This time last week we had just arrived in California.
I have finally come out of that dream-like state I found myself in those first few days, and realized that this is where I live now. The fact that we are moving into our new home tomorrow helps to ground me, too.
The city we live in, Elk Grove, is beautiful and new and pretty and lively. The houses are all brand new, so are the shops and office buildings. There are no big malls, but 3 large main roads packed chock-full of shopping centres, similar to Key West and Princess Crossing. Wherever you live in Elk Grove, you are never more than 5 minutes away from the shopping district.
Two highways flank the city and run North-South, Interstate 5 and Highway 99. All highways are named by a number, and odd numbers run North-South, while even numbers run East-West. I can take either highway to Galt, which is the neighbouring city where I'll be working.
Things are BIG here: cars, houses, shops, serving sizes. We found 300g tubes of Colgate toothpaste, and marshmallows half the size of your palm. Jose Cuervo is available in 1.5 litre bottles.
Fuel prices change daily, and differ at individual filling stations, by as much as 15c a gallon.
And jelly is not jam! I always thought jelly was jam. Jam exists here, and is called jam or preserves. Jelly comes in squeeze bottles, but I have yet to taste it. Jell-o is a brand, and is either clear jelly or pudding, in flavours like banana custard.
And string cheese is not squeezy cheese - it's a stick of cheese that looks like a crab stick, and it's fibrous so you can peel off strings of cheese. Fascinating.
Things are sweet, too. I'd read that South African soft drinks and chocolates were sweeter than in other countries, but WOW! My teeth are still hurting from the candied papaya I tasted yesterday. And the soft drinks are sweeter too, as well as the yoghurt and hot chocolate and cookies. Yet it's impossible to find full cream yoghurt...
Other things you can't find are bar soaps, and bath sponges. Well, there's Dove bars, and 2 brands called Ivory and Dial. Ivory smells faintly like green Sunlight soap, but thankfully the smell doesn't linger. Everybody uses liquid soap and shower poufs.
I'm off to bed - it's 11:45pm, and we're moving tomorrow. We won't have interent access at home for the next couple of weeks... I suppose frequent trips to Starbucks are in our future - WiFi access for the price of a cup of coffee seems like a good deal.
The kids are going trick-or-treating on Sunday - I'll put up pics as soon as I find the camera cable.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Rocky Road
No, not the ice cream, but our ongoing struggles here.
We had organized our new rental house - everything was perfect. We just need to pay the deposit tomorrow. So Brad was frantically shopping online for beds, crockery and other essentials. He paid for the transaction, (a third of the total money we currently have available) but there was an error. He tried again, same error. So he checked the bank balance and found that the transaction was indeed processed - twice. The bank is holding two thirds of all our money in a "pending" status, but the order doesn't exist. And now we don't have money for the rental deposit tomorrow...
On the bright side, we are getting ready for Halloween this weekend. The kids have their costumes, and we went to a pumpkin patch today to pick out our pumpkins. It was quite cute, with little wagons to put your pumpkins on, and vintage tractors for the kids to play on. Nikhil had his heart set on a "gourd", a little miniature pumpkin about 10cm in diameter, so he got one of those too.
Then we took the kids to a neighbourhood park, and that reminded me why we moved to the States in the first place. The park was clean, safe, and well-maintained. The play area was paved with a spongy Astroturf-type material to minimize injury. The equipment was divided into a 2-5 year old area and a 5-12 year old area. There was a water fountain to play in, like the one in Nelson Mandela Square. All the parks in this city have these water features. The equipment was interesting and inventive and clean. The public toilets at the park were clean and usable! There was toilet paper! At the entrance to the park, there was a dispenser for dog-poop bags. Nikhil had to be dragged away.
We asked him what he thinks of our new home, the hotel room. He says he likes it, but it doesn't have stairs or a lounge. He got quite concerned today because his fishing rod is lost. We assured him it was not lost but in safekeeping with his grandfather, waiting for him to use when we go to South Africa for a visit. Well, now he wants to go to South Africa. He's also missing his hinged training chopsticks. He threw a tantrum when we gave him real chopsticks and broke the top to separate them - he wanted them joined like his old ones. We bought him a book of nursery rhymes that came with a CD. He treasures it because it's the only CD he has. No wonder he's being difficult - he's feeling his losses more acutely than he says.
Tomorrow is pumpkin carving night. Looking forward to it!
We had organized our new rental house - everything was perfect. We just need to pay the deposit tomorrow. So Brad was frantically shopping online for beds, crockery and other essentials. He paid for the transaction, (a third of the total money we currently have available) but there was an error. He tried again, same error. So he checked the bank balance and found that the transaction was indeed processed - twice. The bank is holding two thirds of all our money in a "pending" status, but the order doesn't exist. And now we don't have money for the rental deposit tomorrow...
On the bright side, we are getting ready for Halloween this weekend. The kids have their costumes, and we went to a pumpkin patch today to pick out our pumpkins. It was quite cute, with little wagons to put your pumpkins on, and vintage tractors for the kids to play on. Nikhil had his heart set on a "gourd", a little miniature pumpkin about 10cm in diameter, so he got one of those too.
Then we took the kids to a neighbourhood park, and that reminded me why we moved to the States in the first place. The park was clean, safe, and well-maintained. The play area was paved with a spongy Astroturf-type material to minimize injury. The equipment was divided into a 2-5 year old area and a 5-12 year old area. There was a water fountain to play in, like the one in Nelson Mandela Square. All the parks in this city have these water features. The equipment was interesting and inventive and clean. The public toilets at the park were clean and usable! There was toilet paper! At the entrance to the park, there was a dispenser for dog-poop bags. Nikhil had to be dragged away.
We asked him what he thinks of our new home, the hotel room. He says he likes it, but it doesn't have stairs or a lounge. He got quite concerned today because his fishing rod is lost. We assured him it was not lost but in safekeeping with his grandfather, waiting for him to use when we go to South Africa for a visit. Well, now he wants to go to South Africa. He's also missing his hinged training chopsticks. He threw a tantrum when we gave him real chopsticks and broke the top to separate them - he wanted them joined like his old ones. We bought him a book of nursery rhymes that came with a CD. He treasures it because it's the only CD he has. No wonder he's being difficult - he's feeling his losses more acutely than he says.
Tomorrow is pumpkin carving night. Looking forward to it!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The hotel, and first few days
After leaving the comfortable nest of the Benades' home, we checked into our hotel...
Quite a downer really.
It's... well, ADEQUATE. We have 2 double beds, hanging space, a bathroom that is clean and large enough, and a little kitchen with a microwave, filter coffee machine, fridge, and 2-plate cooker. But, it's soulless, and the ghosts of countless itinerant past occupants remain. And space is at a premium. We had to ask the ever-obliging Benades to store our suitcases while we stay here, and that made a huge difference.
The bedding is the worst bedding I have ever encountered in any place I have stayed in, paid for or free. It's not dirty, but the blankets are thin, rough and scratchy, and the "comforter" is of no comfort whatsoever. Today we are going out to buy blankets.
The toaster burns bread black within 5 seconds, and sets off the smoke alarm. There is a sign above it that threatens eviction after repeated false smoke alarms.
On the positive side, we found a lovely rental home yesterday! It's close to the Benades, close to shops, large and comfortable, with enough space for Oscar the dog AND a sizable vegetable garden. So we saw the rental agent and applied for our credit report. And that's where the next problem came in...
Both our credit ratings are excellent, except for the Virgin Mobile account that was opened fraudulently on my name in South Africa!!! AARRGGHH!! Does it never end? I thought I had that sorted out - they promised to clear my record, I registered as a victim of fraud with Fraud Protection Services, and I put it behind me. Only the credit regulators didn't. I'm worried this will impact on my ability to move my family to a comfortable home AND tarnish my reputation with my employer, who also does a credit check on me.
As for California, it's still feeling foreign to me, but in a better way than Georgia.
The people here are very friendly and open. Everywhere we go, people say "Hello!" with a smile in their voices, and it's not uncommon for us to walk past someone standing in a queue who will just make eye contact and smile at us. It feels like the place is full of shiny happy people having fun.
The supermarkets are full of exotic vegetables, and every conceivable prepared food. You can buy frozen cinnamon french toast sticks, to pop into the microwave for a quick breakfast. Or Cinnabon breakfast cereal, made of tiny dry Cinnabons!
The eggs are all white, like in the movies. The milk comes in huge gallon containers (3.8 litres) and the fridges are big enough to accommodate them in the doors. Root beer is a popular drink, although we've tried to steer clear of fast food places as much as possible.
The houses are all neat and well-maintained, and of course there are no fences or walls, or even security gates. You just walk up to the door and ring the door bell. The windows have insect screens, but no burglar bars. And I feel safe! We went to Borders yesterday (a book store) and I felt completely comfortable leaving Nikhil looking at some books while I walked around to the next aisle, leaving him out of sight. In South Africa I would have clutched his arm, constantly afraid that someone would come snatch him from right next to me (because it happened to people I know, not because I like being neurotic).
The kids are still adjusting. Ariane has turned into an eating machine, and screams constantly in her car seat unless she has food. Nikhil won't eat anything but a few bites of fruit, and pukes it up when we drive. Last night he fell asleep at the Benades with no nappy on, and wet the bed. Ariane refuses to be further than half a centimetre from my face, all day. It makes doing laundry challenging, among other things.
Speaking of which, laundry at the hotel costs $2 to wash and $2 to dry, plus detergent and dryer sheets. When Malissa heard that, she cut us a key to their house and instructed us to go over anytime and do our laundry while they're at work. God bless the Benades.
I went to my assigned pharmacy yesterday. Turns out I was never assigned there, and nobody knew I was coming, not even the district manager. Luckily, they were happy to have me and now I have to do a drug test and get my social security number. I should be working in about 4 weeks. I welcome the break - I really need some time to settle into this place.
I'm trying to relax and have fun, (as much as one can relax with a clingy baby and a puking toddler) but we're in the phase where everyone is checking on us, doing credit checks and background checks and drug tests. While I have nothing to hide, it brings out a sense of defensiveness in you to constantly have to prove that you're decent. And it makes it that much harder when you are tainted with wrongful credit issues and arrests.
But today I'm going to try and have fun. We're going shopping for Halloween outfits, I hope the kids enjoy that!
Quite a downer really.
It's... well, ADEQUATE. We have 2 double beds, hanging space, a bathroom that is clean and large enough, and a little kitchen with a microwave, filter coffee machine, fridge, and 2-plate cooker. But, it's soulless, and the ghosts of countless itinerant past occupants remain. And space is at a premium. We had to ask the ever-obliging Benades to store our suitcases while we stay here, and that made a huge difference.
The bedding is the worst bedding I have ever encountered in any place I have stayed in, paid for or free. It's not dirty, but the blankets are thin, rough and scratchy, and the "comforter" is of no comfort whatsoever. Today we are going out to buy blankets.
The toaster burns bread black within 5 seconds, and sets off the smoke alarm. There is a sign above it that threatens eviction after repeated false smoke alarms.
On the positive side, we found a lovely rental home yesterday! It's close to the Benades, close to shops, large and comfortable, with enough space for Oscar the dog AND a sizable vegetable garden. So we saw the rental agent and applied for our credit report. And that's where the next problem came in...
Both our credit ratings are excellent, except for the Virgin Mobile account that was opened fraudulently on my name in South Africa!!! AARRGGHH!! Does it never end? I thought I had that sorted out - they promised to clear my record, I registered as a victim of fraud with Fraud Protection Services, and I put it behind me. Only the credit regulators didn't. I'm worried this will impact on my ability to move my family to a comfortable home AND tarnish my reputation with my employer, who also does a credit check on me.
As for California, it's still feeling foreign to me, but in a better way than Georgia.
The people here are very friendly and open. Everywhere we go, people say "Hello!" with a smile in their voices, and it's not uncommon for us to walk past someone standing in a queue who will just make eye contact and smile at us. It feels like the place is full of shiny happy people having fun.
The supermarkets are full of exotic vegetables, and every conceivable prepared food. You can buy frozen cinnamon french toast sticks, to pop into the microwave for a quick breakfast. Or Cinnabon breakfast cereal, made of tiny dry Cinnabons!
The eggs are all white, like in the movies. The milk comes in huge gallon containers (3.8 litres) and the fridges are big enough to accommodate them in the doors. Root beer is a popular drink, although we've tried to steer clear of fast food places as much as possible.
The houses are all neat and well-maintained, and of course there are no fences or walls, or even security gates. You just walk up to the door and ring the door bell. The windows have insect screens, but no burglar bars. And I feel safe! We went to Borders yesterday (a book store) and I felt completely comfortable leaving Nikhil looking at some books while I walked around to the next aisle, leaving him out of sight. In South Africa I would have clutched his arm, constantly afraid that someone would come snatch him from right next to me (because it happened to people I know, not because I like being neurotic).
The kids are still adjusting. Ariane has turned into an eating machine, and screams constantly in her car seat unless she has food. Nikhil won't eat anything but a few bites of fruit, and pukes it up when we drive. Last night he fell asleep at the Benades with no nappy on, and wet the bed. Ariane refuses to be further than half a centimetre from my face, all day. It makes doing laundry challenging, among other things.
Speaking of which, laundry at the hotel costs $2 to wash and $2 to dry, plus detergent and dryer sheets. When Malissa heard that, she cut us a key to their house and instructed us to go over anytime and do our laundry while they're at work. God bless the Benades.
I went to my assigned pharmacy yesterday. Turns out I was never assigned there, and nobody knew I was coming, not even the district manager. Luckily, they were happy to have me and now I have to do a drug test and get my social security number. I should be working in about 4 weeks. I welcome the break - I really need some time to settle into this place.
I'm trying to relax and have fun, (as much as one can relax with a clingy baby and a puking toddler) but we're in the phase where everyone is checking on us, doing credit checks and background checks and drug tests. While I have nothing to hide, it brings out a sense of defensiveness in you to constantly have to prove that you're decent. And it makes it that much harder when you are tainted with wrongful credit issues and arrests.
But today I'm going to try and have fun. We're going shopping for Halloween outfits, I hope the kids enjoy that!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Welcome to America!
We arrived in Sacramento at about 10:30pm on Friday night.
We were met at the airport by our friends Jason and Malissa and baby Christian. They were holding up a big banner saying "Welcome to your new home in America!". After the physical and emotional upheavals of the past 33 hours, it was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears.
And from that point on, we just sat back and let these angels carry us for the next two days. And angels they have been.
They took us to their home, where they had prepared a king's welcome for us. The bed was fresh and clean and comfortable; the bathroom was stocked with towels and toiletries and bubble bath! They let us spread our luggage out in their dining room, and boy did we make a mess!
They made us a time capsule with the week's newspaper and current Time magazine. They cooked us good, healthy delicious meals and never once let us wash a dish. They even bought us Halloween decor to help make our new home more inviting. They offered to lend us Christian's clothes when I couldn't find Ariane's. They took us shopping, they gave us the low down on the area. They didn't mind when I fell asleep on the couch and missed dinner, or when the kids woke up at 1am and played in the lounge, setting the dogs barking. They bought our kids toys because they'd left all theirs back in South Africa. They let us phone home from their mobile phones.
They received our kids' car seats ahead of our arrival and set them up in their own cars. They let us use their address for everything we needed. And when we left their house to move into our hotel, they raided their pantry and gave us groceries, and towels and drinking glasses and Ziploc bags and pens and paper and all the things we would need to make our lives a little easier.
We've been truly blessed to have such supportive people here to take of us like the babies that we are. One day we hope we will find a way to say thank you in a way that truly expresses how grateful we are to them, because words fall far too short. Thanks, Jason and Malissa - we are forever grateful to you!
We were met at the airport by our friends Jason and Malissa and baby Christian. They were holding up a big banner saying "Welcome to your new home in America!". After the physical and emotional upheavals of the past 33 hours, it was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears.
And from that point on, we just sat back and let these angels carry us for the next two days. And angels they have been.
They took us to their home, where they had prepared a king's welcome for us. The bed was fresh and clean and comfortable; the bathroom was stocked with towels and toiletries and bubble bath! They let us spread our luggage out in their dining room, and boy did we make a mess!
They made us a time capsule with the week's newspaper and current Time magazine. They cooked us good, healthy delicious meals and never once let us wash a dish. They even bought us Halloween decor to help make our new home more inviting. They offered to lend us Christian's clothes when I couldn't find Ariane's. They took us shopping, they gave us the low down on the area. They didn't mind when I fell asleep on the couch and missed dinner, or when the kids woke up at 1am and played in the lounge, setting the dogs barking. They bought our kids toys because they'd left all theirs back in South Africa. They let us phone home from their mobile phones.
They received our kids' car seats ahead of our arrival and set them up in their own cars. They let us use their address for everything we needed. And when we left their house to move into our hotel, they raided their pantry and gave us groceries, and towels and drinking glasses and Ziploc bags and pens and paper and all the things we would need to make our lives a little easier.
We've been truly blessed to have such supportive people here to take of us like the babies that we are. One day we hope we will find a way to say thank you in a way that truly expresses how grateful we are to them, because words fall far too short. Thanks, Jason and Malissa - we are forever grateful to you!
The journey to California
We've been in California for 3 days now. So much has happened, I've resolved to keep a journal of it all on this blog.
I'm just going to be honest and pour out my experiences here - please don't pity me, judge me, or think that I'm considering going back to South Africa if I mention something I don't like!
We left on Thursday evening - it was chaotic. We just managed to shove the last few things into our suitcases before leaving the house half-full and in a mess for our parents and siblings to clean up. We still managed to forget a few essentials, like melatonin for the journey and jetlag, and Brad's electric shaver.
The flight to Atlanta started off well. Ariane slept in her sky cot, leaving me with 2 free arms to eat. Nikhil actually ate some supper, and curled up into his economy class seat and slept. And I managed to get a couple of hours' shut eye before Ariane woke up. Predictably, she didn't allow me put her down again, so I gave up all hope of any more sleep.
We arrived in Atlanta to the the typical Southern drawl of porters. It was like walking into a movie. After getting a super-sized trolley for our luggage, we rechecked it in and made our way to our rental car. It took 2 high-speed trains to get there, which were very impressive.
We found ourselves a family restroom and freshened up. We were already exhausted and at the end of our tethers at this stage, but we had 17 hours to go before we reached California.
Atlanta was quite a disappointment. It may have had something to do with how terrible we were feeling physically. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that our rented GPS wasn't up to date and got us lost in a dodgy part of town.
Perhaps it was because the kids were livid at being taken out of an airplane after 16 hours and being put back into car seats. They screamed, they cried, they tore our hearts out. Ariane was hungry, and all I had was a packet of two crackers saved from the plane for just such an emergency. I kept handing her broken up pieces of cracker to try to keep the tears at bay. The crackers were eaten and still we couldn't find a place to get food.
Eventually we stopped at a gas station to buy water and make them some bottles of milk. I'll never forget the smell as I walked into the gas station store - a combination of diesel, dust, grime and stagnation. It was so foreign and so strongly unexpected - it brought home the fact that I was in a foreign country.
We finally found our way to the Atlanta Zoo - so well-marketed on the internet, but in reality a tiny little zoo with very few attractions. We thought Nikhil would have been enchanted by the pandas (he's loving pandas at the moment) but he looked at them once and then dissolved into tears because he wanted us to buy him a red car... and not one red car in sight! All in all though, it was good to get out of the airport and spend some time under the trees in the sunlight instead of whiling away 12 hours in the airport.
Nikhil had a meltdown when we told him we were going back to the airport to get on another plane. Ariane followed suit - crying because her brother was. To make matters worse, the airline had assigned us all separate seats, expecting Nikhil to sit on his own! The unhelpful cabin crew left us to deal with the situation, and a very selfish woman refused to swap seats with Brad so he could sit with Nikhil. In the end Brad sat with Nikhil on his lap in the cramped little plane. That's strictly against airline regulations, because Nikhil wouldn't have had access to an oxygen mask in the event of an emergency. But Delta was making it clear they couldn't care less.
And five long hours later, we were finally in Sacramento! I'm praying I don't have to make that trip again soon!
I'm just going to be honest and pour out my experiences here - please don't pity me, judge me, or think that I'm considering going back to South Africa if I mention something I don't like!
We left on Thursday evening - it was chaotic. We just managed to shove the last few things into our suitcases before leaving the house half-full and in a mess for our parents and siblings to clean up. We still managed to forget a few essentials, like melatonin for the journey and jetlag, and Brad's electric shaver.
The flight to Atlanta started off well. Ariane slept in her sky cot, leaving me with 2 free arms to eat. Nikhil actually ate some supper, and curled up into his economy class seat and slept. And I managed to get a couple of hours' shut eye before Ariane woke up. Predictably, she didn't allow me put her down again, so I gave up all hope of any more sleep.
We arrived in Atlanta to the the typical Southern drawl of porters. It was like walking into a movie. After getting a super-sized trolley for our luggage, we rechecked it in and made our way to our rental car. It took 2 high-speed trains to get there, which were very impressive.
We found ourselves a family restroom and freshened up. We were already exhausted and at the end of our tethers at this stage, but we had 17 hours to go before we reached California.
Atlanta was quite a disappointment. It may have had something to do with how terrible we were feeling physically. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that our rented GPS wasn't up to date and got us lost in a dodgy part of town.
Perhaps it was because the kids were livid at being taken out of an airplane after 16 hours and being put back into car seats. They screamed, they cried, they tore our hearts out. Ariane was hungry, and all I had was a packet of two crackers saved from the plane for just such an emergency. I kept handing her broken up pieces of cracker to try to keep the tears at bay. The crackers were eaten and still we couldn't find a place to get food.
Eventually we stopped at a gas station to buy water and make them some bottles of milk. I'll never forget the smell as I walked into the gas station store - a combination of diesel, dust, grime and stagnation. It was so foreign and so strongly unexpected - it brought home the fact that I was in a foreign country.
We finally found our way to the Atlanta Zoo - so well-marketed on the internet, but in reality a tiny little zoo with very few attractions. We thought Nikhil would have been enchanted by the pandas (he's loving pandas at the moment) but he looked at them once and then dissolved into tears because he wanted us to buy him a red car... and not one red car in sight! All in all though, it was good to get out of the airport and spend some time under the trees in the sunlight instead of whiling away 12 hours in the airport.
Nikhil had a meltdown when we told him we were going back to the airport to get on another plane. Ariane followed suit - crying because her brother was. To make matters worse, the airline had assigned us all separate seats, expecting Nikhil to sit on his own! The unhelpful cabin crew left us to deal with the situation, and a very selfish woman refused to swap seats with Brad so he could sit with Nikhil. In the end Brad sat with Nikhil on his lap in the cramped little plane. That's strictly against airline regulations, because Nikhil wouldn't have had access to an oxygen mask in the event of an emergency. But Delta was making it clear they couldn't care less.
And five long hours later, we were finally in Sacramento! I'm praying I don't have to make that trip again soon!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Last day of work!
Tomorrow is my last day at work - I hand in my car, phone and everything.
Things are really starting to look sparse here. I packed up all the kids' toys today, to give to someone at work for his child.
Most of the furniture is gone, most of the cupboards are empty.
I've had lots of farewells - too many for comfort. I had a farewell lunch from my team, and the next day a tea at the office. My close friends threw us a party, then we had a farewell book club meeting, a farewell from Brad's side of the family, and the big one my sister organised for friends and my side of the family. And tomorrow some more friends are coming over for a "last supper". All these people keep saying "See you at the airport!", like they didn't get my memo that I don't want anyone at the airport.
I went to Woolies today to get some food. It was so weird, shopping for only 2 days.
The kids are still miserable and wake up frequently, making a noise and keeping us awake. I don't know how we'll survive 2 nights at our friends' place - they have a small baby and my children are going to cause havoc!
I keep trying to tick things off my to-do list, but the next time I look, it's grown longer by a few inches! I'm really worried we'll be getting on the plane and still shouting instructions to our parents: "Don't forget to take the meat from the freezer! Please go close my bank accounts! Let us know when you've sold our car!..."
I still haven't had a chance to sit down and reflect on how cool it'll be when we get to the States. I'm just dealing with the heaviness of the goodbyes for now, and trying to get everything done by Thursday. Once I get on the plane, I'll try to put it all behind me and focus on the future. It'll be hard to forget how much our parents will miss us and the kids though...
Things are really starting to look sparse here. I packed up all the kids' toys today, to give to someone at work for his child.
Most of the furniture is gone, most of the cupboards are empty.
I've had lots of farewells - too many for comfort. I had a farewell lunch from my team, and the next day a tea at the office. My close friends threw us a party, then we had a farewell book club meeting, a farewell from Brad's side of the family, and the big one my sister organised for friends and my side of the family. And tomorrow some more friends are coming over for a "last supper". All these people keep saying "See you at the airport!", like they didn't get my memo that I don't want anyone at the airport.
I went to Woolies today to get some food. It was so weird, shopping for only 2 days.
The kids are still miserable and wake up frequently, making a noise and keeping us awake. I don't know how we'll survive 2 nights at our friends' place - they have a small baby and my children are going to cause havoc!
I keep trying to tick things off my to-do list, but the next time I look, it's grown longer by a few inches! I'm really worried we'll be getting on the plane and still shouting instructions to our parents: "Don't forget to take the meat from the freezer! Please go close my bank accounts! Let us know when you've sold our car!..."
I still haven't had a chance to sit down and reflect on how cool it'll be when we get to the States. I'm just dealing with the heaviness of the goodbyes for now, and trying to get everything done by Thursday. Once I get on the plane, I'll try to put it all behind me and focus on the future. It'll be hard to forget how much our parents will miss us and the kids though...
Saturday, October 9, 2010
We're finally going to California!
Oh. My. Word. We're going to America!
It's so unbelievable, after the endless wait, the setbacks at every step of the process, the painfully slow pace of everything.
For the past 18 months, since we came back from our recon trip, all we've been doing is dreaming and fantasizing about our new life there, and putting our life here on hold - no big purchases, no unnecessary spending, no long-term plans. Finally we can exhale and start living.
We went to get our visas stamped on Friday at the US Embassy. There was a problem with my police clearance (abusive cops led to wrongful arrest, charges withdrawn in court... slack lawyer didn't ensure charges were withdrawn properly, recorded as "conviction" on my file) and I was pretty sure our visa would be denied because of it. I was just one tightly wound spring on Friday morning - I have never been so close to puking for purely emotional reasons. When the interview was over and we were told the visas were granted, I couldn't help dissolving into tears. And then I had to walk past the entire waiting area to get to the bathroom and compose myself...
The rest of the day was spent getting flights, handing in my resignation at work, and phoning family and friends to tell them we were leaving in less than 2 weeks.
My sister has planned a farewell party for us. It's going to be hard saying goodbye to everyone, but I think the hardest thing will be watching Nikhil saying goodbye to Brad's father. They have an unnaturally close relationship, it will be a heartbreaking farewell between the two of them.
And then we'll be off! If the kids keep behaving the way they have been over the past few days, we're in for one difficult journey. Maybe they sense our tension and nervousness, because they've been niggly and crabby and restless for days - they both wake up often at night, screaming and inconsolable. We really need to sort that out before we leave.
We have a 12-hour stopover in Atlanta on our way to Sacramento. We're hiring a car and going out to the Atlanta Zoo. I'm quite looking forward to that. Then we arrive at 10pm in Sacramento, and our good friends will fetch us from the airport. We'll stay with them for the weekend before booking into our long stay hotel a few minutes' drive away.
Our house is slowly being emptied out. Our bedroom furniture is gone already - we're living out of suitcases. Soon Nikhil's bed will be gone, and we'll all be cuddling up on one bed... it's all part of the adventure. We'd better get used to it - it'll be like this for the next 2-3 months.
It's so unbelievable, after the endless wait, the setbacks at every step of the process, the painfully slow pace of everything.
For the past 18 months, since we came back from our recon trip, all we've been doing is dreaming and fantasizing about our new life there, and putting our life here on hold - no big purchases, no unnecessary spending, no long-term plans. Finally we can exhale and start living.
We went to get our visas stamped on Friday at the US Embassy. There was a problem with my police clearance (abusive cops led to wrongful arrest, charges withdrawn in court... slack lawyer didn't ensure charges were withdrawn properly, recorded as "conviction" on my file) and I was pretty sure our visa would be denied because of it. I was just one tightly wound spring on Friday morning - I have never been so close to puking for purely emotional reasons. When the interview was over and we were told the visas were granted, I couldn't help dissolving into tears. And then I had to walk past the entire waiting area to get to the bathroom and compose myself...
The rest of the day was spent getting flights, handing in my resignation at work, and phoning family and friends to tell them we were leaving in less than 2 weeks.
My sister has planned a farewell party for us. It's going to be hard saying goodbye to everyone, but I think the hardest thing will be watching Nikhil saying goodbye to Brad's father. They have an unnaturally close relationship, it will be a heartbreaking farewell between the two of them.
And then we'll be off! If the kids keep behaving the way they have been over the past few days, we're in for one difficult journey. Maybe they sense our tension and nervousness, because they've been niggly and crabby and restless for days - they both wake up often at night, screaming and inconsolable. We really need to sort that out before we leave.
We have a 12-hour stopover in Atlanta on our way to Sacramento. We're hiring a car and going out to the Atlanta Zoo. I'm quite looking forward to that. Then we arrive at 10pm in Sacramento, and our good friends will fetch us from the airport. We'll stay with them for the weekend before booking into our long stay hotel a few minutes' drive away.
Our house is slowly being emptied out. Our bedroom furniture is gone already - we're living out of suitcases. Soon Nikhil's bed will be gone, and we'll all be cuddling up on one bed... it's all part of the adventure. We'd better get used to it - it'll be like this for the next 2-3 months.
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