Returning Home and my Future in New York

Last week I returned home to Ireland for the first time since moving to New York. Although the last seven months have been the quickest of my life, and I have been loving every minute, I was ready for a recharge and an Irish fry.  It was my first time seeing my parents, my home friends and the love of my life, my pup Mylo since the move.

I took a big risk moving to New York but I returned home knowing I had made the right decision. I won’t lie, I could have done with a few extra days but all in all I was happy to be just visiting. New York is where I am meant to be right now and my trip home helped reconfirm that.

While home I made sure to avail of my delightfully cheaper country. I had everything from my hair done to seeing my dentist and doctor. I decided to get a full checkup with blood tests and a smear test which is free to me since turning 25.  The quickest and most painless procedure I’ve experienced. Go do it!

Anyway…………..

Here are a few photos from my visit:

 

My future in New York

So, now that I’m back in New York what’s next? The initial visa I went over on was the J1 Graduate visa which I could get within one year of graduating college. This visa lasts for 12 months so when I planned my move to New York I saw it as a one-year thing. I always knew I would probably like to stay longer but that’s not simple and the options and chances decrease by the year (not to mention the whole Trump situation).

New York has many ways in which it can surprise you. Often you feel like your life is a constant lottery and luck may or may not fall upon you. I didn’t have a job lined up moving over so I started from scratch and that was far from easy. In the end, my persistence paid off when I was offered just the type of job I was looking for, in a company that is open to sponsorship and would happy to help me stay beyond my one year. In other words, the jackpot!

So right now, I am in the processes of obtaining a new visa that will allow me to stay another two years. Nothing is set in stone as it is a long process and by no means easy, but for now it looks like my New York adventure is far from nearly over. I will still need to return to Ireland to obtain the new visa which should also coincide with Christmas so that’s when I will likely to be home next. Christmas feels like a long way away as I write this post on my flight from Dublin to JFK. But if the last seven months are anything to go by, the time will fly in!

Side note: While writing this post I’m also watching The Founder. It’s all about how Mc Donald’s came to be so huge and the main guy behind its success. A really interesting movie about ambition and persistence!

I’ve learned a lot about visa options over the last while after a lot of searching. It’s hard to find information and I would love to do a whole blog post on visas but I’m also hesitant to provide too much about my situation in case in comes back to bite me. (Technically, you cannot apply for a second visa while on the J1). So, if you have any questions feel free to email me and I’ll be happy to go deeper into things.

Sophie x