"...helps newcomers become 'street smart'...Every student and student advisor should have one."

Jeff Wood, Director of Career Development, Monterey Institute of International Studies

I've been in the U.S. a long time, but I still learned a lot from Hello! USA.

Uri Ostro, Vice President of Sales, Bank Leumi Trust Company of New York

Hello! USA provides the key to understanding American life and language.

Joanne Garrity, Office Adminstrator, Volunteer Services, The World Bank

The U.S.
maps: U.S. regions and states with state abbreviations and author’s favorites • cities and climates • distances

Coming and Going

1. Before you come
chart: what to bring

• what to find out
• what to bring
• what to leave at home
• international movers

2. Just Arrived
illustrations: dollars & cents

• tipping
• tips on tipping
• quick information
• at the airport
• where to stay
• arrival checklist
• translation services

3. Getting Connected
illustration: using the telephone

• dialing a phone number
• the operator
• pre-paid calling cards
• renting a cellular (cell) phone
• accessing the Internet
• telephone directories

4. Your Legal Status
illustration: sample Social Security card • sample VISA
chart: types of non-immigrant visas

• overview
• immigrant visas
• non-immigrant visas
• getting a visa
• social security
• how to avoid common problems
• changes and extensions
• choosing legal assistance

5. Traveling in & Out of the U.S.
map: U.S. and world time zones

• renting a car
• riding buses and trains
• flying
• getting ready
• how to leave your home

6. Getting Around
illustration: rules of the road

• public transportation
• taxis
• on the highway
• parking
• service stations
• getting an ID/driver’s license

Fun and Friends

7. American Holidays

8. Dining In & Out
illustration: sample menu

• American foods
• restaurants
• entertaining at home

9. News, Sports, & Entertainment
illustrations: American football and baseball fields
charts: sports words • football words • baseball words

• publications
• radio and TV
• videos/DVDs
• watching sports
• the arts
• libraries

10. Meeting Americans
conversation: saying "hello" and "goodbye"
chart: dressing "right"

• saying "hello"
• dressing "right"
• personal habits
• being on time
• cards and gifts

11. Making Friends
conversation: introducing yourself
chart: "fun classes and clubs"

• overview
• where to go

When You Get Here

12. Food Shopping
illustration: sample food label
charts: oven temperatures • keeping food fresh • food labels and what they mean

• the supermarket
• calculating the price
• special services
• specialty stores
• home delivery

13. Shops & Malls
charts: clothes and shoe sizes • American and metric systems

• overview
• shopping malls
• special services
• catalogs
• e-commerce
• bargain hunting

14. Your Mail
illustrations: sample envelopes with domestic and international addresses

• getting to the post office
• domestic mail
• international mail
• private services

15. Money Matters
illustrations: sample bank check and register

• international transactions
• banking overview
• choosing a bank
• your checkbook
• the ATM

16. Paying Your Taxes
charts: kinds of taxes • overview: federal taxes

• overview
• kinds of taxes
• your paycheck
• end-of-the-year taxes
• how much you pay
• getting help

17. Retirement & Investment Plans
chart: questions to ask

• overview
• benefits
• employer-sponsored plans
• personal IRAs
• small business and the self-employed

Settling In

18. Finding a New Home
illustration: types of homes, labeled
chart: housing abbreviations

• residential areas
• who can help
• renting
• buying

19. Moving In
chart: how to get ready

• before you move
• your pet
• moving inside the U.S.
• after you move
• home services

20. Communications at Home
conversation: message on answering machine

• overview
• home phones
• cellular phones
• computers
• fax machines
• choosing a plan

• overview
• medical
• home and property
• auto
• life and disability

22. Medical Care
illustration: sample medicine label
chart: medical abbreviations

• emergency care
• your visit to the doctor
• medicine
• eyeglasses/contacts
• alternative medical care

23. Credit Cards & Loans
conversation: applying for a loan

• credit history
• credit and debit cards
• getting a credit card
• getting a loan

24. Buying or Leasing a Car
illustrations: types of cars • parts of a car

• overview
• getting the best price
• registration
• inspection
• leasing a car

25. Finding Work
illustrations: sample résumé • sample cover letter

• making it legal
• looking for a job
• the interview
• staying active

Your Children

26. Your Young Child
illustration: sample nursery school application

• babysitters
• nannies/au pairs
• preschools
• special needs
• family activities

27. Your Older Child
chart: the school system

• the school system
• public schools
• private schools
• tutors/counselors
• fun activities

Higher Education

28. English as a Second Language
chart: ways to learn English

• how to choose a program
• intensive courses (F-1 visas)
• part-time courses
• English-language tests

29. Colleges & Universities
illustration: sample college application essay
chart: sample list of college costs

• overview
• programs
• applying
• college costs

Appendix A. Help!

• staying safe
• in an emergency

Appendix B. Resources

• chapters
• books to read (students)
• international organizations

Appendix C. Special Features

• abbreviations
• charts (dressing “right,” food labels, tipping, etc.)
• conversations
• conversions (clothing, hat, and shoe sizes, distance, measurements, temperatures)
• documents you need
• illustrations
• maps
• special vocabulary
• words to know

Index

Accountant: a licensed professional who helps you with your tax forms

Automatic teller machine (ATM): a money machine for transactions such as depositing and withdrawing money

Balance: the amount of money left in the account

Bounced check: a check you cannot cash because there is not enough money in the account

Cashier's Check: a check made out by the bank

Certified Public Accountant(CPA): an accountant who meets professional standards

Checking account: a place where you keep money

Credit: the amount of money that you deposit or pay into an account; the amount of money you can borrow.

Credit Card: a plastic card used to buy things; you get the bill later

Credit Union: a type of banking institution. You can join only if you belong to a certain group, such as a group of employees.

Deductions: expenses that reduce taxable income

Deposit: to place money in an account; the money placed in an account

Federally insured: (deposits that are) guaranteed by the federal government

Gross income: the amount of money you can earn, both in and out of the U.S.

Interest: money the bank pays you for keeping money in its account(s); money you pay for borrowing.

Interest rate: a percentage paid for the use of money

Network (ATM): a system of connected ATMs

Overdraft protection: a way of making sure all the checks you write are cashed--even when you don't have enough money in the account

Overdraw: to write checks for more money than is in the account

Personal identification Number (PIN): the number, or code, for using the ATM

Sales Tax: taxes you pay when you buy something

Savings account: an account in which to keep money you are saving

Savings and loan (S&L): a banking institution

Service charge: Money paid to a bank for a specific job, such as cashing a check

Taxable income: the amount of your income you pay taxes on; gross income minus deductions

Tax return: a form that shows how much you owe the government or how much the government owes you

Transaction: an exchange of money; a deposit, withdrawal, or transfer