The Fall...

 This Post recollects events that happened in late Sept. 2009
For those of you reading this on Facebook, the original post can be found on my blog
www.henrickatlarge.blogspot.com.  This will give you access to the photos, and embedded images and such that do not transfer to Facebook notes.


Well Autumn is now upon us.  There is a serious chill to the air, and one can feel the ebb of the yearly cycle toward its nadir in Dec-Jan.  Well, as the leaves prepare to turn brown, my journey toward the orient picks up! Everything is said and down, except for the crying.

Finally got my Visa!  I must admit, it was a long-and-drawn-out procedure, but any one point didn't take very long at all.  There was a definite dearth of really good and solid information on what to do and how to do it.  That is something that I will remedy on my professional blog.  I mean, the whole thing is quite easy.  It just has many steps.  The part I was most impressed with was how quickly the criminal rexord check takes, and also how fast the E-2 visa and visa interview goes.  Literally , 24 hours each.  Now, when I look at that copared to some of the really scary stories I have read on the web (from other States), I am very grateful.

I must also say that I probably won't have to deal with some of the 'occupational hazards', with regards to co-workers that I did in the Middle East. They go through a lot of trouble to verify credentials, check your criminal record, and they insist on interviewing you in person.  I was actually impressed.  To think of all the characters that had falsified diplomas, were on the run from various legal organizations and so forth in the ME.  I am quite certain that this will separate 'the chaff from the wheat as they say'.

There were some really cool parts of the process of getting my visa.  One was walking up Park Ave. and seeing the absolutely coolest group of statues and fountains ever!  Yes, it's true... 'Hello Kitty'!!! They were awesome... I am including a 'slide show' right here.

53rd and Park Ave, Hello Kitty fountains

The other is I saw 'Flavor Flav' on the LIRR, coming back from the city.  I think that means he still lives in Freeport!  Keeping it real!  It was actually great to see him swagger through a packed train.  As he walked through, someone was like 'Hey Flave!' He turned around, all cool like, without even missing a beat 'hey brotha, what up?' and pounded the dude (rapped knuckles together), and then kept on going through the train.  It was actually quite dope.

Well, I have some serious packing to do. It looks like I'm leaving on the eighth for Busan. So for all you who don't know where that is... here's an embedded map to help you geographic fortitude:


View Larger Map

Look how close it is to Japan.  You can bet your ass that there will be plenty of trips to Japan (and China, and Hong Kong, and the Phillipines).  Well, until next time!

-H