I just arrived yesterday here in Jersey.  I called it Mission Impossible because I am trying to do something which I have really no clear idea how to accomplish.  So basically, this visit is a mixture of a sojourn or a visit to my old friends and seeing old places where I used to live.  I think this is my own version of a midlife crisis.  I have been attempting to get a remote developer position for the past month or so and have not been lucky to get one.  I am not that surprised though.  The closest I had was an interview with a Seattle company but they ended up still hiring someone local.  There were many responses at the beginning but they were not aware that I was going to be offshore.  Almost everyone that I spoke to wanted someone onsite.

The itinerary I chose is also somewhat wacky.  My hubby and I flew from the Philippines to Amsterdam and I stayed there for a week to attend the wedding of my sister in law.  After 5 days I knew I could only stand living there for one more day.  It seems that everytime I visit Amsterdam, I feel more and more of a stranger to the country.  What with all the stares I get and all the awkward conversations I had with both Dutch people and fellow foreigners (allochtonen) like me.  At some instance, I even had a fellow foreigner bully me into listening to her strange stories and crazy comments about me and my hubby.

When I was called for second interview right at the port of entry (and a thorough luggage search) I wasn’t surprised after telling them my weird but true story and the fact that I flew to North America by way of Amsterdam.  I knew I might trigger red flags. However,  after also spending a week with my family in Canada whom I really missed I also felt out of place and couldn’t find a quiet place to do anything worthwhile. The kids were all over the place (and all over me). I needed room to breathe.

That is why now I continued my sojourn into my past.  I found myself an affordable but comfy place right in South Jersey where I used to live.  The flight yesterday was quite painless.  The only trouble is that traveling alone without my hubby is such a chore with 2 pcs of luggage I had to roll around by myself across the Philadelphia airport towards the rental car shuttle and on towards the rental car office.    I was pretty sure my reservation said Prius or any midsize car but for some reason the agent said that is 10$ extra per day.  Are they scamming me or what?  I was too tired to argue so I just said fine whatever.  It turns out they didn’t even have a Prius. Oh well, nevermind then.  I ended up with a cute Kia Soul which I am not even sure counts as midsize.  With the insurance added, the total cost doubled.  Grr.  Can I downgrade? They said no.  Ok fine here’s my card.

Driving was so easy.  I didn’t even have to use my phone’s GPS which suddenly lost it’s voice.  It bailed out on me.  I’m just so glad I still remember the area (in general).   I used to live there back in 2002 anyways.    I arrived in the hotel without getting lost.

The (stupid)/(careless) concierge told me my name was not found in the computer.  I told her it was prepaid.  She said maybe I booked in the other branch. Duh!  I was about to show her the documents when she suddenly said she found my record.  She was looking at another date.

The room I got was fine although the TV was quite outdated and the remote not working right: every button was just adding -1 to the channel and there is no working power off button.  I decided to keep my dinner simple by buying something I like from the supermarket.  After all, I have a nice little fridge here.

I didn’t have a nice long sleep but I felt rested nevertheless.  I had free breakfast downstairs.  The breakfast was of course not remarkable.  The eggs had a weird smell to it so I kinda skipped it. They had canadian bacon though which I gladly put in between 2 slices of brown bread.  Fresh juices on the vending machine and cereals. They also had muffins too.  After that, I asked the concierge (new shift) if I could change to another room that is not adjoined (has door that opens to other room).  Creepy especially for someone alone like me.   Luckily she allowed me to move to another room.  The TV was the same, remote was the same but this time the channels can go forward and backwards.  Don’t get me wrong.  This hotel isn’t a scary bates motellish motor inn.  It’s kinda even +1 in luxury compared to Best Western: the beds were comfy, everything was also very clean and a high rise with elevators.  A plus for a security conscious and half scared / half brave adventurer like me.

I have talked to my cousin today who is currently in North Jersey and had received an invitation from a friend from the Philly suburbs for a stay this weekend.  As of now, I am still not sure whether I should go with my cousin on the 4th of July to watch the Manhattan skyline fireworks with her friends or attend a July 4 party in the suburbs.  I am partial to the fireworks but my cousin said if it’s possible I should do both.  There is another friend I contacted by email (who has a baby) but has not answered my phone calls.

I also received a short but thoughtful email from my nephew back in Canada. Today, I revisited my favorite PHO restaurant for lunchwhich MrC also liked.  The small bowl of pho was still $6.  I also tried to visit an Apple store but there was no Ipad with 3g available.  I got myself a phone mount.