OK well I'm officially in Canada now. After a smooth visit to immigration in Hamilton which only took maybe 20Min's at most I got my paper work which says I'm now a settler. I did tell them at immigration I was a little disappointed that once they stamped the forms no balloons and streamers came from nowhere welcoming me to Canada, but they did says they would consider the idea for future. I think they really should put a little effort in for people who take the time and effort to enter the country the correct way and take all the time and money filling out forms, going for medicals and getting my photo taken at least 16 times.
So yesterday was spent travelling round the driving licence place, and city hall to get health cards and social insurance. All that has went well except there is some stupid rule in place that if you are from the UK you can just surrender licence and get a Canadian one but if you are from Northern Ireland you have to do the G driving test but you can drive for a year on your own licence first. So hopefully I will put some pressure on the government of Northern Ireland to come into line with the rest of the UK just so I can skip the test.
The kids are glad that they will have another week off school because they have to get a TB test done. Maybe my home schooling friend can forward some work!
So what next I guess I need to think about looking for some work. Now I don't actually think I really have a problem with that but the only issue may be trying to drive around lost trying to find these potential employers. Ah well all part of the experience I guess. I think I will need to keep a little verse at hand when I go for jobs. Psalm 104. Vs. 23 says "Man goes out to his work and to his labour until the evening." so hopefully there will be no odd shifts and weekends for me but I highly doubt it.
Tuesday 30 September 2008
Saturday 27 September 2008
The Sum of one's worth is not....
in possessions!
OK so I sit here on the eve of my departure from Northern Ireland, obviously there are mixed emotions. Intrigue, excitement, fear, nerves. I walked into the living room of the Smiths where all our stuff is, it is mostly packed now. I surveyed that in 28 years of collecting clutter my possessions along with that of the rest of my family had amounted to about 7 hold alls and a few small bags. There are also quite a few boxes in storage back at our house but I had to then go and take Richard to the airport and I said that my life has amounted to a handful of bags in his parents living room to which he pointed out that the sum of mans life is not in his possessions. So as I have box loads of Cd's, DVDs, Stuff, gadgets, clothes and other odds and ends gathered up and then the stuff I intend to bring I have realised that at the end of the day it is just stuff and it won't really be missed. We (I) spend so much time and money cluttering up our lives with things that just don't mean anything to us. So as I head out to Canada I make it a goal not fill up on new stuff but try to move away from that. Do we really need that 1980's CD? or the toy, the 'Invisible man' which is really just an empty box? I don't really think so.
So I encourage you all to sit back and reassess the things about you and consider just before you spend your hard earned cash on that all important piece of stuff, how long the novelty will last and is it worth it? Please feel free to point this very fact out to me if you see my in the local gadget shop or online shopping.
So what is the sum of one's worth? It is surely the close family and friends around you. As I have witnessed over the last week I have some truly awesome family & friends ones that will never be far away from my thoughts and prayers. So I encourage you all to be all that you can to your nearest and dearest because that truly is the sum of your life!
Love Your Neighbour in other words!
OK so I sit here on the eve of my departure from Northern Ireland, obviously there are mixed emotions. Intrigue, excitement, fear, nerves. I walked into the living room of the Smiths where all our stuff is, it is mostly packed now. I surveyed that in 28 years of collecting clutter my possessions along with that of the rest of my family had amounted to about 7 hold alls and a few small bags. There are also quite a few boxes in storage back at our house but I had to then go and take Richard to the airport and I said that my life has amounted to a handful of bags in his parents living room to which he pointed out that the sum of mans life is not in his possessions. So as I have box loads of Cd's, DVDs, Stuff, gadgets, clothes and other odds and ends gathered up and then the stuff I intend to bring I have realised that at the end of the day it is just stuff and it won't really be missed. We (I) spend so much time and money cluttering up our lives with things that just don't mean anything to us. So as I head out to Canada I make it a goal not fill up on new stuff but try to move away from that. Do we really need that 1980's CD? or the toy, the 'Invisible man' which is really just an empty box? I don't really think so.
So I encourage you all to sit back and reassess the things about you and consider just before you spend your hard earned cash on that all important piece of stuff, how long the novelty will last and is it worth it? Please feel free to point this very fact out to me if you see my in the local gadget shop or online shopping.
So what is the sum of one's worth? It is surely the close family and friends around you. As I have witnessed over the last week I have some truly awesome family & friends ones that will never be far away from my thoughts and prayers. So I encourage you all to be all that you can to your nearest and dearest because that truly is the sum of your life!
Love Your Neighbour in other words!
Tuesday 23 September 2008
The Long and Winding road...
Well as part of my transition to Canada I have decided to start a blog. Not sure how frequent it will be as I get more stressed out and have too many things to be doing but hopefully I will keep it up.
I am now sitting in the Smiths house as I am now a gypsy with no home to call my own as we have rented out our house the the tenant wanted in quicker than we could move. So we are (or I should say Tara) is running around try to get all the loose ends tied up before we fly out of Ulsters green and pleasant land. Still not sure the enormity or reality of the whole move has full sunk in and I probably won't be able to fully appreciate it until we get o'er the pond.
Hopefully exciting times lie ahead for the whole family and for the most part we are looking forward to getting in to it and settling in. Myself and Tara will be looking to get regular jobs quite quickly and I will have to find out about such things as social security numbers (whatever that is) o and then I reckon it would be senisible to consider the fact that I now need to drive on the other side of the road. The is also the fact that everyone over there has an accent which the seem unaware of, so I will have to battle with them having to learn my language too. This may prove quite long but I feel they will be a much happier nation when they can speak Norn Iron.
So it's time for this little F.R.O.G to look up out of my little well and discover that their is a whole big wide wrold out there waiting for me to be dropped into and start to discover what happens when you do exactly that FROG, Fully Rely On God!
I am now sitting in the Smiths house as I am now a gypsy with no home to call my own as we have rented out our house the the tenant wanted in quicker than we could move. So we are (or I should say Tara) is running around try to get all the loose ends tied up before we fly out of Ulsters green and pleasant land. Still not sure the enormity or reality of the whole move has full sunk in and I probably won't be able to fully appreciate it until we get o'er the pond.
Hopefully exciting times lie ahead for the whole family and for the most part we are looking forward to getting in to it and settling in. Myself and Tara will be looking to get regular jobs quite quickly and I will have to find out about such things as social security numbers (whatever that is) o and then I reckon it would be senisible to consider the fact that I now need to drive on the other side of the road. The is also the fact that everyone over there has an accent which the seem unaware of, so I will have to battle with them having to learn my language too. This may prove quite long but I feel they will be a much happier nation when they can speak Norn Iron.
So it's time for this little F.R.O.G to look up out of my little well and discover that their is a whole big wide wrold out there waiting for me to be dropped into and start to discover what happens when you do exactly that FROG, Fully Rely On God!
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