I didn't disappear!

I've been so busy!

I'm fine and well all of my loyal fans. Blogger.com was banned in Turkey for awhile. There are ways around masking IP addresses, but sometimes I get so darn busy! And no, it wasn't banned because of little me. Stop worrying people! Seriously! Sit and calm yourself and send me good energy, not freaky fruit energy.

My favorite meditation comes from Bali. I know meditation is tough. Sometimes its hard for me to center myself too. I know, that's hard to believe.

This is what you do, are you ready?

Sit comfortably. Smile. That's it, that's all!

Yes, just friggin smile! Show the world your beauty and light and love and just smile. "Love is the only house big enough for all of the pain in the world."-Shania Twain

I'm working my butt off trying to make some money. I just got back from a fascinating trip to England, it was a business trip.

And other than that, I'm just really busy trying to keep everything together.

SMILES!!!! :-)

Immigration Update - Step 2

I have good news!!!

I got a letter today from the NVC (National Visa Processing Center) in the US. They have approved our visa petition! Which means we are done with step 2 and now go onto the last and final step - the big hurdle, step #3 - the US Embassy in Turkey! This one will take a few months and there's a ton of paperwork to gather and lots more money to pay. (ug) But we're cruising right along through this without any hitches so far, and God willing there won't be any!

YAY!

Boredom does not live here anymore

I don't think I will be bored for a very long time now....

So yesterday I had an interview at a private K-8 school for an English teacher position, for a preschool and kindergarten class. The interview lasted 2.5 hours. I met the Principal, the head of the Language Department and the school Manager. They really liked me. The Principal said she would call me tomorrow with their decision and then could I start on Thursday. (As with every job I've encountered in this country, they want you to start within 48 hours of the interview. )

The night before I had an interview at an English school teaching adults in the evenings. Like 95% of the English schools here, it is like the 'McDonald's of English schools'. (I worked at one before.) Their method is a 'special' method which requires an in-house training and is kind of weird and outdated. (The Callan Method.) They wanted me to start 48 hours later. (The norm, as I said.)

So today the Principal called me at 11:00am and asked me to come in at 12:30pm. Last night was a late night, we were up cleaning the house for company. The phone call woke me up. I got to the school, met with the school's founder (its similar to a charter school) and then observed one of the classes that will be mine. Kindergarten.

I chose the K-8 school because:
- the pay is better (but not great)
- the hours are normal and regular, 8.30-5.00.
- A hot lunch in the cafeteria is included (which is actually good food!)
- I can take the school bus to work in the mornings
- The administration are all female
- I get regular breaks when the kids go for music lesson, etc.
- The school is first of its kind in the country and I want to be part of something groundbreaking

Working nights, weekends and sometimes mornings at the adult schools are really tough because you can't get into a regular schedule and you don't get paid for lesson planning or grading exams. Plus most of them have ineffective methods and are only there to make money. I find that really frustrating when people are paying a ton of $ and don't get what they need.

So tomorrow I start work as a pre-school teacher. I'll have 2 classes, and be with them for half a day each. One is a 3 year old class, the other is 4-5 year olds. As for qualifications, holding a 4 year university degree, having been here for 2 years with basic Turkish, living close to the school (6 mins by bus) and being a warm and friendly person is all they look for, since the job is pretty much babysitting.


And we will have a guest tonight (maybe tomorrow night too?). Unfortunately the timing is not great. But this is important! Alaattin's younger sister's (Fatmah) husband (Ahmet) is in the city on business and said he was coming to sleep at our house. (This is Turkey, it is always assumed that one is welcome in your home. Such is Turkish hospitality.) So last night we had to do 'big' grocery shopping to make sure we were stocked with a variety of fruit (the traditional snack and after-dinner eats), good white cheese and olives for breakfast (we usually buy the cheap stuff) and other necessities. We have to provide good hospitality, because the family back east will hear all the details. This is the first time I will be meeting Ahmet and have to give the best impression.

So I came home from the school at 4:00 (its 5:45 now) and started a pot of mercimek corbasi (traditional lentil soup) and will make tavuk guvec (chicken casserole) for dinner. Ahmet's room is ready, the sofa bed made and clean towels laid out. Otherwise I would have bought dinner from the neighborhood restaraunt across the street and a few beers and kicked back tonight in my underwear.

Immigration Update: on to step 2

For my friends who have been listening to me rant, rave and cry for the last 8 months (or more?) via blog, email, internet chat or phone, I have GOOD NEWS and an update on our immigration situation.

I had a BAD DAY on Friday. I had an all day meeting trying to get a contract with a company to do Business Development (the 2nd all day meeting that week), but the woman just wasted my time. She doesn't want to pay for services rendered (who does?), but just like most people in this country, they want to create gold from peanuts. No, it just doesn't happen. I've never heard of an alchemy spell that creates gold from peanuts, salted, honey roasted or plain. So I was really bummin' on Friday because I still don't have a job or contract.

On Saturday after waking sometime in the afternoon (hey man, lay off, there are no rules when you are unemployed), I opened my email to see an email from my lawyer.

I got *wonderful* news regarding our case status at USCIS (that's the government immigration center). The US government has APPROVED our petition!

I broke down sobbing in tears of joy and happiness. This has been a long, hard road my friends. All because I found the person I want to spend my life with and had the strength to follow my heart and the courage to fight every obstacle to make it happen. When I decided to move to Turkey over 2 years ago, arriving in Istanbul with 2 suitcases, I didn't know what lay ahead.

Hold your breath, it isn't over yet honey.

What this means: our case goes to the 2nd step in the bureaucratic process. The USCIS approval means that the US government says,"Yeah, okay, you've been in a real relationship for the past 2 years and you two truly intend to marry within 90 days of arriving in the US."
So we're still looking at another 4-6 months of red tape and a few thousand dollars more of filing fees. Yes, this an expensive process.

So now we move on to Step 2 of the process, which is shorter and easier. Step 3 is the next tough obstacle to overcome, but we won't go into that one yet.

For now, we're just basking in the glory of getting through Step 1.

VOTE FOR THE GUY WITH ONE HOUSE!

To those of you who are not sure how you're voting in November, PLEASE take the time to educate yourself about this presidential race. This is BIG! This is NOT like Vietnam, this is like nothing the US has seen before and will decide the fate of our children and grandchildren and those yet to come for generations.

We don't have to agree on our choices, I respect your right as an American to choose whom you think will be the best president. I just beg you not to be apathetic and to educate yourself to make the best decision.


I do agree with Chris Rock on this one, "VOTE FOR THE GUY WITH ONE HOUSE!"

Cindy Mc Cain's outfit at the Republican National Convention is estimated to cost $300,000! http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/09/cindy-mccains-300000-outfit.html

Yes people $300,000!!!! ON ONE OUTFIT!!! What a slap in the face to the honest, hard-working Americans struggling to keep their homes, feed their families and make ends meet "in these tough financial times".

Now, I KNOW the Mc Cain's are filthy rich and in a lot of ways I can live with that. I don't hate rich people per se. However I don't want to turn on my television eating ramen noodles for the next 4-8 years and see an outfit costing the price of a home donning the First Lady while I see middle-class America lose their homes and jobs and the economy crash around me.

The Mc Cain's won't lose ANY of their homes. Cindy Mc Cain isn't going to sell her wardrobe and donate the proceeds to aid the Americans who need it most. She doesn't give a shit about your foreclosure or your lay off.

Just think about that for a little while.

Immigration Update: The waiting game

Well everybody, the real waiting game has begun! I was notified today by the lawyer that the government received our "Petition for an Alien Fiance". (Actually, according to the online system it says the government received in on June 4.)

The current processing timeline says that its taking 8 months at the USCIS-United States Center for Immigration Services. After that, it goes somewhere else for a month, then hangs out in Turkey for a few months. So I guess this could take a awhile longer than we originally planned. But we're on our way...

Step towards progress

So the first real step of progress has come about today... I just checked my email and got a message from the lawyer and it said that she sent our petition (or application) to the government in the 1st step of the approval process....

...next, we wait for a receipt to say the government received it...

I will update