New York, New York!!!

Yay! I'm going to move to New York soon, for a job. Unbelievable - I can't wait!

Have worked out how much I will earn - it's a bit more, partly pay rise, partly cost-of-living adjustment, but oy vey, the costs of NY! Housing won't leave much change out of 3000 dollars per month, and then there are always these weird taxes - prices seem to be recorded without sales tax, so whatever it says in the book or on the website, you pay more. Need to check out about my organization's employees' status; in other countries we have diplomatic status and get our sales tax back, but not sure about the US, given that we need a visa to work there.

Looked at the food prices which also seemed high, until I converted the Botswana prices into dollars (as opposed to Euros or Litas, like I used to do); probably costs are not that much higher, except for things like meat and so on. Cigarettes, on the other hand, are vastly higher, so I am cutting back dramatically. Did go for 36 hours without one earlier this week, but at the moment am having about 2 or 3 a day. It's quite a good test of resolve to have a packet of them lying there and not touching them.

Concert tickets are already getting into control; am on the mailing list of one or two orchestras, including also the Lincoln centre (there are some flats available there - at vast cost), and I hope to get into concerts as soon as I land in NY.

Watch this space!