I am back in DC since yesterday, after an overnight stop in Vienna. When I learned that I had to stay a night in Vienna between flights, my plan was to see a performance at the Vienna Opera, because it has always been a dream of mine. But unfortunately, I got there too late and the opera had already started. Next time hopefully! Instead, I had time to get Heindl marzipan, which is one of my favorite sweets!

But I am happy to be back in DC. I was quite worried that there might be a problem to get back into the country now that I changed contracts. Even though I got a multi-year visa prior to my relocation to the U.S., it is subject to my contracts, and the dates of my first contract was spelled out on the visa. So when I changed contract status last year, I had a small incident in immigration because I didn’t have any papers with me to confirm that I  still was employed with my organization. It might sound like I was a complete idiot to not check this properly, but it was a bit more complicated than that. I thought I did follow up with the right authority, but U.S. Government Departments seems to have less communication between them than I assumed. (I think it has to do with the American Freedom and the restriction on Government vs. individual freedoms, but I am not entirely sure.) Anyway, as a result of my ignorance, I ended up in a back-office with a man dressed in uniform yelling at me. A few hours later, a quick phone call to my employer sorted things out though, but the experience has stayed with me and I always feel a little uneasy going through the passport control at Dulles International Airport. Therefore, I was sure it would be repeated now that I again changed contracts, so I brought all the necessary papers, but things went smoothly. Even though I knew that everything was in order, I never felt so relived exiting the airport. (This part is definitely the drawback of being an immigrant – you know that you never that the right to be here, though fortunately for me, being forced to go back to my home country is not has problematic as for many others here.)

And I came back to a sunny Washington with temperatures close to 20 centigrades, and with leaves shifting in yellow, orange, and brown. It is beautiful and it is a perfect day for a walk. But first, I am going to see if anyone is up for brunch! (I will post pictures from Montenegro later today.)