My Interview with Kristie... The Challenge

QUESTION NO.4. What was the most challenging part of living in a foreign country when you first started out as an expat? Do you have any advice for those facing similar challenges?

If living behind everything and bravely facing an unknown future to be with the man who swept me off my feet is not challenging enough, then I guess dealing with the unexpected and some disappointments would be fair enough to say that being an imigrant is not for the faint of heart... it is never easy.

My advice to those who are in the same boat... take the Online Dating 101 course.

Seriously, be open-minded. There is nothing that will prepare you for the unexpected. Welcome new ideas, culture and tradition with open arms. And going back home is never an option. Just deal with it and you will be fine... eventually.

My Interview with Kristie... Work-related Issue

QUESTION NO. 3. Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get a job in a foreign country? Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get a job in the country you are now living in? What was your experience with getting a visa/job? Was it difficult?

Getting a job in a foreign country is not as easy as I expected it to be. Despite the fact that I have the credentials... communication skill is the big hurdle.

Language barrier is a big issue. It is not what you say but how you say it. Another thing is that I came here when the economy is not as favorable as it used to be. Competition with the locals is tough. So if you are looking for a job here, don't expect to get the job the you are trained for unless you come here on a working visa. In my case, I am a teacher by profession but I can't get a teaching job unless I get certified by the State and that means that I need to take a short refresher's course and pass board exam.

I came here on a Fiance Visa so getting the visa is not that hard because my Fiance was the one who filed for it. I only prepared the documents needed by the US Embassy, passed the Medical Exam and the Interview.

The only difficult part in coming here is leaving behind my family... my friend... my roots. It was indeed a tough decision I made. I had to sacrifice a lot of things just to be with the "Love of my Life".

Interview with kristie... My new home

QUESTION NO. 2. What do you like/dislike about your new home overseas?

I love the changing seasons of my new home. I love how the sceneries change each changing season.
I love the color of fall...
the whiteness of winter...
the blooming flowers of spring...
and warmth of summer.
I love picking strawberries...
apples...
and pumpkins from the farm...
or wild blueberries in the woods...
and of course, dining on lobsters too.
I love ice fishing...
snowshoeing...
and snowmobiling in the middle of a blizzard...

I love Maple Syrup Sunday, garage/barn sale and flea market shopping...
I love camping...
and gold panning...
I love long driving in the countryside...
and going to agricultural fairs.

On the contrary,
I hate raking fallen leaves of autumn...
I hate black ice, slush, snow storm, ice storm and bitter cold days of winter...
and most importantly, shoveling snow!
I hate the mud season which is the transition period between winter and spring where the snow is thawing out and making huge mud pits and puddles...
and I hate the bugs of summer!

My Interview with Kristie... Point of origin

QUESTION NO. 1. Where are you from originally, where are you now and what brought you there?

I was born and raised in the Philippines... an archipelago in Southeast Asia which is composed of 7,107 islands... a beautiful tropical country of beautiful people rich in culture and tradition. I am now here in the northeastern most part of the United States. Maine, [the land of beautiful lighthouses] is now the place I call home. I migrated here May of 2007.

Fate, love, and sacrifice brought me to this far-far-away kingdom to marry the "love of my life" whom I met in the most unconventional way, in the most uncommon place, in the most unexpected moment.

Our love story is simple and ordinary with a twist of romantic charm brought about by modern technology.

As a 42 year old single-never-been-married woman, I thought I already missed the last train to marry-land and so I was so ready for what my fate will take me. And Cougar Town sounds a very interesting place to be. But then God has other plans for me.

My Interview with Kristie... The Introduction

Months ago, I received an email from a co-blogger asking me if I would like to share my experience and life as an expat in a foreign country. Most of you have already known that I am an Alien in this vacationland Maine. And being a foreigner from another country, I am considered as an expat. I thought the idea was great so I emailed her back. She sent me a questionnaire to fill up and I did just that. Months passed since I last sent her my email and still I have not received any information if she already published it or not.

Anyway, as I was digging up old files [and photos] from my folders, I came across with this interview questionnaire and thought… since I was the one who wrote it, I might as well publish it in my own blog. And since my PR also went down to zero for inactive blogging, this is a good idea to start all over again.

So, I have decided that I will published the entire questionnaire [one question at a time] to be able to share with you my life as a Carpenter’s Wife here in this foreign land in the northeastern most part of the United States. And I will also post photos that I have taken since I came here.

I will call my series of post… My Interview with Kristie. I hope you will find this new chapter of my life - interesting.

Falling for Fall

It's Fall. I love Fall. It's my favorite season of all.

Living here in Maine for almost 3 years now has transformed me. Just like the seasons, I think I am constantly changing. This could be a good thing for those who persive me as a Diva because I am no longer as such. I am now totally domesticated. And when I say domesticated I mean just that... I take domestic chores seriously. Those chores that I refused to do when I was still in the Philippines are now part and parcel of my daily existence here. Saturdays are my special day for romancing the laundry... pursuing my groceries... and bonding with my vacumm cleaner.

Living here in Maine for almost 3 years has given me a chance to appreciate nature. The changing seasons give me a chance to adapt to my new world. And the unpredictable weather helps me become predictable.

It's Fall. I love Fall because of its color. I love Fall because it highlights the color of my skin. Though my skin tone may not have changed or lightened a bit but it definitely stands out among the white locals.

It's Fall. I love Fall because of the beautiful sceneries. The vibrant monochromatic red hues of the landscapes provides a magical scenario that keeps on changing. And I just love how the same place changes everytime I pass by.

It's Fall and strawberry picking and chilly summer nights are over. Now, I will be looking forward to apple and pumpkin picking.

It's Fall in Maine. It's Fall and it's chilly out. I need to bring out my Fall outfits and start to bundle up. My scraves and gloves will always come handy. My coats and boots have to be kept tidy. And most importantly... I need to moisturize.

I just so love Fall.

a special place to meet a special someone?

I found the love of my life online. Who could ever believe that you can find true love on cyberspace? Oh well, if you are tired of being alone or seeking for that special someone, why not try california chat lines. Registration is free. Just fill out the online form and get instant access to California chatrooms and meet single people all over the world. Who knows… your soul mate is just waiting for you half across the world.

Turning hardcore

Hubby loves the outdoor. He loves the outdoor so much that his weekends are usually spent outside our homes. It’s not that I am complaining, I do love outing too. It’s just that weekends are the only time I have for doing chores. And if we have to spend most of our weekends outdoors… my chores will surely suffer a tremendous blow.

I learned to love the outdoors one way or another. When I first came here, we spent all our weekends out-of-town camping. Oh well, I mean “hotel camping”. Yes, we brought all our camping stuff but we always ended up in a hotel because of 3 major reasons. ONE: the bathroom. I need a descent bathroom because for some reason… my “royal b**t” has a mind of its own. It won’t do what it supposed to do once I see a porta-potty… or worse… the woods. TWO: the bugs. I hate the bugs. For some reason, they like me. They eat me alive and chew me without remorse. And THREE: the clean-up: I hate cleaning up and packing things back up. All those left-over food, dirty laundry, and whatnots are driving me crazy. That is why for quite awhile we always ended up in the hotel so that Hubby didn’t have to deal with my whining.

But this summer, we finally went camping… FOR REAL!

And with regards to my 3 major concerns… they were addressed accordingly. One: the campground has a descent bathroom… complete with running hot water. Two: I had a stock of bug dope. Three: I learned a system how to make packing up more organize and less stressful.

Now, I am looking forward to another weekend before the ground freezes off.

Vancouver Friends… anyone?

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Pet Sitting Business... anyone?

I work as a camp counselor right now. This is my first time to experience summer camp and I love/hate it. Summer camp is both fun and tiring. Working with kids is both exciting and exhausting. And my work as a camp counselor is both challenging and draining.

I wish I could do something else. Sure, it is fun to be with kids but if you have to work with 20 kids all at the same time, it is indeed mind-boggling. I did wish that I would work with animals... dogs in particular... because they are adorable and I love dogs. Working with dogs is both therapeutic and relaxing. But there is no summer camp for dogs... SO I THOUGHT.

And then I stumble upon this CampBowWowUSA.com and found out that it is possible to work with dogs in a somewhat "summer camp" set-up. I checked it out and it is really cool.

So if you are like me who love dogs... and would like to put up your own Pet Sitting Business, this is the right way to do it. You can check out Camp Bow Wow and find out how you can start your own Doggy Day and Overnight Camp and help dog owners to have their peace of mind every time they need to be out-of-town on business trip or families who needs to be on vacation and couldn't bring their loved pets.

Make the Right Choices... Now!

We are all tired of all the economic issues in this country. We are all sick of hearing bad news about the economy. And we are all hoping that the economy will soon take the fastest way to recovery especially for those who lost their homes.

Well, a lot of people have lost their homes due to either wrong choices made in the past or pure bad luck. But now is the right time to make the right choices. The economy is bouncing back slowly but surely. And home prices are at its lowest right now so why not take advantage of the current situation to start anew?

If you are living in the Louisiana State or who dreams to own a property in this state, it is the right time to call or visit louisiana real estate and take advantage of this present economic situation for this is the right time to make your dream come true.