Back again!

Vautrin · 05-20-2005, 04:33 PM

Well, it has been a fantastic experience, my week's visit to Atlanta, Georgia.

I ran into a lot of trouble with the Immigration Service, and was almost denied access. I suffer from tremor due to the medication that I take, so it is very hard for me, to keep my fingers frozen, when taking finger scans. Then I accidentaly miscounted the days I would stay in the US, so I did not pass the initial screening.
At the secondary screening, I could at least explain my case, although I had a little credible story to tell. I met this friend on the internet almost 2.5 months ago, and I know it is not the most credible story. But eventually I was allowed entrance to the US.

Next up was Customs. Of course there was no problem, but Immigration and Customs took me more than an hour to pass. But it was all worth it. 20 minutes later, I met my friend, and

she was even more beautiful than I dared to imagine. There was an undeniable chemistry, although I as a somewhat shy European, did not dare to admit it. It lasted less than 6 hours, for me to admit it.

I saw many things in Atlanta, although the focus was not much on seeing the city, but on enjoying our time together there. And we succeeded at that, but made certain we did at least one thing a day.

One thing I noticed was that the state of the roads was terrible. Even the most neglected roads I have seen in W-Europe were not as bad.
It took some time to get used to the American way of tipping personnel at some places; in the Netherlands at least they are formally guaranteed minimum wages.
And of course the fascinating difference in approaching people. As you all can guess, I am a bit of a more reserved person, and that is something that does not go well with the American mentality.

Of course, it was hard to say goodbye. But we had to, there was no escaping that. We are definitely planning to meeting up again. The flight home was long, and I still suffer a bit from the jet-lag. Hopefully that will improve in the next 2 days.

Star · 05-20-2005, 04:45 PM

I very happy to hear that you had a great time with your new friend. Sounds like the two of you really hit it off. That's awesome!

Vautrin · 05-20-2005, 04:57 PM

Thanks Star. It was a great experience, but as of yet there are roughly 5000 miles between us. Luckily the prospect is, that this might change in a year's time.

Hopefully everything will go my way, as I had a real lousy 2004. But for now, she and I try to enjoy the moments we share online and on the phone.

Paul · 05-20-2005, 05:19 PM

I'm glad your trip turned out well, best of luck with your friend, it's great that you got to spend that time together!

Duke · 05-20-2005, 07:10 PM

Making fists from your toes is supposed to help with jetlag, according to Bruce Willis in Die Hard.

Welcome back Vautrin, glad you had a good time.

Vautrin · 05-20-2005, 07:17 PM

Thanks Duke and thanks Paul.

I thought I was quite quickly over it, but I dozed of this morning in the train. Something which had never happened before, let alone when I had just slept seven hours or so. Hopefully I will be back to normal in another 2 or three days.

darkangelism · 05-21-2005, 12:40 AM

good to hear that you had a good time. Atlanta has bad roads, worse then most of the country.

Duke · 05-21-2005, 03:01 AM

Have you ever driven through Montana? I've never seen so many crosses on the side of the road in my life and the roads are so poorly maintained it's like driving through a minefield.

Vautrin · 05-21-2005, 07:51 AM

It was so unlike European roads. I made jokes about it, as if there was fought a small war on these roads. I at least understand the reason why some Americans drive such big cars.

What positively surprised me, was the amount of trees and greens in and around Atlanta.

darkangelism · 05-22-2005, 02:16 AM

no i have never been to montana, i want to visit all the states eventually i have seen 28 so far.

Merika · 05-22-2005, 01:52 PM

Oh Vautrin....is love in the air? Are you planning another visit soon? I'm glad you had a great time.

DA is right....I think Atlanta has the worst roads, for a city, in all of the US. It's always been a giant mess and everyone makes jokes about it. I think the problem is that it grew so fast and is so congested...it's hard to close down a road to get the repairs done. Short of the perimeter highway, there really isn't any way to get straight through Atlanta but the main highway through it. I don't think it's a very pretty city...but it can be fun.

Customs is always retarded. They pay so poorly until anyone with much sense doesn't want to work for them. Not to mention they are generally located in areas where they aren't easy to get to.

Vautrin · 05-22-2005, 02:05 PM

Love is definitely be in the air. Of course the situation is highly complicated, which is not helped by the fact that she is leaving for another country tomorrow! Hopefully I will visit her in August or so, when she has her life there on track. Really looking forward to that, right now. And she too.

The possibilities are endless, and if it fully develops, I might become a permanent resident in the US. I know that is jumping to conclusions. But not something I would rule out.

She explained to me, about why the roads were so bad in Atlanta. I can understand the reasons behind it, but even in backward Holland the cities are legally responsible for non-maintenance of roads. It boggles my mind, why the city risks enormous law-suits, or is it fully legally covered?

darkangelism · 05-22-2005, 11:45 PM

the city is rarly at fault for accidents.

Vautrin · 05-23-2005, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkangelism

the city is rarly at fault for accidents.

Intriguing. I would have expected otherwise, or is it simply a result of the legal structure in road maintenance in Atlanta / Montana?

You can sue a practically bankrupt private firm, but it would not result in you getting money from them.