New York City

I moved to Inwood (which is a neighbourhood in the northern part of Manhattan) at the beginning of March. The past couple of months have been extremely hectic, getting settled in, having my immigration interview and looking for work. So here is an update:

In early March Zac started his new job working for About.com where he writes software and does very complicated things which I have no understanding of. He is working for the Metrics China division of the company so he is starting to learn Mandarin which is very exciting. He works with some great people and he seems to be enjoying the challenge of the work.

On March 6th we went to Buffalo for our immigration interview which went well and I am now a permanent resident of the United States (i.e I have a green card). It was a great feeling to finally receive the green card and it means I can now start looking for work and become part of the system here.

We have a lovely one bedroom apartment in Inwood which is a friendly neighbourhood with lots going on. Our place is on the 4th floor and furnished mainly by hand-me-downs from Zac's sister, Kimber and her husband, James. We had a great time moving everything in (and up four flights of stairs) and it is so nice to have our own place at last. Most of our neighbours are from the Dominican Republic which brings a real vibrancy to the area. I am thinking about learning Spanish to help me get to know people around here. Inwood has some great restaurants, a few bars, some shops and a fantastic park on the banks of the Hudson River.

I love living in New York City! I was concerned that I would not, as I am really a country girl. I miss the mountains, the streams, the fresh air but there is something quite amazing about living in a city like this. There is so much energy here, such diversity and sometimes sheer chaos! It reminds me so much of living in Africa. So many people from all kinds of backgrounds, religions, languages - all living on top of one another. It is the type of place that surprises you every day. I have seen some funny sights! It is crazy! It is also an efficient place where stuff gets done. Lots of opportunities and loads to do. I do not think I could spend my whole life here but for now it feels good!

So now I have a green card it means I can have a bank account, a social security number and a job!!! I have been looking for work for the past month and it seems to be a slow process. I have been looking into teaching over here but it turns out that my teaching qualification from the UK is not valid here! I have to become New York State Certified which might mean doing a Master's degree in education. The situation is crazy as schools are crying out for teachers here - just a lot of bureaucracy! I am looking into other options at the moment. Really, I want to work for a non-profit organisation and learn some more skills which will help me get into International Development. So, the job search continues.........