SF Diaries, #04/2022 – EAD, SSN, RX, and lots of ups and downs

Another week has passed, and I can finally talk about some cool events that have happened. Firstly, however, I want to report that I received my EAD card way earlier than expected, which came as a nice surprise. The EAD (short for employment authorization) allows me to officially work in the United States and comes with an actual card that I am now proud to show wherever I am asked for an ID! Now, that’s a huge success!

In order to be employed and receive all the benefits, I was also told to go to the Social Security Administration to apply for a number. Getting an appointment there is actually a pain, as you have to wait long times on the hotline, and try to reach someone multiple times. Eventually, I was lucky though and got an appointment with super short notice–only to be told at the appointment that I don’t need it after all, as the SSN was already attached to my name and sent out to me. Well, even better.

The week was packed with dates, appointments, and a full list of to-dos. First, I finally had a reunion with a friend that I hadn’t seen since the week before Thanksgiving. Covid, weekend trips, and the Christmas break postponed our long-planned evening out, but we finally made it, and it was just as nice as always.

On Wednesday, Daniel had to go to Sacramento for a work field trip, and I went with him to explore the city and get a few things done that are incredibly expensive in San Francisco. I always find Sacramento such a cute and cool city with great vibes and since the weather was lovely too, I had an incredible day strolling through the neighborhoods and enjoying myself. On our way back, we made a stop at the Vacaville Premium Outlets, which are always worth a visit when you’re nearby. There, you’ll find furniture outlets like Williams and Sonoma or West Elm, and we actually were lucky and found a cashmere sofa blanket for an affordable price.

On Thursday, I had my first doctor’s appointment in the US that triggered a hell of a mess, with me basically running around chasing the prescription for the following days. While I did know that the US doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to health care, I had no idea how complicated it was. I wrote about this in a separate post.

On Friday, after the appointment at the SSO, I also saw a fellow expat and blogger for the first time that I had met over Instagram a couple of weeks ago. It always amazes me how the app has so many possibilities to connect with people abroad. We had a coffee and a nice chat about the opportunities that the US gives us and how happy we are that we came to SF.

In the evening, Daniel and I finally explore the bar scene in San Francisco. A ritual that we started in Singapore, but for some reason, we hadn’t made it to any actual bar here before. Of course, we went to the neighborhood bars and saloons a couple of times, but we were impressed by the quality and vibes that the Trick Dog offered and both agreed that we want to explore the local bar scene more and often.

Another thing that we had planned to do more regularly, was to go to the beach. This is why on Saturday, we finally took the great weather as a chance and drove up to Baker Beach, where we spent some lovely hours in the sun. We agreed that we will at least go to the beach once every weekend from now on. We’ll see how this will work out.

Next weekend, we will actually be on our first trip this year and the destination doesn’t include a beach, so I guess we will have to make up for it in two weeks’ time. Speak to you then!