Tips for When Moving to America

The past 2 weeks have provided me a great learning experience. The difference between Kenya and America are striking. To my past me, I would have emphasized the following lessons:

Buy your own hair clippers: Cutting hair in America is expensive, an average of USD 20 depending on where you are. I don't know why, but I think minimum wages (USD 8.75/hour) are to blame for such high prices. That is the equivalent of about 10 hair cuts in Kenya at my kinyozi(at the rate of KSh. 200 per hair cut; assuming 1USD = 100Ksh.). I have already bought one, and I am now in the processing of learning how to cut my own hair.

Learning to cut your own hair will save you a tonne of money

Be prepared to eat odd things: every time I eat a burger, I know I am eating frozen meat from as far as Australia, fish from China and so on. The fast food business is booming and is not about to die. I have learnt to enjoy Chinese food including General Tso's chicken; all this while missing ugali and mukimo.

General Tso's Chicken - a favorite Chinese food

Learn to use a smart phone, and some apps will be handy: Uber/Lyft - to carry me to those odd places, Airbnb-cheap places to stay before finding more permanent place, Powervoip/Rebtel - cheaper alternative for calling home.

Contracts, credit cards and credit scores: a simcard requires I sign a contract where I am billed monthly, and they are not cheap either. Credit cards ensure you can buy stuff you don't need and not really feel it; credit scores measure how credit worthy you are. Credit scores are so important, that some people will not rent a house to you, or sell you a car if you don't show a credit history!

Credit scores run this country

The standard of living is high; a lot of services work, but it it expensive to live here. So, one needs to be careful with money so as not to go bust in a couple of months. Otherwise, let's live the American Dream!

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