The pieces all fit together, but..

Since arriving in Minot I've gradually eased into a comfort zone day-by-day. I suppose It's always the same when you move somewhere new - it takes time to adjust, but you get there in the end. When I look back to only four days ago when I was driving around (alone) like a mad man, looking for an apartment that I passed at least five times, i'm so glad that it's been uphill from there.

I now have a job, which I start tomorrow. So if anyone wishes to come over to North Dakota for some fine Italian food, I'll be more than happy to be your waiter.* The staff seem nice and the manageress was also very friendly, so touch-wood I'll enjoy my time at 'Michael's restaurant'.

Tomorrow i'm going to finally join the gym, which I've missed since being over here. I must be one of few people to actually lose weight in America, although i'm sure that'll change as my appetite dramatically increases day-by-day.

I'm also starting to get to grips with the roads around here. No longer am I constantly finding myself heading out of town by accident. Granted, it did take me five minutes to figure out how to put fuel in the car today, but again, I got there in the end.

So all the pieces of the puzzle are slowly fitting into place. Everything Whitney and I planned in England has so far turned out according to plan: Me coming over here, us renting an apartment, getting jobs etc. There's just one problem: The USA isn't an easy country to stay in.

Before I left England I lost count of the number of times someone would say, "I bet you aren't going to come back, are you?" to which I had to constantly reply, "I have to. I have to. No, really, I have to." Sometimes it feels like I'm putting together this really nice jigsaw of a zebra, but there's pieces missing from the box; pieces that are going to be hard to find. I'm setting up a life that I haven't yet figured out how to carry on with after the next three-and-a-half months.

For those of you who haven't read up on your USA immigration laws of late, here are my options for coming back to the USA in the near future:

1) Buy my way in. Although last time I checked I didn't have $100,000 - $1,000,000 lying around.

2) Find an American company to sponsor me to work here. For that to happen I would have to possess a skill that can't typically be found over here, and being able to pee for a long time doesn't count, I'm sure.

3) Get married.

While the issue is constantly playing on my mind, it would be foolish to worry-away the time that I do have here. I live life like it's my only one. If I want to do something i.e. runaway to America for the Summer, I'll do it. And if a man in a suit, sat in a US embassy is what impedes me from living here permanently, then I'll find a way, providing that's what I still want.

I'm getting a little deep tonight, I know. But then again this is my 'online journal' for the world to see, so it would seem only appropriate to express my thoughts at the time of writing this.

Goodnight to all my family and friends in England, and to the people who have made my first few weeks in the USA an enjoyable time x

* providing you tip generously.

Going solo

Riding 4-wheeler the day before we left for Minot

Being in a different country and living within a different culture is strange enough. But to then suddenly be left alone, with a car that you're supposed to drive on a side of the road you're unfamiliar with... Well, it's a shock to the body, for me at least.

After dropping Whit off for Annual Army training I headed off to a friend's apartment in Minot. It took me way longer to find it than it should have, but I got there eventually. The one time I did commit a driving error happened to be right next to a police car. I clenched my teeth and didn't dare look in that direction. Thankfully no siren's were sounded, and so I drove off a free, relieved man. I worked on my CV/resume in the afternoon, and then relaxed for much of the night.

Today I decided to go for a run. Back home, or at Whit's home out in the country, I would pass green fields, feel at ease with the world, and return happy and energized. In Minot I ran past fast food joints, dodged traffic, and at one point had to jog across car parks because the pavement suddenly disappeared. I felt crazy being almost the only person on foot; people drive everywhere here. Apparently the apartment we'll be moving into is near a park, so I should have more luck there.

After my run I decided to grab a Subway sandwich (no plug intended). As soon as I opened my mouth to order I suddenly had three people around me, asking where I was from and why I was here in Minot of all places. This happened a few times today, including at 'Miracle Mart' while I was purchasing beer. I miss my friends and family, especially when I'm in a bad mood and just want to talk to someone. But the fact that everyone I meet here is so friendly makes me feel much more comfortable.

This time alone without Whitney has let me truly reflect on my time in the USA thus far. Not so much the things I've done, but more the vast culture shock that I've experienced without really acknowledging it. I feel happy enough, but sometimes I find it hard to pay attention, and I'll often have to ask the same question numerous times before it registers. Maybe I'm just going insane? But seriously, to say how quickly my life has transitioned from being a student without a worry in the world, to being an 'adult', and then suddenly moving to a new country - all within a month - is a pretty big step I suppose.

On the road to everywhere...

'The Mall of America': Theme Park included

It's been a while, but yes, I'm still alive.

The last week has seen us travel here, there and everywhere within North Dakota (we've been on the road for over 25 hours in the last week).

We had a great 4th July at the lakeside cabin. I felt a little weird celebrating America's independence from England at first, but hey, we'll all friends now, right?

Whilst there I tried my hand at 'tubing', which involved laying chest-down on a flotation device, before being dragged along the lake by a boat. I'm unsure of what speeds we reached, but it felt really fast! In fact it was sometimes painful to fall off to suddenly be halted by the water.

The day after that we travelled to Minneapolis for a wedding, which was also a good day. Both of them said 'yes' which was a positive start, and then as the night went on I had the chance to catch up with friends I hadn't seen for a while, including some from 'over the pond'.

The next day we travelled to 'The Mall Of America;' My god that place was big. For the English: Imagine your favourite mall, add 5 of them together, and then throw in a theme park: yes, a theme park I say! If I would have been separated from the group I would still be walking around in circles now. Either that or I would have just dedicated my life to riding the log flume.

Skip forward a week and I now find myself in the City. The City of Minot. Whit is away at Annual Army training, so I'm staying with some friends for the next 9 days or so. We have a deposit down on an apartment to rent, but we can't sign the lease until both of us are around.

Tomorrow I start job hunting. Once Whitney and I are both working and settled into the apartment it'll be a new chapter as far as I'm concerned. The next thing will be figuring out how the heck I can come back to this country, providing that's what I want at the end of my visa...

saddles and cattle prods

Today rounded off what has been a great first week in North Dakota. As I've already said: it's a different world here. The landscape, the roads, the weather: all new for me. At the same time, I've gradually become more and more familiar with the way of life. In fact, I feel like i've been here for months. 

Yesterday I had my first real introduction to horse riding. Me, Whit, and her mum each rode across the nearby lands under the dusky sun. I tried to look as relaxed as possible whilst riding 'Robo', but my tense body posture suggested that I was actually 'shitting bricks.' To be fair, this was only true on one occasion when I learnt how to make Robo trot without first asking how to make him stop. I'm used to an accelerator and brakes, and so when I was being pulled at what left like 50 mph to realise I had no means off stopping, I knew this wasn't the same as driving a VW Polo. 

Moving on from horses to another farmyard animal: today I spent much of the day herding cows. 

The process involved chasing the cows with ATVs (4-wheelers) until they headed towards the confined pens. Once inside, there were then guided one-by-one into a cage which disturbingly reminded me of a trap you'd see in the 'SAW' films. As a cow entered, it would clamp down around them so they couldn't move, making it easier to then inject them with the necessary drugs.  It sounds fairly straight forward, but my introduction to cows taught me that they:

1) are very strong

2) don't often cooperate 

This meant that it took over 7 hours and a ton of patience to get the job done. I love trying new things, so I did actually enjoy the day. It was also fun to use the cattle prod to jolt the cows when they became overly stubborn (Whit wouldn't let me try it on her)...

Tomorrow we head to a friend's lakeside cabin for the day, where we'll be staying overnight. Then on Saturday we begin an eight hour drive to Minneapolis for a wedding which takes place on Sunday. It'll be good to see not only the bride and groom, but also a group of friends from England, as well as America, who are heading there also.