Feeling Far away

Everyone always asks how I’m coping with being away from home and my answer is always “fine so far”. Well today I realized the worst part of being away from home, that’s when bad things happen to people that you love.

2009 seemed like a year when so much bad was going on in terms of friends being hurt by horrible boys and it sucked when I couldn’t be there to support them in terms of chocolate and movie nights, but it’s a different story when a friend is physically hurt and there is nothing you can do.

To find out on Facebook that an amazing person is in a bad condition really sucks and it’s even worse when you are too far away to do anything about it. This is when the distance really gets to you because you can’t just jump in the car and race to the hospital to be by their side and updates on their condition take a while to get to you.

So if anyone had to ask me now what’s the worst thing about being away from home I would say, “Not being able to be there for the people you love when they need you.”

For now all I can say is Sushi please get better soon, I love you and I’m thinking of you every second.

And for the rest of you , please stay safe and happy.

Nightmare!

So, when you spend pretty much all day every day sitting in front of your computer applying for countless amounts of jobs – some that you really want and some that will just be a time filler to pay the rent, how do you make sure your resume gets to the top of the pile?

I mean when you come across a job that you are so perfectly qualified for in education and experience and know that not only will the job be fantastic but that you will be fantastic in that job, how do you get noticed?

I can’t really phone these people every day and tell them how wonderful I am and that if they do not hire me it will be immediate and irreversible suicide for their company – or can I?

But seriously – recession aside – there are so many jobs out there, and I have applied for every one, well the fantastic ones at least, but why am I getting nothing back? I’ve even taken to wishing on shooting stars! Yup I saw an amazing shooting star last night, haven’t seen one of those in years, maybe it was a sign – but I digress…GIVE ME A JOB!!!!

2010 is supposed to be this amazing year filled with opportunities and exciting things, well maybe it still will be but is surely is off to a slow start. We were so excited about moving to a new city and getting an apartment and sting to actually live our lives but the holdup is finding jobs first.

Come on universe; work your magic…please.

A big announcement

So again I feel the need to apologize for my lack of interesting topics.

The only news for today is that I feel we have finally decided on a country to hold the elusive wedding in! OK I guess that is big news. And the winner is . . . . CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA!

So from not thinking about anything wedding related and not having any idea of what I actually wanted, I find my thoughts and dreams consumed with everything wedding related.

Now don't get me wrong, I too have pictured and planned my big day ever since I was a little girl, but of course, ideals and ideas of pretty can change over time. The strange thing though is that since I entered into the world of event planning I did everything to avoid actually planning an event for myself, and that included thinking about planning an event for myself. So even when I has presented with my big, beautiful diamond(s) I still did not even want to think of planning a wedding. I had no idea of what I wanted but I had lots of very clear ideas of what I didn't want!

1 - I do not want to feel the need to invite people I have not spoken to in years just because I don't want to hurt their feelings
2 - I do not want to spend thousands on a cake that will not get eaten
3 - I do not want to spend fortunes on invitations that get thrown in the bin once the details have been written down
4 - I do not want bridesmaids that look like poorly dressed barbie dolls

But now that we have decided to actually start planning this thing it is all I can think of. Although the only thing we have actually decided on is the city and the year - yes, very broad I know but at least its a start.

The Hunt is On

So the first step for this year is to find a job. Why do we always have to do the hardest things first??

Living in Birmingham Alabama doesn't exactly pour opportunities your way so The Other Half and I have made an executive decision to fly North East to the little town called the Nation's Capital in search of fame and fortune.

Apparently DC is where it happens and as The Other Half has his roots and interest in the government and security and secret James Bond stuff we thought this would be the best place to begin our search.

Now as for me...a little PR "poppie" with a flair for events...we have to pull out all the stops. OK, so in Cape Town I'm pretty good at what I do right - I mean we won awards and stuff! But you think that means anything over here? You think my little Varsity College qualification carries any weight? Probably not right?

So I have to rely on my charm and pretty smile - a little bit of a problem when you have to buy a plane ticket for every interview - assuming I actually get called to any interviews!

So, day after day I resort to online applications, hopes and prayers - and some slightly more colorful words when a letter arrives in my inbox saying the position has been filled.

But for now - wish me luck and if you know of anyone looking for the employee of their dreams in and around DC please give them my name!

Amzing times past and exciting times to come

I’m back!!!

It has been an enormously long time since I’ve written and I feel horrible that I have so badly neglected Pop Tarts Travels! But really, when faced with sun, sand, cocktails, food, family and friends…who wants to sit in front of a computer?!

But I am back and I feel that this is the start of many great and hopefully interesting things to come so that I can attempt to entertain you people who may get tired of staring out of your Cape Town office windows and glaring at that horrible boring view of the sea and mountains.

Last night I landed back on USA soil after what seemed like the shortest three weeks of my life spent in paradise. OK it was only Cape Town but you really do only realize how wonderful it is there after you have left and returned.

I had the most amazing time with my beautiful family and awesome friends. I got to get to know the two most adorable boys on this earth, my munchkin nephews. I got to eat the best food (yes lots of sushi) and sip (or gulp) refreshing cocktails. I got a tan, peeled and lost it and got another one. I drove, I sailed, I slept in the most comfortable bed in the world (OK maybe not but I’ve missed that bed!)

When the dreaded day of departure came I was not only a nervous wreck for the family farewells which I always dread but I was also anticipating a travel nightmare. Now firstly, I have to commend myself on managing to pack 99% of my wardrobe and still be under the baggage weight allowance (darn I could have packed a couple more pairs of shoes!).

The England leg of the trip was a breeze as usual due to my prized UK passport, but the USA leg was the one I was not looking forward to. Expecting insanely increased security due to the kind fellow who thought it would be a great idea to try and blow up another US plane in the name of religion. But I was mistaken. Yes, I could feel that they had upped security levels, but it took no longer than usual and was a pleasure to see that some people actually do do their jobs to ensure my safety.

My next expected nightmare … border control…dun dun duuuuun. This is my first time entering the USA as a permanent resident and for some reason I was petrified! But I was happy to discover that this benefit now allows me to stand in the short line at customs and enter without too many questions!

All in all a pleasant experience and I am safe and sound with all luggage accounted for.

So for 2010 you can expect to read exciting things, hopefully about getting a job, moving house and wedding plans!

But for today I feel I have bored you enough and so with that I sign off.

Trying to Replace My People

One of the tricky things when you move to a new place or a mainly to a new country is finding replacements for your people.

At home and over time we develop a list of people who we rely on a very regular basis. We all have our fabulous hair dressers, our amazing mani and pedi people and of course our waxing goddesses.

So the trick is when you move to a new place you have to try and find new people who are just as wonderful as the people you left behind. Of course you can go with word of mouth referrals which is generally the best idea but we all have our little things and the way that we like things done so finding people who will do this for us may be hard.

So although I know I will never be able to replace my amazing mani and pedi people or my beautiful waxing goddess I guess I have to try as these are necessities that a girl has to do, but then you also don’t want to mess around with things like waxing and trust to me is a major issue.

But I can happily say that I think I have found my new hair person and she made me smile today.

So I continue the search for my other people and this doesn’t even include doctors and dentists but the of course those are not my primary concerns.

The Immigration Sage – Complete for Now

So today my friend the post man delivered some wonderful news - I am officially a permanent resident of The United States of America.

It is not so much the fact that this has happened and happened so quickly that makes me happy but more a feeling of personal achievement for doing it all myself.

Some people said I was crazy and some people said I was brave but having decided to tackle it myself before hiring an immigration lawyer proved the best and cheaper way. So I have officially won my case without any questions or reviews and I now hole the card.

So I guess I am now just waiting for a social security number – I think I need one of those and I will be all set. This is of course until I need to renew the card in two years and then I assume the paperwork will start again.

Next step I believe is to remain a resident for five years and then America will decide whether I am good enough to be a citizen. I guess I had better start studying – yes I will have to take a test…

But until then I will relax and will try not to bug the poor souls at USCIS.