Well, the past week has been all about trying to work out what is next. I have been visiting the chiropractor who is working miracles on my back. He rolls me up, cracks my bones, puts all of his weight on me and pulls my legs out of their sockets! It works, afterwards I cannot walk properly, but the pain is definitely decreasing.
Zac and I are looking into visa options which is just a maze of confusion. We have a few different options, most of then involve a long wait (6 months) in England before they let me back in! We are speaking to an immigration lawyer this week to get some advice about the right way to do things.
I am also investigating job opportunities so that when I am allowed to live over here I will have some idea of a job. I am thinking about teaching in a school in New York City, possibly in areas where there are Gambian families. I am also looking into doing some voluntary work with the street children in the city. Andrea and Michael, who I used to live with in Maryland, are also helping me make contacts with people who work for international development agencies because that is what I really want to do. Andrea is going to set me up with a few meetings when I go to D.C at the end of this month.
It is mostly frustrating work, lots of effort but no immediate results. Whilst all of this is going on we are having a great time with Zac's family and friends. We spent the weekend with the Hampton family. We had a lovely meal with them on Friday night and then spent Saturday with Polly and Kenny walking around Chautauqua Institute which is not too far from Lakewood.
From my understanding, The Chautauqua Institute is a beautiful residential area on Lake Chautauqua where a few locals live. Most of the houses, apartments and hotels are for relatively wealthy holiday makers who will go there for the whole of the summer. People go there from all over the country as it is such a wonderful place to visit. During the summer the place is extremely busy and they hold many events which attract the locals; They have plays, operas, lectures, shows, classes, children's camps and much more here, so it really benefits the surrounding area.
We had fun walking around. It was a beautiful Autumn day, crispy leaves on the ground and a chill in the air. Afterwards we warmed ourselves up with a quick trip to the local brewery, Southern Tier. We sampled some of their delicious 9% beer and instantly felt tipsy!
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