Way to survive in America - 1

Everyone dreams on coming to America. We see films about Americans having huge cars, houses, going in vacations, eating out, etc. This is the place people go to to find that piece of land with oil or gold and get rich. The streets paced with gold (in reality streets in New Jersey aren't paved very often). So what is it: the land of "sex and the city" or the land of "desperate housewives", or is it the land of "human trafficking" or the land of "precious". The answer is: all of the above but neither is unlikely to apply to you. 
As anywhere else, it is easy to be born in the country, have family there and be well established beforehand. Everything in US is based on your credit history. You start as early as 18 building your credit score, earning credibility with the banks and other lenders. By graduation you are well on your way to put yourself in debt but it's ok, as you're an American and can reapply to other loans to cover the previous one. It doesn't matter if one has a debt. As long as you pay out some of it regularly, you are automatically classified as a good customer. Everyone is happy to do business with you. Let me clarify this in a mathematical way: this is induction - n+1 is easy for n > 1.
And then we, as we, immigrants, temporal workers, foreigners - come in. Just to get started can be a problem. The whole system is based on your credit score and not the size of your bank account or paycheck. So no credit history usually just leads to denial from lenders because you have no history of being a good payer and, consequently, you're considered as a bad payer. You're in the n = 0 case and the induction method fails. So in the country of immigrants, the system is set up a la "catch - 22". Fabulous. 
So what do one do? The solution: bite the bullet, set up a prepaid credit card,  be prepared to buy everything cash first 6 - 12 months, and wait patiently. 
At the end of the day, here, it doesn't matter whether you use tons of dollars or you use 8$ to netflex. One day you will be at the bank and just like magic you will be offered credit cards with limit of 10.000$. 

Nope, I guess not. 

Summer 2013

So we didn't start on a good foot while flying to Paris. As usual, nothing new there, we were placed in 3 different row, while Masha got the honor to get a sit with the bassinet. It really felt like

However due to my diplomatic negotiation with another Jewish family, who was by the way split as well, we managed to reorganize the sits and we were good on our way.

Upon the arrival to Nice, France (the transfer and all, was quite quick) I realized the meaning of the game (AirFrance quiz of the day on the monitors)

Out of all the pieces we had, they manage to loose the most essential, our stroller (trust me you don't want to carry my 10 kg to carry around).

Anyway, it was time to travel and 4,5 hours later with one 5.5 year old with the fever in the back of the car, we arrived to "la mer"


Anyway, it was also time to teach my kids about some other countries then United States of America.

Anyway, after a week at the sea, we headed to the Alps...

Hiking, horse-back riding, biking, swimming, all the activities in the world. At the beginning, it was hard for some to understand that go, means go, but at the end of the day, everyone enjoyed nature and challenges.
So sit back and enjoy the show.

Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results (Rita Mae Brown)

Interesting how people can do everything in their power to save their asses. Interesting how others choose to believe the lies and sing "la-la-la".
So here I am, standing again, again in the same situation as a year ago, or two years ago and again, again history repeats itself.
Here we are again, struggling with the same issues, people, knowing what the result will be. Here we are again, seeing the insanity and knowing that nothing will be changed, everyone will be smiling, lives will be screwed up and life will be continuing will the next time.
Again I can see and as of today, I know with hard facts, that Morten has been lied to again, again I know that if he addresses the fact, he will be told to shut up, and again I can see the company screwing his life. And I wish I could do something but pray. I wish I could go and put the facts on the table and say: "Hey, b...., how about that? shouldn't you be fired?" But I can't, so the only thing I can do is to suggest the following: