anyresemblance

Discombobulated

I'd forgotten how hard it is to shift countries. This is my 5th continental shift in my adult life and I'd expunged the memory of not knowing how to do things in a foreign country, even one you've visited a lot and where you share a common language. Someone gifted me three months of amazon prime before I left and thank god i don't have to work out where to buy a decent hairdryer, a vacuum cleaner and cat litter.  I do have to navigate how much to tip (I suspect I wildly over tip, in order not to be the rude foreigner), how to describe things (car rental not hire) and to speak slowly. 

We've been holed up in the hotel for a few days since there is no furniture in the apartment as yet but we've bought a bed and a sofa and ingratiated ourselves with the doorman and walked and walked.

I still have to brave the social security office to get a number, which I am assuming will be as pleasant as Centrelink, and work out the cross city bus.  The dog and cat arrive Thursday and the good thing is there are tons of dogs in the building so he will not be an oddity.  The dog walking service he's been going to once a week and who have been boarding him prior to his flight posted a sweet album of photos on Facebook so he's been getting prepared for his new life.

Finally

In the 6 months since I agreed to go and work in NYC for two years I have:

• flown 3 times to NYC
• flown once to Austin
• spend 10 days in Dubai
• spend 2.5 days in Bucharest
• attended one consulate interview

The last trip to Romania was complicated as my Australian passport was in the US consulate and I had to travel on my British passport.  Queue lots of questions at immigration but they everyone was super helpful and considerate and I did not end up in detention.

The visa process delay was all on my company's glacial processes and not on US immigration who were helpful and patient particularly when we worked out my 21 year old did not count as a dependent (under 21 only) and who helped her apply for an alternative visa and assured her she would be able to visit her momma in NYC when she was looking tearful and wobbly.

I finally have my passport with visa in my hot sweaty hand, an apartment lease and a ticket to fly there on Tuesday.  The old cat has gone to live with the kid in Sydney to keep her company and allow her peaceful days.  Charlie and Ned are already en route with their rabies vaccinations and the knowledge that Australian pets from our rabies free environment are welcome in the US (it's a bit more tricky on the way home but we'll manage that later)

The apartment is in Hell's Kitchen and keeps shrinking in my imagination but I keep reminding myself it has a decent kitchen, lots of light and a proper bath.