Landing in the US

Well I'm off to a great start. We were only an hour late leaving Sydney on United Airlines and after 13 hours had barely made much ground, landing 40 minutes late. So running through customs to get my connecting flights only to find that I now incurred a 10 hour delay was less than pleasing.

I was delirious when I landed so the immediate excitement was suddenly clouded with the realization I was now a long way from home. The culture shock therefore was immediate for me. Everything everywhere smelt sweet: bubble gum floor polish, and overpowering air fresheners in the bathrooms. I went to order food and didn't know what I could get that would be remotely healthy.

I managed to get myself a free room at the Marriott hotel where I got to shower and sleep for a mere 2 1/2 hours before hauling ass back to LAX to go through damn security. Which did take a long time.

I now had to fly to Cincinnati, but got to sit next to a cool guy from New York who is a concert pianist and doing the same doctorate program Preston is doing, but Manhattan School of Music. So I wasn't fast asleep, we danced in our seats to Madonna, which made the time pass nicely. Oh and a girl fainted while waiting to go to the bathroom.

I finally got to Raleigh in North Carolina and Preston was there to scoop me up. It was very romantic, and surreal that finally our dream had come true. It's still very hard to believe. We sorted out all my stuff with VIF (the organisation that sponsored me to come to the US) and I found out that instead of going driving through the lush countryside in a convertable and making out with Preston, I had to take a driving test (on the other side of the road) and hadn't slept for nearly 50 hours. The Columbia girl I had to go with nearly killed us, but we both passed - God bless America.

So Preston and I hung out all week in the fulfillment of our dream and I met some of his friends and he met my mate Cameron from Aussie and we stayed in a Bed and Breakfast and it was ....
I am loved and loved and loved some more. I'm so lucky.

After we had got out stuff together in NC we drove up to Virginia to Richmond, my new home town. Adan from Spain and I agreed to share an apartment and have moved into a community called Breakenridge. We decided on it because it had a red door (and that is a sign). Its great but we only really have lounge room furniture and not much light. My bath leaks water all over the floor and down into the apartment below, but other than that it's great. There are shops in all directions and I don't even know where to start.

I've already been to Baltimore to see his apartment too. It's so cool to be here with him. Walking in there felt strangely familiar. All the mornings I've called him when he was waking up in there, and the nights I'd talk to him as he was falling asleep. I got to meet Jonny for sushi which was fun until I really need to take a leak, and eventually gave in to pissing in a corner in the carpark. I just had to.

We have a key to Mark and Renee's place and they are awesome. The first time I met Mark, he waited up for us to arrive and we stayed up talking for ages. Renee is such a sweety and it's great to make those connections with those who are close to Preston.

He has been so supportive of this move. And through a guy who is a family friend, I've managed to buy a cheap car. It turns out to be a Volvo station wagon. Silver. So now we even have semi matching cars. And it matched yours too Gabbie!!!

Over the long weekend, Preston came to stay (which was spectacular needless to say) and we went to Kroger's grocery store to do some shopping, but I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't find what I wanted and everything seems so expensive that we left the cart in the isle and fled the scene with a mini ceg of beer and a frozen pizza. I also got my hair cut and it's lop sided.

I've discovered Wallmart is my friend. And that's where I'll do most of my food shopping me thinks. Ok well with Hurricane Hanna approaching, I will sign off and grab another beer out of the fridge. It's stinking hot and I need one...

I'm off to Washington DC to be with Preston this weekend so if we die, at least we will be together. See ya, nice knowing ya.


I also got to meet Jimmy, David, Joy and Mark. Some more friends of Prestons. Joy made us a great lunch. That's where we were going when I was driving Preston's car in this vid.