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Last night, I slept well for the first few hours, then once awake, it was on and off until mum knocked on the door at 7:20am. It felt soo early - which makes thinking about changing back to EST terrifying. Mum and I drove to the airport in very bad weather. The rain was seriously pounding down and had been all night. Traffic reports were bad, accidents and flooding everywhere.
We were at the airport (which is were I am now) by 9am. Check in was easy - no line ups. Said a quick goodbye to mum, who brought some work to do while waiting for my phone call from the "other side". I hate saying goodbye. I think I put on a good front, but always thinking about the time until I see folks again... well it just plain sucks. I got in the customs and immigration line - thankfully not a long wait. Once it was my turn, I said I needed a TN visa. The officer did some stuff on her screen, marked my paper and told me to go to the immigration office. I did. There's a sign that says, "Please sit down and wait until your name is called." I was the only person there so I thought maybe I give my name to the guy at the desk... nope. He says sit down and wait til your name is called, obviously I'm a moron. For half a second I'm thinking, how do they know my name? Right... the other line. "Katherine?" Pause. oh right, thats me... I was asked maybe 3-5 questions, like, "You know this is temporary, how long are you planning on being in the US?" What are your intentions? To get married, get a Green Card?" I asked, "To get married?" He says, "no, to stay in the States." I was thinking, it's none of his business what my marriage intentions are. I say, "oh, I have no intentions of staying." He asks me to sit down while he reviews my paperwork. As I'm waiting, a woman comes out of another immigration room in tears. She's older than me and keeps looking back, crying and visibly upset. Oh, that totally sucks. I assume she wasn't allowed in. I take a minute to notice that I actually feel calm and okay. I send out a thank you, very aware of that fact that others have been taking care of me. 5-10min later, the officer calls me up, hands me a bill, I go pay it at the counter (visa fee), come back with my receipt, he stamps everything, hands me back all my papers and says have a good day. Sweet. All that nervous energy and it's done. I am thankful for the NAFTA agreement, the officer who reviewed my papers, the lawyers who prepared them and the job at MAYA. Now I get to be nervous about that.:)
I called mum after going through security and getting my boots back on. Relief. She was going to call Jared and give him the okay. Now the news is I start work on wednesday... it is indeed "endless".
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Back to the present:
Last night I got home around 1am. I flew direct to Washington, we arrived 30min early thanks to a strong tail wind. Unfortunately, the flight to Pittsburgh was delayed due to engine trouble. In DC, I enjoyed an over-dressed salad and a glass of Chardonnay. The flight to Pittsburgh was short and sweet. The view above the clouds was beautiful, I could see the moon clearly out my window, casting a silvery shine on a thin layer of clouds. It was like living in black and white. I had promised mum and dad that I would take a cab home. When I got to the taxi line, I saw that I was going to get the minivan, as if it matters, but it seems so lame for just one person. Turns out to be a sweet ride, I got a movie. The driver had just bought and "installed" a small colour tv with built-in dvd player (bought for $100 at Wal-Mart or something). So I had the pleasure of watching "High School High" all the way to Squirrel Hill. I tried to sneak a photo.. you can't really tell, but the driver is actually holding the tv as we drive. He also told me my bench seat reclines. Lucky!
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