Nothing quite like family ...

Family has an amazing way of touching you, even when you don't expect it.

When I was driving home from Boston I organised to call in and visit Tylene and Alain on my way back up to Maine. They live in Portsmouth, New Hampshire so it's roughly half way inbetween Boston and home. I planned on stopping in and saying hi, taking a short break from driving and just catching up on how everyone was going. Grammy had been in a car accident a few days earlier so it was also my first chance to see her since the crash and see how she was doing.

I arrived just in time to see Mum visiting, but unfortunately she had to head off to work so it was a short catch up. I stayed for a while and caught up with Ty and Frenchie and to my delight Ty had made me some dinner. Totally unexpected but 100% appreciated. It's gestures like these that touch me.

I caught up with Grammy, who had suffered a couple of cracked ribs from her accident. She was a little shaken but mostly ok - just in a little bit of pain. Thankfully no one was injured in the accident, although it sounds like the car is a little worse for wear.

Before long I jumped back in my car and headed north - with some food in my tummy and happiness in my heart. I know it sounds cheesy, but that's how I felt. I am touched by the acts of kindness that Ty and Alain have shown me since I arrived.

Boston - still more than a feeling!

From the first time I visited Boston I felt relaxed and at home. Walking through the city, the vibe I got was very similar to that back home in Melbourne. The people seemed friendly enough, the town was big yet small enough to walk through at your own pace and not feel overwhelmed, and the layout was easy to navigate and fairly tourist-friendly. Throw some friends into the mix and you've got a really great city.

This time round is a little different. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm not in a rush this time. So I can take things at my own pace, visit places I want and if I run out of time then I can just come back. It's literally only a 2 hour drive away from home (not very far!!).

It was so great to catch up with John and Larry again - and this time spend some decent quality time with them (the last two visits it's been a quick "hi" and "bye" out to dinner somewhere on our way through town.

John and Larry organised dinner/drinks on the first night and a movie night at their place so I could catch up with some of their friends (some who I know already - Steven and Jimmy - and some new people - Nick and Trevor (another Aussie living over here in the US) and Joe and Jay). We also headed into the city and had lunch at a funky place called The Salty Pig! So delicious!! On the way home we drove by the Bunker Hill monument and took a look. We didn't have time to climb it then, but I think I'll go back and do that sometime. It's really quite tall when you stand up close!

I had Monday to myself and headed into town again just to walk around for a bit. I'd been told about a place to eat called KO Catering - run by an Australian guy. They make and sell meat pies so I was sold. There are two stores in Boston so I went to the one closest to a train station (it was very easy to find). It was great having a pie for lunch! I went with the original as I was craving that taste (they had about 6 different varieties). It was pretty good! Flaky pastry and minced meat inside - could've done with a little more gravy but I'm not complaining. Obviously I took a stack of photos, then ate my pie, and then headed into the city.

I walked around town for a bit, doing a spot of window shopping and taking a few more photos. It was a really warm day (for this time of year) so it was lovely being outside. The weather has been quite mild so far since my arrival. I'm sure that will change when Mr Frost arrives to welcome in winter though!

I caught the train back to my car and then drove up to Portsmouth to meet up with Mum, Tylene and Alain. They gave me a bite to eat (bless) and then I drove home via Kittery and Biddeford for a spot of shopping in each. Didn't really need to stop but thought I'd just check it out as I had the time.

I feel so lucky to have met John all those years ago (12 or so). We have become great friends over time and it's nice to know I have a good friend living so close by. Larry is awesome too, and I can't wait to get to know him better. Should be fun next summer when we can all hang out a bit. Can't wait for April when D is over so we can all spend some time together!!

Road trip.

Going on a road trip has always seemed like a very American thing to do. Obviously we have roads and cars back in Australia, but our major cities are quite far apart and there's not always a lot to do or see in between them. 

I guess it's also something I've seen on tv and in alot of movies. 

I'm happy to say that I've taken my first proper road trip since moving here!! Granted it was only down to Boston (2 hours south) but it's a start.

I wasn't sure how the car would go on the freeway, or how busy the traffic would be. But to my surprise (and delight) the drive was easy, pretty quick and very painless. Not too much traffic on the road and I was able to stay in the middle lane for most of the way without having to worry about overtaking/etc (they overtake on the left here and that's something I'm still getting used to). 

I'm down in Boston now for the weekend, catching up with some good friends. 

Now that I've survived this journey I am looking forward to planning a few other trips in the surrounding areas (Montreal. Ben and Jerrys Factory and other parts of Maine to name a few). 

Now it's time to go relax and unwind...

Walking ...

Before I left Australia I thought a lot about what I would be doing when I arrived here. In my mind I had it all figured out - I'll setup a routine to go walking every day, I'll go first thing in the morning, it will be fun and easy, blah blah blah. I got myself a Jawbone UP wristband just before my departure and thought that it would be great motivation to setup a regular walking pattern for myself.

Well I'm happy to say it has worked, sort of.... I've definitely found that the Jawbone has made me more aware of when I do and don't exercise. I've set it to vibrate if I am still for more than 45 minutes. It also measures my sleep, although I'm not sure how accurate it is (I tend to move around a lot when I'm sleeping and it interprets some of that as me being awake).

The walking is meant to be part of a bigger plan - eating better, joining a gym, drinking more water and generally living a healthier lifestyle. I thought that of all places for me to do this America will surely be the hardest. And if I can achieve it here then I've got no excuse for not being able to do the same thing back in Adelaide!

My overall aim with the walking is to hit 10,000 steps every day. On face value I thought that would be easy - go for a walk and I'll hit that each day. Wrong. 10,000 steps is a lot. I went for a walk today for an hour and still didn't hit that many steps (I didn't do much else during the day so had to add a little walk this evening to get me over the line). It also doesn't account for the days when I can't go for a big walk for whatever reason - bad weather, other plans, seeing friends/family - or when I start working and don't have as much free time. Mum said a lot of people head to the mall in winter to do their walking - and it makes perfect sense. I can see a lot of time spent inside the Mall/Hannaford (supermarket) and Walmart during my winter months here. They are all big places where I can walk and walk and walk.

I have plans for joining a gym next month but I'm still doing some research on that. I want to wait until I start working before I commit to a particular gym location (ideally I want to go to one near where I end up working).

I'll also save my rambling about a healthier lifestyle and losing weight in another post. It's kind of late now and I really need to get some sleep.

Speaking of which, I've noticed that I feel like I'm sleeping better now that I'm walking more. A good side effect!

Daytime weather ...

When you grow up in a certain part of the world, you get accustomed to the weather in that area. You learn that clear skies usually means a certain level or warmth, dark clouds mean that rain is on it's way, and even in the middle of winter the sun's rays can be very warming.

That is not the case in Maine (and other parts of the world).

Mum and I were talking the other day about how deceiving the temperature is when you look outside.  Even when it looks like its a nice clear and sunny day outside, that doesn't necessarily mean it's warm....

All of the houses in Maine have some form of oil/gas central heating. It's not central heating by Australian standards - it's heating through the entire house from the pipes under the house to the ceiling. They do this not just to stay warm, but to also prevent the pipes from freezing during the winter months. 

Right now the sky outside is perfectly clear. The sun is shining and it appears to be a lovely day.

But one step out the door reveals something very different. The temperature at the moment is a chilly 3 degrees celsius (feels like -1) - that's 38F for the locals. When I woke up this morning it was -3 celsius!! Of course sitting inside you don't notice the heating is keeping you warm. We have the heat sitting on around 15 celsius (60F) so it feels just like it would back home on a regular day. The shock is when you go outside to do something.

Today is a calm day - when it's windy outside the cold is even more noticeable (very icy). I'm still going out wearing one layer of clothing under my jumper/hoodie/jacket, but I think it will very soon be time for two or more layers. So far it hasn't bothered me but I'm sure I will feel the cold as the temperature continues to drop.

Social Security ...

Well, I can happily say that I'm really impressed with one part of the American system - Social Security!

Today was super painless and very quick. I went into the office in Portland to apply for a social security card/number. I filled out a very basic form, waited less than 2 minutes, spoke to a lady at the desk, showed my passport/visa, answered a couple of questions (under oath) and was told the card will be posted out in the mail in about 2 weeks. 

That was it. Simple!

It's probably the first easy/simple thing that I've had during this whole experience. I was actually really shocked by how easy it was. Shame the rest of it wasn't that simple. 

Now I'm looking forward to the card arriving so I can open a bank account, get my licence, and most importantly start looking for a job!!

Frustrations.

Yesterday I got a little frustrated with a couple of things to do with moving here. At times it just feels like different governmental departments don't speak with each other. And there are no clear guidelines about how everything is connected. 

Before I arrived in America I had to pay an immigration fee. On the day I arrived this then automatically triggered a system whereby my green card gets posted out to me. The limited paperwork I got about this (via email) gave the impression that this took 2-3 weeks. When I called yesterday to ask some questions I was told that it takes up to 45 days for the card to arrive. No worries, the green card is not that important. When I asked about my social security card I was told that I need to talk to a different department and apply for it separately.

That's when I felt really frustrated. You can't do anything in this country without a social security number. You need it to open a bank account, to apply for work, to get your licence, pretty much to do anything. So when I was told I need to apply for that separately it was kind of annoying as I could have done it weeks ago!

So today I went into the social security office. Filled out a one page (very brief) form. Spoke to an official at the office and then it was done. My social security number will be allocated and a card will be posted out in the mail in about 2 weeks. That was the best part of the day today - what a relief. 

I am really looking forward to finding a part time job and working over here. Now I just need to work out what I want to do. I think it will be easy to find something part time. Seems like everyone is hiring for the holidays.