Well planned is half way done....

With that motto in mind I started preparing my move to US since July.

For nearly 5 months I was living according to all kinds of project plans...one for the move, one for wedding preparation and few for my work related projects :o)

It has of course the benefits that one will most likely be well prepared for the day when the moving company comes. Not sure though that my fiance was overly happy when I decided to give away the tv already in September to our German friends...

The rising piles of boxes serves positively for one thing, the urge to move keeps increasing. The place one felt at home has changed into a warehouse. It helps a lot to overcome the mental and emotional side of things. As there are no preparations plans which would come with the tool "skip the emotional hurdle".

The past months have been at times a roller-coaster. Within one day one goes from from being totally excited and happy about the change in life to the other extreme...being sad about the increasing geographical distance and time difference to most friends and family. It was great medicine that my fiance and myself were actually able to go through this time together. It keeps reminding in concrete way the fantastic reason of ripping oneself off from the platform and rocketing to Houston to build a new one.

Generally I think that having lived the past year together in Finland has equipped us well for the future adventures ;o) My fiance knows the environment well, what I used to call home for the past 6 years and what kind of food I consider my comfort food. Though he keeps laughing and wondering how anyone can eat caviar paste (aka by him as "fish liver paste") :o)

Having sold and donated half of the house....somehow on the moving day I realize that still one gets confronted with the question:" Mistä tätä kamaa tulee?" / "Where is all this stuff coming from?" (famous Finnish mobile company commercial had similar slogan).

So, we start the new journey with souveniers coming from Finland in 108 boxes in about one months time. Then not just Houston will have a problem but till then we need to find space in our new home (which used to be my fiance's man cave) :o)

Excursion to my new future

Sometimes things just fall into their places...
Unexpectedly I got the chance to get view on my own to the American daily life prior to moving.
One week in Mobile (which is funny enough pronounced like mobil due to the Native Americans Mobilians http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobilian), Alabama is a great way to get the pre-taste of what will soon be my new life in America.

It's the little things that one starts paying attention to and appreciate when being outside the familiar surroundings.
My TomTom (aka Tomski) did not cooperate before the flight and thus I had no US map available when I took off from the Mobile airport with the rental car. Trusted enough to my wash proof Finnish orientation skills and decided that I will give it a shot to find my way to the hotel without navigation system. Worked out beautifully.

Managed to even amaze 3 Norwegians , whom I got to know at the Atlanta airport while waiting for the Mobile flight. They happened to stay in the same hotel with me. We left from the airport roughly at the same time, they took taxi and I drove my rental car. I arrived at the hotel only few minutes after them. Long live Finnish orientation classes! (....which though everyone dislikes greatly at school age but they do seem service the purpose)

This morning, when driving to the project site, again without navigation...was really smiling and feeling like singing "Living in America...."

I know it sounds silly as such.... But if one looks alone at the traffic signs, they are so different from each other (Finnish vs American). Another thing is that Finnish style to give indication in the traffic is more "search and you shall find guidance", where as American style is "we will inform you even those things, which are self evident".  The first time on the road in Texas during summer holiday felt like information overload. Here in Alabama that feeling followed during the first day. But one starts getting used to the busy scenery and learns rather targeted approach to get the necessary information.

Hope I can get a photo as an example of one of the intersections, where the amount of traffic sign pile in Mobile, Alabama looks like equally busy as the advertisement for Black Friday sales. Also noticed that at least cars in Alabama do not carry license plate in the front of the car. I know totally unimportant...but just shows that one really pays attention on a whole different level when being outside the comfort zone.

Alone today's experience here has definitely increased my confidence of being able to adopt rather fast to the local culture(s).
The feeling was amazing when I got to the office...that I will not forget so easily. I was smiling the whole drive and thinking to myself: "This is pretty awesome, I am driving to work in USA!" (I never could have imagined to get to live there one day, yet it has always been a dream hidden somewhere deep.