A change of scene

Well well well.



What a difference a few days make.

We now face the future with a certain degree of confidence.

Why?

There is a job offer on its way to DH. It means we will have to up stumps and leave Colorado in the dead of winter but given the choice of:

1. being illegal, penniless immigrants in Colorado,
   
2. legal, penniless citizens back 'ome or
   
3. legal, monied immigrants in California,
   

I think it is pretty obvious which we would choose.

We have to change our visas over. The new company will arrange an interview and fly us to Toronto (or Vancouver or Montreal or wherever we want but we know folks in TO). The idea of flying to the Mexican town opposite El Paso in Texas came up again but we are wussy and their preference is Canada as well. Everyone we know has said don't go there, or if you do, stay in a hotel real close to the consulate and don't go out. Hmmm....



Pictures care of our trip to New Mexico last week. First time I've been out of the state since we got here. New Mexico looks like a very poor state full of lots of nothing but we liked it. The scenery is different and we reached this state of enchantment just on sunset. Purdy, eh?

Visas

Thanks to those who have commented so warmly :-)

One of the big problems we have is we are barely legal immigrants in the USA. (I am still p*ssy about being a subordinate alien.) We only have visas to be in the country for as long as Nathan is employed in his current role at HP.

As soon as his employment terminates, we have 60 days to leave the country (I thought it was 30days but one source says 60 days). Yes, we can apply for other jobs but the time taken in recruitment is over a month and then the visas take about two months to come through assuming the US govt decides to be nice. In the mean time, we have absolutely no income, no savings and outgoings of $2100 a month simply to pay our mortgage at home and the rent that we are obliged to pay here. No food, no bills paid or any little extras like cold weather clothing that we don't have.

If we go back home, we are very unlikely to come back again. Why would we? We have very few friends here, no family, the US govt is extremely obstructionist in issuing work permits for subsidiary aliens (ie I can't work).... At home both of us are allowed to work, even if we don't have jobs, we are eligible for the dole, we have family to bot off if it comes to it.

Nathan doesn't quite have a job offer from another Silly Valley company. They want him badly. We are trying to tough it out here for as long as possible and then work from there.

It is all in the lap of the gods at the moment and I *really* hate that.