We got our NZ Residence Visas this week, yay! Now Darin can get a job if he wants, and we can come and go from the country as we please. The process went surprisingly fast. I submitted the Skilled Migrant application October 19, added a few documents to complete the application in early November, and we had a letter from the Immigration office at the end of Nov. We gave them our US passports, and they sent them back about 10 days later with the residence visa and returning resident's permit stamps.
The whole process has taken less than a year. I began applying for a Work Permit back in April 2006, and had it by the end of May. We later (June I think) applied for residence by first submitting an Expression of Interest. I had already completed the chest xray, medical review, and police certificate for my work permit, but Darin was not included in the work permit- he had to enter the country with a return flight and visitor's permit, only good for a few months. He would have applied for an extension if the residence app. were not approved so fast.
The photos are of Fargo and me at Bethell's Beach, a 20 min drive from our home. Isn't he handsome? Too bad his movement is such a mess. Still he loves to run, and got a real workout chasing the ball. He needs to be ready to run lure coursing this weekend! The borzoi breeder we met at the dog show invited us to come out this Sunday.
I've taken the train to work 3 days in the past week, and it's very comfortable. The train station in Swanson is kept very clean and nice, and I get on near the end of the line so there's always free seats to choose. By the time we get another 2 stops along the line, the train is full at commute time. It's $5 each way, but it's more affordable if you buy a pass. It takes about an hour to get to work on the train, which is about what the drive takes in commuter traffic.
In other news, our shipping container was delivered on Monday. Darin and the movers put it into the garage at our new house (we don't move in until Dec 15). MAF inspected 28 boxes, but approved everything! "Sweet as" is how they would express pleasure in NZ. I retrieved the dog toenail clippers last night, but not much else is accessable.
In animal updates, the cows got sacrificed today. They've gone to the butcher for processing. Darin saved the liver and hearts for dog and cat food. Fargo barely chewed the big chunk of boiled liver I fed him for dinner. The cats are doing ok. Darin made them a great toy with some feathers we saved from the turkeys. We saw the turkeys crossing the road on Monday- they are still preferring to hang around the neighbor's lifestyle block.
