I got a job in the States, need tips...

[Bandito]

...near Salt Lake City, Utah.
I'm going to work there for 4 moths as a construction worker or a cleaner.
Is Utah that horrendous as it seems for a person that has never been in the US before? :)
Tell me your impressions, please, because have no idea what's it like there.

P.S.
I need one more tip.
I have a serbian passport, which means that I don't need a visa for Cuba. I'm planning to go there, and I need information on what is the easiest and cheapest way to get there from the USA.

Thanks in advance.

[earth fuck]

i belive u need to go via mexico or canada to get to cuba. get them to stamp paper rather than passport when entering cuba.

utah is where all the mormans r. expect door knocking.

[Bandito]

Is there no transportation from USA to Cuba? I find that extremely odd. Mexico and Canada are not an option, since I have no visa for those countries, just an american non-immigrant visa that lasts for 5 months.
I'm not a US citizen, and my passport is welcome in the island, but I have to admit that my knowledge about traveling between States and Cuba is poor.
As for the mormons, I don't care about them as long as they let me get booze and tobacco. :)

[S.Artesian]

Is there no transportation from USA to Cuba? I find that extremely odd. Mexico and Canada are not an option, since I have no visa for those countries, just an american non-immigrant visa that lasts for 5 months.
I'm not a US citizen, and my passport is welcome in the island, but I have to admit that my knowledge about traveling between States and Cuba is poor.
As for the mormons, I don't care about them as long as they let me get booze and tobacco. :)


There are flights from US to Cuba, but not available for tourists-- only for those authorized by terms of US law-- family members, etc. Think there's 1 flight a week from NYC on United Airlines.

Getting a visitor's visa to Canada might be your best bet. Alternatively, check out the Bahamas for flights to Havana.

Key West, Fl. is only 90 miles from Cuba, and US fishing boats, and private craft often make stops in Cuba for refueling-- although are restricted to the port area by the Cubans. One of them might drop you off, but I'd be very careful with this, as it also might piss off the Cubans.

As for Utah-- hot, dry, and Mormon-- Christian semi-cult-- which believes Jesus reappeared in the Americas, is "ambivalent" about polygamy, and holds dark skinned people are inferior. Howard Hughes was a Mormon.

I believe the state has significant restrictions on the purchase and consumption of alcohol.

Has some great natural beauty [although the Great Salt Lake isn't part of that-- essentially a big ugly pool of mineral salts]-- but Bryce Canyon and Zion national park are pretty good. Skiing in winter in the mountains around Provo [and other places]. Hotter than hell in the summer... "but it's a dry heat" as people here in the US like to say or "It's not the heat, it's the humidity."

Other than that, the only other thing I know about Utah is that Interstate 80 goes through it on the way to Reno, Nevada, Lake Tahoe and the Bay Area of California.

Good luck.

[BOZG]

Is there no transportation from USA to Cuba? I find that extremely odd.

There's still an embargo. I believe there's no legal issues in terms of travelling there, the problem is that you're forbidden from buying anything as it constitutes tourism which is illegal under the embargo.

I believe the only direct flights go from Miami but passengers require permission from the US State to go.

[Angry Young Man]

As for the mormons, I don't care about them as long as they let me get booze and tobacco. :)

Best of luck, mate.

[The Douche]

I have a mormon friend who goes to a mormon college in salt lake. The state is essentially run by the mormons, even he thinks its a little much sometimes, and he is pretty devout.

[Bandito]

What are the expected difficulties that I should expect when it comes to buying tobacco and alcohol?:confused:

[Il Medico]

Mate, Utah is one of those states that you don't want to go to. Put it this way, people actually flee Utah TO Florida. Based on that alone, it must be a pretty wretched place. Plus Mormons are like your everyday christian nut job, just now with more crazy.

[Angry Young Man]

What are the expected difficulties that I should expect when it comes to buying tobacco and alcohol?:confused:

Mormons think tea is decadent

[Nolan]

Glenn Beck is mormon! :lol:

[Os Cangaceiros]

Utah has some cool lookin' scenery.

[Comrade B]

I went to a school with a Mormon principle. He placed a ban on hugging. They are religious fanatics and some of the most intolerant people you will find on this planet. They will greet you with a smile, and be very friendly, but the second they find out that you are not religious, they will loath you. Mormons lead the movement in California to revoke same-sex civil unions. The state is composed of a majority of Mormons. Mormons believe that Utah is the holy land.

Fun facts about Utah
Alcohol content is lowered in beer and hard alcohol and many stores do not sell it.
Utah is so in the middle of fucking no-where that there is a county with a population of 938
Utah has a ban on all gambling
Every county in Utah voted for George W. Bush
Utah has only once ever voted for the Democrat party (1964)

[mykittyhasaboner]

I have a serbian passport, which means that I don't need a visa for Cuba. I'm planning to go there, and I need information on what is the easiest and cheapest way to get there from the USA.You'll probably want to come down here to the Miami area (possibly even key west as someone already mentioned) if you cant go through Mexico. I think flying involves connecting in Nassau, Bahamas and then flying to Havana or some other airport, though I'm not completely sure. It would be fairly cheap compared to your flight from Beograd to -connection- to the US, but I'm not sure how the flights to Cuba work. Traveling by boat is possible, but it is certainly not very public or legit, you would probably need connections. It would be much easier to get a boat/flight to Nassau (I also hear Cancun is a popular spot for this) and find someone or some boat that is going to Cuba and pay them.

I've never done this, but I can tell you that it's not impossible to get to Cuba from the Florida--especially if you own a boat or some kind of watercraft. It's just a bit unorthodox and involves a bit more effort than mindlessly waiting in the airport.

[Bandito]

Fucking great.
Those were my sentiments about Utah before, but I blamed my fear of unknown for that, and wanted to hear a few words from people who actually know something about the place. And I only have job offers from Utah, one as a construction worker and one as a cleaner, since they lack of cheap labor.
But hey, I work for 100 euros, which is about 130$ per month, and they offered 9$ per hour, so I will accept the offer, fuck it, I need to make money somehow.
There is still one thing I don't understand. I'm over 23. So can I buy fucking fags and beer? Hello, my name is Bandito and I'm an addict. I'm going to another country to make a few bucks and the only concerns at this point is whether there are socialist organizations there (which a comrade answered me) and can I buy decadent substances. I don't give a shit about other drugs, never used them anyway. :)

[Bandito]

You'll probably want to come down here to the Miami area (possibly even key west as someone already mentioned) if you cant go through Mexico. I think flying involves connecting in Nassau, Bahamas and then flying to Havana or some other airport, though I'm not completely sure. It would be fairly cheap compared to your flight from Beograd to -connection- to the US, but I'm not sure how the flights to Cuba work. Traveling by boat is possible, but it is certainly not very public or legit, you would probably need connections. It would be much easier to get a boat/flight to Nassau (I also hear Cancun is a popular spot for this) and find someone or some boat that is going to Cuba and pay them.

I've never done this, but I can tell you that it's not impossible to get to Cuba from the Florida--especially if you own a boat or some kind of watercraft. It's just a bit unorthodox and involves a bit more effort than mindlessly waiting in the airport.
I would not test my luck with illegal crossings, since I have a return flight from NYC after those 5 months of my visa, and if I get caught, I will blow my chance for a return flight, and I won't be able to afford another ticket.
It would be easy if I didn't live in a planet's hemoroid called Serbia. I need visas for both Bahamas and Mexico. Yeah, and Canada as well. But Serbians are accepted in Cuba without a visa. But there is no connection between States and Cuba. So, basically...I kiss :cubaflag: good bye.:mad:

[Sam_b]

They call trousers 'pants'.

[Comrade B]

I'm over 23. So can I buy fucking fags and beer?
yeah, but I wouldn't call cigarettes "fags" here, most people only know it as the insult.
US Drinking age is 21 and smoking is 18

You can buy beer in supermarkets and such in Utah, but to get wine, liquor, or any of those shitty ass sugar drinks you need to go to a liquor store, which I think are all closed on sundays in the US (maybe just in Washington, but probably in Utah as well).

I hear that there is a pretty good Salt Lake City micro-brew called Polygamy porter which I have been told to try out, but I avoid Utah like a snake

[Nolan]

They call trousers 'pants'.

What the fuck are 'trousers?'

[mykittyhasaboner]

I would not test my luck with illegal crossings, since I have a return flight from NYC after those 5 months of my visa, and if I get caught, I will blow my chance for a return flight, and I won't be able to afford another ticket.
It would be easy if I didn't live in a planet's hemoroid called Serbia. I need visas for both Bahamas and Mexico. Yeah, and Canada as well. But Serbians are accepted in Cuba without a visa. But there is no connection between States and Cuba. So, basically...I kiss :cubaflag: good bye.:mad:

Cuba and Russia are the only places I know you can go to w/out a visa with a Serbian passport. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to get a visa to the Bahamas? I'm not sure if it's illegal for you to go to Cuba from the US, but you have to qualify for it, and there is practically no way to travel to Cuba from the US directly simply as a tourist AFAIK. If you didn't already have your flight booked, you could try going to Cuba and then come to the US, that is nowhere near as complicated.

[Jazzratt]

What the fuck are 'trousers?'

Remind me never to go anywhere near you...

[Bandito]

Cuba and Russia are the only places I know you can go to w/out a visa with a Serbian passport. Do you have any idea how much it would cost to get a visa to the Bahamas? I'm not sure if it's illegal for you to go to Cuba from the US, but you have to qualify for it, and there is practically no way to travel to Cuba from the US directly simply as a tourist AFAIK. If you didn't already have your flight booked, you could try going to Cuba and then come to the US, that is nowhere near as complicated.
Also not an option, since I go with Work and Travel and they arrange everything.
And visas for Mexico or Bahamas cost nothing, I think, but I have to show them that I have a certain amount of money saved on my bank account, and not a small amount. And I'm broke. So...fuck. But thanks anyway for the tips.
And, also, Jazzratt...

Remind me never to go anywhere near you...
...lol.

[TheCultofAbeLincoln]

Utah is beautiful, but SLC is ugly. Go to the wasatch or rockies if you can, zion national park is amazing as well.

Beer is watered down by the way. I think its all 3.5%.

[Sam_b]

What the fuck are 'trousers?'

Pants. I would have thought this obvious.

[Nolan]

Pants. I would have thought this obvious.

Um..duh. I wasn't serious.

[Sam_b]

Sorry if I didn't see through your oh-so-humerous one-liner.

[Jazzratt]

With so much sarcasm in the air the humour in this thread is not so much dry as dessicated.

I'll get my coat...

[Os Cangaceiros]

Fucking great.
Those were my sentiments about Utah before, but I blamed my fear of unknown for that, and wanted to hear a few words from people who actually know something about the place. And I only have job offers from Utah, one as a construction worker and one as a cleaner, since they lack of cheap labor.
But hey, I work for 100 euros, which is about 130$ per month, and they offered 9$ per hour, so I will accept the offer, fuck it, I need to make money somehow.
There is still one thing I don't understand. I'm over 23. So can I buy fucking fags and beer? Hello, my name is Bandito and I'm an addict. I'm going to another country to make a few bucks and the only concerns at this point is whether there are socialist organizations there (which a comrade answered me) and can I buy decadent substances. I don't give a shit about other drugs, never used them anyway. :)

There are a couple RevLefters who live in the Utah/SLC area. Maybe you should talk to them.

[Endomorphian]

...near Salt Lake City, Utah.
I'm going to work there for 4 moths as a construction worker or a cleaner.
Is Utah that horrendous as it seems for a person that has never been in the US before? :)
Tell me your impressions, please, because have no idea what's it like there.

P.S.
I need one more tip.
I have a serbian passport, which means that I don't need a visa for Cuba. I'm planning to go there, and I need information on what is the easiest and cheapest way to get there from the USA.

Thanks in advance.

Utah is fairly inexpensive even when you factor in its low price level. You can find a 1-2 bedroom apartment for less than $500 easily. Real estate in the South and Mid-West in general beats the shit out of anything else as a new buyer; my grandmother in New Jersey has a house only a few feet larger than mine, but it's valued twice as much - the income disparity isn't large enough to justify this.

There's a lot of open private charities (outside of the LDS Church, which generally only provides welfare to its own) around if you're in need of a hand while staying over. Yes, all the rumors you hear about Utah are based in partial truth, but the state does have a proud heritage and not all of it is bad - for starters, it was the second (third if you count New Jersey's law which was appealed only years later) state in the union to legalize female suffrage.

Yes, you can purchase alcohol and cigs in Utah, but in regards to beer it can only be purchased from a store front after 10 AM, and anything with more than 3.2% alcohol content is considered (ie regulated as) heavy.

[Guerrilla22]

I would not test my luck with illegal crossings, since I have a return flight from NYC after those 5 months of my visa, and if I get caught, I will blow my chance for a return flight, and I won't be able to afford another ticket.
It would be easy if I didn't live in a planet's hemoroid called Serbia. I need visas for both Bahamas and Mexico. Yeah, and Canada as well. But Serbians are accepted in Cuba without a visa. But there is no connection between States and Cuba. So, basically...I kiss :cubaflag: good bye.:mad:

Serbian citizens can enter Costa Rica without a visa. A flight from Utah to Costa Rica will cost you about 500 US and a flight from Costa Rica to Cuba about 150 or so.

[Bandito]

Thank you all for these comments, help is much appreciated. :)

[MarxSchmarx]

It would be easy if I didn't live in a planet's hemoroid called Serbia. I need visas for both Bahamas and Mexico. Yeah, and Canada as well. But Serbians are accepted in Cuba without a visa. But there is no connection between States and Cuba. So, basically...I kiss :cubaflag: good bye.:mad:

There are no visa requirements for dominican republic for serbians Santo Domingo in the dominican republic has flights to havana.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Serbian_citizens

[Bandito]

There is a mexican consulate in salt lake city. You can apply for a transit visa that is granted for stays less than 24 hours in the mexico city airport. It's just a matter of filling out a few forms if you have proof of a ticket into and out of Mexico. A lot of central americans going to the us or europe use it.
This is good stuff.
But, will US staff give me a hard time for having a Cuban stamp in my passport?

[The Red Next Door]

Come to St.Louis instead. We need ya, for our PSL branch her.

[MarxSchmarx]

There is a mexican consulate in salt lake city. You can apply for a transit visa that is granted for stays less than 24 hours in the mexico city airport. It's just a matter of filling out a few forms if you have proof of a ticket into and out of Mexico. A lot of central americans going to the us or europe use it. This is good stuff.
But, will US staff give me a hard time for having a Cuban stamp in my passport?

They might ask what you were doing there, you can say "tourism." b/c you are not a us citizen or green card holder there is nothing they can do about it. If you were an american or Mexican or from a middle eastern country they might pull some shenanigans but it's fairly common to have Brazilian Spanish Chinese Canadians etc... to have Cuban stamps, I imagine Serbian passports fall into the latter category.

PS I posted that b4 I saw your thing about your bank account = $0. That usually isn't a problem with central americans but perhaps it is an issue for Europeans, I honestly do not know. It's worth looking into still, I know several people who otherwise need visa transit through Mexico City several times and it has never been an issue.

[Hoggy_RS]

Good luck in America man!

[Bandito]

Thanks, I'm pretty adaptable, so I recon it will go well.. :)

[Robocommie]

Beer is watered down by the way. I think its all 3.5%.

Yeah, I'm an American, and the domestic beer here sucks.

[Os Cangaceiros]

That's why malt liquor is the way to go.

[Bandito]

That beer info really concerned me and my girlfriend. :)
I'm not into sugary drinks, but I'm bringing 10 liters of homemade brandy, so that should cover the first two or three weeks. After that, fuck it, I'll eat rotten apples to get the effect. :)
Another shitty thing is that football World Cup starts when I'm there, and the games are played in work hours (about 13h). :(

By the way, is it better to work weekends instead of overtime? There is neither of those options in Serbia. My working experience was work and don't get paid at all, let alone overtime.

[black magick hustla]

serbia is probably 10000000000000x more interesting than utah man im sorry. well i imagine if you like scenery its a good place but its a mormon clusterfest. and everybody knows mormons thought black people were the sons and daughters of cain

[Os Cangaceiros]

I think I'd rather live in Serbia than Utah, LOL.

I wish that Rascolnikova would find this thread...:lol:

[Axel1917]

I went to a school with a Mormon principle. He placed a ban on hugging. They are religious fanatics and some of the most intolerant people you will find on this planet. They will greet you with a smile, and be very friendly, but the second they find out that you are not religious, they will loath you. Mormons lead the movement in California to revoke same-sex civil unions. The state is composed of a majority of Mormons. Mormons believe that Utah is the holy land.

Fun facts about Utah
Alcohol content is lowered in beer and hard alcohol and many stores do not sell it.
Utah is so in the middle of fucking no-where that there is a county with a population of 938
Utah has a ban on all gambling
Every county in Utah voted for George W. Bush
Utah has only once ever voted for the Democrat party (1964)

I have not been to Utah, but I do know a comrade that lives there (he is also an ex-Mormon). It seems that a fair deal of what you say is true based on what he has said to me. The state sounds like a right-wing hellhole.

I have been harassed by Mormon missionaries just for saying I was not interested when they approached me (they started following me around on their bikes and kept bothering me). And they had the gall to call me rude when I told them to fuck off and started mocking the laughable aspects of their cult (magic underpants, tithing 10% of one's income to LD$, Inc., etc.) I firmly believe that they must travel in pairs so they don't get shouted at or get their asses kicked.

I also live in a well-off neighborhood, and I don't think it is fortuitous that they were doing their recruitment work in the place where all kinds of rich people live. Unfortunately, not only was I not interested in their bullshit, but I am also not one of the rich ones that would provide for good tithing aspects (sure, I am probably better off than a lot of people my age, given that I will be making US $40K per year starting this fall and I am not too far in debt, but still...).

[Axle]

Utah? I'm so sorry...

Seriously, though...the best advice I can give is to keep a lid on what your politics are. Utah is one of the furthest right states in America.

[aziraphale]

Dude, Utah? You're in for some serious misery. This is an extremely right wing state. I've heard people up in Massachusetts (A very left state for the U.S.) refer to it as Glennbeckistan. As previously said, it has a lot of Mormons who are honest to God pretty nuts. The Mormon Church's heavy advertising against gay marriage was on of the biggest factors in the end of gay marriage in California, which is stereotyped as a "gay" state and very liberal in comparison to the rest of the U.S.

So can I buy fucking fags and beer?
I recommend you don't use "fag" to refer to cigarettes in the U.S. Here, it is a derogatory term for gay men and never used to refer to cigarettes. However, in a place like Utah if you say "I'm going to go out and smoke some fags" in a gun shop the owner might give you a gun for free.:lol:

[aziraphale]

I have been harassed by Mormon missionaries just for saying I was not interested when they approached me (they started following me around on their bikes and kept bothering me). And they had the gall to call me rude when I told them to fuck off and started mocking the laughable aspects of their cult (magic underpants, tithing 10% of one's income to LD$, Inc., etc.) I firmly believe that they must travel in pairs so they don't get shouted at or get their asses kicked.


If you have a garden or a yard, you can make them do your work for you. My mom used to do that back when we lived in a regular house with a garden. She would listen to them, but only after they did the gardening. And they would actually do it. :lol:

[Red Commissar]

The most I can recommend to you if you're going to Utah is to keep your head up. You'll get used to it in time, but it is pretty much everything bad you associate with America in one state.

Mormons dominate the state, and their religion demands temperance (abstaining from alcohol). The ones they allow sale of are usually not too strong. They're also against caffeinated drinks for some reason, though I don't believe there are restrictions on those. They're socially conservative as it comes.

I also warn you right away that unions may be ineffective in Utah (and this is already considering the state of Unions in the USA), as Utah is a "right-to-work" state.

And don't end up like Joe Hill.

But on a lighter note, this'll definitely make you stronger :p. Utah is a livable place, it's just the idiots you'll have to put up with in doing so.

[Bandito]

I'm in contact with our member, Reclaimed Desain, who is in a socialist organization in Salt Lake City. And he is very eager to help a fellow comrade, on which I'm most grateful.
I have no fears of any sort, I lived in a right-wing country all my life, and when someone survives Milosevic, Balkan wars and NATO bombings, few Mormons are piece of cake to handle. :)

[Axel1917]

I also warn you right away that unions may be ineffective in Utah (and this is already considering the state of Unions in the USA), as Utah is a "right-to-work" state.I am sure there is a good degree of truth to this, as a comrade's wife in Utah was fired for trying to start a union.

In all seriousness, I look down on Mormoni$m just as much as I look down on $cientology. Hell, Mormoni$m is the 19th Century equivalent of $cientology if you ask me.

[Bandito]

Thanks for the tips, again. It's godawful here. With accent on God. The only good thing about Utah is the crew from the Revolutionary Students Union.