Coming Home

How much does it cost to get a green card to stay in the United States?

Today, four months after submitting the change of employer application for my H-1B work visa, I finally received an email from my attorney that my new H-1B application has been approved. It's such a relief for me since I have been waiting to get this for 4+ months. I have not been home since December 2005 and I really want to take a break from all the chaos happened at work and in my personal life.

Life has been very hectic since the beginning of the year. I have switched to 2 new bosses in January. I became good friends of one of my colleagues. I had an arugment with my colleague out of nowhere. We stopped hanging out and became just regular work colleagues. We started having arguments at work and things just deteriorated dramatically.

I really have no idea how to mend this work relationship/friendship. I cannot deny the fact that it's very awkard at work whenever we try to carry a work-related conversation. It's somehow affecting how I view myself and others. I think this is particularly true since I don't know how to react when someone suddenly gets real close to me and wants to be friends but at the very next moment, the person becomes so not understanding and basically makes your life difficult. I guess it's part of the theory at the closer you are to someone, the more you are afraid to get hurt.

Anyway, I am pleased that things are coming to an end. I am going to take most of my March off and return home. I love my friends and families at home and I know that they will always be there for me.

I learned from my sickness two weeks ago when I asked my teammates to bring me medications. The conversation was as follows: (A=Antony, B=Colleague)

A: I am not feeling very well. Could you bring me some meds at lunch or after work?

B: No, I can't bring you anything.

A: okay.

B: You need to take care of yourself.

A: I am too weak to even get out of my bed. I just need some medications and food. I haven't eaten since Monday.

B: I can't bring you anything. Allison and Isaac can't bring you anything. You should take a cab.

A: I don't have the energy to get out of my bed.

B: Call an ambulance to take you to the hospital.

Someone I still don't know whether my colleague is an asshole or he is just an inconsiderate person. It's interesting that my friends and ex-colleagues in South Bay actually messaged me all day long and wanted to come up to the city to save me. I only lived 10 minutes away from work and my colleague, whom I thought was a good friend, won't even stop by to check on me after work. Instead my boss and my colleague in the sales team offered to swing by to bring me movies or food.

Life is ironic, isn't it? You always need some thing bad happened in your life to figure out who your true mates are.

What would you do if someone keeps telling you that he/she is moody and is a loner? What can you do to make anything work? Is it so hard just to make a genuine friend nowadays without having to calcuate any gains and losses? Now I learn that I don't need to take an extra step to help my colleauge anymore. It's not worth it.

My friends: I am coming home.