Until the smoke clears...

Well, another week has passed, so it is about time that I give an update about how things are going. First off, I would like to say that this week has been excellent. I am learning a lot of new things, and getting better at things I learned last week. Mozilla is a very dynamic work place.

What I mean by that is that there seems to be an endless supply of things to learn. This makes it my ideal workplace. One of the main reasons I went back to school is that I crave learning new things. It is my fuel! This is one of the main reasons that I didnt last more than 3 years in the military and why I didnt enjoy Honda. At some point, in most jobs, you get to a point where there is nothing more to learn. You get set in a routine and do the same thing day in, day out. This routine causes stagnation and you start to dislike your job, even grow to loathe going in every day. With Mozilla, there is always something new to learn. Even if you get set into a routine, you know that there is something completely new just around the corner (ie. A new program, a new feature, etc).

Mozilla is more of a community than it is a workplace. Just because you are working on one thing, it doesn't mean that you are pigeon-holed into that "area of expertise". If you have skills that can be applied to another area, you are free to have at it. Also, with any aspect of Mozilla you want to work on, there is typically a bunch of people working on that area that will help you get off the ground.

But this is not what I wanted to write about today. The first thing I wanted to write about is what you need to be prepared for re: travel when getting ready for your trip to the U.S.

Mozilla was extremely helpful in getting things set up for me so that I would have no, or as little hassle as possible, when it came try to interact with the customs officials. Before I list what you definitely will need, I would like to thank Tim, Karen, and the folks at AEISEC US for making everything as smooth as possible. The following is a list of items that I needed to get into the US:

• Canadian Passport
• DS-2019
• SEVIS Fee
• Job Offer Letter
• I-94

The following is a list of other items I recommend you bring, however I did not need them to pass customs:

• Driver License
• Health Card
• SIN Card
• Student Card
• Any and all paperwork received from AEISEC
• A credit card

I will now explain what and why you need the above items.

Canadian Passport:
This one is a no-brainer. Any time you are traveling outside of Canada you need to have a passport. If you don't have one, get one.

DS-2019:
This is a two page form that certifies you for your J-1 Visa, which will be stamped on your I-94 and stapled to your passport (the J1 Visa, not the DS-2019). The DS-2019 essentially says who you are and who is sponsoring you to enter the country. It also details some of the requirements to keep you J-1 Visa valid.

SEVIS Fee:
If you are coming into the country to work for Mozilla, you will most likely get a lot of your paperwork from AEISEC US. This form will be one of them. It should already be completed by AEISEC US as they are the ones getting you into the country. This form essentially confirms you for enrollment into the Student Visitor and Exchange Program.

Job Offer Letter:
This will be from Mozilla directly. It essentially confirms that Mozilla does want you to come and work for them. It will detail the terms of your employment (ie. pay, start and end date, etc).

I-94:
This form is for customs use. It is how you declare why you are entering into the country. The information you will receive will probably say that you have to make an appointment at your local US Consolate. If you are a Canadian citizen, all you need to do is fill out this I-94 form and show it to the Customs officer at the airport. You can pick up I-94 forms at the airport check-in counter for free.

Credit Card:
I recommend you get a credit card, if you haven't already. You may run into some issues if all you have is cash and a debit card. Some businesses may down right refuse to take your debit card as the clerk does not recognize it. If you do not have a credit card, your best bet is to try to get by on cash. If you decide to go this method, I recommend taking out what you need at an ATM on a weekly basis. If your bank is anything like my bank (TD rocks!), you will get charged a small astronomical fee each time you use your bank card. TD charges me $5 on top of whatever the ATM takes off. Having a credit card will also help you secure other items of interest (ie. plane tickets, rental car, etc).

One last thing to mention about traveling in to the US, I would give yourself anywhere from 2-3 hours prior to boarding. I got through the airport in about 30 minutes, but I traveled on Mothers' Day, so their was not much people traffic.

So this is all you need to get into the country. Be prepared for an uncomfortable ride with some amazing views. By the end of the 5 hour trip, my entire body ached, but it was worth it because of the sites from the plane window.

Once you land at San Francisco International (SFO), yes you should book your flight from Pearson to SFO, just follow the signs to baggage pickup. SFO is pretty straightforward to get around. It is actually quite smaller than Pearson. Once you get out of the airport you will need to find a way to get to Mountain View.

There are two main options: Caltrain and a cab. The Caltrain will take you about 1.5 hours and drop you off about a 10 minute walk from the Oakwood apartments. It should cost you around $8 US. The taxi cab will get you to the apartment front door in about 40 minutes, but it will cost you about $92 before tip. Cabs from the airport charge "meter and a half", which means they tack on 50% of the fare. So my fare of about $61 cost me $92...$110 with tip.

One last thing about the Caltrain, you want to go to "zone 3". The Caltrain system is broken into "zones". San Francisco is Zone 1, and Mountain View is Zone 3. You pay by the zone for Caltrain, so if you travel within your zone it is actually pretty cheap. It is similar to taking the Go train in the GTA.

This brings me to my most solid piece of advice: Bring about $200 US cash!
Trust me, you may not need this money yet, but you surely will at some point. It is when you do not have the cash that you will need it, so just carry some on you for an emergency.

On a final point of interest, when you get here, the office is very easy to get to. If you are going to walk it, be prepared for about a 45 minute walk. From the apartment:

• Walk down Middlefield in the direction of the convenience store until you hit Shoreline. You will see a Shell gas station on the right.
• Make a right onto Shoreline and walk until Charleston and make a left (it is a couple lights passed the overpass.
• Follow Charleston passed Google and turn onto Landings dr, to the left.
• Mozilla occupies building K and building S (see map below)

I hope this makes your trip a little easier.

Stay tuned for a post about my Bay 2 Breakers experience.