Here’s some of the things I’ve learned so far:
Sometimes it gets 'cold' in Florida
Admittedly when we first landed it was a lovely 28C (or 82F as I’m having to get used to saying) but since then it’s been colder than some parts of the UK. This has been a disappointment as I have mostly packed t-shirts and shorts with all of my warmer clothes currently travelling across the Atlantic Ocean in a shipping container. Which brings me to my second point…
Container ships don’t travel in a straight line
There is a ship equivalent of Flight Radar where you can track ships across the globe - I’ve had great fun watching the ship carrying all our household furniture travel from Southampton, UK to Le Havre in France and then onto Rotterdam in the Netherlands. I’m hoping at some point it will start travelling west!
You can’t do anything without a Social Security Number
Open a bank account? No. Get a credit card? No. Get somewhere to live? No. Get health insurance? No. So there I am, 12 hours after landing in the US, heading off to my local Social Security Administration office to be greeted by the fully armed security officer who explained that the waiting time for walk-ins was about 2-3 hours! And what's more, if they call your number and you happen to be outside, you have to come back the next day.
I like working around other people
Like many companies during and post Covid times, Vevox has found a new, flexible way of working that sees most people finding their own balance between working from home and working in the office with colleagues. I, like many others, have found the flexibility hugely beneficial as it’s allowed me to work from home some days to take my daughter to and from nursery school, whilst still getting into the office once or twice a week to spend time collaborating with and just enjoying the company of my colleagues. I’m still working out what my routine will look like in Florida, but I’ve been very fortunate to find an awesome co-working space at Groundswell in Melbourne. I’m already looking forward to the next Food Truck Friday.
Being in the same or similar time zone to our customers is nice
I love talking to our customers and I’m usually pretty happy to stay up a bit late to do so if they’re in a different time zone. However, it is nice to be running getting started training - like with Creighton University this week - where it doesn’t clash with the bed and bathtime routine at home.
In summary, it’s been a great first week. We’ve still got loads to sort out….a bank account, somewhere to live, getting more US to UK power adaptors, but day by day we’re getting things ticked off.
