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| Burj Khalifa New Years 2012 Fireworks |
Speaking of Rodz, the latest on her attempt to immigrate to America, the story just plods along. Her case file is at the American Manila Embassy in the Philippines. Her final step in the process is an interview (checking to make sure her requests to immigrate is legitimate and for the right reasons) with American personnel in the Embassy. As I shared earlier, the passing rate for those interviews in the Philippines is barely over 50%, so Rodz has been dreading the long trip home fearing disappointment in the end. Well, last week I called the Embassy in Manila to try and schedule her interview, and there is literally no interview spots available. I was told to pay another fee, and then wait for the first available time...sigh. Her Visa expires at the end of February, I am as frustrated as can be. The young lady that I spoke to did share with me, that if the Dubai consulate requested the case, that her immigration file could be transferred to Dubai and her interview take place there...a glimmer of hope in a frustrating process. Rodz is planning on calling the Consulate on January 2nd and requesting the file transfer. Keep your fingers crossed that they grant it.
Yes, I know your thinking, John must enjoy paying all these fees...lol, well thankfully the job is going well, and I have been hitting my bonus's. My new chain that is opening in Kansas City is very promising. It is scheduled to open January 15th, and I am very excited. Last Friday I spent the afternoon in Kansas City finalizing the last couple of menu items. I didn't get to eat lunch, so on my 3 hour drive back to Springfield, I decided to stop for a Diet Pepsi and a hot dog at the local gas station. After consuming my dog, and finishing my journey, I wasn't feeling well. I went straight to bed. I don't know how long I slept (I don't think it was even an hour), but I woke up violently ill. I barely made it into the bathroom where I had an epic bout of sickness! Hot dogs look the same after you eat them as before, but where the rest of the projectile material came from only God Knows. I emptied my stomach and filled the bowl in a matter of seconds, and yet I felt no better. I went back to bed, slept until 9 am on Saturday. I tried to run my normal errands, but was too sick. I came back home crawled back into bed, had the chills and could not get warm. I slept until about 7 pm when I got up still nauseous, but hungry (trust me its a real weird combination) I finally got a small bowl of cereal to stay down. I went back to bed, and when I woke up on Sunday I finally started feeling better. I guess it was food poisoning, all I know is I never want to experience it again. I have a check up on Thursday, and for once I am excited about weighing in. My BMI needs to be less than 25 for me to have free insurance at work, and no, I am not there....yet.
If I would have stayed working at Transmed in Dubai, my contract would have been completed today. I had a fairly large bonus that would have been due to me, and I still think about some of the decisions that I made. Looking back, I regret leaving Transmed, when they learned that I was taking a new position they were quite generous in their attempt to retain me - sadly, the grass was not greener where I went. That being said, I am very grateful for what I have now. I am surprised that I miss the people as much as I do. I literally tear'd up by the sweet Christmas card that I received from Kelly last week. Rarely a day goes by that I don't think of my friends in Dubai and wonder how they are fairing. I know that those three short years changed me forever and hopefully made me some life long friends to go with my life times worth of stories.
I can assure you, that being disappointed by my Dallas Cowboys football team hurts just as much in America as it does in Dubai...lol. I will say watching baseball in the early evening is much better than watching the occasional game that I got to see at 4:30 in the morning in Dubai. I am sure that my sleeping time is much better in North America. I stay up until about midnight so I can Skype for a minute with Rodz to start her day and end mine, and then sleep like a baby until 6 in the morning. My hours in the Middle east were crazy, mainly because I had to work so many hours and I tried to stay current with American sports at the same time. I probably cut my life short a year from that experience, now watching Dallas choke the season away up close and personal this season probably cost me two years...
It was nice spending my Christmas this year with my parents and my Uncle Bob and his extended family in Ohio. I didn't get lottery tickets in the "Christmas gift game", but ended up with a nice pair of gloves. As much as I miss my pals in the UAE, it's good to be home in America. I hope 2014 is a great year for all of us, and I do plan on returning here on the 15th and sharing good news on Rodz's immigration saga. Happy New Years to you and God Bless!
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