Goodbye Hoboken, Hello Vietnam

Let me go back to Sept. 2nd and my last day in Hoboken. I was supposed to leave on a Sept. 1st but I missed my flight because I mis-read the departure time. I called EVA Airlines when I noticed my mistake and they changed my flight for the next day without any fuss. Truth be told I had to change my flight twice.

It took me approximately nine days to clear out my one bedroom apartment in Hoboken. Admittedly, I did not go at it hammer and thongs in the beginning, but I certainly rallied in the end. It was astonishing how many big plastic containers I hauled down to the dumpsters outside my apartment building. I filled at least15 hardy green plastic containers with books (the ones I did not give to the local charity), clothes, and nick knacks I bought for the apartment with what appeared like years worth of dust. Note to self, dust more often.

I threw out my television (too old to be worth anything to anybody else - not quite black and white but close), my furniture (when I found out it would take the Salvation Army six weeks to pick it up), my pots (x2) and pan (x2). I made numerous trips to Staples to shred literally a suitcase full of old tax returns.

I arranged for a cleaning service to come and clean my apartment.
I went for my last run along River Road which overlooks Manhattan. I happened to catch the huge Norwegian Cruise Liner, Gem, leaving its Manhattan port and heading out to sea. Seeing this huge cruise liner sailing up the Hudson with the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop never ceased to amaze me.

I don't know why but I had butterflies in my stomach all day. I suppose my decision to leave the U.S. had finally hit home. There was no turning back. I had handed in my resignation at work and handed in my vacancy notice to the building manager.

At six p.m. , my friend Angela did me a solid by having dinner with me before I left. I was not hungry but the company kept my mind off me and that is never a bad thing. I got quite emotional inside and I dare say Angela noticed this over dinner and filled in the blank conversation.

At nine, I closed my apartment door for the last time and dropped off my keys in the building managers drop box and headed for the 126 bus to Manhattan. From there I got the express bus to John F Kennedy Airport and on to Vietnam.