Wednesday 3 March 2010

Starting Over

It's a year ago today that I got on the aeroplane that took me from Scotland to London, to Amsterdam, to Chicago and finally to Las Vegas.

It's been a busy year. It's been a fine year in many ways, I got married for one, buts its also been difficult. I found it harder than I thought it would be to start over from scratch. I thought I had a fairly realistic grip on how hard things might be. It turned out that I didn't give my impatience enough credit. Timing probably didn't help. If I had made such a move any year before or after things might just have been a little easier. What's done is done, and cannot be undone.

Yesterday I got the first response from the advert I placed last week, another 39 customers like that and 2010 should be a good year for the two of us. I say that like its going to be easy. When I started the first time around I had 5 or 6 people in the first 2 weeks because I knew people in the area. That in itself was able to give me a fairly easy start in business, from there I was able to get new clients from word of mouth by the standard of my work. This time though, in part from not knowing anyone in the area and the bad economy its definitely going to be a harder start.

That said I'm a 'the glass is half full' kind of guy. It might just be one customer today but from little acorns mighty oaks do grow. I'm definitely the optimist in the relationship. I dream of the future that we can have some day, she acts like the balancing rod that reminds me its not quite happening yet. My impatience is getting the better of me now.


I'm anxious for my American Dream to begin to unfold. Funny that, I never much believed in the American Dream before. I didn't see why the USA should have a monopoly on that particular dream. I always thought that dream could be transplanted anywhere. Of course I never saw myself coming to these shores, funny how life turns out.

Now that I'm here I want to be able to buy us a cheap little house. A place that we can do up, maybe put in some nice wooden floors, a new kitchen, change the bathroom, paint the walls, plant a few trees in the garden and raise some chickens so that the wife can have some eggs in the morning. Maybe if I'm still writing, and you are still reading, you'll see that happen in around 3 years or so. Right now though I'm getting ahead of myself. But damn it feels good to dream. Now for the hard work - making it happen.




Listening to: Paul Kelly - From Little Things Big Things Grow

8 comments:

Someone Said said...

Best of luck with your adjustment. My wife's been here for good since May and starts work very soon.

PurestGreen said...

It will happen. That's a huge transition from Scotland to Vegas. Just keep slogging away and things will start to unfold.

A Daft Scots Lass said...

I love that little house.

Scotsman said...

Someone Said - I hope your wife hasn't been as frustrated as I have been waiting for the opportunity to work.

PurestGreen: I will.

Gillian: I think it would make a cute little family home. Very American looking too with that white picket balcony. Some day.

Someone Said said...

It was a bit frustrating. She's had her work permit since autumn, got her green card in November. The good news is she starts work on Monday!

LarryLilly said...

I still shake my head at a Scotsman living in Utah.

Married to a woman from Chile. Man, who said that the world isnt made up of perfectly fitting but out of sorts people.

The American dream is what you want it to be, and it can be a Chilean/Scottish dream as well.

My great granddad had a dream to leave Italy and come to this country.

Scotsman said...

Someone Said: I never realised what a good thing I had being a citizen of the European Union where I could have worked in 25 countries with nothing more than my passport. I took that right for granted and never used it, except of course in my home country. I'm convinced the system here is designed to appeal to the Republicans that don't believe that immigration can be a good thing AND also an additional way of bringing in money. That said if the process was easier I think the country could make more money from taxes sooner.

Larrylily: I shake my head too. There are times we both do.

I knew a man who left Italy to start a new life in New York, he got as far as Scotland because that was all he could afford at the time and never left. Made damn good ice cream, don't know about his grandson's gardening skills though.

Madame DeFarge said...

Hope the dream comes true. It sounds like a fine one to have.