of reliable network there. Whatever I decide, it's time to make some big decisions and take some risks.
Will you have a network in Florida in the foreseeable future or is moving to Hawaii a step towards living without one? It sounds like Florida is your dream, and Hawaii is just a place holder. Which is fine and I'm sure it would be a great adventure, but don't be afraid to follow your dreams.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Sept 10, 2015 11:40:17 GMT -5
Ava.....you've got a game plan for going to Florida and have been talking about it for ages. Even if you are frustrated with your job, there is nothing stopping you from moving up your time line a little in moving to FL.
However, I think if you want to do this, you might want to forgo your vacation to your home country (or at least shorten it considerably). You've said more than once that you are out of vacation time between this visit home and your classes. Moving is going to take time, $$ and energy and it would be a very good idea if you went with at least a job offer. That may require that you made a few trips down to FL while you are working. How are you planning on doing this if you are totally out of vacation? They're not going to want to interview you on a weekend or holiday.
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Sept 10, 2015 11:56:16 GMT -5
I'm not worried about the CPA. Even if I never become a CPA, hey, for a foreign born citizen who came here with nothing I am proud of myself. I got an education, an MBA, and maybe I can get a CPA. If it doesn't happen, it's not the end of my world.
Ava I don't disagree with you that it's not the end of your world but if you're going into accounting your CPA license is huge and quite honestly will do more for your early in your career than your MBA. If you go the accounting route you're going to get passed over for candidates who have their license if you don't. When I graduated with my BS multiple teachers in the accounting program told us if we were intending to graduate with an accounting degree and be accountants we should be planning to sit for the exam and the sooner the better. I advise against putting off studying and sitting for the exam if you aren't already going through that process. To each their own but I wouldn't be putting off my career after all the work you've done to move somewhere that you don't have an accounting job lined up. Good luck with whatever you choose.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Sept 10, 2015 12:05:42 GMT -5
Well Ava you might want to read the links again more carefully, but it looks like your kitty can "quarantine in place" before you leave. Apparently that just means that you have to jump through a whole lotta hoops (tests, vet certifications, etc) in the months before you leave, but if your kitty can pass all the tests and you show up with papers from a vet as proof, she can go home with you almost right away (after they verify the paperwork).
It LOOKS like she only has to sit in quarantine on the islands for 4 months if the testing and other work (spay/chip/shots) was not done in advance or if you don't have the paperwork to prove you've met their requirements in advance.
Good luck whatever you decide.
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Sept 10, 2015 13:44:53 GMT -5
::It's a couple years. Military families get stationed places they've never visited all the time. She's looking at a US state not a foreign country. There's really not that much difference between US states, and I went from California to Mississippi.::
To me there's a big difference between moving somewhere for a job having not visited there, and moving somewhere purely for pleasure having never visited. In the former scenario you have a reason to be there regardless of whether you particularly enjoy the location. In the latter the only reason for moving is enjoyment of the location...so it makes sense to know if you're going to enjoy it before picking up and moving.
::He and his family loved it, but visiting relatives and friends on the mainland was a bitch.::
My brother in law lives there (in the Air Force). Surprisingly he hasn't really needed to visit family and friends on the mainland...they all just seem to be willing to leave the cold behind and visit Hawaii to see him. Seems like one of the perks, you're in a location a lot of people are willing to come visit you (Countdown: 4 weeks and I'll be there to see him)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2015 14:00:01 GMT -5
I would go visit my family there every year if I could, but at $700-$1000 ticket times 3...yeah. Not happening.
My cousins on the Big Island rarely have left in the past 20 years. My aunt and uncle on Oahu have been there forever and are loaded. They come to the mainland all the time visiting kids/grandkids. I would say at least 3-4 times a year. Back when they were younger though, no. Years would go by without seeing them.
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Sept 10, 2015 14:18:50 GMT -5
Don't let anybody tell you differently but you can be lonely and isolated anywhere, even in a city of 10M people. Maybe it is even worse there since there "obviously" must be something wrong with you if you feel isolated among millions. No outside influence to be blamed right? I'll never forget the title of a book (also I forgot everything else about it) that I had to read in 6th grade written by the great-grandmother of the current Dutch king. The title was "Lonely but not Alone". I doubt it was the lesson the nuns wanted to teach us, but it was the one that stayed with me → loneliness is an internal force. That's definitely true. Moving to one of these places as an adult is probably a lot different than growing up there. I am glad I left the midwest for a while, but I am now considering going back. However, a few people I know who never left still assume that life is better everywhere else and can get pretty bummed out about it. For Ava, it sounds like the more relevant concern would be needing to take a longer trip to go see her family. That can be really annoying too, but possibly worth it if it was only a temporary move.
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Sept 10, 2015 14:30:39 GMT -5
Florida does seem like it makes more sense. It would be nice to move somewhere that you already know someone, but you can still build a social network in Florida. It may take a bit longer, but it sounds like you plan to move there eventually, so you would have to do that anyway.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Sept 10, 2015 15:00:43 GMT -5
I think it's completely bizarre and naive to move to a place you've never been. I understand you want away from the dreary winter, but this sounds like a bad idea to me. It's a couple years. Military families get stationed places they've never visited all the time. She's looking at a US state not a foreign country. There's really not that much difference between US states, and I went from California to Mississippi. My brother was stationed in Hawaii for three years. He and his family loved it, but visiting relatives and friends on the mainland was a bitch. The cost of living is very high. Can't beat the weather though, and the beaches are gorgeous. I say go for it and have a ball. As hoops articulated, big difference in moving for a job and for a whim. And Hawaii is a LOT different than moving to another state, which I have done many many times. And as I also said, she needs a support system and she's putting all her eggs into one guy who she doesn't really know very well.
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quince
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Post by quince on Sept 10, 2015 15:13:34 GMT -5
She won't be stuck though if things go bad- she has savings enough to get her into a hotel, and relatives that are comfortable and will gleefully help her out if she needs it, though her desire for independence makes that a last resort. I am living in California. I have lived in Michigan. I grew up in Hawaii. It is a US state, but it has a very sharp cultural difference. It is, in some ways, like a different country. Hell, I've had tourists ask me if I'd ever been to the "United States" when I worked at a shop one summer. There's the pidgin, strong, strong local dialect that comes across in their entertainment. Lots of non-english words in common usage. You all know the words "Aloha" and maybe "Mahalo", but the kama'aina discounts that are available kind of show the "us" and "them" mentality of the islanders. I've had people from Hawaii that I met in other states compliment me on how well I speak English, because I don't speak pidgin. For your entertainment: www.pidginbible.org/The beaches are fucking awesome, though. If I enjoyed going to the beach, I would probably be missing them.
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wanttofire
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Post by wanttofire on Sept 10, 2015 21:36:23 GMT -5
Ava, I've been following your history for a while and my advice to you is that you need to make a decision about your life like now. You've been wanting to go to Florida forever because it would make u feel like home and I think that it probably will, it makes me feel like I'm back in my country too so to me that's where u need to go. About your career, honestly you need to go find an accounting job, you don't need a cpa or a mba, you need a job that will help you get the experience you need as an accountant if that's what tiu want to do. I think you are scared to go to Florida and continue to do things to postpone it. Have you ever been to Miami? Do you know anyone in miami?
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mamasita99
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Post by mamasita99 on Sept 12, 2015 6:46:34 GMT -5
Well Ava you might want to read the links again more carefully, but it looks like your kitty can "quarantine in place" before you leave. Apparently that just means that you have to jump through a whole lotta hoops (tests, vet certifications, etc) in the months before you leave, but if your kitty can pass all the tests and you show up with papers from a vet as proof, she can go home with you almost right away (after they verify the paperwork).
It LOOKS like she only has to sit in quarantine on the islands for 4 months if the testing and other work (spay/chip/shots) was not done in advance or if you don't have the paperwork to prove you've met their requirements in advance.
Good luck whatever you decide. We did the "quarantine in place" when we moved to Guam. Then when she arrived on island, she had to spend a few days in their vet kennel to be inspected on their end. It's a confusing process, and we ended up having to leave our dog with friend for the "house quarantine" because my then husband didn't start the process soon enough. Still better than having your baby in a kennel for 4 months.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 12, 2015 7:15:04 GMT -5
Miami is an entire country/culture of its very own. If Ava is from where I think she is, she'll be much happier and fit in very well there.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Sept 12, 2015 12:25:47 GMT -5
Thanks again for all the input. I've been thinking long and hard these past few days. I let it sleep a little bit, too. Conclusion; I'm moving to Florida in 2016. Hawaii sounds very nice but it's not what I really want. I'm going to visit though, sounds like an awesome place to go and now I have somewhere to stay.
So my game plan is to finish the two classes I'm taking, go back home for the holidays, come back and start looking for a job in Miami while I take CPA exam parts. I'll give myself a few months to job hunt from far away, and if I don't get anything from here, then I'll take it as an adventure and just go. I don't have a good support network but there are a couple of people living there who are cousins of a good friend of mine who lives here in CT. There is also a large Argentinian community there and I'm sure it will be easier to make friends. I saw a lot of service jobs available there when I visited Miami. Not ideal but would keep me afloat while I search for something better if I end up moving without a job lined-up. Because, let's face it, it's very difficult to find a job when you are so far away. Hiring managers don't like that. It's not like I'm an engineer or nurse who's in high demand. I know I will get something; I have a good education, I'm a good person and a good worker. It's just that maybe I won't find a job while I'm still in CT. So I'm preparing myself for that possibility.
Anyway, I clarified my ideas. Sharing them with you here certainly helped.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Sept 12, 2015 12:32:40 GMT -5
And just for information; I really mean it when I say not getting the CPA certification won't be the end of the world for me. I don't work in accounting although I have an accounting undergraduate and an MBA with an accounting concentration. I work in banking. And I like working in banking. Getting a CPA license would be the ultimate achievement, but I don't need it in my field of work. It would be a dream come true, because I started with nothing and it would be awesome. If I don't get it, well, my life doesn't stop because of that. I've done all I can to get there. So I'm already happy with my achievements. If I can pass the CPA exam parts, then I'll probably have to work for a public accounting firm for a while because that is the easiest way to get the experience for the license. After I get the license I may go into industry, go back to banking, etc. I don't see myself staying in public accounting. It's long hours, high pressure, and seems cut throat to me. I could do it at a small or medium size firm, but I don't see myself surviving at one of the Big Four. I'm happier at work when I have a good environment, people who appreciate me, and reasonable hours to work. Salary is not all that important. But whatever I do afterwards, having a CPA designation will be the greatest thing.
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Ava
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Post by Ava on Sept 12, 2015 12:34:25 GMT -5
Miami is an entire country/culture of its very own. If Ava is from where I think she is, she'll be much happier and fit in very well there. Yes, it is. I could see that in the days I spent there. And I really liked what I saw.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Sept 12, 2015 12:39:59 GMT -5
Btw, a bi-lingual CPA should have NO issue getting a job. I don't see you waitressing.
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kjto1
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Post by kjto1 on Sept 12, 2015 15:53:51 GMT -5
I'm glad you worked through your decision. A lot of times, an adventure like Hawaii derails you from what you want - especially since Florida is in the works for next year - not in 10 years. You have a very sensible plan, stay the course - the time will pass quickly. Good luck!
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Sept 12, 2015 16:33:54 GMT -5
Btw, a bi-lingual CPA should have NO issue getting a job. I don't see you waitressing. I agree. I think your language skills will make you very valuable to a professional firm.
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