Table of Contents

1. Life Update

2. Tools and Tips

3. Readers’ Favorite

4. Stuff

Life Update

"What's it like coming back?"

As you might expect, this is the most common question I get on a daily basis.

Shortly after returning, I wrote here that I’m glad to be back.

Has that changed?

Nope.

I'm still glad.

Is it difficult being back?

Well, it's a matter of perspective. I love challenges and the dynamic lifestyle.

It's the complete opposite of "stopping to smell the roses".

The complete opposite of being bored 🥱.

Will this change in the future? Will I ever look for a more relaxed lifestyle?

Those who know me well are probably smiling right now. They will answer this for me: "No way that'll ever happen!"

Still, never say never 😃.

Today, I'll share the three mistakes we made when moving to the US.

Number 115!

Let's do this!

Tools and Tips

Before we dive in, I want to emphasize that we're discussing admin today.

By "admin," I mean the technical aspects of moving your life and family to a different state or country.

I lived in the US in 2019, and then again between 2022 and 2024.

Looking back, I realize we made mistakes that made our lives much harder.

There's no reason for you to repeat these mistakes, so let me share our top three mistakes and how to avoid them:

🔵 Mistake #1 - Starting the Apartment Hunt Too Late

Wow, that was REALLY stupid.

Finding a place to live in Boston is challenging. Very challenging.

Because I quickly found a place in Portland in 2019, I naively thought the process would be similar in Boston in 2022.

About a month before my flight, we still didn't have a place!

Just thinking about it now makes me break out in a cold sweat 😅.

Long story short, we got lucky and found a great apartment at a reasonable price. But it was pure luck, not strategy.

🏡 Take-home message: Start looking for an apartment as early as possible. An excellent place to begin is by joining dedicated groups on Facebook and WhatsApp.

In some areas (Boston is one of them), you may prefer to contact a real estate agent. If you end up signing a contract through them, you will pay them a fee (usually equal to 1-month rent).

🔵 Mistake #2 - Not Getting a Local Driver's License

When moving to a different country, the amount of paperwork and tasks is obscene. Absolute madness.

So, when I could continue driving with my international driver's license (instead of taking a driver’s test), I took the easy route.

But because of it, I made my life so much harder.

A state-issued driver's license makes life much easier since it acts as your ID.

Without it, things get complicated: setting up gas and electric accounts, managing your credit card, buying a car, signing up for car insurance— the list goes on and on.

🏡 Take-home message: Sign up for a driver's license test as soon as possible after your arrival. It'll save you a TON of time and hassle.

🔵 Mistake #3 - Trying to Change the System

Service providers in the US work under strict guidelines.

The person you speak with on the phone or in the store has no wiggle room.

They can’t deviate from these rules. Even when they don't make sense.

Example: When I first came to the US in 2019, I bought furniture at IKEA.

I was well-prepared and knew exactly what I needed— beds, mattresses, a couch, a dining table with chairs, and so on. After putting everything in a huge cart 🛒 and paying for it, I went to schedule the delivery.

They had a great deal—$50 for home delivery, no matter the size.

I needed the delivery on Friday after 12 pm.

Why then? Because this is when I was scheduled to move into the apartment. And I was starting work on Monday.

But then the problems started.

Apparently, to schedule a Friday 12:00 delivery, I had to purchase everything on Thursday between 8:00 and 10:00 am. But it was Wednesday at 8:00 pm.

So after buying everything, IKEA suggested I RETURN EVERYTHING I bought, get my money back, come back the next day, and BUY IT ALL AGAIN. Then they can schedule the delivery for Friday at 12 pm.

This seemed absurd. An IKEA employee would have to put everything I bought back on the shelves, we would repeat the whole process the next day, and IKEA would pay additional credit card fees for two more transactions. What a waste of time and money!

I won't bore you with all the details, but I ended up not returning everything.

This decision cost me about three hours of phone calls and standing in the rain waiting for the furniture to arrive early.

I should have returned everything and bought it again.

🏡 Take-home message: it's much easier to follow the guidelines, no matter how inefficient they seem. It's simply less of a headache.

Well, next week I'll counter today's newsletter with "The Three Things We Did Right."

Until then, make sure you learn from our mistakes.

It'll make your transition SO MUCH smoother.

Good luck!

Readers’ Favorite

If you like this type of advice, I prepared a comprehensive Tip Sheet to help you in the process of moving to the US for a Fellowship or Postdoc.

You can read it here. 

Enjoy!

Stuff

🏦Bank I use - Bank of America

I'm not a US citizen or resident, so opening a bank account under these circumstances can be quite a headache.

However, Bank of America has been great throughout the process.

Some banks give you a tough time when you’re a foreign citizen and arrive with just a passport and no social security card.

Bank of America is the complete opposite. Highly recommended!

Epilogue

That’s it for this issue.

If you received this newsletter from a friend and would like to join Friday's Digest, visit https://newsletter.shaysharon.com

See you next week!

Shay