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I am jobless out of choice.I moved along with my family (spouse and two kids) from my home country to US few years ago on a job assignment on H1B visa (a work authorization obtained by my employer from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services).During my stay in US, I had the opportunity to live in many states due to my project assignments. Me and my family enjoyed visiting new places.At that time my spouse was not working as she didn’t have work authorization and had a dependent visa. After about 3 years of stay in US, we managed to get her work visa through a friend who operated a recruiting/staffing company and in 4th year she was able to find a job as a contractor with a client organization.Since my work authorization was for a total of 6 years, my employment ceased in the end of 6th year. I personally wanted to travel back to my home country and continue my job with my then employer and also wanted my spouse to join her current employer in the home country but she didn’t want to leave US as she still was having 3 more years of validity of employment.The next option for me was to travel back to my home country and stay away from my family for a year so that I can request for a new work authorization for a new term of 6 years. Once I have the new work visa, I can re-enter US and find a job and re-unite with my family. Another option was to stay jobless until my wife’s PR (Permanent Residency or Green Card) application is approved as a result I would also become eligible to work in US. That way we don’t have to be stay away for what so ever time it may be.We both agreed that we should go for last option, i.e., to wait for PR. She could not imagine managing home and two kids with her stressful job in my absence. I graciously agreed as I thought it was right to support my family. My parents also appreciated my decision.After 10 months of waiting without a job, my wife’s PR got denied after several queries due to a immigration attorney’s mistake. This made us upset as our plan didn’t work as expected.The next option was to submit a new application for PR with proper documentation. But her client for whom she was working wanted to either get rid of contractors or convert her to a full time employee. She opted to convert herself to a full time employee instead of losing the job. But her terms did not set well with the new employer as they did not promise to begin the PR application process. As a result she started hunting for new job and landed at far better company in another state. We managed to move to the new place of her job without any problems. The new company has initiated her PR application within a month of joining. I have been jobless for about 20 months now and expect to be jobless for another 10 months as the PR application processing itself takes about 9 to 12 months.My life as jobless for last 20 months:I took up a recruiting job on a incentive basis that could be managed to be paid in my home country. It kept me busy but not with much success. I learned from the job seekers here that there are many people like me who could not take up or manage to get a job due to various constraints. They sacrificed their passion of job as family was their first priority.I started dropping and picking my wife from/to her work place. I used to cook lunch/dinner, Drop and pick my kids to after school programs/activities. I used to be so busy that the day seem to be short. I even was not finding time to go to gym and work out.After moving to the new place, I am able to take time to work out.I started selling in an online shopping site. It’s not yet as lucrative as I used to earn on my pay check. It’s time consuming and not so encouraging.I started doing day trading in stock market in my home country.I have set personal goals to learn new professional skills and get certifications. So far I was able to learn new skills through online training courses. I am looking to get certification in next couple of months.I am planning to take up training/teaching so that I can keep up myself with the skills.I had problem to start learning new skills as there were too many things that I was carrying in my mind. I later learned to work on one thing at a time.I missed my social life as I was afraid to face the people who might disrespect as I am jobless. In most cases, I used to mention about my work from home recruiting job.I am okay to go through all this for my loving family. There is a saying - "No matter how poor a person is; if he has family, he's rich!”.These are hard and uncertain times I am living in. You never know what will still be here tomorrow. That’s why I take joy every day in what we do have, so it’s something we can carry in our memories when things change.My spouse sometimes gives me hard time, may be because of stressful work and health issues. I expect more love from my better half for all the things I am missing but I feel frustrated when she is hard on me. However, it doesn’t change anything. I console my self by accepting that we are humans and to err is human. No body is perfect and forgiving our short comings allows to fix the problem and brings us back the joy and happiness.I am not used to writing in Quora. Please pardon for my poor English. This is just a small effort that I made as I got an opportunity to share my story. Thank you for reading my post.————————————————————————Edit:Thank you to everyone who has expressed sincerity towards my situation. I truly appreciate reading each and every one of your comments (even the negative ones). Nonetheless, this post wasn’t intended to provoke sympathy or sadness. Its purpose is to provoke inspiration, hope, and positivity. As much as I enjoy your empathetic perspectives, I’d much rather enjoy each and every reader to embrace happiness. Once again, thank you to each and every one of you for reading this post. I hope all of you have a wonderful day!Response to comments:Amita, I don't think it's that difficult when I put myself into my partner's shoes.Ganesh, you are right. I wanted to work in US and have my family with me. My spouse was with me and stay at home. Now that my spouse is working, I am now stay at home and it seems right to me. When my kids start living their life, we may live here or move to my home country depending on the needs or priorities. Not sure what you meant by cremated in own soil. Cremation is the process of disposing the dead body. Nothing matters after the body is dead. What matters is how good were you to your immediate family and to the society when you were alive. Whether they valued your contribution in their life even after your bodily absence.Omkar, I personally believe that recruiting business at this time is not as great as it used to be a year ago. You can reach out to recruiters if you want to seek a recruiter job. There are plenty of them on dice or indeed.Salman, I don't want to sound like my spouse is mean. May be I need to do more to get rid of that insecure feeling that my partner may be going through. There is a saying, man is made of his beliefs and so are their actions. I said a magic word to my partner today and she used the same on me and all our stress got relieved. The magic word was SORRY! We are discovering and learning from each other.Madhavan, I didn’t request my employer well in advance as I wanted to travel back to my home country. Also was so busy with work that couldn't follow-up with my Manager. They did try to process it but it was already late.Terence, I don’t need to. BTW, its about giving! Merry Christmas!!Jezebel, I concur. I didn’t mean to. I don’t know how to put it. Let me put it this way…Me and my spouse agreed…. Even if I didn’t agree, my spouse would still follow me to travel back to my home country. I just wanted to make her wish possible even if it required to sacrifice my passionate job. My spouse did ask me lately to join my job but I can’t imagine leaving all the heavy lifting to her with managing a stressful job, home and kids.Krishna, I don’t think its a bad decision, given the circumstances. It’s called standing for family no matter what! I support my spouse both in profession and at home. Most of the time its not "I" or "me" but "We" when you are doing for your family. True happiness is when you take actions towards making your dear ones smile. I do not regret of sacrificing the job as I did it to make my dear spouse happy. Though it's painful when my partner is not valuing my sacrifices but it's temporary. Sometimes you have to make some sacrifices to save your family. There are always opportunities to get a job but not the family.Surgou, buying stocks for less and selling for more! I don’t believe in straight graphs - upwards or downwards all the time. I try to choose the ones which has a graph of steady rise and fall hoping that the market rate would rise after falling as it had a history of making up to last maximum rate in a short period.Carl, Thank you for kind words of wisdom.Mei, Its never the late!I would be adding responses to other comments when possible.

Being raised as a Briton with an American mother has allowed me to experience a decent amount of American foods- both within the home, and in the country itself.Since a lot of the foods that come forefront to the mind have been mentioned already, I will just briefly summarise my own perspective on them.Pancakes and Bacon: not really found in Britain, except in American diners and the “Frankie and Benny’s” restaurant chain; but I’ve never found the dish unappealing, only a little over the top.Grits: the only time I have ever had grits is in America, and I did not like it; but then again I was expecting oatmeal before I put it in my mouthChicken and Waffles: I have never seen a UK restaurant serve this, and it doesn’t appeal to at all either. Don’t get me wrong: I like chicken, and I like waffles- just not combined.Biscuits and Gravy: I think this has been pretty well covered; I’m sure it tastes alright but just the idea of a scone with sauce seems so strange and foreign.PB & J Sandwiches: again, not a bad flavour combination, but rarely eaten here; most sandwiches in Britain are savoury. We use condiments like peanut butter and jam mostly just as spreads on toast, scones, pastries, etc.Squeezable/Liquid Cheeses: no. Just no. I actually cannot eat anything with this on, it tastes like plastic and is just disrespectful to actual cheese.There are a few other foods that I don’t think have been mentioned yet that I would like to bring up:Edit: before you read ahead, please be aware that this is a question about foods in America, it doesn’t matter if they’re more prevalent in the south or north of the country- they just have to be American. Furthermore, I am aware that some of these foods are served in the UK, but that’s almost too obvious.Thank you for all your lovely comments, but please try to be aware that I am not completely ignorant to when and where foods are found. Hope you enjoy!White Sauce PizzaWhite Sauce pizza makes this list because I have never, ever seen it served in Britain. In fact, I just had to actually google the ingredients because I have no idea what white sauce even is.For other confused British people out there, white sauce is this creamy cheese sauce that is used to replace tomato sauce on a pizza; it’s a bit like the Carbonara sauce, but without the bacon.I’m not kidding, here are the ingredients:1 tablespoon butter3 tablespoons flour1 1/4 cup cup milk1/2 teaspoon garlic powder1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or a blend of basil and oregano)dash sea salt or kosher salt and black pepper, to taste1/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, gratedFor me, and I’m sure other British people would agree, this is such a strange pizza topping. Hawaiian pizza, fine. Pesto pizza, fine. But white sauce? I don’t think that would go down very well here at all.Pizzas in Britain are just a classic or thin crust with tomato sauce, cheese, and anything else just goes on top. We do have stuffed crust here, but other than American brands like Dominoes and Pizza Hut, it is generally found in restaurants. We certainly don’t do any of that weird deep-dish pizza stuff here2. Pumpkin PieThis isn’t really found in Britain at all, in fact, we eating pumpkin isn’t even that common. Most of our pumpkin based foods are sold by American brands, like Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte.Pumpkin is Britain is typically just used as a Halloween decoration, and then we cook whatever flesh is left into a casserole or something (or even just throw it out). This is true within my own home, we don’t buy pumpkins except for Halloween, and then we simply cook the flesh into dinner, and roast the seeds as a snack. They’re mostly an aesthetic vegetable.Of course, some restaurants serve dishes with pumpkin as an ingredient; but it generally isn’t the main aspect of the meal.We still love pumpkins here, a country park near me actually hosts a huge pumpkin festival every year, where farmers show off their largest pumpkins and artists present their intricate carving skills. We’re just not that bothered about eating them.3. Corn DogsThe lay time I went to America with my family (Summer 2017), my brother was intent on having a corn dog. By the first two days in he was already getting irritable over not yet getting one, and so after five days of waiting, he finally got to order a corn dog.He genuinely made a face like this;(Except, of course, without the smoothie)So naturally the whole family (excluding my vegetarian mother) had a try.To be completely fair, it wasn’t exactly disgusting, but it certainly wasn’t that tasty either. It just sort of tasted like the felling of meh. I can understand it’s appeal as a fair food, I guess the location and atmosphere of it’s source is a huge contributing factor to why they’re popular (just as much as hot dogs are pretty disgusting unless you’re at a fairground- but don’t take that from me, I hate hot dogs).Corn dogs are pretty much non-existent in the UK. I have never been to any kind of event with a stall that sells them, and not have I seen anyone try to make their own. It’s an essentially American food.So I guess that makes you more unique.4. Caramel Apples/Toffee ApplesWe do actually get these in the UK, and they aren’t found necessarily disgusting either; but they are so uncommonly sold that I think that they qualify for this list.Unlike American fairs, British fete foods are pretty much the same things we eat at restaurants, but portable- like fish and chips in a newspaper, hog roast on a napkin, and lots and lots of alcohol. We don’t tend to have many foods like Toffee Apples, Corn Dogs, or other fair foods.The only time I have ever had access to purchase a toffee apple was at my school for a special Halloween menu; whereas I’m aware that they’re sold at Disney parks and even street stalls in America.For me, the toffee apple wasn’t particularly good. It was tasty until all the toffee had gone, then it was just a really sour apple. Maybe I need to try more…5. Cream-filled Doughnuts, and other weird stuffingsAgain, not a completely bizarre food to British people, but certainly not common.Most of the doughnuts we buy and sell here are just rings with different icing, even those supported by brands. Oreo doughnuts sold in Tesco are still the classic ring shape, and are simply covered in Oreo crumbs and not sprinkles.Other than that, the only time we actually have filled doughnuts is with jam. Jam doughnuts are the best type of doughtnuts, and about the only type I actually enjoy to eat- especially if they’re still warm from the bakery.You can find jam doughnuts everywhere here, in supermarkets, pastry shops, fairgrounds, etc., but you’ll essentially never find cream-filled or Nutella-filled, or whatever-other-thing filled doughnuts. Except maybe at Krispy Kreme, but they certainly aren’t the most popular option. Doughnuts are very heavy and stodgy already, and the cream would just make it far too rich, I don’t think I could finish a whole cream filled doughnut.6. MeatloafNever had it, never intend to. Just the concept of meatloaf kind just feels strange and weird and wrong. I appreciate that it’s often considered a “poor man’s” food, because I would certainly never, ever choose to eat meatloaf. Perhaps due to watching Christmas Story…7. Sloppy JoesNope, not for me thank you. That meaty monstrosity is certainly not appealing.I guess it lives up to its name because it looks like slop. Far too messy, and just a generally bad idea. The reason burgers are such an easy go-to restaurant food is burgers you can hold them, in your hand, without being covered in sauce. Besides, I feel like the whole texture of the food would be wrong. So you can keep that one for yourselves America.8. Cinnamon SweetsI don’t know about you, but when I buy sweets it’s typically because I want to enjoy them, not have my tastebuds burned off.Maybe I’m just slightly pathetic at eating spicy foods, but equally those cinnamon candies are not fun.Cinnamon is a great spice for so many things, like in cakes or cookies, but recalling the oh-so-popular cinnamon challenge from a few years ago, I think it’s fair to say that eating just cinnamon is a nasty idea.9. Froot LoopsSure, everyone loves to eat sweet food, and as a kid you’re always desperate for your parents to buy that one chocolate cereal that all the ‘cool kids’ have when you go for a sleepover.But froot loops cross the line. They don’t taste like cereal, or fruit, or even fruit flavoured sweets- they’re soggy cardboard with a generic sugary flavour. Such a disappointment as a British person having seen Froot Loops all over TV.Furthermore, most British parents definitely reject the more unhealthy breakfast foods. The only time I ever had an unhealthy cereal was on my birthday and for Christmas, and even then they weren’t exactly the worst options. So froot loops are pretty much out of the question around here for a lot of people.If I did ever have them, it would never be for breakfast, but maybe as a snack, or made into cereal bars.Sorry Froot Loops!(The “treat” cereals I could have on my birthday. You knew it was going to be a good day if you managed to swipe two coco-pops boxes)10. Corn Pudding/Pudding CornOkay this is straight up a weird food; maybe I’ve only been unlucky enough to try badly made versions of this, but this is such an unappetising dish.Pudding corn is essentially sweet corn, sugar, butter and cream. That description is already enough to be seen as weird. Sure, the British are well known for calling things that aren’t desserts ‘puddings’ (for example: Yorkshire puddings), but you cannot be serious with this one.Sweet corn is delicious; cream is great; sugar is amazing- but combined together? No thank you.I suppose I’d be more open to it as a side-dish if it didn’t have sugar, that’s the main reason why it’s so weird. Creamed vegetables is relatively normal- like brussel sprouts and leeks in single cream- but it’s that sweet additive that makes it so bizarre. It’s not even like the sugar is just a sprinkle of flavour, it’s a main component in the recipe!Furthermore, sweet corn off of the cob tends to have a rather soggy texture (not making it necessarily unappealing, but I think most people prefer it on the cob); and I can imagine that a lot of people make the pudding corn with tinned sweet corn as it’s far more available and cheap. This would just give it a sort of watery taste, even after draining, that is just not very nice. Tolerable, yes- but not preferable.Corn pudding is just a weird, weird American food that I don’t think would catch-on well in the UK, especially since we don’t celebrate thanksgiving. It’s like the brussel sprouts of Christmas, we all have it as an traditional side, but no one really likes to actually eat it. (Although, in defense of brussel sprouts, they are one of the best vegetables out there so I will eat everyone’s brussel sprouts on Christmas).11. (Bonus) London Fog LattesThis one is slightly out of the box because it’s a drink, so I’ll add it as a bonus answer.London Fog lattes are pretty much only available in America. The only time I have seen someone have one in the UK, they had to give the instructions to the Starbucks barista, since it isn’t actually on the British menu (it may have been added now, I wouldn’t know, I’ve only be to Starbucks four times in my life, and only ordered a drink there twice).These lattes aren’t made from coffee, but from Earl Grey tea. They’re essentially made from sweetened Earl Grey tea with some steamed milk and vanilla syrup.It’s already sort of unusual to get sweetened teas in the UK anyway, the only broadly sold brand is Lipton’s, and they aren’t that hugely popular compared to most soft drink brands selling here. As such, the idea of adding milk to sweetened tea is basically not a thing.You don’t really get any sort of tea-latte here; most places do iced coffees, and the only time tea is really sold cold with milk is at bubble-tea stands, which (again) aren’t that common here.Furthermore, Earl Grey isn’t the most popular tea here. Most people just have basic English Breakfast tea, and that’s the tea you’ll get if you just order a cup of tea at a cafe. Earl Grey has this sort of…fruity flavour to it, it’s hard to put into words without having a cup in front of me, so here’s a tea expert’s explanation from the internet:“Earl Grey is black tea usually orthodox blended with Oil of Bergamot, it has a delicate taste and a lemon aroma. Ideally have it without milk and sugar, it has a lovely aroma and taste”Notice how they describe Earl Grey as a “black tea”? It’s normally drink without milk, and that’s to allow the flavours to come through. It’s a ‘delicate’ tea.This is why drinking it with milk is kind of strange, especially having steamed milk, which would add a whole new level to the tea.I understand that not all places probably add syrup into their London Fog latte, but it’s weird to start with, so you can imangine that this only makes the drink weirder.I am certainly not an expert on tea, and I would never claim to be so, so maybe Americans have unlocked a new experience that the British are ignorant to, but it’s just such an uncommon thing to do, that I think you can understand why it’s on this list.To conclude:There are a lot of extreme American foods out there that everyone finds weird. I think even America gets confused at it’s own taste choices- like bacon beer- but it would be unfair to put those sorts of things on this list, as they simply aren’t common and so can be considered outliers to the question.I hope this was informative for you, and that I wasn’t too dull or poorly written. I’m writing on three hours sleep, so if there are any huge errors just notify me and I’ll change them.Otherwise, thank you for reading!

I was in jail from Friday night - Sunday night.I wasn’t a trouble-maker. I was teaching and administrating at a respected school.I had drinks and dinner with colleagues. I drove just a few blocks away then decided I wanted to quickly pull to the side of the road to send a text before finishing my drive home.At 2:00 am on a WIDE road with practically no one driving by, I figured it wasn’t necessary for me to park perfectly since I was about to leave shortly anyway. I was about a foot away from the curb, half on red.Immediately after sending the text I looked up to see flashing lights behind me. They questioned why I was parked awkwardly and if I had any drinks. “Yes, a bit. I was having dinner.” (In California, it’s apparently legal to refuse a sobriety test but I just did it assuming if I follow the rules and answer honestly, they’ll go easy on me.) Well to my surprise I hit the illegal limit EXACTLY to the point.Handcuffs were on and next thing I know I’m in this cold brick building. Keep in mind it’s summer and I was dressed as many other early-20 year olds would dress - in shorts and a top ready to hit the town.They sat me in an isolated cell as they stated that they would give me a few hours to sober up so I could drive home and deal with the court orders as they arrive in a few days. A few hours had passed and there I was shivering in a filthy cold brick cell with my knees to my chest - teeth ACTUALLY chattering. “Please, can someone give me socks or a blanket. I’m so cold. Also, may I please know the status of my identity check. I believe I’ll pass the sobriety test now and I will comply with the next steps in my legal processing.”“Our system is down. You have to wait. No, we have no blankets. That’s it. STOP ASKING.”This series of questions happened a few times in a row after a few hours in a row.I was then moved to another cell block with another young woman arrested for a DUI… & more. I learned that she was cheating on her boyfriend that night. The man she was cheating with drove her car into oncoming traffic then tried to drive off but was chased. For hours, I heard her trying to call her boyfriend for the limited minutes we had, “NAH, BOO. I’m so sorry! I wasn’t cheating! I love you! I’m sorry.”This was around the first time that I saw a clock so I assumed 2–3 days had passed. I had no idea and anytime I asked the guards what day it was they told me to, “Shut up and wait!”No windows.Food that looked like it had sat out and old for days.Still cold. Flesh is numb. Feet are dirty.Dirty toilet about a foot above ground in the corner... out in the open... in front of everyone.Toilet paper sprawled across the dirty piss & shit floor.I finally realize I can’t hold my pee in anymore so I squat embarrassed, defeated, and small. I wipe lightly lest I get an infection. (Although I experienced a severe kidney infection that landed me in the hospital weeks later. This is often the result of an initial infection such as a UTI. I know - what a wonderful time it was for me!)Still no blankets or socks. I try to cover myself with another cot. They don’t care. The cold and loss of time douses me into countless hours of sleep. Periodically I wake, “Excuse me, guard. I understand the systems are down but is there a manual way to confirm my identity as I’ve been here longer than I was informed. I can give you phone numbers, addresses, etc.”“STOP ASKING US. YOU ARE NOT GETTING OUT UNTIL THE SYSTEM IS UP.”I wake up periodically to the sound of an elder woman yelling in pain a few cells away, “You pigs don’t understand I have an addiction! I need meth. Even just a little! You’re actually killing me. This hurts so bad. Someone just please understand! Helppppppp!!! Heellllpppp me!”Guards: “SHUT THE FUCK UP!”I felt like cattle. They didn’t care about us. We were numbers they laughed at. They didn’t care about my background. They didn’t care about who I was. Their chests puffed up laughing at us as they passed each cell - I thought to myself, “You have no real education. You do not understand you are actually killing and torturing that woman who has an addiction. I don’t care how foolish you think she is. You think you’re better than her. You’re making sure she knows that. I’ve never witnessed anything so cruel! You don’t know her story, how hard her life may have been. Nor do you care I’m a teacher and my entire career can be ruined. You don’t care to ask. I used to respect the police. I used to defend them whenever anyone said, ‘Fuck the police!’ I used to defend their order, protection, and efforts…Now… I began to say,… ‘FUCK the police.’”But I stayed quiet. All these thoughts kept to myself. Trying to remain a respectful woman so I could be let out as soon as possible.They move me to another cell now with a multitude of women. Mostly prostitutes gleefully chatting away to my astonishment. This is their norm, their territory. One looks freshly pregnant as if she just had a baby. She shits on the toilet and groans.One beautiful young 20-something says, “I’ve always wanted a white wedding. No one will marry me now since I’ve been hoe’in.”I thought quietly to myself, “Yes, they will. You’re beautiful. You poor thing… I’m sorry you’re not told you can turn your life around in here.”Another beautiful young 20-something says, “Shit, my feet ain’t dirty. That means I ain’t made no money and that’s what they don’t understand. Once I get out, my feet gon’ be dirty.”I laid on a dirty cot toward the ice-cold wall trying to sleep again. I now think four days have passed. I wonder why these poor souls are returned to shit and piss ice cages again and again and again - instead of being referred to employment, education, or therapy. That’s what a truly caring community would do for their citizens in need, right?Finally, the sweet darling prostitutes manage to get me to speak. “Why are you here?” I told them the whole story to which they said, “Girl, they say that to everyone! That’s just how they make more money. Here, call this number. They will confirm your identity. You’ll be out in minutes.”I called. I was out in minutes. It was an external agency free of cost that helps people like me without a criminal background get out of unusual circumstances.Immediately upon release, I think it’s Monday morning - time for my class. I send a text to my manager and apologize profusely saying there’s a family emergency which is why I didn’t call earlier to say I wasn’t going to make it. Oddly, she said, “Hmm…okay. That’s fine.”I walk outside. It’s night time. WHAT? What time/day is it?Still mentally dazed I double-check my phone, it’s Sunday night. My friend picks me up holding a bag of popcorn and I scarf my first real meal down in days.I learned not to judge that day. I earned more compassion and respect for the prostitutes - than the police who were supposed to share my legal rights with me but did not… all so they could feel powerful. And if the prostitues were right, for money. I was never certain about that part - but I was certain that the guards didn't care less if I fell ill or died.NOTE:** I understand not all police are like this and I applaud those who are not. I was deeply surprised to see my defense of the system destroyed by this experience.** I take responsibility for drinking and driving, regardless. I do realize that was selfish even if it was a moderate amount. I now use Uber whenever I drink.** I love and respect misunderstood souls. You are all valuable to me.———————————————————————————————————RESPONSE TO COMMENTS:Wow, I appreciate that people have received my story in varied thoughtful manners. Most comments have been compassionate and awesomely humane. Thank you!Here are some prominent questions I’ve either felt important to answer or are repetitive:1. She had a DUI and was not allowed bail.I CHOSE not to pursue bail. I had the option. I felt it foolish to throw thousands of my hard earned money away. I barely hit the legal limit along with respectful compliance (not stumbling/slurring) and no criminal background. Therefore, the judge finalized it as a speeding ticket to lessen the severity - not a DUI. I am sorry for the few who said I deserved to lose everything (career, thoughtful human treatment, etc). This is cruel, in my opinion - even for the addicts and prostitutes.2. What was the phone # of the agency that manually/externally confirmed your identity?I am extremely sorry. It has been a few years! In that weary state of mind, I did not think to record that information. I have tried Googling but to no avail. Perhaps, as another individual suggested, refer to people who have been incarcerated frequently. They will know the loopholes to help you.3. This sounds like an exaggerated story.It happened - and I was just as surprised. As stated, I used to hold in esteem the entire criminal justice system until this experience. (I also enjoy writing in story-form.)4. What happened to your career afterward?My career resumed but NOT without persistence. Over the years I’ve learned that the right people will judge you more by how you choose to learn from experiences. It happened to me but it does not define me.5. You’re confusing jail staff, correctional officers, police, etc.Yes, I may be and thank you for the clarification. Regardless, my perspective remains because these organizations must (hopefully) periodically meet at something similar to board meetings to discuss procedures. I understand there are complex variables that affect these cooperatives (resourceful availability, etc). I understand it’s not a simple issue to solve. I wish it was.6. Where was this?Los Angeles, California (United States)7. How do you they make a profit by holding you longer?I haven’t looked into it yet. A few folks proposed private jails depend on inmate count which seems plausible.10/23/20 UPDATE:Michael Stiglianese provided an informative comment that is important to share (below) because it is unfortunate that motives are often not centered around actual community rehabilitation. Our recent voting ballot in Los Angeles, California, now has new props/measures to re-allocate some funds toward programs that actually help people in these situations, rather than punish/torture them forever and keep them stuck in the jail-prison vortex. Please vote with your heart whenever you get the chance!“Nice post. The reason why they keep people longer, or release them after midnight so they can get an additional day from the state from taxes! Some jails are 2–3 hundred dollars a day. Cook County Jail does this. They will break their conveyor belts, or say they are broken when hundreds of people are waiting in cages to leave waiting for their clothes to leave so they can charge the State for another day! In my opinion, they bog this system down to get more money from tax payers and keep the jails overcrowded on purpose. Or some never get there items back and have to use clothes provided from the public! More money for the jails, and they want them full unfortunately…”8. Did you seek charges toward the station?No, I learned not to entirely trust those in power via this experience, even those who vow to serve and protect. I have now observed that political strategy is more about playing your cards intelligently so that you respect those in power and they respect you. This means I vehemently believe that if I were to pursue litigation I would be facing thousands of dollars in court-related debt, a destroyed reputation/career, years of trials - and they know it… which is why it has prevailed.ALTHOUGH… Some folks have now provided great advice I did not consider prior, not out of negligence, just overwhelm. I will now see what I can do to reach out to my governor, state representative, congress person, file a complaint, etc. Thank you, Quora family, for such proactive suggestions!9. I understand your trust in the criminal justice system declined after this experience - but has it also made you anti-government?No. A government is a strategy to aid citizens in a cooperative livelihood for the benefit of all. Of course I support government, voting, etc. Do I believe in all propaganda on movies, TV, magazines, or newspapers? Of course not.10. Are you guys living in a fairytale? She learned her lesson so jail served its purpose.I 100% DO NOT SUPPORT THIS STATEMENT. Learning occurs through foundational support that a jail DOES NOT provide. I am surrounded by a foundation of great people and opportunities. Many recycled inmates have circumstantially experienced abuse, neglect, poverty, shame, etc. Thus, this claim is extremely neglectful of behavioral psychology and basic human rights. Would I have learned the same lesson in a decently clean and communicative atmosphere? Absolutely. I still had to pay costly court fees and attend time-consuming classes for months or they would file a warrant for my arrest. Thankfully, I complied with everything because I had the RESOURCES in time and money to do so. Many recycled inmates likely do not have the resources to satisfy such demands and become stuck in the jail-to-prison vortex; as opposed to immediate mental assistance, employment assistance, rehabilitation, etc. I recall one girl crying in class. Her mother was dying from cancer in another state but she wasn’t going to risk a warrant and life-altering charge, by missing a week of class, if she happened to face an insensitive judge. She was unable to see her mother’s last breath.