Once back from my vacation even as I tried settling in to work, it was almost impossible not to miss AJ! We had done long distance before, but with the USA it was getting to be increasingly difficult as we hardly even got to talk to each other regularly... after all how much can email replace somebody's presence?? So a month into trying to be brave we both decided this was not working for us, now the dilemma was should he come back or should I move there? Thinking purely from a career perspective we decided it would do me good to have some international experience on my CV. My managers at my small retail organization were fantastic, they completely understood and had me relieved and packed up in another month or so. So here I was again, looking at another 27 hour journey to USA. We didn't know how long this stay was going to be and we didn't even know what was in store for us, all the same, we sure were excited! I was a bit scared, after all I had somehow managed to live in my beloved city Bangalore for all these years only stepping out on vacations! Bbye Bangalore...hope I come back here soon!
This time I didn't allow AJ to book me on his fav airlines, instead went by Continental. The flight was sane and quick. I reached Columbus with minimum fuss. All said and done I am very career minded, hence the very next day after I reached there I rushed in my work permit applications and all else that I would need to get started again! Things were not smooth, the amount of paper work that needs to get done in the USA was humungous I realized! Also learnt how difficul things were when you were not a citizen in a country! Every small thing that I took for granted in India was difficult to come by! I was denied a mobile phone, a credit card, an insurance, a car loan....the list was endless. The whole 'credit history' mechanism was frustrating to say the least. Here I'd be staring at the retailer with cash in my hand and he'd be refusing to sell to me since I didn't have a credit history!! I almost felt like Obelix in the comic series 'Asterix' wanting to scream these crazy A*******s!! :-)) In India, both AJ and I were privileged customers in banks and retail outlets where most services were offered to us at our beck and call! So to come here and start all over again was clearly getting on our nerves!!
Meanwhile we made a fall trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. SOme trpedation around the trip since it was our first outing with this gang of friends. We were some 4 couples, one of whom had a 3 month old baby with them!! However much against our expectations we had a wonderful time. Madhu & Ashok were travelling with us and they made for awesome company. We had a fun drive and then we also got along famously well with Surabhi and Mukhesh with whom in the coming days we built a special bond. Life became mre fun in Columbus after this trip! :-)
Christmas was a new fun experience, all of Columbus was lit up. We loved going to Easton Mall in this time.the whole place was lit up and the kids almost always had a Santa and reindeer to meet!
Without a job on hand I had nothing much to do except cook, read books and shop! Without my second income the shopping was slowly but surely dwindling...not at all a nice feeling for an ex-buyer!! Still bit my lip and chugged along waiting for my work permit, the D-day was 26th December 2009!! When I received the mail I just couldn't believe my eyes!!! My authorization was given as early as 26th Sept but the card never reached me!! Twice it went back to US immigration and I was just about giving up on ever having a work permit!!
Finally I was all set to start work, having already applied with a couple of retailers there I turned around both into job offers!! :D But then how can things be that easy?? In true bollywood 'ishtyle' we had another twist to the tale! The project AJ was working on was over and they wanted us to relocate to Minneapolis....what place was that again?? Neither of us had even heard of this city and this company wanted us to live there???!! Gosh the irony of getting a job in 2009 with the recession and everything and then being unable to accept it was overwhelming!! But we didn't really have a choice, so relocation it was and goodbye Columbus!! On New Years we were busy travelling to Minneapolis, MN. Curious about the new place and anxious about having to search for another job is how I can best describe that transition...for now it was the end of another chapter in US of A!
This time I didn't allow AJ to book me on his fav airlines, instead went by Continental. The flight was sane and quick. I reached Columbus with minimum fuss. All said and done I am very career minded, hence the very next day after I reached there I rushed in my work permit applications and all else that I would need to get started again! Things were not smooth, the amount of paper work that needs to get done in the USA was humungous I realized! Also learnt how difficul things were when you were not a citizen in a country! Every small thing that I took for granted in India was difficult to come by! I was denied a mobile phone, a credit card, an insurance, a car loan....the list was endless. The whole 'credit history' mechanism was frustrating to say the least. Here I'd be staring at the retailer with cash in my hand and he'd be refusing to sell to me since I didn't have a credit history!! I almost felt like Obelix in the comic series 'Asterix' wanting to scream these crazy A*******s!! :-)) In India, both AJ and I were privileged customers in banks and retail outlets where most services were offered to us at our beck and call! So to come here and start all over again was clearly getting on our nerves!!
Meanwhile we made a fall trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. SOme trpedation around the trip since it was our first outing with this gang of friends. We were some 4 couples, one of whom had a 3 month old baby with them!! However much against our expectations we had a wonderful time. Madhu & Ashok were travelling with us and they made for awesome company. We had a fun drive and then we also got along famously well with Surabhi and Mukhesh with whom in the coming days we built a special bond. Life became mre fun in Columbus after this trip! :-)
Christmas was a new fun experience, all of Columbus was lit up. We loved going to Easton Mall in this time.the whole place was lit up and the kids almost always had a Santa and reindeer to meet!
Finally I was all set to start work, having already applied with a couple of retailers there I turned around both into job offers!! :D But then how can things be that easy?? In true bollywood 'ishtyle' we had another twist to the tale! The project AJ was working on was over and they wanted us to relocate to Minneapolis....what place was that again?? Neither of us had even heard of this city and this company wanted us to live there???!! Gosh the irony of getting a job in 2009 with the recession and everything and then being unable to accept it was overwhelming!! But we didn't really have a choice, so relocation it was and goodbye Columbus!! On New Years we were busy travelling to Minneapolis, MN. Curious about the new place and anxious about having to search for another job is how I can best describe that transition...for now it was the end of another chapter in US of A!
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