Getting married is one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking things that you can do. If your upcoming nuptials mean that you’re also moving country to be with your new spouse, then you’re combining your wedding with yet another major life change. Understandably, you may be feeling overwhelmed.
So, it’s well worth being prepared for anything that might come your way so that you can sidestep any potential issues and forge your new future together.
The first thing that you need to do is plan your wedding. Not everything needs to be set into stone, but the earlier you get things going, the easier it will become. You’ll need to decide which country the wedding will take place in, as well as do all the usual wedding planning. Keeping careful and extensive notes for the process may well help you with the next step.
Next, you’ll need to apply for a visa. For US fiances specifically, this might be a K1 visa. So, what is a K1 visa? Simply put, this is a visa designed for someone who is about to marry an American citizen. You will both need to be legally allowed to married and to prove that the family unit can support itself. Finally, you should intend to marry within 90 days of being admitted into the United States, with the ceremony taking place in the US, which is why you’ve hopefully already got some plans underway. Some countries are different, but they will have similar types of visas with similar requirements.
While it seems like you have the difficult parts out of the way, there are still more things that you should consider. There are other legal documents to sort out beyond your visa, including your marriage certificate. Any licenses, insurances, and tax requirements need to be researched and any needed changes should be made. Also, be sure to connect with a good international moving company, so you can get whatever belongings you need to your future home with as little stress as possible.
Unfortunately, just getting to your new home country and into your new family isn’t the end of the road bumps you might come across along the way. No matter where you go, there are bound to be cultural differences and you might struggle to fit in. Even between Britain and the US, there are different social norms that you might be unfamiliar with.
So, be patient, and try to meet as many new people as you can. Hopefully, you’ll already know your spouse’s family and friends, but it may be helpful to make friends as well. Take up hobbies and join groups, if you find something that you enjoy. If you find a job, then it’ll be far easier for you to meet new people at your workplace, and hopefully make friends there.
Finally, simply enjoy the place you’re in. While you’re not exactly a tourist, take pleasure in some of the landmarks and adventures of your new home.
*This is a collaborative post*
With today’s freedom of movement, more people than ever are becoming parents with somebody from a different culture. In fact, many people are seeking it out. It’s more interesting that way - and you can learn to have an entirely different life.
Parenting across cultures, however, can also create problems. Many countries approach the matter of parenting differently from people living in the west with some interesting results. Getting a UK spouse visa application might not be the only thing you’ll need to do to create a happy family life. You’ll also need to come to terms with alternative parenting practices.
They Might Want Their Kids To Spend Less Time In School
In the west, we have a culture that says that children need to spend all their time in school. If they don’t, they’ll “fall behind” and won’t be able to catch up in the future.
This view of the matter, however, is nonsense. There are plenty of countries that ask children to spend less time in school which ultimately achieve higher attainment. In Finland, for instance, kids spend the majority of their time outside the classroom, just enjoying their childhoods.
In fact, the dysfunction might be the other way around. In places like the UK, kids spend all week in school and then must work on homework in the evenings, on holidays and at the weekends. They never learn to take a genuine break and just be happy with being alive. It’s a tragedy.
They Allow Kids To Get Frustrated
As a parent, you might not like the idea of your kid becoming frustrated. From the outside, it seems unpleasant. But frustration is an extremely important emotion that teaches kids independence.
Cultures like the Japanese and Irish are extremely pro-frustration. They believe that it is a necessary emotional hurdle that young people need to overcome in order to become well-rounded adults. Far too many kids live in environments where they never feel genuine frustration so they never learn how to deal with it before they grow up.
They Might Expect Other People To Get Involved
In the west, people say that “it takes a village to raise a child.” But most of us don’t take that adage seriously - not really, anyway. However, in some countries, they really do. China and Congo, for instance, both involve many people in the raising of children, not just the parents.
This setup is actually very useful and something that many people appreciate. It means that the burden of responsibility for kids falls on multiple people, instead of just the parents themselves or a single mum. It actually makes parenting much less stressful than the main setup in the west where working parents have to do everything themselves.
They Allow Their Children To Go Hungry
In places like France and South Korea, parents let their children go hungry. It sounds like neglect but when done properly, it helps to stave off obesity and normalise their hunger levels. Children come to believe that eating is a social occasion and not something that they should do on their own. This reduces unhealthy snacking.
**This is a collaborative post**
Nowadays, more and more of our homes are beginning to look the same. This is understandable. Many of us like to use major furniture stores that supply low cost, flat pack options that make furnishing our houses more affordable. Many of us jump on trends. Many of us take inspiration from the same Pinterest boards and Instagram feeds. But it is important that you put somewhat of a stamp on your own home, making it unique to you. This is a great way to express yourself, your tastes and your interests. Plus, it makes your home stand out from the crowd a little. Here are a few simple steps that can help you to put your own signature touch on your home.
Framed Pictures
We take more photos now than ever. Thanks to great quality smartphone cameras, we always have something on us to capture our memories. But why store all of these photos in your phone’s memory? The days of framing pictures aren’t past us and having framed pictures on your walls is a great way to express what you love in your living space. Whether that’s family, friends, pets or places. This is one of the oldest and most traditional way to display your photographs, so it’s not all too surprising that there are a range of frames out there. You can keep things simple with ready made frames from Nielsen, or you can have custom made frames to match specific sizes or styles you have in mind. You can have free standing frames on mantlepieces, window ledges or shelves. You can have frames on the walls. You can have plain and minimalist frames. You can have gilted, extravagant frames. Whatever suits you and your tastes best!
Hobbies
If you have hobbies, why not have some things around that reflect that hobby? Like baking? Have a quality stand mixer out in the kitchen. Practice pole fitness? Have a pole installed in a convenient area of your home. Play in a sports team? Have one of your shirts up for display on a wall. The list goes on. Not only can some of these items provide actual value and benefit for you, becoming used on a regular basis, but they can give visitors some insight into you as a person.
Choose Your Own Colour Scheme
Remember that you’re not limited to a colour palette of neutrals like white, cream, mushroom or beige. You have a whole rainbow to choose from. Now, that’s not saying that you necessarily have to go painting all of your walls bright tones. But you can subtly work in your favourite colours and shades through feature walls, your accessories (such as cushions or rugs), artwork on your walls and more.
Of course, there are countless other things you can do to put your signature stamp on your living space. But hopefully, the ideas outlined above will work as some inspiration and can help to get things moving in the right direction for you!
*This is a collaborative post*
It’s been a tough 18 months for so many people, and many of us are still feeling the effects of the fall out from COVID-19. One thing is clear, it has changed the way many of us look at our lives, as well as the approach that we take to daily life. There are so many different elements that this encapsulates, and it is important that you make sure you focus on being able to achieve this as much as possible.
You need to be looking at some of the best ways of being able to change your life and improve your future. Rethinking your priorities and taking things forward in the right kind of way is something that you need to make the most of right now. There are a lot of different ideas that can help you here, and thinking about the best ways of achieving this is so important.
Quit Your Job
It might seem very drastic, but the simple fact of the matter is that quitting your job could be the best thing you do this year. There are a lot of reasons why someone might choose to quit their job, and this is definitely something to consider. In the wake of the global pandemic, people are finding themselves with uncertain professional futures, and it has put things into perspective. This has inspired a lot of people to quit their jobs and pursue other career paths. For instance, you could use a physician job search portal like practicematch.com if you fancy a career in healthcare. Quitting your job to do something completely different is a really important process, and this is something that you need to make a priority this year.
Take Charge of Your Body
Taking charge of your body this year is one of the best things you can do to improve your confidence, health, and overall wellness in 2021. Now, there are plenty of health changes that you should make this year, and it is important to make sure you sort these out as soon as you can. Taking charge of your body is so important, and there are a lot of key factors that you should be trying to look at when it comes to improving things and taking charge of your body and getting yourself in shape as much as possible.
Boss Your Finances
Bossing and improving your finance is something that you need to improve the best ways of taking care of your money moving forward. Financial constraints have intensified over the past year or two, and this is something that you need to assess when looking at your finances. So, you have to do as much as possible to ensure that you look after your money and think about how you can trim costs, invest better, and put more away.
These are some of the key areas of your life that you need to be making drastic changes to, and this is something that you have to consider. Try to focus on the best course of action you can take that will improve your well-being, and these are some of the best factors that can provide you with help, support, and a better, brighter future.
*This is a collaborative post*
Every parent, no matter what job they might have or what income they are bringing in, will find there are times when it’s not enough – they want to make some extra money for their family. The problem is, they just don’t know how to go about doing that. It’s hard when you either already have a job or when you are caring for your children full-time.
The good news is, if you have some technical know-how, you can create a side project that will bring you in some additional income and not take up too much of your time. Read on to find out more.
Start A Blog
There are several different ways that blogging can bring you an income. You might have ads on your site, for example, or you might have affiliate links. You might even review products. There are a variety of routes you can go down, so you’ll need to see what will work best for you in terms of the time you have to spare and the knowledge you have regarding setting up a website that people will want to read.
Whatever you choose, if you don’t have people visiting the site, you’re not going to make any money in this way. If no one sees your ads or clicks on the links within your posts, this will seriously reduce your income. This is why it can be helpful to engage professional SEO services. In this way, you know you will be seen in search engine results, translating into more clicks and, therefore, more money.
App Development
Perhaps your skills lie in app development, and if so, this can be a great way to make a nice additional income for your family. Creating just one app that you then sell or monetize through advertising and release for free is a good start, but what if you could create many apps and make money from them all?
Coming up with new and exciting apps is difficult, but don’t worry; you could set up a side business to make apps for other people. If they already have the idea, you can simply make them the app they are asking for, and they will pay you. You no longer have to worry about whether people will download it or if it’s a good idea as that is someone else’s concern.
Develop An Online Course
Online courses are becoming more and more popular, and once you have created yours and found a platform to host it on, it can bring you a good passive income for many years to come. It will take hard work and plenty of time to write the course initially; no matter how much someone is paying for it, they will want to feel they are getting value for money, and the information has to be accurate and interesting. However, with the money you receive from selling this one course many times over – updating as time goes on if need be – you can have a good additional income.
Choose an area you have experience in and that you know well – in this way, it will be a more straightforward course to write, and the information will be much more detailed.
*This is a collaborative post*