Arrived in the UK on Fiance Visa, What to do?

I'm finally here!  I arrived on Sunday night after an over night flight from Chicago and a layover in Copenhagen (I never want to go to that airport again.)

Now that I'm over the jet lag and cannot work, what should I do to get acquainted with the city or transition into working life once I'm married and have further leave to remain?  I have 5 weeks until the wedding, so I want to do some productive things.

I have this free time, so I might as well put it to good use.  I plan on teaching myself SQL in the meantime which will help the daytime boredom while my beautiful fiancee is at work.  

Any suggestions?  Thanks!

P.S.  Tried Jaffa Cakes for the first time the other day.  Where have they been all my life!?!?!?!?

UK daytime television!

Haha. I hear ya. I really like Jaffa cakes! They're advert is hilarious too.

Have you tried dark chocolate HobNobs yet? Definitely do, if you haven't!

Honestly, I suggest chilling for a week or two. Explore your new neighbourhood/town. Spend some time acclimatising to things. It takes awhile to get used to getting around here, I still have trouble crossing the streets sometimes. And by that I mean I can't remember which way to look for oncoming traffic!

sonofasailor's suggestion of watching daytime TV is actually a good one. It'll help you get used to all the different UK accents and slang and help bring you up to speed on cultural references. Well, atleast give you some cultural touch points.

Best of luck! I hope everything is going smoothly for you!

Open a bank account

Register with the GP

Apply for a provisional driving license

Learn where your local train and buses go

Get your US taxes done

Turn your resume into a CV

Maie friends with your postie

Go to your local's weekly pub quiz

Will you do a same day appointment for FLR(M)?  If so, you could probably start to contact some recruiters and get registered.  Let them know you can start working in a couple of months. 

UK daytime television!

I've been watching Catfish marathons everyday until Deal or No Deal is on at 3.  After that I watch some show about 4 people and 4 dinner parties.  After that is Top Gear.  I know, I have strange tastes :p

Haha. I hear ya. I really like Jaffa cakes! They're advert is hilarious too.

Have you tried dark chocolate HobNobs yet? Definitely do, if you haven't!

Honestly, I suggest chilling for a week or two. Explore your new neighbourhood/town. Spend some time acclimatising to things. It takes awhile to get used to getting around here, I still have trouble crossing the streets sometimes. And by that I mean I can't remember which way to look for oncoming traffic!

sonofasailor's suggestion of watching daytime TV is actually a good one. It'll help you get used to all the different UK accents and slang and help bring you up to speed on cultural references. Well, atleast give you some cultural touch points.

Best of luck! I hope everything is going smoothly for you!

I haven't tried the Hobnobs yet, but have heard good things about them and Jammy Dodgers.

I'm trying to chill out, but am getting bored fast.  I've resulted to doing some hardcore cleaning around the flat.  Let's just say I have some OCD issues and the state of her cupboards were rather bothersome.

The most exploration I've done is a couple trips to the Tesco down the street and a trip to meet my fiancee for dinner in Canary Wharf.  Le Relais de Venise l'Entrecôte was awesome!

I'll leave replies within the quotes.

Open a bank account - Gotta start looking into that so I can get a cell phone plan.

Register with the GP - Didn't think of that.  Thanks!

Apply for a provisional driving license - I don't plan on driving since I'm well connected by bus and Overground where I am now.  Besides, there's no where to park here.

Learn where your local train and buses go - I've been here a couple of times to know how to get to a few places like Canary Wharf, Greenwich and Kings Cross.  TFL is my friend!

Get your US taxes done - Already done before I left.  I do it the day I get my W-2's.  It's my money, so why wait?

Turn your resume into a CV - Mostly done.  All I have to do is update my end date for my former job and update address and phone info.

Make friends with your postie - Our postie is like a ninja, I never see them.

Go to your local's weekly pub quiz - Oooohhhh, I like trivia!  My fiancee and I would kick some ass there, but she's a homebody and would probably not be up for it.

Will you do a same day appointment for FLR(M)?  If so, you could probably start to contact some recruiters and get registered.  Let them know you can start working in a couple of months. - I plan on it.  I have just enough savings to last me a couple months after my wedding, but that's about it, so ideally, I have to start working as soon as I can.

Complete sidenote:  I think I'll puke if I see that Money Super Market advert with the guy in the tight jean shorts and the "Don't You Wish Your Girlfriend is Hot Like Me" song again.

Go to your local's weekly pub quiz - Oooohhhh, I like trivia!  My fiancee and I would kick some ass there, but she's a homebody and would probably not be up for it.

Actually, this could work to your advantage. When I first moved over here on a fiancé visa, one of the few people who gave me a friendly word advised me to make sure I found groups/hobbies that my partner wasn't interested in, so that I wasn't just hanging out with her friends.

If you have 5 weeks till you can apply for FLR(M) you are doing great. It's when months go by and you aren't allowed to do anything that you start climbing the walls.

Pub quizzes can be humbling. Like, "What band did Noddy Holder play with?"

Apply for a provisional driving license - I don't plan on driving since I'm well connected by bus and Overground where I am now.  Besides, there's no where to park here.

It can be useful to apply for a provisional driving licence anyway, even if you aren’t planning on driving here, as you can use it as a form of ID rather than having to carry your passport and visa with you if you need to show ID for anything.

And you might want to rent a car sometime to see the countryside.  And it can be useful if you ever move back to the U.S. (some states won't make you retake the driving test).  That being said getting a UK license will be time consuming and expensive.

The weekend was good, but filled with mostly wedding planning.

I've updated my CV and Monster so I can begin my job search and have continued unpacking and settling in.

There is one thing strange I've noticed while being out and about in London.  Not in all stores, but in about half of them, the alarms go off while walking in. I'm trying to figure out why that is.  There isn't anything out of the ordinary on me aside from maybe my jacket because it has a zip out lining and maybe some ChapStik that I carry in my inside coat pocket.  Has this happened to anyone else?

Pub quizzes can be humbling. Like, "What band did Noddy Holder play with?"

*Raises hand* SLADE!

As for the cellphone thing, get a Pay As You Go phone! They're really cheap! (When I was back in the UK for a visit I got one for 2 quid with a tenner top up! it was handy I can tell you!) Unless, of course, you want all the bells and whistles that come with a smartphone then you'll more than likely have to get a plan.

And yes, Daytime TV is a must. Try not to get sucked into Loose Women or Cash in the Attic or Bargain Hunt.

There is one thing strange I've noticed while being out and about in London.  Not in all stores, but in about half of them, the alarms go off while walking in. I'm trying to figure out why that is.

It's an American detector. Happens when I'm out with my wife (who is American). They're being phased out now though but some stores still have them. ;-)

Try not to get sucked into Loose Women or Cash in the Attic or Bargain Hunt.

Bargain Hunt. Why does that work? But it does!

Tim Wonnacott: Oh it looks like Edward and Mary are stuck between a ceramic bobbin case and a deck of saucy Blackpool collector cards....which will they choose?

And I am commenting along with it: The cards...THE CARDS!