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Nov 8
What the heck.....
This picture does not give an idea of the scale of this monster... I assume it is some type of caterpillar but it begs the question what on earth is it going to be, this thing was massive!Comments [0]
Oct 28
Visa Interview, US Embassy, London
I know this is a little late but I did want to make some notes about my Visa interview at the US Embassy in London.
I live(d) near Nottingham and my appointment was for 9.30am. I didn't want to be late (although more on times later) so I left at 5.00 am and drove to Mill Hill train station, hopped on a train to St Pancras International Station which is where my story begins... The US Embassy Website has very clear and very specific instructions that NO electronic devices would be permitted into the building. No electronic car key fobs, no mobile phones and so on. To me, that meant that I shouldn't take any electronic devices so I left my bag, phone and keys at the left luggage area at St Pancras and then took the underground to Oxford Circus. I arrived at the embassy at about 9.15 and joined the queue. Guess what? Some people thought the NO electronic devices rule didn't apply to them. Guess what? It did. They didn't get in. If you get nothing else from this post, try and remember that you are not a unique case - you will not get into the Embassy with electronic devices. Even if you claim (loudly) that you didn't understand that 'NO electronic devices actually meant NO electronic devices' and you rant and rave. There are plenty of places near the Embassy in London where you can store items. The appointment time is not specific to you. You will join a bunch of other people who were given the same time. You queue outside the Embassy so take an umbrella as there is no cover! It is a simple production line and no, you are not a unique case and no, you cannot jump the queue no matter how (loudly) you complain you are super important and can't possible stand in line for a whole 20 minutes (just how important is this life changing application to you?). Half way down the line, your basic paperwork is checked. This makes sure you don't go in with invalid paperwork. It is a simple process and took me, literally, 10 seconds. I showed the forms which I had printed out. The Embassy website is very clear and very specific that one of the forms must be filled in online and they will not, under any circumstances, accept hand written forms. Guess what? That means they will not accept hand written forms and no, you are not a unique case. Producing forms that have been filled in by hand will mean that you do not get in. No matter how (loudly) you complain you did not know and that you are super important and can't possibly fill them in on the website where you printed them... So, back to my experience. I got in and showed my paperwork again. I was given a printout with my number. My number was N314 (I wonder if I will ever forget my 'number'?). Once done, you go to a very large room with hundreds of seats and hundreds of people in it. There is a row of 11 booths and a very clear display systems showing what number is being served at what booth. There is also a loud, but clear, speaker system calling out the information. I waited maybe 30 minutes for my number and I went to the booth. Very simple process where I handed over my paperwork which was checked. That took me 2 or 3 minutes. They take the paperwork (and passport) and you sit down again in the same area. It's actually pretty efficient as there were hundreds of people and they whip through this initial stage at a swift rate. There is a second bank of booths, numbered 12 to 24 - basically a second row where you will go when your number is called for a second time. This is where you will be interviewed about your application before it is finally approved. I waited about 30 minutes for my number to be called again. As I made my way to the booth I heard a bunch of other numbers being called to the same booth. I must admit I was worried as I knew I wouldn't get a group interview - was this the rejection line? I had expected to wait a couple of hours and only 30 minutes had gone by. Perhaps they found a problem with my nice shiny paperwork? Had I missed something? It turned out that this was a quick approval line! I was at the front of the queue and I was called forward. Here it was - the interview. I had a million answers to a million questions (how big is the company? How many employees? Why can't my job be done by someone in the US?). I waited at the window. He looked up, stared at me and said 'What does your company do?'. I answered. He looked at his computer screen, stared at me again and said 'You will get your passport back in 3 to 5 days, please see the courier desk on the way out'. I paused. Was that it? I asked him. He smiled and said 'yes'. I try and look professional and say, a little too loudly, 'thanks'. All I wanted to do was yell 'WOOHOO!'. On the way out, I went to the courier desk to pay for my passport to be delivered back to me. This was on the Tue. I got my Visa back on the Fri. So, all in all, a pleasant enough experience. I know my experience was relatively unusual as it was, more or less, in and out. More of a formality. Perhaps having the paperwork in order and completed correctly helped? But then again, I didn't expect to be treated as a unique case so I followed the simple, clear and explicit instructions on the website. Either way, I am in Texas and lovin' it!Comments [1]
Oct 26
Welcome to Texas
In case it is not clear from the photos (damn you iPhone 3G!), it is pouring down with rain and it is, quite simply, darned cold!!
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Oct 15
Visa approved...
So on Tuesday I spent the day at the US Embassy for the final stage of the Visa process. It was approved (yay!) and so I can safely uncross my fingers as the last hurdle has been, er, hurdled! I will be writing up a detailed account of the process which I'll post later (there are a lot of people going through the same process and there seems to be a lot of worry and misinformation about this stage). In short, my experience was very smooth and I had no problems. Next step is a ton of customs paperwork as I pack my house ready for the removals people next week. It's getting very real and, if I don't go blind with the customs paperwork, in just 8 days I will leave the UK.Comments [1]
Oct 10
First there was a dream...
Now, there is reality. Moving house is a pain. I'm sure most people have moved house at some point in their lives so we all know there are just under a gazillion things to sort out. Moving country is even worse and there are just over six gazillion things to contemplate and organise. Although I have lived in many different countries, my pending move to San Antonio, Texas seems different somehow. For a start my first visit involved being shot at:Something slightly surreal about walking out of one's hotel and hearing gunshots and smelling cordite. It was an Alamo reenactment weekend but it did make me wonder...
Then I look up and see this:So, 10 minutes into my first visit and I seem to have covered a big swathe of the stereotypical American life (btw, the Alamo reenactment was excellent!).
Turns out my first 10 minutes was an anomaly because since then I haven't seen (too many) examples of how the world sees America and Americans (you know, big, loud and possessed of a remarkable ability to think they are right even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary). Let me tell you something, I couldn't be more British if I tried. I am reserved, abhor public displays of affection in church and my home is my castle. Yet I loved what I saw. There is a level of optimism that is missing in England. I have been welcomed by all and not just because I have a British accent. I want to be part of what I saw and I want to experience more. Over the next few weeks I will be writing about my move to the US. Anything I say should be taken as my simple observations and not as a social essay on different societies. 13 days from now I board a one-way flight to San Antonio, Tx. First, there was a dream. Now, there is a scary reality...Comments [0]
