I am now recognized...

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I now exist in the USA. Some of you think that I existed here before - why wouldn't a Canadian exist in the USA? I did physically exist here before...but I now have credit here! I know...so exciting. If you have never met/work with an international student in any country - you should know that credit from your home country doesn't transfer. It doesn't matter that you have had a bank account since you were 12, or that you have a or many credit cards, or student loans, or car payments...etc. You have to start from scratch in your host country. In some countries it is even near impossible to get a bank account.

Let's take England for example: When Daren and I went off to do our working-holiday visas we encountered this crazy problem that didn't happen to Daren when he was there as a student. We got caught in this cycle of - you need an apartment and a job to get a bank account - you need a bank account and a job to get an apartment - you need an apartment to get a job. Insane. So no bank account for us.

Here in the US you need a Social security number to get a bank account here. And sometimes a letter from your school. Ok, so it is pretty much state specific, so don't take this as advice to all student legal-aliens in the USA.

Looking back, it was easy to get a bank account in Austria, but I didn't even try in Mexico (no Mexicans I knew trusted the banks) or in the Phillipines.

So the big news with getting a credit card here is that I get a mini card (Jr.) to go on my key chain! Do we have these in Canada yet? Very strange!

Other than that, life in Tennessee has been relatively calm. My time off around Christmas was filled with the longest drive ever up to NY state (don't do it) and my exploration of Tennessee. We even made it to Nashville. Calgarians - it felt an awful lot like home. It was the same city-feel combined with people in cowboy boots. 😊 You can imagine the thrill that the cowgirl in me felt. (I know...most of you probably never met the cowgirl in me!) We got to go to the Grand Ole Opry...but there was no one singing at the time. As much of an experience that would have been I didn't really miss the country music. Tourism is done up VERY big there though. I don't think Canada has anything like it. The hotel attached to the Opry was ... how do I describe it? Nope I can't. It was huge, with balconies indoors, and a show band and millions of cheerleaders roaming around. And stores and a little stream...you can take a boat ride ...ok...like West Edmonton Mall....but a little more condensed.

Nashville also has a Parthenon...yes, a duplicate of the one in Greece. Very real looking - apparently it is an exact duplicate. It had ugly red and green Christmas lights on it when we were there though. Must go back to Nashville.

For those of you who keep asking - no, we still haven't made it to Graceland to see Elvis (8 hours away!) or to Dollywood (30 min. away). Don't worry I'll let you know!

More adventures later! Happy New Year!

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Photos

Grand Ole Opry
A visit to the birthplace of country music!