It has been a very busy couple of weeks for me in terms of America and everything is seriously getting real right now. Some people have a lot of trouble feeling disposable. Not me. I know i can be replaced. In fact, you could probably find someone better than me to do most anything. Yesterday my work held some interviews to replace me and, if anything, i think i am glad i will not be around to see this person go above and beyond my standard of work on a regular basis.
As well as this, i have stunted my own independence by selling my car. Ideally, i would have liked to sell it three days before i left but, beggars cannot be choosers so I will have to do without. It was the first person to contact me about it. He turned up. Paid in cash. Drove away. It took 20 minutes and was a bit surreal to be honest and now i am stuck again to trips that are walking distance only.
To acquire my visa i had many, many forms to fill in. I am almost done now with the entire process. Just an interview with the US consulate next week to get my Passport stamped and a pre-departure meeting the following day with my sponsor agency. The questionnaires and forms i had to complete were slightly nauseating. Questions relating to whether i was a terrorist stacked up to the extent that i almost wanted to check "yes" to see what would happen. Surely black hawks would appear outside the window and I would be tied up and sent to Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo Bay or Alcatraz or something to be interrogated. It made me wonder, if you were bothered enough to get to this point, have so many codes to cross reference, pay for things that seemingly do not need to be paid for, and spend hours at the computer looking at questions, why would you throw it away at that point and say you are a terrorist? luckily for me, i am definitely not a terrorist and was able to successfully complete all of the forms!!
My flight is turning into a bit of an epic though. I do not want to buy a return if i will not be flying back to Australia (you never know... Asia, Europe and the world is calling my name!) but i am unsure whether, as a part of the Visa, i am allowed to only buy a one-way. Questions have been met with vague answers and i may need to wait until my Consulate visit to know for sure. It certainly looks like a horses for courses situation and, if my situation fits, i will be able to do the one way. Let's hope the course is Moonee Valley because i am definitely a front runner.
Flights have also been hampered by ineptitude from travel agents. I have sent emails to four different companies and have received an automated "we will contact you in 24 hours" but to no avail. I had to follow up something i followed up in order to get any response but i am still waiting for any flight, price or boat to be offered to me. it may have been quicker to just get my pilot's license. Now i know why those people travel by boat to get to Australia. the desperation arises due to inept travel agents.
Today was a landmark day though. I applied for a job in San Jose!! It would be an amazing opportunity at a Fortune 500 company with their HR department. I think i am qualified and hope my exotic resume is not detrimental. It would be interesting to see their reaction when, some Australian claiming to have a working Visa applies for a job which is not behind a bar...
It did make me think though. What jobs would i simply refuse to do on my adventure. There are not many. I just want to be able to pay rent and bills and eat. But there are some. They include (in no particular order) one of those guys who ambushes people on the streets trying to get them to pledge monthly donations to greenpeace, NRA talent agent, grave digger, lead singer of Green Day (they're rubbish), didgeridoo playing busker (cliche), bag boy, burger flipper at Carls Jr, Burger King Or McDonalds (In'n'Out is a different story though!!!), cage dancer (Laura would not like it) and last but definitely not least, accountant. Those days are behind me.
27 days until I leave. A lot of great things were done in less than 27 days. I hope i can add to the list in some way, shape or form.
No comments:
Post a Comment