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....
Monday, November 30, 2009
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)