9 years ago: Detroit bound

9 years ago today, I got on a plane in Calgary and a few hours later, landed in Detroit Michigan. I was going to start a new job in a new city, and in the US of all places. I was leaving my home of 26 years with just two suitcases containing my most important stuff. I was supposed to have flown out a couple of days earlier, but got stuck in red tape at the airport. The INS guy processing my TN application decided that since my job title had the word ‘medical’ in it, he needed to know if I needed to be licensed or not, which wasn’t indicated in the letter from my future employer. That ended up delaying me a couple of days. But eventually I got there and ended up staying for just shy of 3 years. Definitely a memorable experience.

Going through a box of stuff, I ran into one of my journal notebooks and saw an entry about my move.

August 14/96 Wednesday
Well, I’m finally here in Detroit. Just over 2 hours to Chicago, then a short 1 hour hop over Lake Michigan to Detroit.
The first thing you notice when flying into Detroit is a bluish white haze. Could just be the weather. It’s pretty hot and muggy once you get off the airplane.
Found the airport shuttle to the Fairfield Inn, and discovered that they had no record of my reservation. Fortunately I managed to get a room because the guy who came in after me was told there weren’t any empty rooms left.
The next thing to do is find a way to get to work tomorrow. I’m told there’s a commuter service available.
I think I should have selected a place a little closer to Detroit. Went walking around looking for landmarks so I could locate myself on the map. Couldn’t rollerblade anywhere because there are no sidewalks and the only road is a major artery. Argh.
Another thing you notice is that a lot of the roads are made of concrete. From the air, they all look a sandy tan colour.
The first thing I see when I turn on the TV is a tornado watch for the entire area. Hmmm…
As for finding a place to stay, I’ve picked out a few places down near the river to check out. Rents are pretty reasonable. They’re pretty close to downtown though. Do I want to live there? Guess I’ll have to check it out tomorrow.