We've safely returned to the UK, without any hassles from immigration, thank you very much. After a too-short Christmas holiday with my family in Coral Springs, we hopped back on a big ol' British Airways 747 yesterday evening. The flight was almost two hours faster than our flight over because of the jet-stream and we actually got in a little bit of sleep. We landed at Heathrow at 9:45am and walked out with our bags by 10:45. Then we had to wait for our 11:35 National Express bus to take us down to Bournemouth. We got in our front door around 2.
It's great to be back in our apartment, but we regret not being able to stay in Florida longer. We really enjoyed spending time with my family, relaxing in the warm weather, and enjoying the constant stream of homecooked food my mom slaved over the entire time. And my sister was able to take most of the month off. I was happy to spend some time with her.
The only unfortunate events during the trip was the giant fine I had to pay to reinstate my greencard and K's horrendous bout of food poisoning which meant she missed about 4 days of the vacation because she kept herself sequestered in the bedroom and bathroom.
We've come back with quite a haul of Christmas gifts and other stuff we bought while we were there (lots of clothes from Old Navy and the Gap). Our two large and two small suitcases stuffed! Luckily, the weight restriction per bag is still 70 lbs. The bags are laying in our entry hall right now, partially unpacked. What's the hurry? I'm not due in at work until the 3rd and K is doing her PhD full time now so she doesn't have to go to the office at all. So relieved that I will have a couple of days to get over the jet lag.
It feels a bit lonely to be back here in England all by ourselves. I think we've gotten a bit of the post-vacation blues. We've gone from being around family for a couple of weeks to our somewhat solitary existence over here in England so it's a bit of a shock. All compounded by the jet lag.
I realize it's New Year's Eve today, but we'll definitely not make it to midnight. We'll be lucky if we can stay awake until 7! So perhaps we should say HAPPY NEW YEAR now.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Best wishes for 2007!
Sunday, December 31
Monday, December 25
K vs. Food Poisoning
The day after we arrived I began to feel ill. A persistent headache (which I attributed to jet lag) and then an increasingly painful stomach ache (which I also attributed to jet lag). By evening I felt distinctly ill. Three bites of dinner and that was it. I will spare you the details! My second night in Florida was spent on the bathroom floor with a fever and the next 3 days spent in bed drinking gatorade. I have never been so sick before! During my time in isolation I missed out on several dinners with the Swedish family members, a Cuban party and a trip to Disney World. The upside is that I lost 3 pounds, which has proved useful now that I can eat real food again, and I didn't have to suffer through any jet lag. :-)
Feeling better now!
The bad bug was probably in some lox I ate on British Airways - the only food item that Rich and I didn't share. Thank heavens he didn't eat it or we would have been wrestling for space on the bathroom floor! It's going to be a long time before I eat raw fish again.
~K
Feeling better now!
The bad bug was probably in some lox I ate on British Airways - the only food item that Rich and I didn't share. Thank heavens he didn't eat it or we would have been wrestling for space on the bathroom floor! It's going to be a long time before I eat raw fish again.
~K
Sunday, December 24
Happy/Merry Christmas Eve
Sorry we've been "off air" during most of our Florida holiday so far. We seem to have developed some kind of allergy to emails and blogging. Anyway, to those of you celebrating Jesus' birthday today and tomorrow... Merry Christmas or (as they say in England) Happy Christmas!PS - No matter how many decorations you put out, Christmas movies you watch, festive music you listen to, or yuletide food you consume, it's pretty much impossible to make Florida feel Christmas-y!
Thursday, December 14
R vs. US Immigration
Well, we're in Florida now for Christmas vacation. Arrived yesterday evening after a rather smooth journey first by bus from Bournemouth to Heathrow airport and then a direct flight to Miami. Things were going so well and then we got to the US Immigration stalls where things went down hill rapidly.
The immigration officer that checked our passports started quizzing me about how long I'd been away. Being a naturally honest person and also fearing that they'd easily catch me in a lie, I told them it was since Thanksgiving last year which makes it a year and one month. We knew that we were taking a bit of a gamble (a greencard holder is only allowed to be out of the US for less than a year at a time), but we didn't think they'd get too critical over a month. This was a gamble that the house won, unfortunately.
She said, "Honey, you can't do that. You can't be gone for over a year. What have you been doing?" We explained that K is doing a PhD and I'm working to support her (not a lie, but just leaving out a few details). This was not a good enough excuse to let us slide. She called over one of the other agents and asked us to go with him.
We followed him into another room where we sat with several foreigners that needed further questioning. Then I was called up to the counter and one of the officers gave me a bit of a lambasting about what I had done. He said that I'm not allowed to stay away for this long. The Permanent Resident status means you live in the US, work in the US, pay taxes in the US, drive a car in the US, etc. And he said that my greencard is worthless now. That they would have to either take it away from me or I have to pay a reinstatement penalty of $265 (where'd they come up with that number?). My eyes nearly popped out of my head. K said it was her fault because she's doing a PhD and I'm working to support her. Another agent said, "Have a seat. We'll see what we can do." We skulked back to the seating area.
After waiting about 15 minutes, I was called up again, this time by another officer. He lectured me on the same subject again, saying that I might as well put my greencard in the shredder because it's worthless. If you're gone for 6 months, there's a red flag on your status and after a year you lose status completely. He also said that if I go ahead with the penalty fee to reinstate it, I would still be starting from scratch. If I want to apply for citizenship, I have to live and work in the US for 5 consecutive years, regardless of the fact that I have lived there since 1984. He also advised that I go to immigration services while we're here to apply for a re-entry permit which will allow me to stay out for up to 2 years. I told him that I will pay the fine. He asked me to sit back down.
We waited another 15-20 minutes, now quite concerned about our luggage out in the baggage claim area and our family members waiting outside to pick us up. I wasn't able to call out with my UK mobile phone and, besides, one of the officers started yelling at a guy who's phone kept ringing, so I decided I'd better not start playing with my phone, too. Finally, yet another officer called us out of the waiting room to a desk in the main immigration area.
He began taking down my details (UK address, reason for being out of the US, etc.), but from this point, things started getting rather strange. He went off on a rant about how it's not any cheaper to live in Europe... people think they get free healthcare, but they don't because the taxes are so high... so it's cheaper in the US... plus everyone over there is on welfare... don't get me wrong, the quality of life is high... (to K) what's your PhD about?... wow, media!... so you're like a reporter... oh my god, here I am ranting about Europe and now you're going to get me fired. The joking and conversing goes on and on as he gradually records my details in the computer, piece by piece. At one point, a couple of other officers came over and they got in on the conversation. One asked about K's PhD and she said it was about 9/11 and the media. This triggered a rant about how Europe needs the US and they want the US to do the right thing because, together, we're the Western World and if the US goes down, Europe goes down... but he doesn't like France because they are respecting the US now even though the billion dollar debt they owed was dropped... even worse with Mexico who's 10 billion dollar debt was erased. By this time, we were the only civilians left in the whole place and here we were joking around with the immigration officers (well, I wasn't doing much joking because I was feeling a bit sunken by the whole thing).
Finally, all of the data was gathered and rants finished, so it was time for us to go out to the cashier to pay the fine. The gung-ho officer led us out to another area, past customs, to the cashier. He asked if I was paying cash or credit. I was like, "Credit! I don't carry that kind of cash! Sheesh!" I handed over my card and the gung-ho officer said goodbye by shaking our hands and he reiterated that I need to get the re-entry permit.
Dazed and a bit confused, K and I ambled out to the welcome area with our luggage. The only people left out there were my mom and sister. They had been waiting for an hour and a half, all told. We went outside were my dad was waiting with the giant, white SUV. We climbed in and sailed through Miami up to Coral Springs.
What a night!
I'm still a bit shaken by the ordeal. We had to pay a huge fine, but I could have lost my greencard. A horrifying alternative!
---
Today we woke up about 6am. It was still too early to get up, so we laid in bed watching some American TV. Hello, Culture Shock!
Later on, we jumped right in to this very same culture. We climbed into the giant, white SUV, drove on a wide road to a supermarket less than a mile away, parked in a giant parking lot with spaces two times as big as British ones, and shopped in a supermarket with fully-stocked gleaming aisles two times as wide as European ones. It felt both pornographically wrong and lusciously satisfying!
The immigration officer that checked our passports started quizzing me about how long I'd been away. Being a naturally honest person and also fearing that they'd easily catch me in a lie, I told them it was since Thanksgiving last year which makes it a year and one month. We knew that we were taking a bit of a gamble (a greencard holder is only allowed to be out of the US for less than a year at a time), but we didn't think they'd get too critical over a month. This was a gamble that the house won, unfortunately.
She said, "Honey, you can't do that. You can't be gone for over a year. What have you been doing?" We explained that K is doing a PhD and I'm working to support her (not a lie, but just leaving out a few details). This was not a good enough excuse to let us slide. She called over one of the other agents and asked us to go with him.
We followed him into another room where we sat with several foreigners that needed further questioning. Then I was called up to the counter and one of the officers gave me a bit of a lambasting about what I had done. He said that I'm not allowed to stay away for this long. The Permanent Resident status means you live in the US, work in the US, pay taxes in the US, drive a car in the US, etc. And he said that my greencard is worthless now. That they would have to either take it away from me or I have to pay a reinstatement penalty of $265 (where'd they come up with that number?). My eyes nearly popped out of my head. K said it was her fault because she's doing a PhD and I'm working to support her. Another agent said, "Have a seat. We'll see what we can do." We skulked back to the seating area.
After waiting about 15 minutes, I was called up again, this time by another officer. He lectured me on the same subject again, saying that I might as well put my greencard in the shredder because it's worthless. If you're gone for 6 months, there's a red flag on your status and after a year you lose status completely. He also said that if I go ahead with the penalty fee to reinstate it, I would still be starting from scratch. If I want to apply for citizenship, I have to live and work in the US for 5 consecutive years, regardless of the fact that I have lived there since 1984. He also advised that I go to immigration services while we're here to apply for a re-entry permit which will allow me to stay out for up to 2 years. I told him that I will pay the fine. He asked me to sit back down.
We waited another 15-20 minutes, now quite concerned about our luggage out in the baggage claim area and our family members waiting outside to pick us up. I wasn't able to call out with my UK mobile phone and, besides, one of the officers started yelling at a guy who's phone kept ringing, so I decided I'd better not start playing with my phone, too. Finally, yet another officer called us out of the waiting room to a desk in the main immigration area.
He began taking down my details (UK address, reason for being out of the US, etc.), but from this point, things started getting rather strange. He went off on a rant about how it's not any cheaper to live in Europe... people think they get free healthcare, but they don't because the taxes are so high... so it's cheaper in the US... plus everyone over there is on welfare... don't get me wrong, the quality of life is high... (to K) what's your PhD about?... wow, media!... so you're like a reporter... oh my god, here I am ranting about Europe and now you're going to get me fired. The joking and conversing goes on and on as he gradually records my details in the computer, piece by piece. At one point, a couple of other officers came over and they got in on the conversation. One asked about K's PhD and she said it was about 9/11 and the media. This triggered a rant about how Europe needs the US and they want the US to do the right thing because, together, we're the Western World and if the US goes down, Europe goes down... but he doesn't like France because they are respecting the US now even though the billion dollar debt they owed was dropped... even worse with Mexico who's 10 billion dollar debt was erased. By this time, we were the only civilians left in the whole place and here we were joking around with the immigration officers (well, I wasn't doing much joking because I was feeling a bit sunken by the whole thing).
Finally, all of the data was gathered and rants finished, so it was time for us to go out to the cashier to pay the fine. The gung-ho officer led us out to another area, past customs, to the cashier. He asked if I was paying cash or credit. I was like, "Credit! I don't carry that kind of cash! Sheesh!" I handed over my card and the gung-ho officer said goodbye by shaking our hands and he reiterated that I need to get the re-entry permit.
Dazed and a bit confused, K and I ambled out to the welcome area with our luggage. The only people left out there were my mom and sister. They had been waiting for an hour and a half, all told. We went outside were my dad was waiting with the giant, white SUV. We climbed in and sailed through Miami up to Coral Springs.
What a night!
I'm still a bit shaken by the ordeal. We had to pay a huge fine, but I could have lost my greencard. A horrifying alternative!
---
Today we woke up about 6am. It was still too early to get up, so we laid in bed watching some American TV. Hello, Culture Shock!
Later on, we jumped right in to this very same culture. We climbed into the giant, white SUV, drove on a wide road to a supermarket less than a mile away, parked in a giant parking lot with spaces two times as big as British ones, and shopped in a supermarket with fully-stocked gleaming aisles two times as wide as European ones. It felt both pornographically wrong and lusciously satisfying!
Thursday, December 7
Pappa
We just dropped my dad off at the bus terminal. He has been here since Saturday. A little stopover between Denmark, Spain, and the US. We had a nice time "hanging out" and stuff. He took us for fish'n'chips at Chez Fred (one of the better "chippies" we've been to in England). We went to see Casino Royale on Tuesday night (really, really good film!). Last night, he cooked frickadeller with boiled potatoes and parsley sauce, then we watched Da Vinci Code (a really, quite crappy film). He's flying back to Florida today on the same flight that we will be taking next week.
Funnily enough, my dad has lived in Bournemouth before. In 1970. He was attending the Anglo European School of Chiropractic for a year and was living in an oceanfront apartment in Boscombe and a flat in Bournemouth town centre. This past Sunday, we drove down to Boscombe to see if the apartment was still there. It was! It's probably a VERY expensive piece of property now, though.
Anyway, it's just so random and strange that K and I ended up in Bournemouth, too. The life we've been leading since August 2003 is something we would never have believed if someone went back in time to 1999 or so to tell us about it. Craziness!
Funnily enough, my dad has lived in Bournemouth before. In 1970. He was attending the Anglo European School of Chiropractic for a year and was living in an oceanfront apartment in Boscombe and a flat in Bournemouth town centre. This past Sunday, we drove down to Boscombe to see if the apartment was still there. It was! It's probably a VERY expensive piece of property now, though.
Anyway, it's just so random and strange that K and I ended up in Bournemouth, too. The life we've been leading since August 2003 is something we would never have believed if someone went back in time to 1999 or so to tell us about it. Craziness!
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