That's not a Knife

I've been in the new job for three weeks now and everything seems to be going well. There's still no indication of how long it will last, but even the experience I've had so far is invaluable. I've pretty much been working on my own so I've not really had the chance to integrate, but I did spend half an hour talking to someone about cricket, which is a pretty good indication of the diversity of the workforce here. I'm not even the only vegetarian!

Oh,  I'm not even the only Scottish person who works for these guys, I've just found out there's someone else here who's from Falkirk! Not someone with a great-great-grandfather who drank Irn Bru once, but someone who has actually been in Falkirk for the majority of their life, and still drinks Irn Bru. He also met his wife online and moved here. I ended up speaking to him for about half an hour as well (don't worry, I worked my lunch), and I'm now hooked up for Scottish imports. It's nice to know that is isn't just me, Craig Ferguson, Drew McIntyre and Bill Dundee :-)

Getting back into the swing of full-time work has really calmed the homesickness a lot, although it will always be there. It's good to have my mind on something else and be able to get back into a normal routine, something which I haven't had since late 2009. Getting paid is good too. I am going to get a phone, a geetar, and some sort of games console. But I am going to be very responsible and spread out the purchases, because I'm a responsible person now.

I'm also going to get football nets, a basketball net, new clothes, Burnistoun DVD, The Thick of It box set,  new cricket gear, shoes, dart board, tickets to go see the pirates, and some sweets.



I joined my new cricket club and had my first training session a couple of weeks back. It won't be the same as stepping out onto the hallowed Bailliefields turf (mainly due to the decreased risk of drowning), but it will keep me going until we move back one day. They seemed like a good bunch of guys and have some talented players.  They are about the same level as my old club, so the games should be good. I can't play the full season this year due to the transport and work issues, but even getting a handful of games in will be nice.

I've come up with the idea of starting a cricket club in Atoka/Munford, since all the league teams are in Memphis or Little Rock. Don't have a clue where to start, but I thought it would be worth a go. See, if it's my team I get to play every game and open the bowling and batting. Don't know what the expat community is like in Tipton County and Millington, but surely if there are enough guys for five teams in Memphis there must be enough for one out in the country.

I had one of my first Crocodile Dundee moments the other day. The office was freezing and it was windy outside. So when I left for the night I expected it to be cold outside too, but it wasn't. In fact, it was rather warm. I felt like an alien to be so confused (if for only about two seconds) that it was cold inside but warm outside. . It may sound weird but air conditioning isn't really a big requirement back home, heating  is.

Some progress is being made.

This sign scares me every time we turn into our street. Look at both of them. They knew when they were getting their pictures taken that they would be on a billboard for the world to see. In fact, the whole idea of the photos are to entice customers though the door. Therefore surely the photographer didn't think the "guard dog" or the "have you seen my baseball" looks were going to get the job done? The Budweiser sign on the reverse is a bit more inviting tbh.

They do seem to like their billboards out here though, and the 80's Bonnie Tyler look is popular amongst the women. There are a few more scary ones which I'll showcase at some point. Don't even get me started on the church signs though.

After submitting a ridiculous number of job applications for a ridiculous range of different types of jobs, I finally secured some work. Now, I'm not 100% sure I even applied for the job, as  think this one was a case of me registering on the company's career site. Either way I got the call for an interview after about two weeks of no job search activity whatsoever. So the moral of the story is don't try.

It's a temp job which could possibly last until next year, or next week, and there are no benefits whatsoever. However it is technically the highest paid job I've had, so it all evens out. In all likelihood, the duration will depend on my performance, and as such I at least have some control over things, and if I'm shite at it I'd want to leave anyway!

I think I had been underselling myself a little in my job search, as my expectations were very low, so regardless of how long this post lasts I think it will be very useful in my search for permanent employment here. Having a US employer on my resume is invaluable, especially with them being a large organization both in Tennessee and the US.

So I start on Monday, and for the first time in 18 months I'll be employed full-time! I am still doing some work for my UK employer, whom  I will always be grateful to for helping me in so many different ways since I was laid off in 2009. Honestly, I'd work for them for free (although technically I am since my post is funded by the project I run).

I am very glad that I'll be working in the city as well. I've seen enough of how things are run out here in the country to confirm that I should probably steer clear! First of all, my skills don't transfer to many of the jobs available locally, and secondly I don't know anyone. The "not what you know, but who you know" cliche is definitely in effect here, and it can get ridiculous.  There is also the independence aspect of working 40 minutes away from home and being able to find my way about the city on my own. I still have to get my drivers license though, but the journey to work couldn't be much easier, just drive straight for about half an hour then turn right, park, and go to work!

Anyway, once next week has come and gone I'll have a better idea of how things are going to go.