Michael Santos
@SusheeMonster
Australian expat in the USA
Forum posts
35
About me
Australian
Lives in New Jersey
Speaks English, Spanglish
Registration: 16 March 2010
had been offered a job in Beijing by galy
Dear Expats, I just joined your site. Seems great. I would like to ask you for tips about my dilemma. I was just offered by a student's Chinese internships company, to be placed in a hotel, as a guest service adviser. It seems very interesting to ...
Sorry, I can't give you a solid answer on your specific field - but I can give you a range of salary expectations for different types of jobs to give you a better indication of how low they're paying you. 3000-5000 yuan/month is entry level Chinese ... Read More
Ei fellow Canucks,, How do you tranfer money to your Canadian bank(s)
Don't have an answer, but I'm in a similar situation - except I'm American. Much of what I'm about to say is unconfirmed, so heed warning. I read that wire transfers are the most "common" way to transfer money, but documentation on your income is ... Read More
looking for decent friends in Beijing!:) by smile_beijing
hi there, iam a female beijinger and i work near Jianguomen. Since i graduated from school, i rarely speak english. but i do love this language. so i hope i could find some friends here to pratice english with me. in return, id like to show u my ...
Have you been to English Corner in Renmin University? It happens every Friday at 7pm. We can also try voice chat over MSN, if you're interested. Read More
Just arrived in Beijing and feeling lonely. Looking for friends by dandan_intern
Hey all! I am a college student at Columbia University interning here in Beijing for the summer. I'm just looking to meet some people here! Please don't hesitate to email if you would like to get together!
I'm from Jersey and lived in Brooklyn before moving here in April. Let's set something up Read More
asian american expat experience in china?
Filipino-American in Beijing. Sometimes I get confused for being Chinese. There's no real disadvantage unless people come up and try to speak to you. It happens most often by store employees when you're shopping. Even then "Wǒ b霉 hu矛 shuō ... Read More
Hello fellow Beijingers! Moving next month!!! by RubyMarielle
Hi Everyone!! My name is Ruby. I will be moving to Beijing next month (June 15, to be exact). I know others have posted about this before but if anyone has any tips let me know. I'm completely freaking out haha. I'm American from Los Angeles, and ...
As a fellow American who spent a year in Oz and relocated to China, welcome. Pretty funny you make the analogy of Chinatown in LA, since Beijing dwarfs LA's population over 5x. Read More
Need help with short term housing by Zhongguancun Software Park by vegasmary
Hello - My name is Mary and my daughter just finished her freshman year at USC in Los Angeles. Through the Business School, she was lucky enough to score a summer internship with a company in the Zhongguancun Software Park but she has to find ...
Hi vegasmary, I live in the vicinity of the spot you mentioned. It's _definitely_ not the suburbs. The comparison of Zhongguancun to Silicon Valley is an appropriate one, with all the shopping (+5 malls!) and other amenities you won't find in the ... Read More
New in Beijing by SusheeMonster
Hey... I'm not a new member, but I moved to Beijing about a week ago. I'm an American (ABF, not ABC) and my Mandarin is terrible. I've been around a bit before this, living in Australia for a year and spending a good amount of time around Asia. Give ...
Sorry for the late reply. I think I disabled e-mail notifications and didn't realize until now. ABF = American Born Filipino, though American Born F*ckhead can also apply (I left for a reason). I mention this because people confuse me for Chinese. ... Read More
New in Beijing
Hey... I'm not a new member, but I moved to Beijing about a week ago. I'm an American (ABF, not ABC) and my Mandarin is terrible. I've been around a bit before this, living in Australia for a year and spending a good amount of time around Asia. Give ... Read More
Pub crawls in Madrid by SusheeMonster
I've found lots of Madrid pub crawls online and some of them seem fly by night. It's hard to get a sense of which ones are reliable and consistently have a decent-sized group. Does anyone have recommendations?
Sorry for the short notice, but I'm arranging an early pub crawl for Thursday night in Malasa帽a. The barrio has a very casual, hip vibe and there are lots of unpretentious bars around to drink and socialize. I've invited several people I'm in ... Read More
New in Madrid
Hit me up. I'm here on business until Friday afternoon, but I can always do something after 6pm Read More
Pub crawls in Madrid by SusheeMonster
I've found lots of Madrid pub crawls online and some of them seem fly by night. It's hard to get a sense of which ones are reliable and consistently have a decent-sized group. Does anyone have recommendations?
Hopefully this helps anyone else out. I ended up joining the MADride pub crawl. They meet up at the bear statue in Puerta del Sol @ 11pm pretty much every day. I went on Saturday night. A good-sized group of 15-20 or so people aged 19-30 showed up ... Read More
Pub crawls in Madrid
I've found lots of Madrid pub crawls online and some of them seem fly by night. It's hard to get a sense of which ones are reliable and consistently have a decent-sized group. Does anyone have recommendations? Read More
Americano en Madrid
I'm heading to the James Joyce tonight around 7-8 with 2 other peeps from here in tow. If you want to swing by, just look for the minor铆a americana. I'm pretty hard to miss Read More
Is Madrid The Place For Me? by KristinnnH
Im Currently living in Canada, But I have always been fascinated by anything Spanish, Especially the people. I would be going possibly near the end of July 2012, by then I would have turned 18. Any reasons as to if I should go/not go? What would be ...
furisern really hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, the economic crisis had a devastating effect upon labor. Do some Google searches for Spain's youth unemployment rate, and you'll see numbers topping 40%. Protest groups have set up shantytowns ... Read More
Weekly Expat get-together by unitedstatesian
Hey Expats! Time for a second get-together for a drink among expats. Everyone is welcome! Where? In restaurante Jota. It is near Metro Bilbao, just off of Fuencarral street (20 meters behind ...
Heya. I noticed that there haven't been any announcements for meetups in July. Is it on hiatus? I'm here until the end of the month and I want to catch at least one before flying out. Read More
Americanos en madrid??
I'll be in Madrid for work until next Friday, if you're still interested Read More
Americano en Madrid
Hey guys. I'm Mike. My Spanish is horrible. I'm here for work until the end of the month and I'd love to meet new people for after-work & weekend activities. If you want to swap rounds at the pub, wander aimlessly around Puerta del Sol, visit the ... Read More
I am a young professinal woman relocating to Sydney in August! by Evaeliz
Hello All, I am relocating to Sydney in August due to a job opportunity which has come up. I am very excited but incredibly nervous, I have been reading hundreds of books etc on Sydney life but thought I聮d give this a go. I have always made friends ...
Evaeliz, you might also want to consider Wake Up! It's 2 blocks south and it's much cheaper there. There's this winter deal I'm taking advantage of where you pay $150/week for a six bed dorm if you pay two weeks in advance. I'm sure other hostels ... Read More
Advice for move to Sydney for 12 - 24 months by josie0801
Hi, My boyfriend and I are aiming to move over to Australia in 6 months time and was wondering if anyone had any tips about visa's, rent, jobs, living expenses etc As background, I currently work for IBM UK and have tried to get a transfer and ...
Actually, your situation is very similar to mine. I'm a 25 year old that went to Australia on the Work and Holiday Visa just to check it out, but now I love it here and want to stay for a couple years. Before I left, I was wondering the same about ... Read More
Transitioning to Life in Sydney
Start off with the Expat Network on this site. People on this forum tend to be shy. Read More
Moving to Sydney from Kentucky USA in June/July by Mimishuze
Hey All! Mu husband and I are moving to Sydney in a couple months as he was offered a job there. We are really excited; but nervous too! We've done a ton of research and i think we are ready; but any advice would be greatly appreciated ...
Banks: Personally, I signed up with ANZ bank. I didn't to thorough research, but I had gotten a few personal recommendations from fellow travelers and holiday makers. The banks here are a little different than they were in the US. You have an "every ... Read More
Moving to Sydney from Kentucky USA in June/July by Mimishuze
Hey All! Mu husband and I are moving to Sydney in a couple months as he was offered a job there. We are really excited; but nervous too! We've done a ton of research and i think we are ready; but any advice would be greatly appreciated ...
Kinda hard to give advice when we don't know what you're looking for. Are both of you here on a Work Visa or the Work and Holiday Visa? Have you: * Found a place to live or oriented yourself with the neighborhoods? * Set up a bank account? * ... Read More
chileans in australia
You qualify for the Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462). If you want to work, you'll need a bank account for direct deposits of your paycheck and a Tax File Number. Try staying in a major city like Sydney or Melbourne. It will be easier to make ... Read More
Hello Everyone, Californian headed to Sydney by SlamDunk21
Hello Everyone, I'm not an Ex Pat yet but I soon will be. Looking forward to starting my adventure in Australia. Basically, I'm looking for other Americans that have made the move to help me out. I would be grateful for any advice.
Just some stuff off the top of my head: - Since you're an American citizen, you qualify for the Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462), which allows you to stay in country for one year from arrival. Applying is fairly easy, and there's even an online ... Read More
I am a young professinal woman relocating to Sydney in August! by Evaeliz
Hello All, I am relocating to Sydney in August due to a job opportunity which has come up. I am very excited but incredibly nervous, I have been reading hundreds of books etc on Sydney life but thought I聮d give this a go. I have always made friends ...
I arrived on the 15th, so it's my 3rd day here. When I applied for my visa, it took me 2-3 business days and they actually didn't ask for any proof, whatsoever. I'm willing to bet that doesn't happen often. It's a good idea to stay in a hostel for ... Read More
I am a young professinal woman relocating to Sydney in August! by Evaeliz
Hello All, I am relocating to Sydney in August due to a job opportunity which has come up. I am very excited but incredibly nervous, I have been reading hundreds of books etc on Sydney life but thought I聮d give this a go. I have always made friends ...
Hey Eva. I'm pretty much in the same situation as you are, except I'm already here. Unfortunately, there's only so much you can do without meeting people in person. It's a touchy area, but I hope you're not being too critical of your potential ... Read More
Moving to Australia, best place for a younger person? by SlamDunk21
Hi all, I am planning on moving to Australia next year and was wonderng what the best city to consider for a young professional (24). Basically I want to move to the city with the msot opportunity and poeple my age to have a good time with. Any ...
The obvious answer is Sydney. This is coming from a 25 year-old from New Jersey who just arrived yesterday. Read More
Finding contract IT employment under which visa? by SusheeMonster
Hey all, I want to spend up to a year living and working in Australia and after reading all the available (often conflicting) information online, I'm hoping someone is generous enough to provide their input. My plan is to spend the next couple of ...
Thanks Joe. Yup, looks like I'm not banking on visa sponsorship. It turns out that my former employer has offices in Sydney; so I'm hoping for something to happen there, too. What about IT contract jobs? Any 'expats' out there had luck with finding ... Read More
Finding contract IT employment under which visa?
Hey all, I want to spend up to a year living and working in Australia and after reading all the available (often conflicting) information online, I'm hoping someone is generous enough to provide their input. My plan is to spend the next couple of ... Read More