My job situation is plodding along nicely--I'm working as an adjunct for two online schools now, so even if one school reduced my course load, we'd still be able to make ends meet. So, we decided to take the plunge and plan to return to Texas for Christmas. My grandparents are getting very old, and if Kristian is ever going to meet them, it's probably unwise to wait until after his immigration paperwork goes through (we haven't actually done more than gather papers for that process: he won't be allowed to enter the US at all while it's being processed, and we wanted him to make one visit before we started with immigration).
Many people don't know this, but the US requires people from many countries to get an actual visa just to visit the country. We Americans can enter almost any country in the world on the strength of our passports: I could actually go LIVE in Serbia--for example--indefinitely with only my passport. Croatians are not so lucky. They need a visa just to visit the States.
So, we put in his application--it's online, but it's long. One amusing question asked if the applicant intends to enter the country as part of a terrorist organization. I'd like to know if anyone ever clicks "Yes."
Then we scheduled an appointment for him to interview at the embassy. Then we gathered paperwork: a letter from his boss, mainly, and a form from my parents promising to pay for his support while he's in the country. We have to go to the bank today to pay the $140 application fee (yes, that's right: more than it costs to apply to Stanford's PhD program). Then, on Tuesday, we travel to Zagreb and he goes in for the interview. I hope all goes well. He dreams of firing guns and visiting the Nike outlet and Red Lobster...I just want the experience of being with my husband in my home country. That is a weird thing to realize: my spouse has never set foot in my homeland.
Wednesday
Green onions: who knew?
A few weeks ago, I read in the clueless cook's handbook about something interesting you can do with green onions after you've chopped up the green parts: replant the bulbs and watch them grow! I've had trouble finding good green onions in the stores here. If I can find them, they're often brown and wilted, so I jumped at the prospect of a continual harvest of green onions. I stuck the bulbs down in a pot, gave them a little water, and went to Osijek for the weekend with Kristian. When we got back, here's what I had:
I think tonight, it's time for a stir-fry!
Pretty cool, huh? Three or four weeks later, they've grown into this:
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