How To: The experiences of family Dirks, emigrants

The Dirks family says "Howdy" from Texas:

We have been living in New Braunfels in the beautiful Texas Hill country since 2005 where we are the proud owners of the "Friesenhaus," a German restaurant and bakery. (www.friesenhausnb.com)

"Don't dream your life - live your dream!" Our own dream came true in the beautiful Texas Hill Country - with the professional assistance of American Dream, who helped us acquire the appropriate visa for our one-way ticket to the US. "Us" means, first of all, our family of four, and then, a few weeks later, our grown-up sons plus one daughter-in-law and one grandchild.

The wish to leave Germany and move to the US had been developing over several years. So we tried the green card lottery several times. When, in the summer of 2004, this failed again, we started looking for an alternative. Since our boys Peter and Walter were already 14 and 16 years old, and we weren't getting any younger either, we decided to finally do the thing properly. We had had our own travel agency in Germany fro 20 years already and also wanted to go into business for ourselves in the US, but in another sector. For our new life, we decided on a restaurant - people always have to eat. After a detailed and personal counseling interview with Mr. Mehnert, we knew that the E-2 was the visa for us. This meant for us: setting up a business in the US or draw up a business plan for one, and create at least ten full-time jobs fro American employees. No problem with a restaurant.

Since the end of March 2005, we have been living in our new adopted country, in the city of New Braunfels in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, and it is even better than we had expected. We had no problems adjusting, which is, of course, also due to the fact that we speak good English.

As one of our new American friends once said: "You can choose fro yourself - either you want to belong or you don't - both is okay." Of course, if you are emigration and even setting up a new business on another continent, you better choose the first alternative. The Americans are very sociable and open - especially the Texans. Even though they also have high divorce rates here, family is vitally important. Life here is shaped by church, charities and other groups and associations. Fortunately, the federal government doesn't interfere in a lot of things. Personal responsibility is important here. So, America is the right country for people who are creative, hard-working and want to realize their ideas. Here, you have all the opportunity you need. People are critical, enthusiastic and active, therefore, it is still possible to live the American dream.

It is best to let them know from the beginning that you wish to belong. For example, don't look for the right piece of real estate yourself, find a real-estate agent. He will not only help you find the best location, house or lot, but also help you find the answer to all possible and impossible questions. In addition, he might get you in contact with the right people. Our real-estate agent, for example, has secured us an appointment with a good lawyer to help us set up our business, and he has recommended a good provider for our internet presence and a good tax consultant.

If you are establishing a business in the US, it is advisable to join the Chamber of Commerce. Membership is voluntary, but really worth it. It establishes business contacts, and offers seminars and active support. Here in New Braunfels, there is a so-called "Business after hour" once a month, which means all members are invited to a sociable evening including dinner at different locations each month. This is aimed at getting to know the others better, establishing contacts, and maintain those you have already cultivated. There are many organizations worth joining. We are, for example, also members of the "Downtown Association," an association of business owners downtown. This gives us the opportunity to actively participate in the shaping of local events.

You will need a lot of own initiative in America. So if you are successful or want to be successful, it is unimaginable and socially not acceptable to only take care of yourself. Most people get involved one way or another - tutoring children, keeping the highway clean, volunteering in museums, in self-help groups, the Salvation Army or one of the numerous churches. Helping is fun. So we joined the Rotaries, a very good organization.

The first thing you should do after arriving in America, is taking care of the formalities, i.e. apply for your Social Security Card (if you don't already have one), and get your driver's license. Having a Social Security Card is not obligatory, but you can practically do nothing without it, because you need the number everywhere. Employee's Medicare and Medicaid, for example, are paid via Social Security. It is also much more difficult to open a bank account without Social Security Card. Next, you should make a driver's license in your state. In Texas, you have 30 days for that. You pay $24 to DPS (Department of Public Safety), where you will have your eyesight tested and take a computerized test that isn't all that difficult. Some traffic rules are different from those in Germany. However, there are less rules altogether. After that, you have to drive once around the block with a driving instructor and parallel park. The driver's license will be sent to you within a little over one week. It is also used as ID here, i.e. whenever you have to show ID, you show your driver's license.

One thing you have to be prepared fro when living in the US as a "legal alien" is that you won't have credit history. That can lead to some difficulties if you want to buy a car or set up a business, as you won't a loan anywhere. Even with a brand new Social Security Card, you are an unknown quantity. If you have never had a loan anywhere in America, you will be regarded as unworthy of credit, even if you are "loaded." Having money is not the same as being able to pay a loan back on time. That's a whole new ballgame. Loans from Germany are not sufficient proof. You will have the best chances with small banks, where the director still has its office on-site and has decision-making power over such matters. That will make your whole life a whole lot easier. Another possibility is to apply for a credit card at a gas station and then slowly work your way up. Most stores offer loyalty cards as credit cards that will secure you significant discounts. These may be discounts of 10-15% and often also paying in installments, without interest, and a one-year delay before you have to start paying back. These are significant advantages compared to paying in cash, so you really should start acquiring a credit history as early as possible. Otherwise, it might be really difficult later to finance your real estate acquisition.

The lack of credit history, however, is the only real difficulty for immigrants, everything else is easier, faster, more efficient and just better, and especially a lot more fun. Americans work hard, but they are a lot more relaxed about it and the pressure isn't so high.

If you move to the US with your family, you don't need to worry about your kids' school life. Also the kids' age is no problem, the way we see it. Our grandson, for example, is seven years old and only speaks Spanish. He was put in a bilingual class and it looks like in two years at the latest he may be transferred to an English-speaking class. Other children from abroad, e.g. from Germany, may receive special English lessons. Because we told the high school that we would still be speaking German at home, Peter and Walter had to take an English language test to make sure that they could follow the lessons. They, however, didn't have any problems, so they didn't need special lessons. On the contrary: school is so much fun here that their performance and their grades even improved rapidly. There are many reasons for this, of course. The kids have a lot more choices: besides some obligatory subjects, they can choose different kinds of sports such as football, golf, tennis, basketball, soccer, baseball, karate, cheerleading, ballet, jazz dance etc. Apart from science, English and history, sports are obligatory and take up 90 days of each day's schedule. However, they may also chose subjects such as webmastering, architecture, theater, car mechanics, pig breeding, Spanish or German. The fact that the teachers are responsible for the kids has a great influence on their performance. For example, if test results in one class are always below average, it's not the kids who have to leave the school, but instead the teacher will be looked at more closely. If a teacher is not capable of giving good and comprehensible lessons and to motivate the children, he may even be fired. One of our motivations to emigrate was for our children and grandchildren to have a better chance in life. So we are glad to see how much fun our kids and our grandson are having in school and what great results they bring home without it being a daily "fight." That alone has made the emigration worth it. We really enjoy our life here and wouldn't want to miss a single day. And the weather is of course fantastic. Warm or hot - just the way we like it. Our business has very good chances here. And since our E-2 visa is not a green card, we are still participating in the lottery on the side. In case we don't succeed this year, we will ask American Dream for help with a green card process and start working on the requirements we have to meet.

We keep our fingers crossed for all participants in the green card lottery and would be glad to welcome you at the Friesenhaus.

Best regards,

The Dirks family from New Braunfels, Texas