The Days Are Slipping By...

Here it is already Wednesday. Wow. Time sure does fly. Albeit it being such an arduous & gruelling process to get all my documentation and travel arrangements solidified, I now find that the day I so eagerly awaiting is coming too quickly! In all honesty, I'm ready. My bags have been packed for weekend and this whole work UK hours in the US is really, well, quite lame. (we all know I'm not a morning person & have difficulty going to bed regardless of the fact that it's currently 4:17am, or it should be mentally).

So yes, Friday morning I will be departing the city I've called my home for the past (nearly) 4 years. It's a bittersweet feeling.

Sad to be leaving the comfort of the known and all my family & friends behind, but, on the other hand, I will be beginning a whole new adventure, a new chapter in my life. An opportunity few are granted and even fewer accept. :)

But hopefully before then I can spend a little bit more time with some friends here..*hint, hint*

Anyways, just wanted to make you all aware that I actually DID receive my visa in the mail (yesterday)--yay! and will definitely be moving this weekend. I promise it's not just an April Fool's joke, as my frist day in the office will be on Easter Monday (yes, a UK bank holiday, and no, I don't get to take it off).

But because I'll have such a ludicrously long layover in the city of brotherly love, I will more likely than not be writing a post, probably of all the people I'll be watching ;)

Until then...peace & love.<3
krit

Visa, Flight, & last weekend in QC

Hey guys! I know I promised I would write sooner, but, life happens! Since I know my time in Charlotte is limited, I've been taking up every opportunity I can get my hands on (mostly hanging with the guys at work!)

Anyways, I have some great & exciting news! This has been a good week for progress in terms of actually finalizing everything about my move. Last I told you, my visa had been approved, so here's how the week looked:

TUESDAY: Biometric apt--eg get fingerprinted and & have my picture taken. The whole process only took about 5 minutes! Nothing that exciting, but it was really about the last thing I had to do! I proceeded to head to the Walgreens to have my passport (or in this case, visa) pictures taken. I took these across the street & fed ex'd my package up to NYC, where it would be taken to the British Consult.

also, Tuesday was my birthday, so I celebrating this success and the passing of 26 (!) years over a few brews with some friends.

WEDNESDAY: nothing... I thought about booking my flight....but couldn't really find any options I liked..

THURSDAY: again, researched, but couldn't pull the trigger as I was trying to determine which was the best city to fly out of..
also began feeling a bit nostalgic knowing the date of my departure was rapidly approaching, and I would have to say good-bye to so much.

FRIDAY: Flight booked!! BOOM!! After some discussion & contemplation, I decided to book a flight straight out of hometown, pa :) I will be headed back to PA Friday after work, and flying out Saturday at noon. It won't be much time at home, but it will be wonderful to see my family & pups one last time!! Also good news (kind of crazy, but I'm okay with it) is that a round-trip flight is actually cheaper than a one-way flight. so whether I get to use it or not, I have a tentative return date to PA for Thanksgiving!! :) (I mean, honestly, it's an American holiday so I would think I would be able to take off)

Additionally, I received a phone call from the visa representative, who had sent my package via overnight delivery with my passport & newly approved visa. Once I receive this, I am good to go!

So that's it, not really saying it's not a big deal, just awesomely exciting news & the last steps to getting my application done so I can be shipped out! All in all, a solid week.

so guys...the beginning of this wonderful adventure is right around the corner. ahh!! I am really feeling such a fluster of emotions, and truly trying to enjoy every moment without rushing on to the next. On that note, since it's my last weekend in Charlotte (albeit the rain), I am going to be enjoying it! Dinner at a friends tonight & then out on the town! :)

Side note, it snowed in Chester yesterday. This is not the type of weather I was hoping for, but I guess what more can I expect?!?

cheers!

Back at it!! :)

Well, hello my lovely friends!!

It has been quite a few years, but I figured it's time to revive the ol' blog! Some dear friends of mine, Jordan & Kate Egli, have recently moved to France and maintain a blog to tell of their tales. I was catching up on some of their posts, reveling in the similarities and thought to myself, 'Dang, why haven't I been updating mine as well?" so, thanks to them, I have decided to get back at it!

As many of you (I hope!) know by now, I AM MOVING TO THE UK!!!! Ahhh! :D I am so very excited about this. I read a few of my prior posts, including this exerpt:

Still, I could see myself living in Europe. I will definitely be returning. If not before, moreso now, I realize the world is so large and there is so much more to see. I could not imagine limiting myself to the East coast, or even the U.S. My heart longs to explore the beautiful places across the globe.

There you have it. I've known for ages that I've wanted to move to the UK, and finally am seeing this dream come to fruition! But let me slow down first and explain that situation..

In October, as I was working on grad school applications (for an MBA), I was approached by my bosses. "There's this job we think you would be perfect for, but one thing...it's in England, are you still interested?" MAN, WAS I! That was pretty much all I needed to hear before confirming yes, I was absolutely interested. However, I did let them continue to explain to me a bit more about the job and was smiling from ear to ear as I left that office. Plans for a MBA have since been put on the back burner of the stove of my life. A few years prior (think March of 2010), I had gone about trying to secure a job in London--I had also tried organizing an "internship" for a time over there while I was traveling in 2009, yet to no avail. Timing, combined with my relative lack of experience, deemed this search for a new job a barren attempt. I was disheartened, but was still very fortunate to be where I was and maintained the thought that I would one day make this dream a reality. And here it was and I didn't even have to look! Interesting fact to note, the manager I had spoken to back in 2010 was the SAME EXACT ONE for this new role in Chester.

So not going to bash my company (after all, they are relocating me and sponsoring me for a visa--eg MAKING IT HAPPEN!), but this entire process has been dreadful. I'm sure anyone else who had relocated out of the country can agree. So you remember my utter glee at the idea of moving abroad? yeah, well it seemingly waned as the months went by. it is now March, 6 (!) months later, and I have just today found out my visa has been approved!!!! Yipee! I did quite a few dances around the office today at this news! Now it will only be a matter of time before I actually get over there! :)

I have loads more stories to tell, but realized its late, and UK hours come early, so I must go. Will update more soon--promise.

xo krit