Hello, Calgary
So, by now we are fully functioning Canadians.
I never fully realized how much work it would be to move to another country, and that includes some of the facilitation of the move that was done for us by Terr's company. Paperwork, bureaucracy, applications, proof, licenses, doctors, healthcare, insurance, paperwork for the animals, unpacking, climate change. We could really not have picked a different type of locale from Houston than Calgary.
From the moment we moved up here, we have been mostly frozen solid, and it doesn't seem that we are going to thaw anytime soon. Although I hated the unrelenting Houston heat, a little compromise between the two extremes doesn't seem to be out of order to me.
And of course, there are the mundane challenges. The favorite products and brands that cannot be procured in Canada. The shipping charges and duties and waiting weeks for my mother to receive a letter that used to reach her in two days. The more serious challenges have been related to selling our house in the states and our healthcare. Especially relating to that of the baby I am carrying that will be born in June. How do I get his Social Security card? His American passport? How many hoops will I have to jump through, how many hours spent at the US Consulate? (which, let me tell you, from prior experience here, has to be one of the circles of Hell.)
We moved from a 3 story house in Houston to a 2-bedroom apartment, and if you think you can imagine how many of our belongings had to be purged, trust me, you can't begin to imagine. But, we are pared down, and life is an adventure, and here we are, trying something new. The timing was definitely not ideal (I really liked my OB-Gyn in Houston and was excited for her to deliver me) but, that's life. Right? Roll with it. That's what I've always done, and here I am, so I must have done it right.
So far, Calgary is an adventure. At times, a scary, confusing one with more questions than answers. And sometimes, it's an exciting new place to explore, to find myself within, to use as a launchpad for other adventures.
We are now fully functioning Canadians, and life is good, even when we are mostly frozen.
