Hailey Down Under

I'd been forewarned that the learning curve at Google is steep. Those people weren't kidding.

After completing nearly two weeks at my new job (I had the pleasure of having Monday off for ANZAC day), some things have gotten clearer:

-I now understand how to find most my way to most of the conference rooms on my floor.

-I should avoid the micro kitchens as much as possible because new, not-good-for-me snacks get placed there regularly. For instance, today there were FULL SIZE Cadbury Caramello bars. Like bars, with the surface area of a brick! That isn't a SNACK! Also, these things labeled "Bliss Ball Chocolate Orange" showed up. They look like over-sized chocolate golf balls, rolled in coconut. Iwillnotgetfatworkingatgoogle. I'm just going to repeat that as a mantra.

-I know how to take a screenshot using a Mac now. I needed to google to figure it out though.

-I set up a network printer and shared drives.

I have to take these small wins and appreciate them because, really, there is SO MUCH TO LEARN. People have told me that I won't feel comfortable until six months in... and then at a year, I'll think back to the six month mark and realize how little I actually knew. I have a product knowledge test in 4 weeks or so that I feel woefully behind in preparing for. Perhaps I'll study this weekend...

That said, it's incredible to me how nice and helpful my coworkers are. Everyone has a friendly opinion about where I should live, where I should bank, or how I should travel. The office feels very collaborative, which is nice. I've generally been leaving work at 6:30 or so. People tell me to go home. Today, one person stopped and said "You always leave late. You should stop that." I replied, "I don't know, I guess I'm just so used to staying at work until 7 or 7:30... old habits die hard." Her eyes got big with amazement and she said, "Ya, no, you have to stop that. We don't do that here." How refreshing...

I had my first client meeting today, which was pretty interesting. It was essentially a brainstorming session with a bunch of tourism board heads. Gave me a good sense of how different the online market is here compared to the US. Very eye-opening. I didn't say much during the meeting as I didn't feel prepared to have a meaningful discussion about their challenges. However, at lunch, I talked with one of the heads about Facebook, Twitter, and FourSquare marketing, particularly how it's worked in the states. He seemed to appreciate my thoughts. Small win for me!

Anyway, I'll leave you with a couple of pictures. I've already been berated on Facebook for them, so my apologies if these aren't new to you. I'll work on snagging some more soon! :)

The view from my desk:



Life's rough, I know.

My favorite conference room. It's called "Down Under" and the title is even upside down on the door. When I got my tour, I was told that the furniture has never fallen:



That's it for now. Time to look for more apartments. For the record, I HATE apartment hunting. But I suppose that's a story for another blog entry...

Bye!

Told you I'd be back!

Sidenote: I'm in love with this template and wish I could take the credit for it.

So a little over a year ago, the editor at LAT.com mentioned that he had dual citizenship with the EU. This inspired me to go through the act of getting my second passport. It was always something I meant to do but hadn't ever made the effort in the past. After a bit of bureaucracy that involved me having a prof from Oxy sign pictures of me to verify that I look as I claim I do, my passport was available for pick-up at the Australian Consulate in Century City.

Fast forward to my hunt for a new job. Every interview I had for Google Australia seemed to end with "so how exactly do you have citizenship here?" I'd give a short summary about my mom and family being from Sydney and they'd seem to buy that I had valid reason for wanting to move 7,530 miles.

Problem is, there isn't a lot of literature out there that tells you what to do as a dual citizen. Nothing is clear cut. I wasn't even sure which passport to use at any given time. Some googling told me that I was required to exit and enter the US on a US passport and enter and exit Australia on the Australian one. I'd also started to read horror stories about some countries not really respecting dual citizens, seeing them as not particularly loyal. In some cases, immigration agents will keep foreign passports if they learn you're carrying two. I know some countries won't honor dual citizens at all and require you to forsake one country for the other if you want to switch... Perhaps Japan in fact... Tracy, do you know? Anyway, I got to LAX fully expecting to use my US passport. Nope, V Australia wanted the Aussie one. "If I scan your American one, it'll say you don't have a visa. When you return to the US, give immigration your American passport." I am kinda convinced that the lack of clear cut rules or government published information (all the info I ended up finding was on blogs and forums for confused travelers like myself) is a part of some big scheme to discourage dual citizenship.

Since arriving here, I've been politely informed there is no way in hell I'd have gotten this job if I didn't have citizenship. Google is understandably reluctant to make the effort and the financial outlay to pay for a work visa for someone without a proven track record. Work visas are generally saved for internal transfers. So, thanks Mom, for taking that little vacation to Tahiti where you met my dear father.

When I started work, HR asked for my bank account number and TFN (Tax File Number, kinda like an SSN) so they could expedite payroll. (Sidenote: people get paid once a month here. First payday for me is May 25th, which seems like an eternity from now) "I don't have either, I replied." She suggested that I work on that ASAP in order to avoid the 46% tax rate penalty that comes from not having a TFN on file. Needless to say, I immediately went to the website she suggested so I could remedy the situation.

After being told on multiple screens that my passport information didn't match what the Australian government had on file, I called the office. "Oh right, well, Australians have to apply in person... and I wouldn't try your American passport since it'll ask for a visa number. Would you like me to set up an appointment for you?" I don't quite understand why being an Australian makes this process MORE difficult, but fine. I booked the appointment.

I walked up to the tax office on Friday, eager to set the wheels in motion. I sat down with a counselor. The conversation went as follows:

"Hi, here are my many forms of ID. I'm a dual citizen, so here's my US passport, my Australian passport, and my citizen document."

"I don't think we can accept the US one. Do you have an Australian driver's license?"

"No, I just arrived last Friday."

"Do you have a bill with your name on it?"

"No."

"Do you have a health insurance card?"

"No."

"Do you have a bank account card?"

"No, that's my next stop."

"Hmmm let me go talk to someone and see if I can use the American one..."


She returns, says it's fine, fills out my paperwork and sends me on my merry way. One battle down, one to go. Next up, the bank.

I purposely picked a bank that has a relationship with BofA, thinking it'll make life easier. I head to one branch and am informed that I need an appointment for that particular branch but one down the street doesn't need one. Off I go. The kind banker I get at the next branch seems equally confused by my dual citizenship. The conversation is essentially a rinse-and-repeat of the tax office. Ultimately he is satisfied by my California driver's license as it shows a foreign address. I opted not to tell him that said address is no longer valid, but whatever. My new debit card will be available this Wednesday.


So in the battle of Hailey vs. Bureaucracy, the score is 2:0 in favor of moi. Stay tuned for further installments!

Hello friends,