Bumblebee

Ok! Thank you all for your advice. I'll bring my cell phone with me when I go to get the contract in order to check whether the sim card works. And thanks intextrovert for the article. It was nice seeing that I'm not the only person who thinks that the cell phone system in the US is insane . I thought it was just a matter of cultural difference with the way things are done in Europe, but apparently more Americans agree with this.

I think some carriers in the US don't use GSM. Verizon, for example, uses a different one (CDMA or somthing like that). That's why the Nexus One, for example, cannot be used with Verizon. It needs to be adapted. At least, that's what I've been told.

This issue with the sim card, does it happen when you get a contract too? My father has given me an unlocked HTC phone that I plan to take with me and use with a US carrier. I was thinking of ATT since I get a discount through the university and it's GSM (same as phones here in Europe).

I did the exact same thing. My landlady sent me a confirmation e-mail as soon as she got both the deposit check and the lease (which I had previously photocopied) and then she sent me a copy signed by her. She was really nice through the whole process (she has even offered to give me a ride to the house the day I arrive).

Thanks a lot for the tip!

Yes, I'm going to Bloomington. I already checked the restaurants and supermarkets and all I could find was Latin American stores/restaurants. Fortunately I know of a store in Virginia that sells Spanish food online. They don't have all the things I like and it can be quite expensive, but I will definitely use it when I have a serious "homesickness crisis". American customs and borders don't help either. I cannot bring many things from Spain and I just don't want to risk having my luggage opened and having to pay a fine. :-(

I'm spending my last weeks of holidays with my family before I move to Indiana. In the meantime, I'm enjoying all my beloved Spanish food, which I won't be able to taste for almost a year (I have a wedding in South America in early January, so I'll be spending Christmas there), I'm enjoying the Spanish team's victories in the World Cup, I'm trying to read some articles on Hispanic Linguistics and I'm getting ready for my visa interview. Luckily, I already have an apartment (and it's furnished, so I'll have a bed to sleep in my first night in Bloomington) and I cannot register until my orientation week (last week of August), which means I don't need to worry about courses just yet.

From my experience, I can tell you that 2-3 hours is enough. Sometimes I have 1 1/2 hours to do everything (immigration and customs) and I manage to get to my boarding gate in time for the next flight. I don't know whether it's your first time in the US or not, but if it is, don't forget to pick up your luggage from the belt to go through customs. The first time I travelled to the US my luggage got stuck in Chicago because I had no idea I had to do it.

My heart hopes Spain will win, but being realistic I think Argentina or Germany have more possibilities of winning the World Cup.

My term starts on August 30th. The week before classes start I have my department orientation and that's when I'll have the appointment with my advisor. I won't be able to register until then. However, I already know the courses I'll be taking since I already met with my advisor during my campus visit.

Ah, ok! I thought trip referred to the plane ticket. I would have thought the word used in that case would be "stay", but thanks for the clarification. In that case, I'll write down that it's the school who's going to pay for my trip. Now I won't mess up my visa application!

I would put you're paying your own trip. From what you say, the school is only paying for your tuition, so it's up to you to pay the trip to the US. I will get a stipend from my school, but I will still write that I'm paying for it since I have already bought it and haven't started getting the money from the school.

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Thanks a lot for your info! I guess I'll go for a different phone, then.

Thanks for your replies. Do you know if the 500 deposit also works for the rest of the phones in ATT? There's no way I can afford a $500 deposit, especially at the beginning of the school year, with so many expenses.

Hi! I have a question concerning phone plans in the US. I have been living in the country for 3 years and I have a pay-as-you-go phone with AT&T. But now that I'm going to grad school, I want to get the iPhone. I have a SSN but I don't have a US credit history (I'm allergic to credit cards, I don't like them at all). Would that be a problem to get a contract with AT&T? Will I have to pay a deposit? (I will run short of money at the beginning of the year if I have to). Note: Despite my allergy towards credit cards, I'm aware that I will need one if I want to live in this country, so I'll be getting one in August (sigh), but I'm afraid it won't help towards my credit history.

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