Monday, February 13, 2006
There are these emails that I am receiving from family and friends, wondering where I/we are now, and what is happening. I guess it is time for an update on life and plans.
So:
Myrna and I arrived in the USA on New Year’s Day, to survey what needs to be done to 3530 Henry Avenue to put it on the market, re-connect with friends, marry, and figure out what is next in our lives and then how to get from here to there.
My initial reaction to America after two and a half years away? First, great pleasure in feeling “at home,” and being with family and friends again. This is indeed a beautiful country where people cooperate to obey rules and extend courtesy to strangers, where the infrastructure works the way it is intended, and it is safe, and rich. But also, I’ve felt intense frustration and anger at things like the computerized phone menus designed to prevent anyone from getting help, or accomplishing anything. Example: The byzantine Verizon maze to the number for declining telemarketing finally ends at a number that simply doesn’t answer. How neat! Equal frustration at how all the services have been chopped up so that what should be a simple purchase (phone service, or cable TV, or a visit to a doctor) requires buying a series of parts or service plans, all with add-ons that you really don’t need or want anyway. On top of that, there is all this unrelenting pressure to consume and buy things, via intense advertising and marketing in every possible way. But it is good to be back. (Note: we don’t mention politics here)
We tried using two cell phones instead of getting a land line. That didn’t work at all – the phone deals are all based on long term contracts and the cost of calls to Guatemala were prohibitive. So we’ve thrown away the cell phones in favor of the land line after all – reach us at 215 842 0582.
Getting into the country wasn’t easy. In customs, I made the mistake of mentioning that we might just get married. We were immediately separated from each other and separately grilled and intimidated, apparently to be sure that Myrna wasn’t trying to sneak into the country and stay here. We were finally allowed in, but only after finger shaking and dire warnings about the unspeakable consequences of marriage in the USA without a K-1 or K-3 visa. As a result, I’ve spent untold hours on the phone and internet trying to understand visa requirements and find legal advice. The end result of that is that there really isn’t any problem after all, and we just have to be VERY careful to have documentation whenever Myrna enters the country as a married woman on her existing visa, to convince customs that yes, she will leave again.
Anyway, we stayed with Allegra and Glenn and commuted into Philadelphia until we had cleaned the carpets and bought a mattress. Then we spent January working like beavers to fix-up and paint-up. The water-stained and buckled ceilings didn’t require as much work (money) as feared, although the unexpected plumbing work made up for that. But the result is a house that really is neat and clean, and looks better than it ever did before. We thought we had a private buyer for it, but unfortunately she faded into the distance when push came to shove. So just this week we listed the house with a broker for an amazing number, more than twice what I thought the place was worth only five years ago. I still can’t believe that anybody will pay what we are asking for this little box, even with its shiny new paint, but we will see.
Meanwhile, Myrna is taking English lessons and I am taking Spanish lessons and now, since the house is pretty much finished, we are relaxing more and taking advantage of the cultural and entertainment opportunities here in Philadelphia. The rush seats for the Orchestra, on sale 2 and a half hours before a concert, are a fabulous deal. The salsa clubs are good for dancing, but get crowded after about 11. We still plan to see the fabulous exhibit at the Franklin Institute, visit the Art Museum, the Ben Franklin exhibit at the new National Constitution Center, spend a weekend in Washington with Shari and her family, a weekend in NYC, and ....
What’s next? We expect to leave for Guatemala in mid-March. That will give me time for a couple of weeks of intensive Spanish at Casa Xelaju before the fiesta celebrating Fernando’s marriage to Malaika, in Guatemala City on April 8th. (It was on my first trip to C.X. that I met Myrna, back in November 2002.) Then we have to do to Myrna’s large house in Guatemala what we did here to mine – fix, paint and sell. And we expect to get married – Myrna wants a REAL wedding, in a church, with a priest, family and friends in attendance and all. After that? Well, that is long-range planning, but we want to consider Costa Rica and Mexico along with Guatemala as places to settle and maybe teach languages part-time.
We’d hoped to come to NJ for Glenn and Allegra’s 50th wedding anniversary at the shore, but the cost of summer flight tickets looks prohibitive. Regardless, we will definitely be in Seattle in August for Ellen’s marriage fiesta. Maybe celebrate a Unitarian wedding for ourselves too while we are there, for equal representation of religions and countries.
So life has been busy, and rewarding, and we are looking forward to the adventures ahead. And there will always be room on the sofa or somewhere for friends, wherever we are.
So:
Myrna and I arrived in the USA on New Year’s Day, to survey what needs to be done to 3530 Henry Avenue to put it on the market, re-connect with friends, marry, and figure out what is next in our lives and then how to get from here to there.
My initial reaction to America after two and a half years away? First, great pleasure in feeling “at home,” and being with family and friends again. This is indeed a beautiful country where people cooperate to obey rules and extend courtesy to strangers, where the infrastructure works the way it is intended, and it is safe, and rich. But also, I’ve felt intense frustration and anger at things like the computerized phone menus designed to prevent anyone from getting help, or accomplishing anything. Example: The byzantine Verizon maze to the number for declining telemarketing finally ends at a number that simply doesn’t answer. How neat! Equal frustration at how all the services have been chopped up so that what should be a simple purchase (phone service, or cable TV, or a visit to a doctor) requires buying a series of parts or service plans, all with add-ons that you really don’t need or want anyway. On top of that, there is all this unrelenting pressure to consume and buy things, via intense advertising and marketing in every possible way. But it is good to be back. (Note: we don’t mention politics here)
We tried using two cell phones instead of getting a land line. That didn’t work at all – the phone deals are all based on long term contracts and the cost of calls to Guatemala were prohibitive. So we’ve thrown away the cell phones in favor of the land line after all – reach us at 215 842 0582.
Getting into the country wasn’t easy. In customs, I made the mistake of mentioning that we might just get married. We were immediately separated from each other and separately grilled and intimidated, apparently to be sure that Myrna wasn’t trying to sneak into the country and stay here. We were finally allowed in, but only after finger shaking and dire warnings about the unspeakable consequences of marriage in the USA without a K-1 or K-3 visa. As a result, I’ve spent untold hours on the phone and internet trying to understand visa requirements and find legal advice. The end result of that is that there really isn’t any problem after all, and we just have to be VERY careful to have documentation whenever Myrna enters the country as a married woman on her existing visa, to convince customs that yes, she will leave again.
Anyway, we stayed with Allegra and Glenn and commuted into Philadelphia until we had cleaned the carpets and bought a mattress. Then we spent January working like beavers to fix-up and paint-up. The water-stained and buckled ceilings didn’t require as much work (money) as feared, although the unexpected plumbing work made up for that. But the result is a house that really is neat and clean, and looks better than it ever did before. We thought we had a private buyer for it, but unfortunately she faded into the distance when push came to shove. So just this week we listed the house with a broker for an amazing number, more than twice what I thought the place was worth only five years ago. I still can’t believe that anybody will pay what we are asking for this little box, even with its shiny new paint, but we will see.
Meanwhile, Myrna is taking English lessons and I am taking Spanish lessons and now, since the house is pretty much finished, we are relaxing more and taking advantage of the cultural and entertainment opportunities here in Philadelphia. The rush seats for the Orchestra, on sale 2 and a half hours before a concert, are a fabulous deal. The salsa clubs are good for dancing, but get crowded after about 11. We still plan to see the fabulous exhibit at the Franklin Institute, visit the Art Museum, the Ben Franklin exhibit at the new National Constitution Center, spend a weekend in Washington with Shari and her family, a weekend in NYC, and ....
What’s next? We expect to leave for Guatemala in mid-March. That will give me time for a couple of weeks of intensive Spanish at Casa Xelaju before the fiesta celebrating Fernando’s marriage to Malaika, in Guatemala City on April 8th. (It was on my first trip to C.X. that I met Myrna, back in November 2002.) Then we have to do to Myrna’s large house in Guatemala what we did here to mine – fix, paint and sell. And we expect to get married – Myrna wants a REAL wedding, in a church, with a priest, family and friends in attendance and all. After that? Well, that is long-range planning, but we want to consider Costa Rica and Mexico along with Guatemala as places to settle and maybe teach languages part-time.
We’d hoped to come to NJ for Glenn and Allegra’s 50th wedding anniversary at the shore, but the cost of summer flight tickets looks prohibitive. Regardless, we will definitely be in Seattle in August for Ellen’s marriage fiesta. Maybe celebrate a Unitarian wedding for ourselves too while we are there, for equal representation of religions and countries.
So life has been busy, and rewarding, and we are looking forward to the adventures ahead. And there will always be room on the sofa or somewhere for friends, wherever we are.
