The 14 day countdown has begun. I have completed the vast majority of prep tasks I had given myself, and am reasonably sure that this thing will start off without a hitch. I'm now officially immune to Hep A, am coming closer to securing housing in some key places, have agonized over how many pairs of socks is too many, and have been to about 20 shoestores looking for the perfect boot - just to decided to stick with my Chacos and some old tennis sneakers. Since I had to leave Rowan to his regular nanny on Friday, I now have two weeks of free time to pack and repack my bag, and come up with new and ingenious ways of improving on my equipment.
Now to the major event of the week. If you haven't been following the the saga up close, I 'll just say that the issue of my visa to stay in the United States has been more than torturous over the last 6 years. I have been stumbling through a variety of student and work visas with the constant threat of being uprooted and booted out of the country, all the while doggedly working on my petition for permanent residency. The first part of this petition was approved last week - and yesterday, my former employer signed on to continue to sponsor it - so I will be able to pick up my green card within a year. This is totally unexpected and a miraculous turnaround in my endless quest to stay in Portland and live with my partner of six years, Rebecca. Now, after my stint at the University in Berlin I will for the first time be free to live and work whenever and wherever I want in the USA - after paying taxes here for eleven years. Uffda. Trust me...I'll quit the first job I get, just because I can.
But back to my travels in C.A. My itinerary is shifting a little as I read and hear more about my candidate countries. I will still start in Mexico, but am almost certain that I will spend a lot of time in Guatemala and Belize, and probably less or none in Honduras. I am planning on spending Semana Santa in San Cristobal de las Casas, and am looking towards Belize for the end of May. The month in between those two dates is likely to involve Guatemala, and hopefully a little time on a boat...somewhere. Well, not a lot of detail here, but enough to give my trip a little structure. I feel fine about it...I think.