Must read before going to USA-4

16. 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. Of course 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) inches x 2.5 = centimeters
Centimeters x 0.4 = inches (in) feet x 30 = centimeters
Meters x 3.3 = feet yards x 0.9 = meters
Kilometers x 1.1 = yards miles x 1.6 = kilometers

Grams x 0.035 = ounces ounces x 28 = grams
Kilograms x 2.2 = pounds pounds x 0.45 = kilograms

Milliliters x 0.3 = fluid ounces fluid ounces x 30 = milliliters
Liters x 1.06 = quarts quarts x 0.95 = liters
Liters x 0.26 = gallons gallons x 3.8 = liters


17. 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:
17.1 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 they 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 because of 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.
17.2 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.
17.3 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.
17.4 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.
17.5 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.
17.6 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.
17.8 Maintaining an apartment : In most of the apartments you have cooking range, oven, dishwasher, 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. Dishwasher soap is available in liquid or in powder form. Dishwasher 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 trashcans so that you can just take the bag and dispose it in the central trash, usually provided in the apartment complex.

17.9 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 favorite detergent powder.
Decorating, Furnishing YOUR house : Of course 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 thing 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 people’s 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.


18. 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 re-salability. The most popular Japanese car makes are Honda and Tyota.

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 advertisement 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 downshifting. 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 B OK. 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 yr.) decide 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 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, and 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.


19. 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 it’s 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, and 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.


20. 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 along with 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.