I decided yesterday to fill out an application for here at Norton Sound. My life flashed before my eyes the other day when I realized if I didn't stay here I would have to move back to Memphis and be absolutely miserable.
I haven't received an offer letter yet for hire, but it's pretty much a done deal. They have to do a background check on me, which I know will come out fine since I am an upstanding pillar of any community I so choose to join...
So, after 2 and a half years of travelling I have finally made the decision to lay down a few roots here in Nome for a few years.
I am very happy with the choice that I have made. I will be getting paid a great wage, I will get a relocation fund, a sign on bonus, and the difference in what I get paid now versus when I return as a permanent will cover what I would pay in rent every month. It all works out quite well.
Tomorrow while I am off work (finally! It has been a long hellacious week) I am going to take care of some business around town in preparation. I will go to the post office and get a PO Box, since there are no mail boxes in Nome. I will have to open a bank account at Wells Fargo, and I will have to start shopping around for apartments to rent and things I will need for here.
I will need a TV to start. I will die without one :) And most p[laces up here are furnished with furniture, etc...but I have issues with sleeping on a used mattress so I think I will splurge on a really fancy air mattress.
I am swimming with all the things I need to do! Any suggestions from anyone for a permanent move from the Lower 48 to the great big state of Alaska where shipping costs are through the roof? I am already aware of parcel posting for which I will be doing, just need more suggestions...
I'm excited!
2 comments:
Congratulations on the move! Per your post, some things that I would suggest:
1. Statements, bills, transactions. If possible, see how much would be able to be done online. Automatic bill-pays work well for me (except for my electric company, the one coming out of bankruptcy).
2. Good hi-speed internet connection. I consider this an essential. I seldom watch TV anymore, using it for movies, while I stream some shows and other documentaries off my computer.
3. If book space is a problem, you may want to look at the Kindle. It is a small computer tablet, where you can buy / download and read books (think Star Trek: TNG), and it hold a whole lot of books. Amazon's got some up on their site.
4. Apartments. When I moved down to New Orleans after Katrina, I made sure I got the apartment in the area I felt the most comfortable and safe in. I'd look at least a few, and, unless price differences are severe, have cost as 2nd - 3rd on the list.
4. USPS. Make sure, when you get your new apartment, to get the USPS card to direct all of your mail to the PO number.
5. Insurance and investments. Contact any insurance and investment firms you deal with, and inform of the move. I found that my broker was not licensed in LA, and had to find a new one. Also, if you move to a new state, the car insurance premium may go up / down.
6. Renters insurance. Highly recommended, because most apartments will not give any (I'd still recommend asking the apartment owners about it).
That's about all I can think of right now.
Thanks for the advice Brian! But please allow me to inform you on how things have to be so doggone difficult here in Nome:....
Hi speed internet comes when it wants to. We are so remote that our net gets knocked out at the drop of a hat :(
Book space is not an issue, but I REALLY want a Kindle BAD!!!!
Apartments: a studio up here can cost $800. Rent up here is retarded! There aren't any 'areas' to pick from since there are only 3,500 people who live here in Nome, and living in the next town over is not an option since we are remote and can only be accessed by plane, boat, dogsled.....I'm serious!
The PO Box is going to be retrieved today, so I'm good!
I am really trying to find the cheaest most reliable way to have all my belongings up here from Memphis...It's going to be costly no matter how I do it...
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