So much to share! Firstly, have you seen the iPod Nano? I know that iPods don't have much to do with my move to NZ, but I love them and plane rides are much more enjoyable with an MP3 player don't you think? I own the U2 black version, very nice methinks. I think the Nano is a beautiful little creature.

This past week I was in Berlin. I applied for a position as a Residence Life Officer at the European College of Liberal Arts-Berlin (www.ecla.de) as sort of a lark. They asked for a phone interview and then flew me out for an on-campus interview as well. I think the position would be a challenge, but hopefully I am up for it. I know Germany is not quite New Zealand, but ever since I studied abroad in Berlin oh so many years ago I have dreamt of returning. Celeste is supportive of the idea and thinks that she might be able to find work in Berlin also.

I flew to Berlin on Aer Lingus through Dublin. I thought that I might stay in Dublin for the weekend on my way back to the U.S. but I caught a bit of a cold and decided to days sick spending money I don't have in Dublin wasn't the best of ideas. I came directly home instead and have been sleeping a lot. Hopefully I will feel all better for work tomorrow.

On the NZ front, I am quite close to sending in my application, I need certified copies of a few things. Hopefully I can find a Notary Public through my temp job that I can use for free. Then I need to figure out how to pay the application fee which is around $800 I believe. I do not really have that kind of cash hanging out. Ooops. If all works out I may be able to send it in within two weeks or so.

The biggest news for NZ is that Celeste's status finally changed to ITA (invitation to apply). Of course, since she is about 10,000 times more organized and motivated than I am, she will probably have her application turned in before I do. It is exciting to think that one way or the other we should be together within three or four months.

Oh, my temp job is pretty cool so I will mention it as well. I am doing pretty boring office type work, but it is for the Rockefeller Foundation. Great organization and really beautiful offices.

I feel that is enough of an update for now. Thanks for reading.

Hey, I'm back in the U.S. of A. Though it was sad leaving Let, it is good to be back to clean things up. I returned to my FBI report, happy to see that I have no arrest record with them! Now I need to get some copies of documents certified and then scrap together the application fee and all can be sent off.

here i am in Manila. the work toward new zealand is limited to conversations between myself and my love about when we can make it happen! impatience is the theme.

Manila has been nice, too hot for my northern blood, but enjoyable nonetheless.

just thought i should type something...

Tasty

Brief update. I am leaving tomorrow to Makati City in Manila for three weeks. Off to see my partner in the quest to move to New Zealand. Three weeks of rest, relaxation and life planning :-D (plus reacquainting ourselves).

It is very exciting. The travel itself is not quite so exciting. I must be getting old, but flights have gotten to be much less interesting to me. I just want to be where I am going. Back in the old days I loved flying for its own sake.

Once I return from the Philippines I figure it will only take another week or so to get everything ready to send in. Then the real waiting game begins. Ack!

Today was my last day at my current job. What this allows me, at least theoretically, is more flexibility in my life with which to work harder on getting to New Zealand. We will have to see how that aspect of it works out in the end. Nonetheless, it is a great stress gone from my life. It still has not all left, but hopefully, before the end of this weekend in Vermont, the stress will have melted away.

I feel very close to complete with all of the application materials.

So, Vermont for the weekend. Then on Wednesday I fly to San Fran then on to Tokyo and finally to Manila. I will stay for three weeks. By that time Celeste should be so sick of me that she will never ever move to Enzed to be with me.

Not so in to writing right now...so i'll stop.

Visit the Philippines

Today I applied for three jobs in NZ with three different universities. I really would like to be in Wellington or Dunedin and those two jobs seemed most likely, but I also applied to a position in Auckland. I am sure Auckland wouldn't be so bad either.

The jobs are all good fits for what I want to do, though they are mostly a big step down from the responsibility I have in my current position. I am willing to take that though, it would be nice to have more contact with students and be working in a larger institution.

Finally made some more progress on application materials. Portland State was totally simple, just faxed me a letter. I also had Barbara write me one from IPSL. Also received a fax of my immunizations so I was able to get that info completed.

The other step was to get the money order finally for sending my fingerprints to the FBI. They are in the envelope and will be on the way tomorrow!!!

I am moving forward. And next week I plan to go to the Philippines for a couple of weeks. :-P

Today I called to try and get proof of employment from my job at New York University to send with my application. They contract an outside agency to provide proof of employment. I call to ask what I need to do and they tell me that I am not allowed to get it myself. Whoever wants it must call and request it themselves. I am not able to verify my own employment? What on earth is the logic behind that? Am I going to find out that I wasn't really employed there? Seems very very odd to me.

Not only is it odd, I worry that it might cause issue in that it seems pretty inconvenient for NZIS to have to call this employment verification agency to prove that I had this job. Blech!

In my last entry I mentioned the email I had received from someone I had written a thank you note to at a NZ Uni. Well, I have not heard back from the woman at Otago that I wrote hoping she would look at my resumé. No big rush at this point is there?

Life has been throwing me enough curves lately that I am willing to take NZ slow for a bit. Though I have to be careful not to let too much time pass before sending in the completed application as the medical forms expire after a certain amount of time.

It is fun having chest x-rays to look at though. I was trying to find where I broke my collar bone as a high schooler but can't seem to place it.

The Rest of My Life

Nothing new other than thoughts to share really. Had I mentioned that at the NAFSA conference I had spoken to a few people from New Zealand universities? When I got back in the office I wrote them all to thank them for speaking with me (that's called networking). It did not look particularly successful. One person wrote back a short little, yeah you too sort of response. That was about it.

Then, this week I received a very pleasant email from one of the women I had spent quite a bit of time speaking with. She apologized for taking so long to respond. She also said that she would be more than happy to help me if she could (or something like that). Well, being desperate as I am, I will probably try to take advantage of the offer.

Mostly I am hoping that she might take a look at my resumé and give me advice. Let me know if it is appropriate for New Zealand and if she has any advice on how to make myself more attractive for universities in NZ.

Let and I have been talking quite a bit about when and how we will get there. Who will be first. What will the other do...those sorts of things. We are both pretty willing to settle wherever jobs are to be had. We also both are resigned to job searching wherever the first person gets a job.

It is exciting and scary and i'm so impatient to get there. Yet, I still have so many things to take care of here.

I think that is it for now.

The Best of the Best

A productive week and a very productive day.

On wednesday this week I was able to get my medical forms for New Zealand Immigration mostly filled. Then today I went to get my x-rays. The x-ray offices were really nice. If you've had to go to medical offices in New York some of them are not very pleasant you will know. Quest Diagnostics has some of the ugliest offices I've ever been to. Though to be fair, their office in Forest Hills was pretty nice. The nurse that took my blood in that Quest was really good too. I have the veins of mystery, nurses/doctors can never hit them the first time when trying to draw blood. So, I am always turning pale as they dig in my arm with the needle trying to find a vein to drain. I have never been a fan of needles, why such a curse?

At any rate, I get the x-rays taken and they tell me I am done. I say, well, I have a form that I need filled out by the radiologist. Oh, I don't believe the radiologist is in. Hmmm, when I called I said that I had a form that needed filling out by the radiologist and was told that would be no problem. Well, let me find out where/or when the radiologist is expected. Me sez, "OK."

Luckily the Radiologist was found and my forms are complete. I still need to get a signature from my main physician but my medical forms are just about good to go.

The other thing i did today was get my fingerprints taken so that i can request my background check from the FBI. That was a pain becuz I had been told that I would be able to go to any NYPD precinct and have it done. One phone call told me they would also have the forms I needed. So, this morning I go to my local precinct office and am told that not only do they not have the forms, but the NYPD does not do FBI fingerprinting. Oh? Really? Well, who does? Nobody seems to know.

Back to the apartment goes I. Look up the main number for the NYPD and call up to ask what I can do. Luckily, after being transferred a few times, I am told that I can indeed get my fingerprinting done by the NYPD, I just have to go to an office in downtown Manhattan.

Being lazy and afraid of humidity as I am, I choose to drive back in to Manhattan (I had already driven in for the X-rays). Now it is a bit late (it was around 7:30 am when I drove in earlier) and the traffic is nightmarish. I thought I would miss rush hour traffic at it was after 11, I had forgotten that all day is rush hour in NYC. It took me awhile to even get near the office. When I got close I realized that the streets in the entire area are reserved for officials parking only. Not only that, I'm not really used to lower Manhattan and there area a lot of little streets that go nowhere and it is a bit confusing.

After far too much time I finally find a parking meter, not horribly far away from the police station. I drop a couple of quarters, my last, into the meter to realize that one only gets 10 minutes per quarter and decide that i will just have to risk it. Luckily the finger printing was relatively painless once I got into the office. Of course, it being what it was it still took about 40 minutes. They do the fingerprinting electronically now so no ink stains to show for my effort. The machinery is pretty cool though.

My luck held out and as I walked back to the car I saw no ticket in the window. PHEW!

Then, back home came I to eat thai food, ice cream and then take a nap. Ahhhhhh.

Go Bananas

Hey, so today I went to the dr. and finished most of the medical requirements for immigration. I still have to get some proof of immunizations and my chest x-ray. Chest x-ray i will have done this friday. The immunization proof is going to be a bit more difficult. I have never had a regular pediatrician or doctor before, so it isn't as though I can just call up good old dr. meineke and get my immunization records. What I am going to try to do is see if my old school district (Portland Public Schools) has proof that I can use. That would make life a bit easier.

On Friday i also hope to get my fingerprinting done so that i can send in for my FBI background check. Then I will be able to send in my application! Excitement.

Oh, I've been not so updating. that has a lot to do with the fact that nothing much has been happening in terms of moving forward in the move process. still do not have fingerprints, but i think i've nailed down where and how to get it done. maybe i can do that monday or tuesday? next wednesday i will begin the medical process by meeting with my doc and showing her the docs. then i'll have an idea how long that process will take in its entirety. i've also got to contact my past employers to get proof of employment, i'm hoping that will not be too complicated.

those are steps i need to take. luckily now a few of them are actually scheduled to take place. i keep moving oh so slightly closer to my planned future.

Finally I really looked at the application package that NZIS sent me. I am very impressed! The application is pre-filled with all of the information they were provided during the EOI process. All I have to do is correct any information that is incorrect, add any info that might have changed since the EOI and provide documentation to prove what I list in the application (employment, education, citizenship...). I'm sure that immigration in the United States would never provide pre-filled applications!!!

That's all for now.

Here it is, my Friday and I want to quick update before the beginning of the long US of A weekend. Though I think a very limited number of my vast audience is located in this country, I figure those elsewhere might want to play along too. The game goes a little like this, you need to have a lot of explosives (fireworks) a lot of flammables (lighters/matches/alcohol/charcoal fluid/charcoal) and a lot of children running around. Mix this with a lot of drinking of the alcoholic beverages to impair judgement, a lot of eating of meat to slow the impaired people's response times even further, and let the fun begin. The game is won by the person with the most remaining appendages at the end of the weekend with bonus points for each of your younger relatives that still have all of their digits.

New Zealand news is sparse. I have just been staring admiringly at my pile of application materials and will start working on them as of tomorrow I believe. Four day weeks are great, next week is a three day week, that's even better. I should be able to make much progress.

Celeste installed a lovely message board under the counter on the right hand side of the page to make it very simple to leave me notes about anything. Please take advantage of that simple way to say hi (or to comment on anything on your mind).

ny2nz

Got home today to an excited roommate, he was excited to show me that I received my official application materials in the mail from New Zealand. Now I have no excuse to continue procrastinating with getting fingerprints and the like. Not to say I won't continue procrastinating though.

The materials look nicely done, there's even a CD of some sort. I haven't really explored yet. Hopefully I can use the CD on my PowerBook. Inching along I am.

Oh, I have a question for anyone that might see this that is in the know. It is becoming a distinct possibility that I will try to ship my car to New Zealand. Does anyone have any insight into the processes and costs involved?

I have survived another Monday and the first with my new M-Th 8-6 schedule. Three day weekends until the end of August, that's not so bad, eh?

Oh No to No Ozone! I've been reading about the lack of ozone over dear New Zealand. For me this is a wee bit scary. I mean, I have friends who were already warning me about it, but seeing it in print was a little more intimidating. This is a very white kid here. I burn when they show the sun on tv. I should wear sunscreen for the walk to the car. Now I will go somewhere that the sun is even stronger, less atmosphere between me and that molten ball of gas? Eeeek! Still not enough to deter me! I will battle the sun, I will wear long sleeved shirts and hats and pants and shoes no matter the weather or activity.

That's my rant. It's Sunday, I've had a good weekend in spite of insomnia. Celeste is going to help me get my website into shape, be looking out for the grand re-opening. Enjoy your week all!

Blog Directory Where I hope to soon be listed!

Nothing new to share in NZ news, but I will talk about my so called life. My niece has been staying with me (hence the hairplay pix). I have two roommates. One of whom, Tedi, is the original lease holder who we sublet from. I had told Tedi that my niece would be visiting for a week, for reasons somewhat beyond my control she will be here about two weeks. I received a voicemail yesterday from Tedi informing me that "she" had to be out of the apartment by Thursday morning. So, he was giving me hours of notice that my niece had to leave. Since she didn't really have anywhere else to go, and she is getting on a bus tomorrow (Friday) morning, I just ignored his message (yes, bad jon).

Then at work today Tedi calls me and says, Didn't u get my message? I said, Yes. He continues, I told you she needed to be out this morning. I said, Well, she has nowhere else to stay. He lets me know that, "You said she would be here one week, it's been too long." I said, well, things changed and you bring guests in whenever you want for however you want without asking us at all. He explained that that's because it's his apartment. I said, well, i signed a lease and i pay rent too. and it went on like that with me telling him that it's wrong that he thinks that he can tell me who and when i can have people if he doesn't live by the same rules (in a very loud voice). he tells me that if i don't like it i can leave and i tell him okay, this is 30 days notice.

Oooooh, drama. My co-workers couldn't even believe it was serious, they thought it was some overly dramatic joke I was part of or something. I was so pissed!!! So, yeah, I lost my cool a little bit. I just am a little overly protective of my niece I guess. Now I need to find a cheap place to live :-P

I will try to get back on topic soon!

Well, now that I am building an audience of sorts (what, three people is an audience, right???), I need to keep thinking of brilliant (haha) things to write. So, what NZ news do I have to share? First one piece of good news that is overwhelming me this week that is not exactly NZ related. My niece just finished her first year of high school at a boarding school in northern Vermont. We were not sure if she was going to be able to return for her 2nd year due to financial concerns. We just found out that she is getting a full scholarship from the school to continue. VERY EXCITED!!!

To get my fingerprints taken to send to the FBI, I have to go to a police precinct during regular business hours. This is not so simple because I am, not surprisingly, usually at my workplace working during regular business hours. I am trying to figure out the when, where and how of getting this done soon. It would be quite nice to get those sent in to the feds.

Still working on the where of NZ also. I think Celeste and I are both most into Wellington, it still hinges on being able to find work in whatever city we decide to move to.

Well, the questions are never-ending when one is preparing such a life altering move. Just have to keep on working toward the answers.

What do I have to do now? Supposedly, NZ Immigration has sent me a package of materials. I have already downloaded everything I could find from the website, but figure I will wait to see the materials before filling in application forms. What I need to take care of soon is the fingerprinting. I need to go into a police precinct to have fingerprinting done so I can request a report from the FBI. It can take about six weeks to receive that I've heard. The medical forms also seem a bit daunting, very thorough and involved. My doctor will be kept busy with those, and I still haven't even spoken with her about them. That is where my focus needs to be right now. I am also starting to think about what I am keeping for the move and what I am getting rid of. That will be a long painful process. For now, I am sitting around drinking strawberry lemonade and waiting to watch game 5 of the nba finals.

This is the difficult thing! Where am I going to live in NZ? This continues to be an issue of great concern!!! I am somewhat limited in options by the locations of colleges and universities in the great KiwiFruit nation. Luckily, most of the places I am seriously considering living are well served by the higher education institutions. The top three names on the list in alphabetical order Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. A little place called Dunedin is trying hard to get on the list, but just havin' a hard time against the big boys. Honestly, it will probably all just come down to where I get offered a job. Okay, really honestly, more likely comes down to the place that seems to be friendliest toward panhandlers.

I have decided to chronicle my move from NYC to New Zealand. I am starting this journal a bit into the process, but all of the hard stuff is yet to come. The first step, well, the very first step was GW winning a second term. That was a real motivating factor. A much more pleasant motivating factor was love, and wanting to start a new life with someone in a place new to both of us and a place where we both felt a positive connection. Neither of us has been to NZ but we both had thought about moving there independently of one another before. Thus began the process.

The first step was filling out the "EOI" (expression of interest). This is an online form at the new zealand immigration website (www.immigration.govt.nz). You need a certain number of points to qualify to go on to the next stage. For the past year or so (i believe), the point total necessary has been 100 (it has been as high as 190 in the past). Celeste was the first to submit her EOI, it is a relatively involved process. you have to fill in an online form; you are able to save and go back to it. Mostly it is resumé types of information. It calculates how many points you have as you go along so assuming the point total necessary for success doesn't all of a sudden shoot upwards, you have a pretty good idea whether it will be successful once you hit submit (and pay the necessary fee).

I think that is a great system because it allows people to really have a good idea what will happen before paying any money. For some people the money would be a big loss if not successful.

Once you submit your EOI you just sit and wait for a response. That can take from a couple of days to a few weeks. They do reveiews every couple of weeks I believe. Celeste heard about hers being chosen and then I heard about mine. We were both quite excited even though we knew we had the point total necessary.

After that hurdle is cleared more waiting commences. Now they review your EOI more in depth to be certain the information contained therein is correct. That is a little more nerve wracking, though we knew the information was correct, it is still a stressful wait. During this period a bit of a scandal arose in NZ when it was discovered that the Bangkok office had given a Visa to some wanted Iraqi person who was now loose in the country. They froze all applications and started re-reviewing them. Of course, as a Filipina, Celeste's EOI was/is being reviewed there! So, we think that is holding up the process for her.

This past week I received confirmation that my EOI cleared and now they have given me the "ITA" (invitation to apply). This is a much more involved process with FBI background check, very thorough medical exams, passport photos and long and involved application to be filled out. I figure it will take at least a month to get the information together, maybe two or three. Then it can be as long as ten months or more for them to review the application. If you do not have a job offer you go to the bottom of the list and will have to have an interview before they will accept you.

I am under the impression that if you do fill out everything correctly and nothing is horribly wrong in the background check or the medical review, you are pretty much in. I am hopeful. I think Celeste and I will both be moving to NZ, hopefully by early 2006.