The Big Move


Richard and I have not shared about the big move our family has embarked on to a lot of people.  It has been in process for over a year, but was not really confirmed until we got the work petition and visas approved in February this year.

I am writing this in our temporary apartment in Atlanta, GA.  We have moved, and here's the story.

In Q4 of 2012, I interviewed for a position that's based in the US, with the same company and department.  I got the job and while the petition/visa application was in process, I still worked as-is in Manila.  Because it was late in 2012, the H visa lottery was done for the year so we had to wait for April 2013.  When that happened, my name was not picked.  I was not sure the transfer will still happen at this point, but the managers did not give up and decided to pursue an L visa instead. It entailed new paperwork, more justification and requests for additional information.  Months passed and I did not get any news but finally in early February, the petition was approved. Next were visas for the whole family and those were approved as well.

Despite the fact that the process took very long, Rich and I believe that the timing really worked out for the best.  We were never really anxious during the wait, just carrying on and doing what we needed to do.

Between February until the day we left, we took care of everything related to the move. We sold the house in Cavite, the car, sold or shipped our stuff, met people. All while Richard and I kept working. In retrospect, I should have taken at least a week break to take care of things and make our last few days in Manila more relaxing. Instead, we were packing up the house up to the day we left. There were a few things we did not have time to do.  We actually booked a hotel for our last night but stayed only for 4 hours. Rich did not sleep a wink because he had to process his clearance. Sooo hectic. I don't know how we did it.  Thank God for the strength and grace that sustained us the last few days in Manila, and for everything we experienced and accomplished throughout this journey.

The transition continues...

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