Travelling Guide to USA

Travel this Message with your eyes before you move to USA

Introduction

Carry Luggage

The Arrival

Using Telephones

Public Transport

Mind your language

The Anti-Universe phenomenon

Food, I'm hungry

Office and Work Environment

Americans and their Behavior

Initial Package from DCI

Social Security

Driver's License/Photo-ID

Bank Accounts/Cheque writing

Cards (Credit/Debit, ATM, phone, medical)

Shopping

Renting an apartment & Garage Sales

Buying a car

Renting a car

Doctors Appointments

Tax on H-1 / W2 form/State,Federal

AAA membership value

Last Word

Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usually, before anyone comes to the U.S.A for the first time from India
he/she will start talking to people who have been here before and get
information from them about what to expect, what to do etc. Though this
gives some idea it doesn't make one confident or better prepared and
moreover how much can one absorb at once.

So we felt the need for a small, informal document which anyone could
carry alongwith or read on the plane before he/she gets to the U.S.A. The
objective of this document is to make you aware of things, situations to
expect and enlighten you with facts so you can be comfortable once you
get there.

This friendly document will guide you during your stay in the U.S. You
will be better prepared for the trip if you read this document before going or
just after reaching. It tries to give information on preparing for the
trip, food, travel, stay and culture in the U.S.

This is just out of our experience and should be considered as an advice
rather than final authoritative statements, which may be arguable. We
want you to enjoy your trip to the U.S. as much as possible. You bet.

All the best!! :-)

Carry Luggage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The carry baggage is the biggest problem while coming to U.S. What to
carry? How much to carry? Do I carry more woollen clothes 'cause its cold
out there? Well, we all think, it depends !!

Don't carry too many heavy utensils, cooker etc. You can buy most of the
utensils there. They are not costly and you don't have to carry much. You
can carry some spices with you if you want to, 'cause after going there
you may start missing the Indian food taste.

Don't carry too many warm clothes (unless you are going there in winter),
or sports shoes etc. It would be better if you buy them after going
there. That way you can buy the latest style. But you should carry leather
shoes
from India, since leather items are costly in the U.S. Rest, it all
depends
on you and your needs !!

The Arrival
~~~~~~~~~~~
Enjoy your flight. Try to learn more about other nations from the
co-passengers There can be international stops on your way to the U.S.

International Stops

Generally passengers are required to get down at an International stop,
which might be for Security checkup or cleaning of the airplane. You
will be given a 'transit card` or say 'transit visa`. Normally the halt is for
a couple of hours. Listen to the announcement which is always made before
the international halt. You will hear information about departure time, gate
number etc. After getting down at Intl. Airport, you can move around in
the airport. But be at the gate within 45 minutes of your flight's departure
for the onward journey, 'cause they may require to check your tickets
etc. Once you get in, you are all set to take off for the final destination.

Immigration

The first thing you need to go through at the port-of-entry U.S. airport
(international airport where you first land in the U.S.), after landing
is the immigration and customs clearance. After which you may board a
domestic flight to reach your final destination. Before getting down at your
port-of-entry final international halt, inside the plane, you will be
given a form to fill up called I-94. SPECIFY DCI`s CONTACT NUMBER, ADDRESS AND
OTHER OFFICIAL INFORMATION AS YOUR CONTACT NUMBER, ADDRESS WHERE YOU ILL
STAY etc.

On alighting from the plane you may ask people or signs will guide you to
the immigration. Keep your passport, H1-paper ( Blue form ) and the form
you filled inside the plane, handy. At the counter you might be asked
some questions. TALK ABSOLUTELY TO THE POINT. DON`T TRY TO LIE. MAKE SURE THAT
WHATEVER YOU SAY IS WRITTEN ON THE PAPER. You will be given the counter
foil of I-94 form. Keep that very carefully. And say to yourself "WELCOME
TO USA".

Baggage Claim

Try to acquire some 25 cent coins (called "quarters"), which you may need
for getting a trolley cart for your baggage and also for making telephone
calls etc. Thereafter move toward the baggage claim carousel assigned to
your flight, simply follow the signs directing you to the place. Collect
your luggage and look for signs directing you to customs clearance. At
the customs clearance they may ask you to open your bags for a security
check/verification.

Domestic Flight

Since the Port-of-entry may not be your final destination in the U.S. and
you have to proceed onwards, locate the counter for the domestic airline
you will be taking to your final destination. Above all don't hesitate or
feel shy to ask for help from airport support staff (at information
desks) or police officers, if you need anything.

Follow signs directing you to your domestic flight because you will need
a boarding pass. If it is far away, take the Airport shuttle (bus) service
which is free. If you don't know where to get down, tell the driver in
advance and he will drop you off at the proper place. At the counter
(podium) check-in your baggage and get your boarding pass issued and
ready. On arrival at the final destination, collect your baggage once again
and
look around for that someone who may be there to receive you. If you
don't find anyone or you already have specific instructions, follow those,
otherwise call up (telephone) the DCI area co-ordinator whose tel. number
you should be carrying. Therefore remember to keep phone numbers handy.
Get information from the DCI area-coordinator on the stay arrangements made
for you. Finally, if no one comes to pick you up, try to locate the

information counter from where you will get all the information
regarding how to call for Also the Public Transport section of this guide
will help
you in understanding the travel facilities available in the U.S.

Using Telephones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing you might do when you come to U.S.A. is call someone. So
this is a good time to tell you about telephone usage. Telephone calls
within U.S. are considered "local" (within the area of the caller) or
"long distance" (outside the area of the caller). Local calls
within a short regoin are free unless made from a public pay phone which
is a coin operated machine. Long distance calls are charged at varying
rates, depending on how you make the call (which long distance
carrier/company you use), for how long
you speak and the time of the day. Note that the telephone companies in
the U.S. are private.Each local region is assigned an "area code". So the
phone numbers are denoted as (areacode)-123 4567. where 123-4567 is your
actual
phone number. If you are calling a number within your "area" then you
should dial only the phone number. If the call is outside your area

you need to dial 1-(areacode)-123-4567, which is the long distance call.
Again, sometimes when the area code is the same as yours, you may still
have to dial a "1" before the number without the area-code e.g.
1-<7-digit phone number> To make an international call i.e. to India you
need to
dial 011-91-<STD CODE>-<TEL. NO.> e.g. 011-91-22-1234567.
Here 011 indicates an international call. 91 is the country code for
India.
22 is the "area code" for Bombay and 1234567 may be the actual phone
number you want to dial.

Other important facilities provided are -

1. Yellow pages (Tel. directory)
Advertisements and Telephone numbers of businesses.
2. Emergency Telephone Number
There is one emergency number that you can dial for any type of emergency
which is 911 (Fire/Ambulance/Police).
3. Directory assistance
Local telephone numbers - 411
Long distance - 1-(Area Code)-555-1212
Toll Free number enquiry - 1-800-555-1212
4. Toll free
Most of the 1-800 numbers are toll free. You will not be charged for the
calls you make to such numbers. e.g. The toll free number for Mr. Ashok
Agarwal (DCI California) is 1-800-969-1117. This is a toll free number
and you can dial it from anywhere in the U.S. without having to pay for it,
even from a public phone. Some telephone numbers have alphabets in them
such as 1-800-COLLECT. To dial this number, just press the digit on the
telephone pad which has the corresponding alphabet you want to dial on
it, simple!.

Most people use answering machines which are connected to their
telephones, or some kind of voice mail system. It has a standard pre-recorded
greeting which is played when you call up and then after some beeps, it
records
your message. Initially you will feel like you were talking to a dead person,
but soon you realize the importance of owning an answering machine. We
bet you'll buy one too!.

Using the PUBLIC "pay" phones
-----------------------------
The important difference is, you need to insert the money first then dial
the number. To operate a pay phone you need 25 cents. This pays for one
local call. If your call is not connected your money is returned in the
"coin return" slot.

Collect call - If you want the called party (person whom you are calling)
to pay for the call then you make a collect call. To make a collect call
pick up the receiver and press 0. Let the operator know that you want to
make a COLLECT call, the operator will connect you to the phone number
you need. But before that the operator will check with the other party if
they
want to collect (pay for) the call. An easier way is to dial 1-800-COLLECT
from any phone and just follow the recorded instructions.

Time zones
~~~~~~~~~~
There are four time zones in the U.S.
1) Eastern TZ
Example : Massachusetts, New York, Florida etc.

2) Central TZ ( lags Eastern TZ by one hour )
Example : Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana etc.

3) Mountain TZ ( lags Eastern TZ by two hours )
Example : Colorado, Utah, Wyoming etc.

4) Pacific TZ ( lags Eastern TZ by three hours )
Example : California, Oregon, Washington etc.

Day light saving :

As the name suggests, the time is set in such a way that maximum day
light could be used. e.g. During summer, the sun rises at around 4-5 o'clock.
So the clock is set forward by one hour. This forces all activities to start
one hour earlier so that maximum day light is used till late in the
evening.
Therefore:

The Clock is set back by one hour on the first Sunday of November 1 (Fall
Season) at 2:00 am. Clock is once again set forward by one hour on the
first Sunday of April at 2:00 am. (Spring Season).
The easiest way to remember this is FALL BACK, SPRING AHEAD.
By the way, Arizona is the only state which is not affected by
day-light-saving. People there do not ever change the time in their
clocks.

Currency
~~~~~~~~
Dollar : 100 cents
Quarter: 25 cents
Dime : 10 cents
Nickel : 5 cents
Penny : 1 cent

Initially there is some confusion since the quarter is exactly of the
same size and shape as the Indian 50 paise coin.

Public Transport
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All major cities have some sort of public transportation not necessarily
very good or frequent or well connected. Therefore most people prefer to
travel by their own cars. It is better that you own a car in the U.S. so
that you are independent. But till you get to buy a car you can use the
public transportation system or depend on your friends/colleagues for a
ride.

Trains and Buses

In most cities, you may purchase Daily Tickets from the conductor or the
driver on the train and buses each day. For more information on routes,
schedules and fares, see the publications and maps published by the
city's local authority. You can locate them in your telephone book.

Taxi Companies

In some areas you must telephone for a taxi and make an appointment. You
will not find them waiting in the street corners but you do find them
waiting in a queue at the airport. Taxis are listed in the yellow pages
under the name "Taxi" or "Taxicabs".

When you call, tell the "dispatch" operator where you are and where you
want to go. The dispatch operator will tell you how long it will take for
the taxi to arrive at your starting point. He or she will ask for the
telephone number, so they can call you if the taxi driver cannot locate
you. You should ask for the estimated cost of the ride.

When you enter the taxi, the meter will read flat rate. This is the
minimum charge. You will be charged the flat rate for each mile you travel.

Mind your language
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For successful conversation, in the US, it is advisable that you speak
slowly and pronounce properly. Well, the first part you really need to
practice otherwise what you will hear from the person opposite is "pardon
me", "come again", "I am sorry", "I didn't get you". e.g. The changes in
pronunciation are like 'schedule' pronounced as 'skedule', 'route'
pronounced 'raut' etc. Also some words are totally substituted like
'petrol' by 'gas'. Here is a table from Gary Nobel of HP SanDiego,
which he created when he traveled in India. Thanks to him.
The dictionary is very remarkable.

/----------------------------------------------------------------------\
| The following is a simple dictionary for translating between American
English and Indian English. This dictionary should be useful for the
new-comer to either the U.S. or India. The words are in no particular
order. Suggestions for additions are gladl taken at garyn@sdd.hp.com.
Gary Nobel 8/20/92

Indian          American
English         English
| -------         --------
|
| ====== Food related ======
| Coriander         Cilantro
| Cold drink        Soda pop
| Curd              Yogurt
| Cafe ("kayf")     Cafe ("kaf-ay'")
| Nes-coffee        Instant coffee
| Filter coffee     Brewed coffee
| Milk powder       Cream
| French beans      Snow peas
| Hotel             Restaurant
| Jelly              Gelatin
| Garam masalla     Curry
| Lady fingers      Okra
| Small pastries    Lady fingers
| Toffee            Hard candy
| Brinjal            Eggplant
| Biscuit           Cookies/Wafers
| Bun               Biscuit
| (Potato) wafers   (Potato) chips
| Finger chips      French fries
| Groundnuts        Peanuts
|
| ===== Education Related ======

| Invigilator Proctor
| Canteen Cafeteria

|
|
| ===== Idioms ======

| Black money                 Tax free, undeclared income
| Standing from a constituency    Running for an election
| Issue a book (from the library)   Checkout a book (from the library)
| How are you?                How are you doing?
| How is everything?          How is it going?
| Intimate                     Inform
| (Very Close Relations)        (Intimate Relations)
| Too good                    Cool
|

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Anti Universe phenomenon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you come to the U.S. you will notice the opposite everywhere. You
will get the feeling "These guys are crazy" .....almost everything you try
todo will fail even if it is a small thing like switching ON the lamp !!!!"

This is just to make you get a hang of it. The cars are driven on the
right hand side instead of left hand side of the road. So you should look left
first while crossing roads :-). You may have to insert the key upside
down and rotate it in the opposite direction to unlock. You will also notice
that switches work in opposite direction i.e. UP is ON and DOWN is OFF
:-).
The date is written with the month first, then day, followed by the year.

As one of our American colleague pointed out jokingly, "its logical, if
you see that India is exactly opposite in location on the globe, to U.S.!!!"

FOOD, I'm hungry
----------------
Ofcourse you must be hungry, when you arrive. God knows what you ate on
the plane. You don't remember the item's name nor its contents. It may be one
of the weirdest things you ever had for dinner or lunch. So you must be
apprehensive about what you will get for lunch or dinner. The best thing
you can try is PIZZA, which is pronounced as "PiTza".

You get both Veg. and NonVeg Pizzas. But to be on the safer side order a
Veg. Pizza that way you won't be left hungry atleast. Order a small pizza
if you are alone or a medium size is enough for two or three (well it
depends on your appetite actually). You can order pizza by phone and it
will be delivered at your doorstep in a few minutes. Refer to the yellow
pages or consult the motel receptionist you are staying in, for
information.

For breakfast, have 'Continental breakfast' which is cheap and the best.
To be sure about Veg. items, always ask for items with "NO MEAT" rather
than "WITHOUT MEAT". Besure to say "NO ICE" if you prefer to have your
drink

without ice. And remember that a CHEESEBURGER is a misnomer. It contains
meat besides cheese, so be careful!

Here is a guide for Vegetarian Dishes:

Mexican
-------
Bean Buritto, Enchiladas, Bean Taco, Cheese Taco, Bean Tostadas, Mexican
Pizza

Italian or Greek
----------------
Eggplant (brinjal) sandwich, Sphagetti with tomato sauce, Lasagna
(pronounced Laza-nya), Italian Pitza, Italian Pasta with tomato sauce,
Falafal, Veg. Gyro
(pronounced Yero).

Denny's
-------
Vegetable omlete (with eggs)Vegetable lunch/dinner (salad, potato smash,
garlic sauce)
Broccoli soup

American Restaurants (Sizzler, Olive Garden)
--------------------------------------------
Best bet is salad bar & French fries

McDonald's
----------
Mac cheese sandwich, Milk shakes, ice-cream sundaes

Pizza Hut
---------
Veggie Lover's delight, Veggie pizza with a choice of toppings such as
Jalapenos (pronounced Hala-pin-yose and are green chilies), pineapple,
tomato, onions etc.

Burger King
-----------
Vege cheese whooper, Garden burger

Office and the Work Environment
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Before you start your first day, get a hang of how the work environment
is at the client's place from any PCS person there or read on for some
typical environments you may find.

- Project Leaders are very understanding and friendly. And do not unduly
pressurize you to perform. They will definitely give you some time to
come up to speed on their work environment.

- There is a lot of individualistic approach. Every person's inputs are
given a lot of importance. Independent views are respected. Before
discarding any of your ideas, they will give you a good enough reason
for doing so.

- For the smallest of decisions they will sometimes hold a meeting and
get the entire team's inputs/comments/suggestions before proceeding. One
feels important when this is done. But sometimes it can get boring.

- Nobody double checks what you are saying, they take you for your word.

- There are no suspicious feelings and managers don't fear subordinates.

- Managers will openly discuss about their meetings with "their" bosses,
with the team. There is no hide and seek as far as information/feedback
is concerned.

- People admit if they don't know or have information about certain
things. They don't pretend to be all knowing.

- People are dedicated to their area of work and develop expertise in it.
But they do not talk about work related topics which are not in their
area of expertise, they immediately refer you to the right person.

- People enjoy their work and leisure. They plan their weekends well in
advance. Very few people stay back late in the office or come and work
during weekends. Such things are not related to performance. As long as
you do your work well and within time, nobody cares what else you do and
when.

- Most companies allow you to compensate by working during the weekend if
you take an 'off' from work on a regular weekday.

- The work hours in most companies are flexible. Come anytime and go
anytime but you do need to put in a minimum of 8 hrs/day or 40 hrs/week
as contractors.

- Regular time sheets "may" have to be filled, in some companies.

Americans and their Behavior
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Its helpful to know how Americans typically will be. Otherwise you will
start feeling "These people are great dramatists... ". Here are some
tips:-

- Americans are very friendly and helpful.

- They don't make you feel like a foreigner. (Though you feel !!!)

- It is very easy to adjust with them. But they don't like people getting
very inquisitive or trying to get too personal in the initial phase of
the aquaintance.

- They dress casually and nobody bothers which dress you wear etc.

- They are fun loving creatures and enjoy their free time. Most of them
like to keep themselves physically fit by regular outings, hiking,
exercise, biking, jogging etc. They love the outdoors and natural
surroundings. They look forward to weekends and plan their weekend
activities in advance. This usually consists of some outdoor activity.

- They are frank about their opinions.

- They respect individual views and allow everyone to voice their own
ideas on a subject.

- They have a lot of patience. Especially when standing in queues or
while driving, nobody will try to jump before you in the queue. Most of them
are very disciplined drivers. However this differs from State to State.

- If they happen to come in your way or you happen to come in their way,
you will promptly hear an "Excuse me" or "Excuse us".

- They need a lot of feedback while talking. You have to acknowledge/nod
continuously. Otherwise they feel you are not interested in listening or
are confused.

- They gesture a lot and shoot some funny (at least so it seems
initially) phrases at you. It is a matter of "getting used to it".

- They are "very" proud of their country. To them, the Universe is the
United States. So never ever make fun of or speak lightly about them or
tell them that they do not have any social/cultural background. You will
make more American friends that way.

- Most Americans think of India as a poor country of beggars, snake
charmers and swamis etc. This is due to the insufficient and improper
media coverage given to India. Their T.V. only shows the poor Indian
villages and cows on the streets.

Hope you will be able to prove that India is a country of INTELLIGENT
people like you and not just ELEPHANTS and SNAKE CHARMERS.

Initial package from DCI:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE: The first official thing you should do without being asked to, is
to apply for your Social Security Number - details are given in this doc.

After arriving in USA one gets a package from DCI. This package consists
of different types of forms. The most important one being the Medical
Insurance form. Don't be careless about this, make sure to fill and
return it soon.

After receiving this package one should sign all the forms and send it
back to DCI as soon as possible. This package consist of following documents.

Personal details :

In this form you need to fill up all your personal information which is
required for official purposes.

Passport details :
In this form you are expected to furnish all your passport details.

Away from business expenses form :
One is supposed to fill up this form at the end of every month. We get
our salary in two parts. One is Salary or Allowance and the other part is the
reimbursement of the expenses incurred. Your area co-ordinator will
inform you about what amount you can claim etc. It depends on the position and
the class of city you are in.

Couple of memos :
These memos inform you about certain rules.

Medical insurance registration form : (MOST IMPORTANT FORM) This form
you are supposed to send to the medical insurance company. It needs routine
personal information. In two weeks of time you will receive your medical
insurance card, which will cover most of your medical expenses in the
U.S But be sure you understand what is covered under this scheme and what is
not.

You are supposed to send all these forms and memos asap. Couple of these
forms require your Social Security number. If you have not yet received
your social security number then leave that place tentatively blank in
your forms and you can inform DCI about it later, when you get one.
From: Vijayalakshmi S.
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 1998 4:26 PM
To: Binu Vasudev; Gowrish M.S.; Jagannadha Rao K V; Krishnamoorthy K.S.S.S; N
V K Narasimha Rao; goutham c s
Subject: FW: PART II : C O M I N G T O A M E R I C A

----------
From: Dharmendra Rangain[SMTP:rdharmen@cisco.com]
Sent: Friday, October 10, 1997 11:11 PM
To: krec_mca@external.cisco.com
Cc: drangain@hotmail.com
Subject: PART II : C O M I N G T O A M E R I C A

Continues from Part I......

Getting Social Security and Driving License
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You must go and get your social security number and driving license done
immediately after you come.

:: Social Security Number ::

Each individual in Unites States, is required to be registered with US
government by law. The way we have registration in India through Ration
Card it is Social Security here.

This number is very useful for the government as well as the for the
individual. Government can keep track of the individual from this
particular number. You will need the SS number for any official paper
work or dealings e.g. while filling Tax forms or while opening a bank account
or while getting a membership in the public library. A person's entire
credit history can be traced from this number.

As soon as one arrives in US he/she is required to get Social Security
number immediately. It is a very simple procedure.

Every town or a city has a Social Security office. You have to go there
with your Passport. First thing you need to do is collect the application
form for new social security number. These forms are available in various
languages. Find one in English and fill it completely. It will ask you
for your local postal address details besides other information. The officer
will check your application form and passport. After checking everything
you will be informed when you will be receiving your Social Security
number, which will be by postal mail.

Generally within three to four weeks time you will receive your social
security number which appears printed on a small card, which you should
carry/preserve safely.

:: Getting Driver's License ::

Driver's license is one of the most important document required in United
States. Apart from driving needs it is required at almost all the places
where you need to show your ID. Mainly because this is the only valid
Identity card which is required and approved at all the places.

Here in US most of the money transactions are done via checks or
Credit-cards. Initially when you don't have credit card, check is the
only practical and recommended way of payment. Nobody keeps cash. People
generally issue checks even for a small amount of less than $5.00.
Checks are as good as Cash and can be deposited at any ATM (Automatic Teller
Machine) center. These checks are accepted only with a valid PHOTO-ID at
most places. Actually a Photo-id couldalso be a simple identity card
issued by
the DMV (Dept.of motor vehicles), which is not a driver's license. At
most places Driver's license is the only valid PHOTO-ID. So after getting
Social Security number, Driver's license is another very important thing one
should acquire as soon as possible.

Getting driver's license is not very difficult here. Before appearing for
a driving test behind the wheels one has to clear a written test conducted
by DMV ( Department of Motor Vehicles - similar to RTO in India ). Each
state has their own laws for driving a vehicle. DMV issues a book on the rules
which are required to be followed very strictly. This book gives detailed
information about all the laws and is written in a very nice manner. It
is very easy to follow all the rules as they are nicely explained and if
necessary, supported by good photographs.

After understanding the contents of this book you can appear for the
written exam. You can appear for the test on any working day. You can
call up DMV and take an appointment with them or you can even go directly.

They will check your Passport and will give you a question paper.
Questions are objective type and you have to choose the best answer for
each question. Time is no limit for the exam. After you are done with it,
the person on the counter will immediately check your paper and will tell
you your score. Upon passing this test you will get temporary driving
license which is valid for two months. DMV also issues an ID card. This
is issued by the state government. You can use this Id card as a Photo-Id
till you get your driver's license. At some places you are required to produce
two Photo-Ids, that time it is very useful to have this photo-id you
can even go for some driving lessons. For driving lessons you can go to
driving school or to a private teacher. Private teachers are little
cheaper as compared to driving school. Once you are ready for the test,
again you
will have to take an appointment with DMV for the driving test.

On the day of appointment you have to go there with your learning
license. The car in which you will give your driving test should have proper
Insurance papers. Also check all the controls, including signal lights
and brake lights. If any of these is not in shape, you will not be allowed
to appear for the test. This test will be of 100 marks. After your test,
driving inspector will immediately tell you your result. Generally they
explain to you your mistakes so that you can work on them and rectify. If
you have passed you will get your license immediately in most places.

If you fail there is no minimum period required between the time you
appear again. So you can practice again and appear as soon as you can.

Bank Accounts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- They are basically of two types - Savings a/c (with interest)
- Checking a/c (with NO interest)

- Generally most people open a Checking a/c at first.

- To open an account you need a social security number, however since it
takes a week or more to get the social security number one can request
the bank to verify the passport and open the a/c. Later do remember to
inform
the bank once you receive your SS number.

- Then there are concepts like
- minimum balance - which is either NO or YES
(It is better to open an a/c with NO MINIMUM BALANCE otherwise you have
to maintain the specified minimum amount always in the account).
- overdraft facility - Again NO or YES
(This allows you some amount of overdraft. This might be beneficial in
some cases, such as when the monthly salary is not received on time and the
house rent, phone bills etc. have to be paid.)

- There are various kinds of check/cheque books available that one can
choose from, such as the kind of colored paper and printed background
design on paper etc. Usually a set of 200 checks bound together in books
of 20 each is sufficient for 6 months. But it depends on how many checks are
issued by you and at what frequency. The first check book is given by the
bank immediately on opening an account, the other 200 checks are mailed
to you at the given address.

- The next thing is to ask for an ATM card. This allows you to withdraw
money 24 hrs. from any ATM machine of the bank or related ones.

- Some banks charge money to issue an ATM card and the first set of
check/cheque books. Something like $10.00 for the ATM card and another
$10.00 for the first 200 checks (10 books of 20 pages each). But most
banks do not charge anything.

- The whole procedure of opening an account takes about 10-15 mins.

- A few shops/gas stations etc. ask for a valid photo-id when payment is
made by check. This is just for verification. (A photo-id could be a U.S.
driver's license or an actual ID-card which is issued by the local Deptt.
of Motor Vehicles office.

- Small payments such as $1.25 etc. too can be made by check and it is
not absurd to do so. People carry very little or no cash on person. Most of
them make their payment by Credit card or check. But it is advisable to
carry about $20.00 in cash at all times to cover emergency needs. Of
course you will have to always carry your check book around.

- The following style is used to write the amount in words on the check.
Say for e.g. the amount to be paid is $35.47 then you would write:

Amount in words $ : THIRTY FIVE & 47/100

Cards
~~~~~
- It is a fashion to collect cards of all types and store them in ones
purse. The cards here refer to the plastic type e.g. credit cards.

- So there are cards such as:

Credit card,
Debit card,
Bank ATM card,
Shopping Store cards (e.g. Sears card; "SEARS" is the name of a chain of

stores in the U.S.)
Medical benefit card, Telephone calling card, Public library membership
card.

- Most purses have transparent packets to keep these cards in order.

- Credit/Debit Cards:
A credit card allows you to pay for your expenses without bothering about
availability of money at the time of payment. The credit card company
pays for you and later sends you a statement every month elaborating the
payments made. You can then, pay the credit card company by check. There
are certain limits imposed on Credit cards with regard to the amount of
credit available to you, which vary.

VISA and MASTERCARD are the most widely accepted credit cards. The other
being American Express card. (Called Am-Ex for short).

A Debit card is almost like a check, since it allows you to spend from
your available resources only (no credit business). This is generally issued
by the banks where you have an account, after you apply for it.

It is not so easy to get a credit card for the first timer in U.S. The
application is scrutinized by the Credit Organization/Bank and the credit
history checked up (They call up the banks where you have an account,
to find out your balance and credit status etc).
Actually it seems the credit history is traced from your Social Security
No. Usually the period of stay is also an important criteria e.g. at
least 6 month stay is essential to be considered eligible for a Credit
card.

To build up a good credit history, many people take loans from the bank.
e.g. to buy a car and repay it in time. This increases the chances of
getting a Credit Card sooner.

The most easiest to get is the American Express Card. They ask for a
letter from the employer regarding salary status etc. once the initial
application is verified.

- The Gold Card is the next thing to aim for, once you have at least a
card. The Credit limit is higher on the Gold Card apart from other
benefits.

- The most difficult to get is the DISCOVER credit card.

- Most Credit cards offer other benefits too, such as mileage
accumulation for some airline enabling you to travel free on that airline
anywhere in
the U.S. once about 20,000 miles have been accumulated, at the rate of 1
mile per dollar. Some others offer Rental Car Insurance coverage and so
on.

- Most organizations (health clubs etc.) issue membership cards with neat
plastic lamination too.

Shopping
~~~~~~~~
The American system of sizes and measurement is different from that in
India. Most of the shops in the U.S. are the equivalents of super markets
in India. You can go around the shop, buy what you want and pay at the
counter. The important difference you will notice is, the shops are
driven by customer service. So if you don't like anything that you bought
or it
doesn't fit you properly you may return it within a certain period
allowed. You should inquire about the return policy when you buy
returnable goods.
Ofcourse you need to preserve the receipt of the purchase. Most of the
time they won't even ask you why you want to return the goods.

When you buy shoes, the size should be 1/2 more than your size in India.
For example, if you buy size 9 in India, you should buy size 9 1/2 in the
US.(Or approximate it to the nearest round figure).

Following measurement chart will help you in converting between American
system and metric system.

Metric Conversion Chart

   millimeters x 0.04 = inches(in)
   centimeters x 0.4 = inches(in)
   meters x 3.3 = feet
   kilometers x 1.1 = yards

   inches x 2.5 = centimeters
   feet x 30 = centimeters
   yards x 0.9 = meters
   miles x 1.6 = kilometers

grams x 0.035 = ounces
kilograms x 2.2 = pounds

ounces x 28 = grams
pounds x 0.45 = kilograms

   milliliters x 0.3 = fluid ounces
   liters x 1.06 = quarts
   liters x 0.26 = gallons

   fluid ounces x 30 = millileters
   quarts x 0.95 = liters
   gallons x 3.8 = liters

Renting an apartment
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now that you have started your work you would like to move into your
apartment rather than
stay in the motel. Here is what you should know about renting an
apartment. You can get information on how to rent an apartment from the
"Apartments" section of the Yellow Pages, newspaper or 'Rental Guides'
which are available at the stores. To lease (rent) an apartment you
should consider following points:

1. Lease period and deposits
-------------------------
Usually there are two types of lease depending on the period of lease: 6
months lease & 12 months lease. (In some places the allow 3 month lease
too, but the rent increases in that case).
Most of the cases you get 1 months rent free in case you select 12 months
lease and you get half months rent free if you select 6 months lease.
You have to pay 1 months rent as security deposit and some amount around
10$ to 15$ as key deposit. Rent for the apartment in basements is less
than other apartments. Very few people prefer to stay in basements
becauseof security reasons. So when you ask about availability of
apartments it
is possible that the Manager will say only basement apartment is available.
Hence insist for apartment on first or second floor if you don't want a
basement apartment. Otherwise after renting a basement apartment you will
realize that apartments other than in basements were also available.

2. Utilities
---------
Check whether your rent includes utilities such as hot water, Cable etc.
Otherwise you end up spending around 100$ to 150$ for electricity bill if
you have to pay for hot water.

3. Lease Terms
-----------
Understand the lease terms properly because most of the times you need to
break the lease in case your project terminates suddenly. if you want to
break the lease
a. You have to give 30 days notice.
b. You lose your security deposit
c. In some cases they (the apartment management) try to find somebody who
wants to rent your apartment. If they don't get anybody within 30 days
period You have to pay 1 month's rent extra. In this situation you lose
your security deposit plus one months rent. Get these terms clarified
before signing the lease papers.

4. Lease Breaking
--------------
If you are sharing an apartment with somebody. Suppose 3 people are
sharing an apartment and all three have their names on lease papers. In
case one
of the three wants to leave before the lease period is over, you need to
take a letter from him saying that all further paper work can be done by the
other two people. This letter is required when your lease period is over
or even if you want to break the lease before that period is over. If you
don't have such a letter you won't be able to break the lease unless all
three have signed the lease break paper. In such cases you also end up
losing your deposit. This is true even for normal termination of lease
period. Be careful and understand these terms and conditions fully.

5. Damages
-------
After renting an apartment carefully observe if there are any types of
damages in the apartment. If you see any, ask your Property Manager to
make a note of it. Otherwise they will deduct some amount from your security
deposit when your lease period is over.

6. Downgrading and Upgrading
--------------------------
If you want to move to 2 bedroom apartment from 1 bedroom apartment you
have to pay some 100$ to 200$. Many cases downgrading i.e. moving to 1
bedroom apartment from 2 bedroom apartment is not allowed. Get
clarification on all such points while signing lease papers.

7. Electricity and Telephone connection
-------------------------------------
After you rent the apartment you need to inform your local Electric
Supply company that you will be staying in that apartment from so and so
date
and that they may bill you from that date. Ask your local telephone company
for a telephone connection by calling them up. Most of the business takes
place on the phone. Surprisingly all work gets done and promptly too.

8. Maintaining an apartment
-----------------------
In most of the apartments you have cooking range, oven, dish washer,
refrigerator etc. Use aluminum foil to cover part of the cooking range
(other than coils) so that it remains clean and in the end you don't need
to spend time in cleaning it. Dish washer soap is available in liquid or
in powder form. Dish washer inner surface starts becoming blackish after
some days. The cleaning liquid can be used to clean it. This can be done
once
in a month. Clean your oven once in a month using oven cleaning liquid. Use
plastic garbage bags in trash cans so that you can just take the bag and
dispose it in the central trash, usually provided in the apartment
complex.

9. Laundry
-------
If the apartment itself does not have a washer/dryer, there will usually
be a common laundry room in the complex where you can do your weekly
washing/drying. Such common machines usually are coin operated machines
so you'll need a few quarters and also your own favourite detergent powder.

Decorating, Furnishing YOUR house
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ofcourse this is not an advice for interior designing but to make your
APARTMENT look like a HOME. Home is not a place with four walls, but
where you have furniture also :-). The greatest place to get the things you
need for your house is Garage Sales. You can get things like Sofa sets to
Wall paintings very cheep from this source. Everyone will be amazed if you
have a full furnished house in a few months.

Garage sale is a second-hand, used things sale which includes household
items such as furniture like couch etc, appliances such as T.V., stereo,
clothes/jackets, other used items.

This is held in peoples garages or backyards generally on weekends. They
are a nice place to buy furniture from, which is usually in good shape.
Anybody who wants to sell old used things, can hold a garage sale and put
up a sign near the house announcing such a sale. The prices are
negotiable. Generally people advertise through local newspaper ad columns.

The early morning time on Sat. and Sun. between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00
a.m.is the best to hunt around for used things in garage sales.

Buying a Car
~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you are going to stay at a particular place for quite some time say
more than three months, then its better to buy a car rather than rent one.
Buying a car involves quite some work. Its better to be cautious while
buying a car, 'cause owning a car brings you freedom and you own a
vehicle but you need to maintain the car and take care of any problems.
The main
concern while buying a car is its maintenance cost should not be high,
otherwise you will loose a lot.So here is what experience tells us.

Buying a car in America is very easy, there are lots of used cars for
sale and there is never a shortage. It is just the question of deciding the
budget and type of car to be bought.

Most people prefer Japanese cars over American makes simply because of
the easy resalability. The most popular Japanese car makes are Honda and
Toyota.

Types of models ? There are two categories of cars, 2-door, 4-door.The
2-d are cheaper. Then comes the type of transmission (gear), automatic or
stick-shift. Most people buy automatic transmission. Such cars are very
easy to drive. (Almost all Indian cars are of the stick-shift variety).

Where to look ? The local newspapers carry a lot of car sale
advertisements everyday. You should see the paper and decide on the ones
you are
interested in. Next call up the owner at the tel. no. given, as early in
the day as possible and fix up an appointment to visit and see the car.
Test drive it, if you like it and the price is ok, tell the owner that
you'd like to get it checked up by a mechanic. This is the normal
practice. There is nothing to feel shy about asking the car to be checked
up. This
will save you a lot of money later after purchasing the car from
unforeseen problems that some used cars land up into.

Look up the yellow pages in the local tel. directory to get the list of
car mechanics or just ask colleagues to recommend one. If that doesn't work
out, ask the local AAA (American Automobile Association) office to
recommend someone to you. For a fee of about $25-30 the mechanic will
check up the car and tell you the problems or possible problems if any.
Some people do it for free. It is good to tell the auto mechanic to check
up the following things with additional care in addition to their regular
:-

1) brake cylinder, drum and worn out pads
2) transmission. ( this is the costliest part in an automatic car )
3) if it is a 4 speed never buy it. 5 speed is ok.
4) check for rust in bottom, radiators, muffler and tailpipe.
5) check for vibrations when you brake from 40mph, without
down-shifting.if
there are vibrations, either break pads or steering pinion is in bad
shape.
Get 4 people to sit in the car and you can make out if the suspensions
are
ok, when you make a sharp turn.
6) Most important, check for oil leaks, and whether the car gives you
power
speed/pick-up when you try to accelerate. You can feel if it's OK.
7) last, check for emission whether the smoke is black(thick), which
means
oil is also burned with fuel => the car is beyond its life. The piston
rings might be leaving a gap in the cylinders because of wear. In that
case, don't buy the car, because you will have to change the cylinder,
piston and rings which will come to double the cost.
8) ask the owner to give the records of the maintenance he has done, like
new tires etc. Also, make sure you don't go beyond 3rd hand purchase.
There
must be something seriously wrong with the car if people have changed
owners drastically.
9) Air filter, valve etc. OK ?

Ask the owner to discount the price of the car by the amount required for
the repairs suggested by the mechanic. Or else ask him to get it repaired
for you. The rates of the used cars have some standard values which are
generally not exceeded. These values can be checked up in something
called "Blue Book"which is a text available in the public library or with
car
dealers. So car models classified as per Year of make have their value
listed in the Blue Book. There is a cost deduction to be applied for the
mileage that the car has been driven for, which is mentioned in most Blue
Books. That gives a fair idea about the standard cost of any used car.
Moreover there is ample scope for price negotiation. Generally private
owners who sell through ads can give better discounts than used car
dealers. Generally car dealers stick to the Blue Book Price but usually
ask more.

Mileage is also a consideration while purchasing a used car. Lesser the
better. The ideal average is 10000 miles per year. So a car manufactured
in 1987 may have a driven mileage of about 70000 miles in 1994 and not more
than 80000. These are approx. figures.

After buying a car you need to get it insured. You cannot drive a car in
the U.S. without proper Insurance. The car has to be insured against
collisions etc. There are various vehicle Insurance companies having
various deals. Look up the yellow pages and call up some of them and ask
for their rates. Then decide on one. The Insurance coverage period and
the type of Insurance chosen and your age (more for less than 25 yrs.)
decides the amount to be paid. The "comprehensive", "collision" are terms
used by
the Insurance companies to describe the type of insurance coverage. Get
everything explained properly.
There is sometimes a windscreen coverage too, for a nominal additional
amount per month, this insures your windshield against damage (a
windscreen replacement may cost about $200.00 approx. otherwise).

You have to get the emission testing done on your car before it can be
registered. In case the previous owner has got it done and the test is
valid still, then there is no need to do it again for the specified
period. The valid test papers are required for Registration.

The local vehicle registration office will issue a temporary registration
for 45 days and meanwhile process and prepare the proper number plates.
The documents required to get a registration are - Car ownership (title)
papers, Emission Test papers, Car Insurance papers. After proper
registration is done you can drive your car. However you should have a
Driver's License. Actually each state in the U.S. has different laws.
Most states allow you to drive with an I.D.P. (International Driving Permit)
for a year or so. But others require that you get a local Driver's License.
The driver's license can be obtained from the local DMV office after a
written and driving test. Refer to the section on obtaining a driver's
license
for details.

Renting a Car
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Car is a necessity in most of the places here in U.S. Either you buy a
car or you can rent a car. You can pay either a monthly rate or daily rent.
Though its expensive to rent a car for a month or so, it might be
required if you are going to stay at that place for a small period of
time. Here
is some information you will need OR should know when you want to rent
a car.
- The driver/co-drivers need to be at least 25 years old.
- Credit Card is required to rent a car. Else a deposit of about $300
etc...Most companies do not allow you to rent a car if you do not have a
credit card.
- You need a valid driver's license to drive a rental car.
- Well known car renting companies are - Hertz, Avis, Alamo, Budget,
Dollar, Enterprise etc.
- Car Insurance has to be bought for the Rental car. It is a separate
charge or is included in the total per day renting cost. Some credit card
companies pay for the insurance if you use their card to book a car e.g.
American Express Credit Card, in such a case you need not buy insurance
from the car rental company.
- You have to register the other drivers too as co-drivers of the rental
car while booking the car. They should have valid driver's licenses too.
Nobody else should be allowed to drive the car other than those
registered!
- Unlimited mileage or fixed mileage is also a criteria which decides the
hiring charges of a rental car.
- You can make the booking over the phone. But you have to go personally
to pick-up the car from the renting agency.
- Generally the gas (fuel) tank is full and you are supposed to return it
with a full tank.
- Some rental agencies do not allow you to rent their car for travel
outside the state.
- There are various types of cars that can be booked. Generally depending
on the seating capacity, such as small, medium, compact, large, full-size,
premium, mini-van, van etc. One may even choose the make of the car if
available. The rental agencies maintain the cars in good shape and
generally have new cars.

- The renting charges vary depending on the season, weekend/weekday, for
how many days you want the car, how much in advance you are booking,
availability, type of car etc.

Doctors in U.S.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God forbid, but if something happens to you, here is what you should
know:

- The Medical Benefit Card which is sent by the Medical Insurance Company
is an important card and should be acquired at the earliest. Fill up the
Medical forms sent by DCI and return those immediately to DCI to ensure
that you are registered with the Insurance Company after you land in the
U.S.

- This card entitles you to coverage under certain medical categories
only.
- There is a $100 deductible. Which means if you land into medical
problems, you have to pay the first 100 dollars from your pocket.
Thereafter the Insurance company takes over the payment depending on the
coverage plan etc.
- There are two acceptable ways of payment for the Doctor's services
which depends on the Doctor. The Doctor's receptionist is the best person to
ask payment related questions.
Some Doctors ask you to pay them (by cash, check, credit card etc.)
immediately after the service. The receptionist will then give you a
formal bill, which you must send (by postal mail) to the Medical Insurance
Company alongwith the claim form supplied by DCI (which comes in with the
initial package soon after you land in the U.S.) The Medical Ins. Co.
will then send you a check after verifying your claim. Other Doctors will
note
down the details of your Medical Insurance Company from your card. They
will then send the bill to the Insurance Company and receive the payment
directly. You need not pay the Doctor.

But in both the above modes, remember that there are certain charges
which the Insurance Company will not pay and which they don't cover, such as
the first $100. So find out the details from the Insurance Co. about your
respective coverage/medical problem etc.

- For certain kinds of medical problems where you have to visit the
Doctor repeatedly, only a fixed number of visits per year are paid by the
Insurance Company and not all.
- How to decide on the Doctor to visit ?
Ask your colleagues or other Indian friends. Otherwise check up the
yellow pages (phone directory). Look under the "Physicians" heading.
Telephone the Doctor and fix up an appointment. Only in cases of
emergency,
do the Doctors see you immediately, otherwise it is always by
appointment.
- You can claim the expenses for any Dr. prescribed medicine that you
have to buy from the Drug (medical) Store.

NOTE:
- Pain in the lower back and strain between the shoulder blades and a
stiff neck are very common due to the kind of spring mattresses and soft
foam
pillows available in the U.S. and one just needs to get used to it.
- Beware of Dental problems since they are usually not fully covered
under the Insurance Scheme.

Income Tax In US:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Income Tax return filing is very simple in US as compared to India. Here
Tax forms are very simple and easy to fill up. One need not know all
about Taxation laws, but still can very easily file tax return. Here in US
there are two types of taxes. One is the FEDRAL Tax which is something
like our
Income tax and the other is the STATE Tax. Last day of filing the income
tax return is 15th of April. Accounting year is considered from 1st of
January till 31st of December. US has a Tax treaty with India. Under
this Tax treaty one can file his tax return either in India or in US as per
the convenience. But you need to show your income earned in either of the
country.

Suppose you come to US in the middle of the year. You must be definitely
having some income in India before you came to US in that particular
financial year. Also some part of salary is paid to you even when you are
in US. This income is taxable and hence you pay tax on that income.
Generally you pay tax on this income in India as in most of the cases
income tax is deducted at source. So one pays tax on the income in India.
So now you are liable only for the tax on the income that you earn in US.

Here there are different types of forms for different category of people.
For those who are US residents and who have status of Resident Aliens,
they have to file the what is called 1040EZ form (form 1040 easy). Any
person
who is in the US for more than 183 days continuously, gains status of
Resident Alien. Any person who is in US for less than 183 days in that
financial year is considered as Non Resident Alien.

Non Resident Alien will not have some Tax benefits which any US citizen
or Resident Alien will have. Here in particular, Non resident Alien will not
get Standard deduction on their income. Also they have to pay Tax as per
the Flat rate. So basically when you file your Tax return as NR you land
up paying more taxes. But you have to file 1040NR when you are having status
as Non resident Alien.

For filing Tax return form one can get help from the government body
which is know as IRS ( Internal Revenue Services ). This is same as
Income Tax
department in India. Also one has to pay tax to the state government.
Each state has a different tax law for the State Tax. Booklet of information
on this is available on request. Tax forms are available freely at the
public places like Post office, Public library where one can get the form
that
he/she requires. Also, govrnment gives special services for the people
who needs
the guidance. One can get this information even on phone by calling
them.One can even go in person to understand the form.

Apart from these facilities provided by the government one can even go to
private Tax consultants. They charge somewhere between $30 to $60. They
take care of every detail and one need not bother about anything. Along
with the Tax you are supposed to send one form called "W2" form. This
form is provided by the employer to all the employees. The form contains all
the information based on the salary of the person. Also all the taxes
paid by
the employer to the State government as well as Federal government.
Details about the social security taxes and the medical taxes paid by the
employer is also included in this form.

There are three copies of this form. One copy is to be sent with the
State Tax form, one with the Federal Tax form and one is for the employee's
personal record. Before sending the W2 form one should check the
validity of the
information in it. Most important is the correct social security number.
If there is
any change in any of the inforamation one should inform the employer
asap. Employer is supposed to send the corrected information to IRS and
also a
corrected copy to the employee which is called W2C form.

AAA Membership
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We wanted to mention this specially 'cause its very helpful for a person
who is new to U.S. AAA read as 'triple A' stands for "American Automobile
Association"is an auto club which provides you with all kinds of tour and
travel information. It provides you with all the maps and travel guides
which you will need. It also has services like towing, opening your car
door lock in case you get locked out, emergency help and so on. Being a
member of this club also gets you concession for motel booking and rental
cars.

There is a yearly fee for all these services which they provide, and if
you believe us, "It's more than worth it".

So we think its a good idea to be a member of this club. It will help you
in travelling, which ofcourse you will do once you get here.

Last Word
~~~~~~~~~
Stress is a part of professional life and more so when you are living in
an alien country. The sooner you understand and accept it the more easily
you will adapt to your new environment. Depression and home sickness are
symptoms that you should look out for. With this we all feel you will be
confident and may be able to come out with your own User Manual. But
before we leave, we would like to tell you about "The Culture Shock" that
you
may feel. Try to position yourself on this graph. The graph shows typical
phases in the culture shock.It just makes you feel good, if you know that
others are in thesame boat !!!