So here's my beef..

​We have to live and in order to live, we need.
We need food, water, a place to keep warm and a place to sleep and that's the barest of our necessities.

In order to live we have to afford life. And so... we have to find our means in order to survive a standard of life. This usually means work.
I just want to clarify - I am not against work! I do not believe everything or even anything should be given to us on a plate. I enjoy working and actually find that I go a little mental without the focus of it. But, whilst many of us our running ourselves flat finding ways to afford life, we forget to live.

The literal definition of 'live' is to simply 'remain alive'. How depressing is that?!!
For the sake of this post and for the sake of humanity (wow, dramatic!), I'm going to disagree.

How many times have we heard the phrase 'Stop, and smell the roses'? I can't tell you how often that concept has saved me from going down, down, down into various pits of mental despair. I'm a person that thinks a lot and analyses wayyyyy too much and know I am not the only culprit of this self destructive crime.
A couple of weeks back now, Juan and I were staying at my auntie's place in Cedar Hills. We were driving ourselves and each other nuts. Every day endless job searching or working on the computer and then feeling low at the end of the day from the lack of progress.
Then one evening, though not even particularly nice outside - we decided to head to the canyons. And then.. NATURE. Flippin' nature. We underrate and so easily forget the power that nature has on our body and our soul. I know, I hear it. I sound like a complete hippie. But as soon as we entered the space in between the mountains to get on the road through the canyons, I was lost. The air, the sound of the rushing streams, the sight of the magnificent cliffs, the smell of rain, sound of thunder.. we were both overwhelmed and then totally empowered by nature.
We stopped the car to investigate. And what's the only way to investigate fully in a place like this? Barefoot.
To be close to, to touch and be completely surrounded by and submerged in nature reminded us that we are indeed the very same. I know I sound romanticized and maybe even a little high, but this realisation has really helped Juan and I - individually and together.

Creating a balance of doing what we need to do, getting what we need to get done, done and giving ourselves a break from our persistent surroundings (and technology!) is a battle that we as human beings face constantly as part of the rat race . But we are here, on this earth and it is a theory that we are all hippie's at heart.
Nature is incredibly healing and uber, uber energising!! I don't care or want to know the sciences behind it. All I know is that being around it heals me from head to foot, outside to inside and back out again. This feeling helps gain perspective on life's inevitable and unavoidable pressures and that is something money can not buy us.
So let's embrace our hippie souls.. take our socks off, run up a mountain, collect stones and thorns in our toes (yes, an event that has actually happened recently)... and LIVE.

Peace out
~ talia

I've been nervous to drive in the U.S.
Why? They drive on the other side of the road, on the other side of the car, the junctions are massive, there's about a hundred or so lanes to choose from and you're allowed to turn right at a red light!!!!!!????? Utter, complete CRAZINESS!! (complaining about that made me feel stupidly English by the way!)

But today, I did it. Actually, I'm feeling confident. Conquered. I conquered it.
First, I drove Juan's stick shift (apologies for the American term) and then Shery's (my sister-in-law's) automatic. And I loved it. The first time I've driven in America and the first time I've driven an automatic. The weather was perfect. It's been five months since I've driven at all and I hadn't realised just how free driving can make you feel. It sounds silly and terribly dramatic but it made me feel adventurous and actually kind of euphoric.

In other news, I also managed to secure myself a volunteer position at a special school - I start next Thursday -- and I learnt a new meal at Elvira's place -- then to top it off.. I remembered the way home
- in the car
- in a foreign country.
(maybe not that impressive but my husband uses his GPS to get everywhere, even to places that are literally a few miles away!)
ALSO... I'm officially a legal alien! *Insert awful rendition of Sting's Legal Alien here*. Three of my immigration receipts have come back this week and on the top line of each of them sits my alien number;)

Small achievements, yes.
But to me they feel like big, big achievements. And that means progress..
And when you find yourself in these life situations, the little things really do make all the difference.

I'm a very happy bunny today.

My rents won't believe it, my friends won't believe it, my husband sees and tastes it and he barely believes it... but yes, I have been cooking.

Before I continue you must know that I have a history of experimental, disastrous but mostly and simply just BAD cooking.
I once burnt a pan of poached eggs so badly that I had to leave it outside on the front doorstep to avoid toxic poisoning (from the melted plastic), only for the postman to later feel the need to ring on the doorbell, present me with the pan and ask 'Is this yours?'. As you can guess that pan ended up going straight into the dustbin (after the smells had decreased in toxicity of course...).
This only caused minor embarrassment compared to the countless number of burnt baked goods and experimental 'blue cheese sausage and chicken hot pot'.

So there we have it, proof of my awful cooking skills. It was never that I didn't want to cook or couldn't be bothered, just that whenever I did, every failure just took away another chunk of my motivation to try. But then something happened that rekindled my motivation and wants to reattempt this cooking business... WIFE DUTIES.

As I've mentioned before, my engagement, wedding and marriage happened all kind of at once. There was little time to prepare a celebration let alone time to consider any wife prep. SO.. taking my living circumstances to their complete advantage my mother-in-love has taken the liberty at teaching me a few things.
Before I was even dating her son, Fatima's cooking was literally the best thing I have ever tasted. NO exaggeration! Like, actual, complete top restaurant quality and with lots of Venezuelan and Portuguese style foods.
I have learnt many tips and quite a few recipes. Simple things like Arepa's, Rice, Fried Plantain, Salted Potatoes and a few more complicated dishes such as Seasoned Tilapia, Seafood Piella and Gordon Blue. Honestly, I'm loving it.

We have another friend that's been teaching me too. A wonderful lady from Mexico that cooks Mexican food like a boss. I am having lessons at her house a few times a week. My favourite meal so far has been Tostadas. And their so, so simple. I'm no good at writing down recipes or methods. I make notes of my own but I know only I would be able to cook from the unidentifiable scribblings. But here is an attempt at what you do... essentially..

- Cook meat (any cut of beef) in a slow cooker - add water, whole onions and salt and let cook for six hours or so. (sounds like a long time but if you put it on in the morning before you go to work you'll be sorted.)
- Wash Pinto beans and slow cook them for three hours - add salt.
- Make tomato sauce (not like ketchup!) - chop and put tomatoes into a pan with the water from the slow cooked meat (do not add extra salt!!!).. wait till the tomatoes are soft then mix in blender, adding oregano.

You're then pretty much ready to start plating up..

- Take two tortillas at a time and fry them in a pan of oil, covering and flipping them until they're crispy. (make sure oil is on high heat setting)
- Take an already fried tortilla, spread on the pinto bean mixture (put beans into pan just to heat up and make extra smooth), shred the meat and place atop of the beans, drizzle the tomato sauce over your Tostada... DONE.

Serve with lettuce (to maintain ultimate freshness level whilst already chopped, leave submerged in water), chopped red onions, cheese (optional), sour cream and salsa (also optional)
​It really is very simple and when you layer everything up the taste is just so fantastic.. my tummy is rumbling at the very thought!

I've also learnt that it's better not to be so specific on ingredient amounts, but to try and measure with only the judgement of your eyes and taste-buds.

I'm still very much a beginner but so far I'm really enjoying it. Every course that turns out good gives me just a little bit more confidence to try next time. This Sunday Juan's Mum and Dad go away for a month and it will be the first time I'm in charge of feeding the two of us. Something that maybe doesn't daunt every twenty three year old, with a possible few years of student-skilled cooking and maybe young adult or even childhood of culinary skills behind them. Truth be told, and maybe I should be ashamed, but it does really daunt me. But I'm really excited to try. After all, it won't be long before scheduling a week of meals, on a weekly basis is just part of ordinary life.. (whatever ordinary life is????!!!)

Well,
WISH ME LUCK.....

(below evidence of my new exotic cooking skills. Tostadas - bottom left)

Life at the moment is really beautiful, but also kinda, a little bit hard.

Being away from my home and the people I love back in England is hard for me. Not being able to find a job is hard for Juan Carlos.
And together, it's hard not to feel disheartened.

We are trying every day to change that which is in our power to change and better our situation whilst also trying to stay positive. It can be difficult sometimes. As I have mentioned in previous posts, financially we find ourselves staying at Juan's parents house - which has been a complete blessing. In fact, quite frankly, I don't think I could be blessed with better In-Laws or "In-Loves" as my Mother-In-Law would say (she's adorable.)

So something that has really helped our mentality and state of mind as a newly wedded couple staying in our parents house is a little difference through our surroundings. Before we were married I was already staying in Juan's house, but in a separate room down the hall with his cousin Nahomi. After we were married, suddenly I was not only allowed to, but was meant to stay in his room. ​It felt really odd, like I was just staying in my boyfriends room. But through a little bit of decoration things have felt a whole lot different.

We changed the duvet cover from blue checks to something with a little bit more of a feminine look. Added a shelf and few trinkets collected from my time here mixed with a few books. I also decided to move all the things from the room I was staying in into Juan's room. There wasn't room for my clothes BUT there is a closet just outside of our room, so moved all my things into that. We also put up a few pictures of the two of us and added a few decorative gifts from the wedding and whala!.. It has made a real difference. It now feels like we're properly sharing our space and although our living situation isn't ideal at the moment, just having everything together makes us feel more like we're married. And I actually think Juan secretly doesn't mind the birdy bed covers and floral pillow cases.

It's crazy what power a few bits of decoration can have on the mind and how fun it can be to work solely with what you already have. I've also found that keeping things tidy, keeping our clothes in the closet (and not on the floor), and making the bed everyday does wonders for a positive and productive mind!!! ​​ And it's got me really excited for when we can start decorating and begin looking after a place of our own.

I have been in the states for three months now and the last two months we have spent trying to sort and figure out the immigration process. Now let me tell you, it got very confusing at times whilst trying to seek the right advice.

 ~One person told us there would only be a few forms to fill out and that we needed to make sure that we got married at least 60 days after I arrived in the U.S. We were also told that I should have all forms ready to be sent off the instant we got married. 

~Another person told us we needed one form only; Adjustment of Status.

~A lawyer gave us a long list of forms that we were required to provide (including invalid information about death certification:/)

Fed-up, I decided to call the immigration department at USCIS and was informed that I would have no way of even knowing what forms I'd be eligible for until after I was married... 

So in the assumption that this was the most correct and legitimate advice I was going to recieve, I took it. We got married on April 15th and called the same immigration department after our honey moon (as previously instructed) - to then find out that all the forms I had been told about (the first time round) were exactly the forms I needed to fill out. I was very annoyed... I could have been filling these out this whole time!!!

ANYWAY. AND HERE IS MY MOST VALUABLE PIECE OF ADVICE.. GO STRAIGHT TO THE IMMIGRATION OFFICE OF STATE. 

Frustrated at being told ten hundred different things, we went straight to the Utah county immigration office and my husband was very clever at getting us an appointment then and there -  instead of having to wait two weeks. (another thing he's taught me - if you don't ask you definitely won't get!) We got to sit down with an immigration adviser and he gave us a list of absolutely everything we needed to provide. He also told us that I needed to get a Medical Examination (which we had not been informed of previously) and the best part of all this is that this information and advice was absolutely free. 

Below is a copy of the contents page that I included in my immigration packet;

​     Beneficiary – Talia Grace Diaz
     Sponsor – Juan Carlos Diaz (Beneficiary’s Husband)
     Joint Sponsor – Juan Carlos Diaz (Beneficiary’s Father-In-Law)
 
Contents of Immigration Packet; In this Order:

     Two Photos of Beneficiary, One Photo of Sponsor

• Results of Immigration Medical Examination (Within Sealed Envelope from Utah County Health Department)
• Form I-485
• Form I-765
• Form G-325 (Beneficiary)
• Marriage License
• Copy of Beneficiary’s Birth Certificate
• Copy of Beneficiary’s Passport Data Page
• Copy of Beneficiary’s Arrival Stamp
• Copy of Beneficiary’s I-94 Info
• Copy of Beneficiary’s ESTA
• Form I-130
• Form G-325 (Sponsor)
• Form I-864 (Sponsor) – Including Handwritten, Signed Letter of Explanation
• Full Copy of Passport (Sponsor)
• Copy of Social Security No. (Sponsor)
• Form I-864 (Joint Sponsor) – Including Handwritten, Signed Letter of Explanation
• Copy of Certification of Naturalization (Joint Sponsor)
• Copy of Business License (Joint Sponsor)
• Copy of 2014 Tax Return
• Copy of 2014 Tax Return – More Info
• Copy of ‘Application for Automatic Extension of Time To File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return’ For 2015 Letter

I also included and enclosed two separate cheques to cover the filing fee’s.
One amounted to $420 and the other amounted to $1,070

I wanted to do a post about immigration to help clear things up for anyone else that may find themselves in the same frustrating loop hole we did!!

So some extra information to note.

Having a joint sponsor is optional and is not always done. The point of having a sponsor is that they are there to show that you have someone that is financially viable for you. Our circumstances at the moment - Juan Carlos is unemployed and we are currently staying with his parents - meant that we had to make sure  that my financial support was shown in some other way. 
Another few variables with our situation is that Juan Carlos' Father is self employed so instead of showing proof of employment and a tax return we had to send a copy of his business license and copies of his business tax returns.
Basically with any situation that you face as long as it is not illegal you can write a letter explaining your personal circumstance, attach it as part of your immigration packet and it will be fine:)

You must also show the citizenship of your sponsor and any joint sponsors and give all information about the beneficiary (in this case, me) as possible. Including their legal entry into this country. And of course, as in my case, if based on your marriage to a citizen, a copy of your marriage license.
Basically you can't send too much support and proof of valid information!! 

The total cost of immigration came to $1,690 and that was without legal advice. The cost of Immigration Medical Examination's vary from clinic to clinic and you must choose a clinic that has been certified by the USCIS. The best way to find out which clinics you are allowed to use is to call the USCIS No. and give your area code. My medical exam cost $150. The exam was split into two separate visits, spaced a week apart. The first appointment will be a blood sample and the second appointment will be a physical. I also had to show a list of all the vaccines I've ever had (I got this information from my registered clinic back in England) they surveyed the list and told me I had to have one more. This cost an extra $50 and brought my total visits to the clinic up to three.

You can get all the forms online on the USCIS website and after you get going they're not all that difficult to fill out, if anything just a little repetitive. It is also worth mentioning that you may submit a Travel Document and an Authorization for Employment form free of any filing fees along with your I-485 form. 
Then once you're done you send all your documents as one whole package and send it to the immigration office based in Chicago. (Cost of postage varies dependent on what state you live in.)

It is also worth scanning and copying every form you fill out and send so that if they need further information from you, you can simply go to your computer and refer to the very page of information that the USCIS are referring too and send back only that corrected page and not a whole form. It'll make the whole process that much easier. 

And finally -- DO NOT WORRY -- if you go past the staying limit of your visa. As long as you entered the country legally and have simply sent off your immigration package you are okay to remain in the United States. Now just sit tight and wait for your receipt.. you'll be fine;)

I hope this is enough information to help anyone searching on how to start the immigration process. And let me tell you that the feeling you get once you've sent your package is AMAZING!!! Keep, love and cherish that postal receipt.