wip

src/pages/2024/index.mdx

@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ import alessia from './alessia.jpg'
 import quiches from './quiche.jpg'
 import breatherads from './subwayads.jpg'
 import montreal from './mtl.jpg'
+import berlincat from './berlincat.jpg'
+import osnow from './osnow.jpg'
+import oands from './oands.jpg'
 
 export const meta = {
   author: 'Alessia Bellisario',
@@ -25,15 +28,15 @@ export default (props) => <ArticleLayout meta={meta} {...props} />
 
 2024 was a year of two beautiful babies born to two of my best friends: congratulations to their proud, wonderful parents, Robin and Mark and Véro and Geoff ♥️
 
-It was also the year I became an American citizen, my two younger siblings graduated from law school, I rounded out the first decade of my career as a software engineer and O turned 3. We also discovered apartment swapping this year! We did two, one with M in Montreal and the other with a family of Js from Berlin, two big highlights.
+It was also the year I became an American citizen, my two younger siblings graduated from law school, I rounded out the first decade of my career as a software engineer and O turned 3. We also discovered apartment swapping this year: we did two, one with M in Montreal and the other with a family of Js from Berlin, two big highlights.
 
 Let's start at the beginning.
 
 ## See you never, USCIS
 
 I came to the U.S. from Canada on a three year [dual intent](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-are-dual-intent-visas.html) work visa, an L1-B, in early 2017. I was working at a Canadian startup with a New York office and quite literally hit the ground running: I remember dashing out to pick up my new social security card emblazoned with the words `VALID FOR WORK ONLY WITH DHS AUTHORIZATION` followed by a new SIM card in Chinatown on one of my first mornings.
 
-In my first few weeks I attended a University of Toronto alumni event at a hotel by Central Park. I don't know what I was expecting: it was a ballroom full of Canadians drinking cocktails, discussing which visas they were on.
+In my first few weeks I attended a University of Toronto alumni event at a hotel by Central Park. I don't know what I was expecting: it was a ballroom full of Canadians drinking cocktails discussing which visas they were on.
 
 <figure>
   <Image src={hotelView} alt="" />
@@ -47,11 +50,11 @@ I lived in Williamsburg in a fourth floor walk-up with a roommate I found on Cra
   <figcaption>Winning the roommate lottery, June 2017</figcaption>
 </figure>
 
-When I had raised my hand for this opportunity, I wasn't thinking long-term: it seemed like a new and interesting challenge, one that would be **fun**. But once I arrived, I realized the three year clock on my visa was already ticking. I had to start lobbying my employer to sponsor my green card application if I had any interest in buying myself more time. I also met Carla soon after arriving and didn't want this new and clearly very special relationship cut short.
+When I raised my hand for this opportunity, I wasn't thinking long-term: it seemed like a new and interesting challenge, one that would be **fun**. But once I arrived, I realized the three year clock on my visa was already ticking. I had to start lobbying my employer to sponsor my green card application if I had any interest in buying myself more time. I also met Carla soon after arriving and didn't want this new and clearly very special relationship cut short.
 
 <figure>
   <Image src={quiches} alt="" />
-  <figcaption>Soon after that text exchange with Milo I won Carla's heart with these homemade quiches</figcaption>
+  <figcaption>Soon after that exchange with Milo I won Carla's heart with these homemade quiches</figcaption>
 </figure>
 
 Thus began one of the most challenging periods of my life as I embarked on the journey from [nonresident alien](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/nonresident-aliens) to lawful permanent resident, and finally citizen in February of this year.
@@ -60,19 +63,19 @@ There's a lot more to say here and maybe I'll write about it in greater detail o
 
 <figure>
   <Image src={breatherads} alt="" />
-  <figcaption>2010s-era ZIRP: the B2B commercial real estate startup you work for does a subway line + station ad takeover. NQRW trains + Union Square 🤑</figcaption>
+  <figcaption>2010s-era ZIRP: the B2B commercial real estate startup you work for inexplicably does a subway line + station ad takeover. NQRW trains + Union Square 🤑🤑</figcaption>
 </figure>
 
-For almost four years, I obsessively read immigration forums and shared application timelines with fellow travelers through the broken system that is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I felt totally powerless and dealt with depression and anxiety for the first time.
+For four years, I obsessively read immigration forums and shared application timelines with fellow travelers through the broken system that is the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I felt totally powerless and dealt with depression and anxiety for the first time.
 
-The people I could relate to most during this period were my grandparents. Speaking with them gave me comfort: they had immigrated to Canada from Italy in the 1950s with other close relatives ending up in the U.S., and they knew about the travel restrictions and missed life events that were part and parcel of this experience.
+The people I found it easiest to talk to during this period were my grandparents, three of whom I'm very fortune to still be able to call. Speaking with them gave me comfort: they had immigrated to Canada from Italy in the 1950s with other close relatives ending up in the U.S., and they knew about the travel restrictions and missed life events that were part and parcel of this experience.
 
 <figure>
   <Image src={alessia} alt="" />
   <figcaption>2017 me: so tired and rarely smiling</figcaption>
 </figure>
 
-I'm relieved I—a Canadian with a degree, though crucially not one relevant to the field I wound up in—can finally put down my bags, but so many people are stuck with _far_ longer waits or without any path to legal status. The scale of human suffering caused by this system is mind numbing. It urgently needs to change.
+I'm happy I—a Canadian with a degree, though crucially not one relevant to the field I wound up in—can finally put down my bags, but so many people are stuck with _far_ longer waits or without any path to legal status. The scale of human suffering caused by this system is mind numbing. It urgently needs to change.
 
 The last thing I'll add, in case it helps someone in the future, is how critical it is to consult a lawyer. But this is important: NOT the one your employer hires to work on your application. ___That is the company's lawyer.___ The best advice I received was from attorney [Jonathan Langer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanlanger); if you're ever in need of a U.S. immigration consult, I can't recommend him highly enough.
 
@@ -93,9 +96,9 @@ I assumed I'd be going to their grad ceremonies, but my brother informed me that
 
 I thought he was joking. He was not. So I accepted my fate and hung around in pajamas watching everyone get ready...
 
-Well, those who know the Bellisarios know that math is ___not___ our strong suit and that day it was my saving grace: Luca had counted wrong! I had a ticket after all!! And about 10 minutes to get ready.
+Well, those who know the Bellisarios know that math is ___not___ our strong suit. Lo and behold, Luca had counted wrong! I had a ticket after all!! And about ten minutes to get ready.
 
-I remembered my camera and got to snap some photos like this one of our 96 year old grandfather, Aldo, beaming with pride:
+I remembered my camera and snapped some photos like this one of our 96 year old grandfather, Aldo, beaming with pride:
 
 <figure>
   <Image src={lucaAldo} alt="" />
@@ -104,13 +107,31 @@ I remembered my camera and got to snap some photos like this one of our 96 year
 
 ## From Montreal to Berlin
 
-In June, we went to Montreal to celebrate Carla's birthday. It was our first (non-simultaneous) apartment swap with a stranger (!): we stayed at M's apartment in Little Italy and had a ball. We went to Jean Talon market, the swimming pool and playgrounds in Jarry Park, Iconoglace (run don't walk, ice cream fans), did a 40km bike ride around the south-west part of the island with a rented trailer for O and ended Carla's birthday at JazzFest for the second year in a row. We remain enamored with Montreal and want to do a winter family visit next.
+In June, we went to Montreal to celebrate Carla's birthday. It was our first apartment swap with a stranger (!): we stayed at M's apartment in Little Italy and had a ball. We went to [Jean Talon market](https://www.marchespublics-mtl.com/en/marches/jean-talon-market/), the [wading pool](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Jarry+Park+wading+pool/@45.5372594,-73.6333003,17z/data=!4m10!1m2!2m1!1sParc+Jarry+swimming+pool+kids!3m6!1s0x4cc91bf8c3636cbf:0xa4a3dffe092aaba4!8m2!3d45.5372594!4d-73.6289229!15sCh1QYXJjIEphcnJ5IHN3aW1taW5nIHBvb2wga2lkc1ofIh1wYXJjIGphcnJ5IHN3aW1taW5nIHBvb2wga2lkc5IBFW91dGRvb3Jfc3dpbW1pbmdfcG9vbJoBJENoZERTVWhOTUc5blMwVkpRMEZuU1VSS0xVMWZTblozUlJBQuABAPoBBAgAEB0!16s%2Fg%2F1vc6d07f?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) and playgrounds in Jarry Park, [Iconoglace](https://iconoglace.ca/) (run don't walk, ice cream fans), did a 40km bike ride around the south-west part of the island with a rented trailer for O and ended Carla's birthday at [JazzFest](https://montrealjazzfest.com/en) for the second year in a row. We remain enamored with Montreal and want to do a winter family visit next.
 
 <figure>
   <Image src={montreal} alt="" />
-  {/* <figcaption>It's the same blue tie, [see bobblehead](#lawyered-up)</figcaption> */}
 </figure>
 
+In August, we celebrated O's 3rd birthday on the plane to Berlin, concluding about a week of parties with friends and family in New York. ~Eight months earlier, we joined a home exchange group on Facebook and began searching for a match for a week in August when we had no childcare.
+
+We happened upon a family from Berlin that was planning a big American vacation and our dates lined up!
+
+<figure>
+  <Image src={berlincat} alt="" />
+  <figcaption>This cat who hung out behind our Berlin flat looked so similar to our cat at home, Ghost, I think it may have given O unrealistic expectations for vacation cats moving forward</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+As hosts, we loved seeing this family enjoy our immediate neighborhood and explore the city over the course of ten days, and left out plenty of games and sports accessories for their kids.
+
+Not paying for lodging can also unlock new experiences: my parents decided to drop in for part of the trip because we had space for them to stay. Some highlights included a visit to Neuremberg to see the [DB Train Museum](https://dbmuseum.de/en/highlight-tour) and the [Playmobil FunPark](https://www.playmobil-funpark.de/en/) at Zirndorf, and the [German Museum of Technology](https://www.museumsportal-berlin.de/en/museums/deutsches-technikmuseum/) (below) in Berlin.
+
+<figure>
+  <Image src={oands} alt="" />
+</figure>
+
+We also got to spend time with Carla's friend and former roommate, F, and her lovely family 💕 Many thanks to the J name family and my colleague [Lenz](https://bsky.app/profile/phry.dev) for all the recommendations.
+
 ## Thanks for the good times, Apollo
 
 This past Friday was my last day at [Apollo](https://apollographql.com). I want to thank my colleagues who made the last 2.5 years as special as they were: [Jeff](https://bsky.app/profile/jeff.auriemma.xyz), [Hugh](https://github.com/hwillson), [Jerel](https://x.com/jerelmiller), [Lenz](https://bsky.app/profile/phry.dev) and [Ben](https://github.com/benjamn) especially, and my wider Clients Team family including [Martin](https://bsky.app/profile/mbonnin.net), [Benoit](https://mastodon.social/@[email protected]), [Calvin](https://x.com/c35tar1), [Anthony](https://x.com/AnthonyMDev) and [Zach](https://github.com/BobaFetters).
@@ -121,12 +142,19 @@ It was nothing short of a dream job: I got to do open source work full-time with
   <Image src={reactFaces} alt="" />
 </figure>
 
-It has been such a distinct pleasure working with everyone at Apollo and the wider open source communities I've gotten to spend time with, and I've learned so many things from this experience I'll carry forward in my career. The future is incredibly bright for Apollo and the GraphQL community writ large.
+It has been such a pleasure working with everyone at Apollo and the wider open source communities I've gotten to spend time with, and I've learned so many things from this experience I'll carry forward in my career. The future is incredibly bright for Apollo and the GraphQL community writ large.
 
 ## Tudum
 
 One last bit of news: today is my first day as a Senior Software Engineer at [Netflix](https://netflix.com)! I'll be working on the XD Design Engineering team building the Design Platform API with some incredible colleagues, and I couldn't be more excited about it.
 
+<figure>
+  <Image src={osnow} alt="" />
+  <figcaption>Taking a stroll through Riverside Park, February 2024</figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+## Quarter century complete
+
+
 
-- April or November: Cape Cod visit
-- August: Orlando turns 3; Germany!!!
+From my family to yours, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. ♥️