I promised myself that I would write it all during this time of my life. I left for the US last sunday and have been here now forjust under a week. There has been somewhat of a culture shock but for the most part it has been a great experience. For what once seemed so out of character for me to do something like this now seems so right. There are however some pitfalls to avaid that I now call LAWS OF MOVING ACROSS THE WORLD:

LAW ONE: NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PLAN YOU WILL NEVER BE PREPARED. Be prepared to be underprepared and go with it.

LAW TWO: MONEY IS IMPORTANT. Our banks are crap. They go out of there way to find new ways to charge for old services. Work out a budget and then times it by 1.5 because that's the real amount of money you'll need......

LAW THREE: BEING FOREIGN HELPS. I've found myself without social security number and yet have been able to get all utilities, cable, cell phone etc listed into my name. Use your accent and above all be polite and laugh alot........There are so many other things in the world to get you down. This is not one of them.

LAW FOUR: IGNORE THE LITTLE THINGS. There are so many things that will come up as obstacles in the way. My advice roll with it otherwise you are going to just give yourself an ulcer and stop having a good time. Worry about the big things, the little things will usually take care of themselves. And if they don't refer to LAW THREE......

LAW FIVE: FRIENDS ARE IMPORTANT. You are in a foreign country and will often know very few people or no one. If asked out say yes! The worst thing you could do is find yourself sitting around in your apartment feeling lonely. You moved for a reason!! To see the world and experience new things. So do it!!

LAW SIX: OVERPACKING! No matter how mant times you pack, it will never be enough and no matter what you pack it will always never totally be the right thing. It's hard packing for three years and I definately overpacked. So here's my advice on packing. Pack light. Pack for comfort and no more than one bag!!. You are moving for three years and can't pack for that long!!

These are just a few of the laws. There are more but the ones that I found most useful in my move. So I will leave you with this:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Mark Twain