Journeys Far and Wide: The Waiting Game

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Waiting Game

So I am still in Winchester, VA, coming up near the end of my second week here and still awaiting my travel documents to Abu Dhabi. Visa papers usually take about 7-10 days after it is submitted. The final documents were not submitted until last Wednesday. I am hoping that my visa arrives soon. I have been listless. After being used to working about 60 hours a week in Germany, trying to fill 8 hours of work in a day is difficult. I have completed all the in-processing paperwork, taken all the IT required training, sat thru all the construction management refresher courses, and attended all the required briefings. Fortunately, they don't require me to sit around at the office the whole day. I have been able to take longer lunches and sneak out early on several occasions. A few things that I was not able to do while in Seattle, I have been able to do here. I finally got cell phone service activated. I took time off to see an optometrist to get new pair of glasses and prescription sunglasses. I went shopping for clothes and athletic shoes. I got my external hard drive fixed (I was afraid that I had lost most of my collection of photos, but they were all safely recovered).

I spent the weekend in DC visiting friends. I walked around the Georgetown neighborhood. Last time I did that was in 1984 when I lived here for six months interning for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. I am planning to visit Atlantic City or Baltimore/Annapolis this coming weekend. I guess it is not so bad waiting. I have a rental car to get away as needed.

Just to catch up on my photo sharing, the following are pictures from the last couple of months:

Seattle to Portland road trip with James, Mia, Joyce, and Janice a couple of days after Christmas. We went there for dim sum lunch and walked around downtown area. I can't believe that I got lost as we neared the downtown Portland area. I lived and worked in Portland from 1995 thru 1999.

A picture of me and a co-worker at a pub in Alconbury, UK, Feb 2010.

Fish and chips dinner in Harrogate, UK, Feb 2010. The green stuff is not avocado; it's mushy peas. The fish was good and the peas tasted fine.

My nephew George (Jojie) stopped by for a visit during my last couple of days in Wiesbaden, Feb 2010. First order of business was to get him to try German beers.

5 comments:

Anonymous11 March, 2010 08:35
For a nondrinker like uncle Bong, those German wide mouth beer bottles look humungous!
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Anonymous11 March, 2010 15:16
i had a scare a couple of months ago when the shell to my external hard drive malfunctioned... luckily our IT guy recovered all of the data which consisted mostly of jayan's first year.

lesson learned: if it's not in two places... technically, it doesn't exist.
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Elvin11 March, 2010 17:18
Ron, I agree. And for anyone else reading this, 2 independent storage locations would be ideal. One that you would update regularly (monthly, perhaps) and the other would be the one you use regularly. I have 70+ GB of photos and videos and 110+ GB of music. Unfortunately, this is too much capacity for most laptop. So I will need to purchase a second portable storage device soon.
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chucker11 April, 2010 18:52
My huge photo files (and e-mail) are protected with TWO external hard drive back ups and I just joined a "cloud" storage/download system for $50 a year with Google. It has no size limits and can be accessed from anywhere (I guess even the Middle East?)
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Elvin12 April, 2010 07:59
Chucker, Good choice. I have yet to buy a second external hard drive. I may have to look into the Google storage system. Thanks.
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WELCOME

"A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." -- George Moore.

I have always enjoyed traveling – seeing new places and meeting new people. Some have said that travel broadens the mind. I sometime think that during my journeys, I will uncover something deep and profound. I am again back overseas, in Germany, after 14 months in Seattle from March 2011 thru May 2012. I had been away from Seattle from February 2005 to March 2011 – in Iraq for one year, in Bosnia for 18 months, in Germany for 2 1/2+ years, and one year in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I was born in the Philippines, and have lived in Seattle, WA; Washington DC; Southern California; and Portland, Oregon. I have traveled in the US, Canada, Europe, and the Philippines. I have spent most of my life in Seattle.

Seattle is my home. It is where most of my family and friends live. My visits back home,when I am overseas, always invigorate me. I have discovered that it is in Seattle, my home, where I will find what I need. I don’t know how much longer this journey will continue; I do know that it will finish in Seattle.

Places Where I Have Lived

*** I decided to list all the places that I have lived at. I can't believe the number of times I have moved. My true nomadic spirit becomes especially apparent by the number of times I have changed residence. ***
Tagtagumbao, Cuyapo, Philippines - My place of birth; located in the province of Nueva Ecija. Tagtagumbao, a small rural village, will always hold a special place in my heart. It's the type of place where everyone knows each other. The are not many places like that anymore.
Bainbridge Island, WA - The first place I lived at after moving to the US. I lived there for two years, plus the countless summers spent there helping out at my sister's strawberry and raspberry farm.
Seattle, WA - I have lived there for almost twenty years total. I call this town my home.
Chevy Chase, MD - Just outside Washington, D.C. I spent six months there late 1984 thru early 1985 while I interned at US Nuclear Regulatory Agency.
Seattle, WA - Moved back to Seattle in 1985. Finished school at UW.
Pomona, California - After college, I moved there for work in 1988. It was close to my workplace, but I did not realize it was in the middle of gang country. The apartment was nice and new, but...
Rancho Cucamonga, CA - After six months in Pomona, this is where I moved to. Formerly, the town consisted mostly of vineyards. It was a growing community when I moved there. It's located in the foothills of San Gabriel mountains. I lived there for more than 6 years (1988 thru 1995).
Gresham, OR - A suburb of Portland. I lived there for about 5 years (1995 thru 1999). Portland is similar to Seattle, but without the congestion. It still has the small town feel. I enjoyed my time in the Portland area.
Seattle, WA - Moved back to Seattle in 1999 to live with my father after my mother passed away.
Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq - I lived in the confines of the Green Zone my first two months in Iraq (Feb-Mar 2005). It was located in the heart of the city, where most of the former Iraqi regime's palaces and government buildings were located.
Camp Taji, Iraq - Located northwest of Baghdad, just outside the city. My Resident Office was located inside the base. The Resident Office served as the work area for 7-9 people. It also served as our living quarters. I was there for 9 months. (Apr 2005 - Dec 2005)
Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia - Spent 18 memorable months in Bosnia (Jan 2006 - Jun 2007). I enjoyed my work and stay over there.
Wiesbaden, Germany - I was in Germany from Jul 2007 thru Feb 2010. I had a ball here. I took advantage of my stay here by exploring other parts of Germany and the rest of Europe every chance I got.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Moved here for a new job in mid-March 2010. I moved back to the US in March 2011.
Seattle, WA - Moved back to Seattle in March 2011.
Wiesbaden, Germany - Back again in Deutschland, in early May 2012