Sunday, June 7, 2009

Shop Online. Find Everything you are used to buy - in Good Prices.

One of the good things about living in the US is the online shopping.
You can buy almost everything online and if its not good, return it and get your money back.
It's really simple and most of the services are free delivery (or at least you can find a coupon online that will make it free delivery or 10% off).

These are services that are worth mentioning -
http://www.peapod.com/
The quality and prices are comparable to Jewel-Osco in everything (including the stand). The service is wonderful.
$20 off first grocery order at Peapod.com, then free delivery for 60 days
Use BAGFREE20 at checkout on first order.
$50 minimum delivery.

http://www.skin-one.com/
Skin 1 is a professional skin care organization with experience in every aspect of skin therapy. Regardless of your skin type or condition they will probably have what you're looking for. By working with Skin 1 you will have access to thousands of different products from around the globe. They have been in business for nearly 30 years and have undergone a rigorous screening process to bring you only the finest products in the marketplace.
The service is very good too.

http://www.visiondirect.com/
Buy contact lenses online. Much Cheaper. Good and reliable service.

These are only 3 of the many services that are available online.
Other companies that are great for shopping are:
Target - for clothing, toys, and more (http://www.target.com/) and Aldo - for shoes (http://www.aldoshoes.com/).
Anyway, don't forget to look for a coupon for whatever you buy. It really easy - just search and the word in google and you will probably find good ones.
I ask you - the readers - to add online recommendations in the comments for the other users (and for me...). Thanks!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Groceries, Supermarkets, and Wholesalers

Here is a list of the popular ones among the students and a few notes:

Costco: A quality products in attractive prices, wholesaler. It has a yearly membership fee with card access. The cost for 2 cards (at the same application) is $50. Everything there is in big quantities. A place you can go every 3 weeks to renew your stocks.

Whole Foods Market: High quality products. You enjoy the products and the service, but you also should be ready to pay a small extra for it. It is recommended to buy there vegetables and fruits - the quality is high and the prices won't be higher than in other grocery stores. Also - many 'healthy kind of products', like tofu, will be available there in lower prices than in most of the grocery stores.

Wal-Mart: You can find Wal-Marts all across America. they are usually located in the outskirts. In Wal-Mart you can buy practically everything, food, really cheap casual clothes, car accessories, home improvement stuff, everything. Some Wal-Marts don't have too much food. It is one one of the cheapest shopping centers in the US. They have a generous refund policy, they accept refunds with receipt for items over 30 days.

Jewel-Osco: A regular supermarket. You can find everything there, the quality and the prices are average. It's just easy to buy there.




Other stores that may be relevant to you are (* is recommended):
Food shopping chains: Dominick's Finer Foods*, Kroger.
Wholesalers: Target*, K-Mart, Sam's Club.
Convenient Stores:7-eleven, CVS.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Barack Obama speech in Cairo - 6/4/2009

A great speech. He really shows no fear in dealing with tough situations. Putting everything on the table and discuss.
It feels good to live in a country with such a president.

Getting to know the place and the people - First month in the US

We started our journey with a KWEST trip to Mexico -


It was a lot of fun, but more important - we met wonderful friends that helped our first months in the US to be warm and friendly.


As a student's partner I was invited to many different events. This is one captures of a really funny "get together" students' presentation at Kellogg -

One of the best thing about the different graduate programs is that most of the people are looking to make new friends as they are far from their old friends and they are very friendly anyway. So, at the first month we had many many dinners and we met even more wonderful friends -

Illinois Driving License

Here is a manual that includes everything you need to know in order to get an Illinois license -

--Thanks to Gili Cnaani for sending

Moving to a new place is not always the easiest thing

So, if you feel your life sucks from time to time - Remember - it's only for now :) - Avenue Q

And now seriously - not everything about moving to a new country is a great adventure. There are difficult times from time to time. Remember - you are not alone. you can easily find friends that are share your problems that you can cry on their shoulders (they will also cry on yours), and most important thing is to remember that being new is only a temporary stage.



Thanks to Olly and Sariel for the recommendation :)

Applying for a work permit for J-2 visa holders - a summary in Hebrew

Application Process
To apply for an EAD, mail the items listed below to the USCIS (address below). Be sure to keep photocopies of the entire packet for your records.

1. $340 Check or Money Order
Your fee must be the correct amount or your application will be returned (even if you pay the higher amount). Check or money orders must be made payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” A name and an address must be printed on the check; temporary checks are not allowed.
2. I-765 Form
Print page 10 of this form from the USCIS web site. Complete the form and don’t forget to sign at the bottom (with blue ink). On item #9, leave blank if you do not yet have a Social Security number On item #16, put in the code, "(C)(5)( )”.
3. DS-2019s
Photocopy only of both the J-1’s and J-2’s DS-2019 forms.
4. I-94 (J-2’s) (in your passport.)
Photocopy only (both sides). The I-94 is the small, white card in the passport.
5. Photos (2), U.S. passport-style
See instructions on the U.S. Department of State web site. Lightly print your name and I-94 number on the back of each photo in case they get separated from your application.
6. Financial statement
You can use this as a template for your financial statement in support of your application. Insert your personal information into the areas of bold text.
7. Evidence of funds
Photocopy of J-1’s funding source documentation to support stay in U.S.
8. J-2 Biographical Data
Photocopy of biographical page in the J-2’s passport.
9. Proof of Marriage
Photocopy of marriage certificate, with certification of translation if not in English.

This document is a summary in Hebrew of some instructions documents for getting a work permit for J-2 visa holders. It can be VERY helpful for spouses that are joining their beloved ones to their journey towards getting a MBA in one of the US universities.
(*) It is relevant only if you have a J-2 visa.
(*) It can be a wonderful experience and an adventure to you too. If you have any question, you can e-mail me.
(*) I got this document from Ariel Tigger. Thank you!
(*) This post has a combination of English and Hebrew letters, and thus it is not arranged very well.

הוצאת אישור תעסוקה ל- J-2
נשים (או בעלים) המגיעים כנספחים (Dependant) לבעלי ויזה J-1 יכולים להוציא אישור עבודה. לאישור לוקח שלושה חודשים להגיע, ולכן תעשו לעצמכם טובה ותכינו את רוב הטופסולוגיה כבר בישראל, תשלימו את מה שחסר בארה"ב כשתדעו את הכתובת שלכם ותשלחו כמה שיותר מהר. היטב את ההוראות שב – http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-765instr.pdf ובנוסף את ההוראות של האוניברסיטה https://internationalaffairs.uchicago.edu/students/current_students/j2-work-permissions.shtml
http://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/family/J2work_authorization.php
ותכינו את הדברים הבאים:
1. צילום דרכון של J-1 ושל J-2 על דפים נפרדים.
2. צילום של ה- DS-2019 של שני בני הזוג, לאחר שהוחתם על ידי ה- OIA.
3. צילום של I-94 של שני בני הזוג משני הצדדים (הפתקית הקטנה שמשודכת לדרכון עם כניסתכם לארה"ב).
4. הצהרה כתובה שמעידה על הסיבה להגשה. הצהרה זו צריכה להיות בפורמט המוצע ב- http://www.oiss.yale.edu/visa/j2sample.pdf . תמצית המכתב הוא להוכיח כי השכר שירוויח J-2 כלל לא נועד לתמיכה ב- J-1, ושכר זה הוא לא המטרה לבקשה, אלא הרצון לשמר קריירה מקצועית וכו'.
5. עותק של תעודה מזהה נוספת של ה- J-2 כגון רשיון נהיגה ישראלי (אופציונאלי).
6. שתי תמונות פספורט אמריקאי, עדכניות, אשר מהצד השני שלהן רשום ה- Alien receipt number (אנחנו העתקנו את המספר על ה- I-94) ראו http://www.oiss.yale.edu/visa/j2work.htm על איך צילום צריך להראות.
7. מכתבי אישור על כל המקורות מימון שלכם (מלגה, ספונסר, חשבונות בנק וכו').
8. צ'ק על סך 340$ לפקודת “U.S. Department of Homeland Security”. אנחנו ממליצים עלMoney order ז"א צ'ק שהבנק שלכם מנפיק בעבורכם, כך ימנעו פדיחות, כמו צ'ק שחוזר כי בדיוק שכחתם להעביר כסף מה- Savings ל– Checking.
9. אפליקיישן I-765 שתורידו מ- http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-765.pdf .
10. תעודת נישואין של J-1 ושל J-2 (בעברית).
11. תרגום של תעודת הנישואין לאנגלית (תעשו בעצמכם ב- WORD).
12. מכתב הצהרה חתום על ידי ה- J-2 בסגנון הבא לגבי תעודת הנישואין:
Translator's Certification
I, Israel Israeli, certify that I am fluent in the English and Hebrew languages, and that the attached marriage certificate document is an accurate rendering of the original item entitled "Marriage Certificate"

בקשו ממישהו שכבר הוציא את האישור לעבור על הניירת לפני ההגשה. טעות קטנה תעלה לכם ב-3 חודשים נוספים, לא כדאי.
את כל הניירות שלחו בדואר רשום ל-
USCIS Service Center
Nebraska Service Center
P.O. Box 87765
Lincoln, NE 68501-7765
האישור מגיע 13 שבועות מיום הבקשה, זה לא מיתוס, ככה זה לוקח. לאחר קבלת אישור העבודה ה- J-2 יכול\ה להוציא כרטיס SSN כמו של בן הזוג.

Monday, June 1, 2009

New Views, New Weather, New Activities and Adventures

Coming to a new country involves many things you weren't used to do. For me - I replaced walking on the beach to walking on the lake...
Sounds pretty much the same?
mmm... other than our beach here, as you can see, sometimes, it's snowy if you are in Chicago, IL (Michigan lake)...

Hope you will Enjoy your the new views, weather, and activities!