It’s been a few weeks, and I am still not used to tipping. Tipping in the States is a lot more than just showing appreciation for particularly good service; it is expected in many situations, and at a higher percentage than in England.
When to tip can be a bit confusing, though. Even before I came out here, for some reason I was thinking about the shipping company and if I should tip when they deliver my boxes from the UK (I didn’t).
There is what looks like a small model house on a pole next to a gas station near us, that at first glance looks like a rather elaborate mailbox.
Get a little closer, though, and you can see a window in the side showing it is full of books. It is a ‘Little Library’, and is one of the most adorable things I have seen since I came to the US.
With one wedding down, it was time for the second! First a trip to the County License Center to get the marriage licence, then to our appointment at the Justice Center for the wedding itself.
I was partly expecting to simply sit at a desk and fill in a marriage records book, but rather it was a full ceremony with the giving of our rings, vows and some beautiful words about marriage itself.
The last major hurdle we had to jump to get me to the USA was immigration at our port of entry: Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport.
There was nothing specific to worry about; we had done everything correctly up until this point, the visa was valid, I wasn’t bringing any restricted items into the country… yet in the queue at the border I would be lying if I said there weren’t a few butterflies.
We had a perfect wedding day, conducted by a friend, surrounded by friends and family.
In three days we will be flying to the USA…
(Photo by Stephen Green)
I am currently waiting for a shipping company to come and collect my boxes to send to the States, and in a week’s time I will be on a plane following them…
It was a big relief to get my visa approved, but it turns out that was far from the end of the work that needed to be done.
I paid a visit to the US Embassy recently, and those lovely people approved my visa!
In the build up to my interview I read numerous blogs and forum posts about the interview experience, and despite pretty much all of them saying it was very straightforward, an opinion echoed by our K1 guru, Phoebe, I was still nervous due to the magnitude of the situation.
Yesterday was medical day, and considering so many applicants seem to get worried about it, I thought I would give an overview of how it went for me in case anybody stumbles upon this blog!
US immigration nominate the Knightsbridge Doctors as the only people who can carry out the visa medical, which means a trip to their rather plush location in Bentick Mansions, Knightsbridge. There’s a buzzer to get in, and the practice itself has beautiful high ceilings and period fireplaces throughout. It is a bit different to my local (but lovely) GP.
We got this lovely notice in the post over Christmas, which was a rather nice present. This means that our application has been approved (not to be confused with the visa being approved…)
If effect, this means that they are going to send the application onwards to the embassy in London to be processed. It is confirmation that we haven’t forgotten anything important, or failed to provide enough evidence with our forms.
With Christmas fast approaching, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to write a little bit about where we got engaged: the Wisconsin Dells.
My fiancée’s family have visited there for many years, and it is something of a family tradition. This was why it seemed such an appropriate place to pop the question, and I was very much looking forward to going; that said, I had little idea what to expect from ‘the Waterpark Capital of the World’ (aside from the obvious.)
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