One of the most interesting things in visiting other countries, is experiencing all the differences. Often they are counter-intuitive, odd, or just require getting used to (no questions asked. ;) )
And occasionally, you just need to reset your mind, as "things are different", as happened to me the other day.
Coming from the Netherlands, having driven a relative new car there, I was used to using like 10W-50 grade oil, and driving 20.000 KM before bringing in the car for service, which often cost small fortunes.
But "things are different here". OK, I have to admit, the car I drive isn't as new as I was used to. But being told by the Honda dealer itself, that what they always use is 5W-30, services are usually done every 5000 Miles, and the whole service (including checking lights, tires, battery and oil change) costed me like a little over $30...
Well, I can tell you, that's "one of those moments".
Friday, December 11, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Burning rubber
Americans might have less days off than the Dutch, but around Thanksgiving, the country is locked down. Thanksgiving is Thursdays, and most people get the Friday off too, and take the Wednesday, and while they're at it, they just might start to travel on Tuesday.
And starting to travel on Tuesday actually makes sense, as Wednesday is the single busiest travel day of the USA; Everybody wants to be with friends or family on Thursday. Not having the luxury of having the USA holidays, I only took the Thursday and Friday off, with plans to go visit my sister in Texas, a good 800 Miles/1300Km, or almost a 12 hour drive, without stops, one way.
Leaving Wednesday afternoon, I mainly caught some delays crossing Atlanta, but nothing out of the ordinary compared with some traffic jams in the Netherlands. And thereafter, the drive there, and back again, was an interesting experience. Basically one Interstate only, for hour after hour, and it still didn't get boring.
Yet next time, I just might book a flight....
And starting to travel on Tuesday actually makes sense, as Wednesday is the single busiest travel day of the USA; Everybody wants to be with friends or family on Thursday. Not having the luxury of having the USA holidays, I only took the Thursday and Friday off, with plans to go visit my sister in Texas, a good 800 Miles/1300Km, or almost a 12 hour drive, without stops, one way.
Leaving Wednesday afternoon, I mainly caught some delays crossing Atlanta, but nothing out of the ordinary compared with some traffic jams in the Netherlands. And thereafter, the drive there, and back again, was an interesting experience. Basically one Interstate only, for hour after hour, and it still didn't get boring.
Yet next time, I just might book a flight....
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday the 13th
It's an odd day, Friday the 13th. Many people fear it, but I also know 1 person who claims it's his lucky day (right, brother?)
And for me, well, the sun couldn't have shined brighter today.
Let me get you up to speed:
When you buy a car here in the states, you get a temporary license plate. That gives you time to get everything arranged properly. In my case, the plate was valid until November 15th. But the thing was, the dealer told me I needed a Georgia Driving license to get the final plate. Oh, and I needed prove of residence, which, here in the states, is often your driving license, or your tax return form, or some other document which you get like once a year if you're a permanent resident,... etc. Or, a recent bank statement.
And to get a driving license, well, you need .... you guessed it, the same stuff. And being foreign, I would need to take a full driving exam, written and on the road.
So,... I changed my address with the bank, waited until the bank statement to arrive,... and waited.... and waited....
Until finally today I had my bank statement in my hands. The last workday before my temporary tag expired, and still without GA Driving License.
But, in the mean time, I had gone to the tag office of my county (where you get your license plate) and asked if I really needed a GA license. They told me no. So, with the prove of residence in hand, I went of to the dealer (who was supposed to take care of the registration, which could take up to 10 days...).
Only to hear again that I really needed a GA license... :S
It's Friday the 13th I thought, so, sure, today will be the day that proves the day is to be feared....
Anyway. We agreed that I would take care of the tag (the license plate) myself.
So, with all the documents, off to the tag-office...
Where they looked at me in an odd way, (did you know a dutch passport has everything only in dutch on there ;) ), but after a little, they told me this county is the ONLY county in Georgia where you DON'T need a GA license. And went ahead with processing the request. 20 minutes later, I walked out the door with my new license plate in hand (no 10 days for processing or anything), still not sure how Friday the 13th turned into such a lucky day...
Yes brother, I think you are right. Friday the 13th IS a good day. :D
And for me, well, the sun couldn't have shined brighter today.
Let me get you up to speed:
When you buy a car here in the states, you get a temporary license plate. That gives you time to get everything arranged properly. In my case, the plate was valid until November 15th. But the thing was, the dealer told me I needed a Georgia Driving license to get the final plate. Oh, and I needed prove of residence, which, here in the states, is often your driving license, or your tax return form, or some other document which you get like once a year if you're a permanent resident,... etc. Or, a recent bank statement.
And to get a driving license, well, you need .... you guessed it, the same stuff. And being foreign, I would need to take a full driving exam, written and on the road.
So,... I changed my address with the bank, waited until the bank statement to arrive,... and waited.... and waited....
Until finally today I had my bank statement in my hands. The last workday before my temporary tag expired, and still without GA Driving License.
But, in the mean time, I had gone to the tag office of my county (where you get your license plate) and asked if I really needed a GA license. They told me no. So, with the prove of residence in hand, I went of to the dealer (who was supposed to take care of the registration, which could take up to 10 days...).
Only to hear again that I really needed a GA license... :S
It's Friday the 13th I thought, so, sure, today will be the day that proves the day is to be feared....
Anyway. We agreed that I would take care of the tag (the license plate) myself.
So, with all the documents, off to the tag-office...
Where they looked at me in an odd way, (did you know a dutch passport has everything only in dutch on there ;) ), but after a little, they told me this county is the ONLY county in Georgia where you DON'T need a GA license. And went ahead with processing the request. 20 minutes later, I walked out the door with my new license plate in hand (no 10 days for processing or anything), still not sure how Friday the 13th turned into such a lucky day...
Yes brother, I think you are right. Friday the 13th IS a good day. :D
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Oh, that freedom!
Obviously, the car I thought I had,.... was gone before I could pay for it.
But... I now DO have a car...
It's paid for, insured, and therefore all mine! Still some little things left to organize, but they're not taking it away from me anymore. You know, you just don't realize how much you get used to having your own car. The freedom to go where-ever, whenever you like.
My ride of freedom? A 2002 Honda Accord Coupe LE:
And shortly after that... A place to stay too.
Sometimes the sun DOES shine behind the clouds, and DOES every cloud have a silver lining.
(The great temperature here and beautiful fall colors help too ;) )
Oh, that sweet freedom!
But... I now DO have a car...
It's paid for, insured, and therefore all mine! Still some little things left to organize, but they're not taking it away from me anymore. You know, you just don't realize how much you get used to having your own car. The freedom to go where-ever, whenever you like.
My ride of freedom? A 2002 Honda Accord Coupe LE:
And shortly after that... A place to stay too.
Sometimes the sun DOES shine behind the clouds, and DOES every cloud have a silver lining.
(The great temperature here and beautiful fall colors help too ;) )
Oh, that sweet freedom!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
It takes a car to get one
2 weeks in, and you won't believe the hassles I need to get through.
You know, the plan was simple enough, get a phone, open a bank account, get a car with insurance, find a place to stay, build up some credit score.
But well, things don't always go as you plan them.
It all started with getting a cellphone, the first item on the list, how hard can it be to get a number, right? Well: First question: What's you're Georgia driving license #? Err, I don't have one... can I use my dutch one? Well, no. but, actually, that wasn't a real issue, they could do without. They'd just check my credit score, or, well, try to,... as I don't have a credit score! But that was easy to fix,... with a $500 deposit!!! For like a $50/month contract! :-S
Next thing on the list: Open a bank account.
Well, without a permanent US residency, they need you to fill out this form,... which ofcourse they didn't have available at the branch office. So they'll send it to me, which means: that it will take at least another 2 weeks before I can open an account...
The account which I intended to use to make it easy to pay for the car.
Anyway, I still went online to look for a car (as I don't have a credit score, insurance on a new car would be terrible expensive, so I'm looking to buy from a private party). But, all the interesting cars, by the time I can find someone to drive me there, the cars have been sold already! It really takes a car to get one, by having the freedom to go there the moment it comes online.
Anyway, with a rental, I think I might have solved that this weekend. I think I might have found a car, but about that, more later.
PS. as you might have guessed, I haven't even really pursued housing yet.
You know, the plan was simple enough, get a phone, open a bank account, get a car with insurance, find a place to stay, build up some credit score.
But well, things don't always go as you plan them.
It all started with getting a cellphone, the first item on the list, how hard can it be to get a number, right? Well: First question: What's you're Georgia driving license #? Err, I don't have one... can I use my dutch one? Well, no. but, actually, that wasn't a real issue, they could do without. They'd just check my credit score, or, well, try to,... as I don't have a credit score! But that was easy to fix,... with a $500 deposit!!! For like a $50/month contract! :-S
Next thing on the list: Open a bank account.
Well, without a permanent US residency, they need you to fill out this form,... which ofcourse they didn't have available at the branch office. So they'll send it to me, which means: that it will take at least another 2 weeks before I can open an account...
The account which I intended to use to make it easy to pay for the car.
Anyway, I still went online to look for a car (as I don't have a credit score, insurance on a new car would be terrible expensive, so I'm looking to buy from a private party). But, all the interesting cars, by the time I can find someone to drive me there, the cars have been sold already! It really takes a car to get one, by having the freedom to go there the moment it comes online.
Anyway, with a rental, I think I might have solved that this weekend. I think I might have found a car, but about that, more later.
PS. as you might have guessed, I haven't even really pursued housing yet.
Friday, September 18, 2009
1 week until departure
It's one week left.
One more week, and yet another adventure starts.
It's finally starting to feel real. Only since like the beginning of this week I've started to feel some tension of: I still need to do this, and I shouldn't forget about that...
You would expect at one point I'd get my act together on that, right?
Actually, right now, I'm only wondering about which clothes to bring.
Oh, and not to forget about appliances, and all that while keeping within the weight limits!
Just a little longer, and then... Off to the USA again :D
One more week, and yet another adventure starts.
It's finally starting to feel real. Only since like the beginning of this week I've started to feel some tension of: I still need to do this, and I shouldn't forget about that...
You would expect at one point I'd get my act together on that, right?
Actually, right now, I'm only wondering about which clothes to bring.
Oh, and not to forget about appliances, and all that while keeping within the weight limits!
Just a little longer, and then... Off to the USA again :D
Saturday, July 11, 2009
New years, new adventures
Luckily, Life's full of adventures!
And a new big one is on he brink of starting!
Finally, 4 years after graduation, I'm heading to the USA for business from my current company, VDD IQware. Long term business. not just a week or so.
We'll see what new stories, experiences and adventures it will bring, but it's a sure thing that it will bring them :-)
And a new big one is on he brink of starting!
Finally, 4 years after graduation, I'm heading to the USA for business from my current company, VDD IQware. Long term business. not just a week or so.
We'll see what new stories, experiences and adventures it will bring, but it's a sure thing that it will bring them :-)
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