June 13, 2008

• looks like we made it…..

  well we made it to Canada.

  
  

  it was an adventure.  first I was severely let down and devastated by the words from a family member ~ but in the best interest of blogging etiquette I’ll not go in to detail as that is not couth… she knows what she said.

  
  

  Our flight was delayed by two hours which was okay as it gave us time to run the kids out and get something to eat before getting on the plane.  The flight it self was uneventful but very long as I a had gotten very little sleep the night before and was still very emotionally raw from the previously mentioned conversation

  
  

  We arrived in Vancouver and proceeded to “voluntary Compliance” in Immigration figuring it would be the better option, it had no queue.  So we went there and they looked at everything and with in a few minutes took us to the “regular” Immigration section where we were asked numerous questions and gave numerous answers and waited.  And waited. 

  
  

  And waited.

  
  

  And waited.

  
  

  Then all hope seemed it might be lost.  Four hours in to our waiting, the second Immigration Officer that we were dealing with came over and said it looked like it was going to be along time as they were looking in to stuff that they found was not easy to find.  To this I replied, I know what you’re going through and I feel the pain, now you know what we had to endure trying to make the decision to come when we did.  Anyhow, she asked did I have somewhere to stay and did I want to take the children there while Paul remained behind and waited to find out how they were going to let him in to Canada, as a visitor or as a worker.  Officer Chahal said she would be back in a couple minutes and to get my self and the children sorted.  So I went about gathering up the carry on bags that had a change of clothes for everyone and waking CHloe & Gabrielle, who had fallen asleep on the seats, it was after all 6am by their little body clocks and they hadn’t had much sleep on the plane.

  
  

  Ten minutes later……

  
  

  Officer Chahal arrives back to us and says to me, “Mrs Winters you might want to wait for your husband, we are granting the work permit.”  I could have kissed her.  Full on.  Away Paul went to get his permit and passport stamped and I gathered the herd together and tried to console a small blonde hilo monster that was wakened when she didn’t want to be.

  
  

  Out of Immigration we went to the hotel that was booked after the above mentioned conversation with the family member.  Only to find out once we checked in and got to our room that we had to leave again the next morning on a 8am flight to Edmonton which was the ultimate destination at the start of this journey. (it was graciously booked for us before we had an inkling we would be so long in Immigration)   Yeah we missed it.  But not for lack of trying.  So we got a later flight and arrived eventually. 

  
  

  However Nana got to meet and spend a few hours with some new grand children and one she hadn’t seen in four years while we waited for the next flight.

  
  

   

  • 19:44
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