Singapore, Here I come

I’ve tweeted, buzzed and announced it on Facebook. But I haven’t blogged about it. I am moving to Singapore. For one year. I’ll be going back to the Greatest Company Ever. Working out of their office in Singapore.

I wasn’t necessarily looking to move to Asia. I was actually networking for jobs on the East Coast. With my job situation not panning out, and missing my family too much, I was contemplating a move back East. I wasn’t expecting to move so far East.

But, the opportunity presented itself to work with (actually for) one of my dearest friends, for The Greatest Company Ever, to experience living in Asia, and to get a substantial raise that will help me knock out my debt. I couldn’t turn it down.

Now I’m planning my USA GoodBye tour, trying to rent out my apartment, secure my cat in a new home, sell my furniture, put whatever I don’t sell in storage, say goodbye to everyone I need to say goodbye to. Oh yeah, and, I’m going to start working for the Greatest Company ever, here in Chicago at first. So, I’ll be working while attempting all of this.

My challenges?

My mother lives in The Bay Area.

My father lives in the DC Area.

Two coasts.

Two parents.

Lots of frustrations.

I am determined to spend Easter in DC. I love Easter at my Dad and StepMom’s. My little brother and his girlfriend are coming down from NYC for the weekend. My older brother and his fiancé will be in town. And my StepMom FINALLY got reservations at Volt (restaurant of Brian Voltaggio, from Top Chef, and the husband of an old co-worker and dear friend from my NYC days, who, come to think of it, I haven’t seen since their wedding day).

So, I have a mother on the West Coast, Family on the East Coast. And Easter in the middle.

As of now, my USA GoodBye tour involves a drive from Chicago to DC (to deliver my cat to my brother’s) then a flight back to Chicago, and, possibly, a flight from Chicago to San Jose to see my mom, then a flight probably from San Jose to DC for Easter, than a flight (or probably more than one flight) from DC to Singapore.

Making Noise in Public Library

I had to watch a lot of Sesame Street when my brother was young. Which is fine, except that we are eleven years apart in age, so when he was 2 and I was 13 I was watching a lot of Sesame Street. There was one bit that I remember with Grover. He was sitting on a mountain top wearing lederhausen and calling out "Echo" and listening to the return "Echo, echo, echo." During this time my dad was working at the American Embassy in Rabat, Morocco. We had a great Moorish styled home with tiles and marble and echoing hallways, as well as critters you find in a Mediterranean home. Especially gecko's. Not so cute as the Geico one when it crawls out of your bath tub spout. My brother, a fan of Grover (and his own voice) would sometimes sit at the bottom of the staircase and call up the marble stairs and the echo'y hallway "Gecko, Gecko, Gecko." Loving the sound of his voice bouncing around back and forth.

So, I'm back at the Public Library today and in the midst of the seemily normal people surrouding me who are also working on laptops or reading books and newspapers, there is a man standing in the staircase making "MMMHHHMMM" noises, listening to the acoustics and the sounds he can make.

I'm coming around to this whole Public Library experience. It is entertaining.