Burocracy and Land....

Es tut mir leid- ich habe noch nicht auf Deutsch geschreiben.  Wir haben gerade so viel zu tun und ich schreibe so langsam und so schlecht auf Deutsch. Ich werde es versuchen...aber vielleicht kannst du es trotzdem mit Google Translator lesen?  Ich habe es aber nicht probiert.  Vielleicht kann ich ein bisschen übersetzen....die anderen schlafen gerade .... schau wir mal!  Schöne Grüße aus Kanada!


Hello dear friends and family!  We've accomplished a lot this week but before I start I want to get back to the question of SALT. :-) The salt in question is the one that we found in my parent's cupboard. My friend Lori texted me photos of her salt, also in Canada, and there's absolutely no sugar in it.  I've learned that it is worthwhile to read lables here!  We've ordered a bunch of Himalayan Salt so we're sorted!

Ich habe letztes mal geschrieben dass wir manche Probleme mit dem Essen haben weil so viel Zucker in allem drinnen ist.  Sogar im Salz!  Aber ein paar Freunde haben gesagt es ist nicht bei allen Marken so. Sehr gut. Und wir haben Himalayan Salz bestellt. :-)

Jonathan's happy Saturday pancakes- with Elena's creative help.

My brother's cat which lives here.  The kids love her.

On Monday morning we went to get our Austrian driver's licences traded in for the Ontario Licence.  We had been to the office before, the Drive Test office, but we were sent away to get an official translation of our licences.  Even though there were a few languages, including English, on the card, we still needed to pay an offical translator to do the job.  This received via email we promptly went off to complete the task.  Well, the office was quiet, we were in luck- no waiting.  But then...the guy...under aged 30 but not very impressive. He didn't really make eye contact and he definitely didn's smile.  He said, "Yeah, we can probably trade your Austrian licence.  I guess we can give you a years credit."  And we said, "Pardon?  What do you mean with a years credit?"  And he looked half-annoyed and said, "We can probably give you a years credit."  Such a great explanation.  You can just imagine what we're thinking.   So then he turns away and starts to make a call, to ask someone how to process our request.  Nope, he doesn't know which binder the information is in.  After his call he starts to try to find it.  I suggest that the woman that we spoke with the first time knew about it, and this annoyed the guy further.  Ah well.  Finally he finds what he is looking for, consults with whomever on the phone and tells us that we can have FULL credit for our driving.  So wait, that means that he first just wanted to give us a licence which said we have only one years experience???  That's completely laughable.  Well, once he go going on the paperwork, he wasn't too bad.  Then he seemed, at least, to know what he was up to.  But he still never made eye contact with us.  So, Dominik first, then me.  And here comes the best part.....Guess what?  On my previous Ontario licence I was 'Catherine L.'. On my Austrian I was just 'Catherine'.  This constitutes a name change.  "Well," he said, "for this I'll have to take 3 photos and it will take about 15-20 minutes to take the 'L' off and then put it back on."  Yes, he really did say it.  And we could have burst out laughing! In the end it didn't take 20 minutes, but the entire experience was rather absurd.  If only he had realised that to smile and be friendly and to admit that he didn't know how to exchange a foreign licence (because really, how often would he have to do that?) then it would have been fine and professional. Anyway, having temporary Ontario licences in hand, we left and drove off to look at land.

Wir haben unsere Österreichischen Führerscheine für die Kanadischen umgetauscht.  Der Mann dort war unter 30 und er war arrogant.  Er wollte uns nur ein Jahr Erfahrung auf unsere neuen geben.  Und DANN....weil auf meinem alten Führerschein in Canada mein Name 'Catherine L' und in Österreich es nur 'Catherine' war, musste er eine Namensänderung machen.  Mit 3 Fotos!!! Er sagte dass es 20 Minuten dauern würde, dieses 'L'  runter zu tun und dann es wieder rauf zu geben!  Unglaublich! 

A snowy field for sale.  Anyone?

We started last week to look online at different properties which are for sale.   On Sunday we went out after a fine post-church Swiss Chalet meal with my parents, and we had a rather unsuccessful afternoon of looking at land.  On Monday however, after the licence debaucle, we had a rather good time.  It was clear and cold but sunny, and there was very little left of the snow on the ground. It has been wet here so that's also good for looking at land.  Then we can tell which ground is swampy and what's good.  We drove around and looked at 7, 4 interesting and 3 complete fails, one of which has already sold.  But it was good to get out of town and to get an idea of where we might want to settle.

Wir haben Grundstücke angeschaut, nach dem Gottesdienst und nach einem guten Essen. Wir haben nichts gefunden.  Am Montag, nach diesem Führerschein tausch, sind wir wieder los gefahren und haben 7 Grundstücke angeschaut.  Manche waren gut und manche überhaupt nicht für uns.  Aber es war super hin und her zu fahren um zu überlegen wo wir vielleicht wohnen möchten.

So, what do we think?

This really is a sign to watch out for Seniors! 

We had decided on the weekend that Dominik would go up to our property in the Lanark Highlands to overnight with some of the kids.  The Tyvec (like a plastic wrap for houses) had come off during the last winter and we have been eager for months now to get to it and fix that up.  Because we still have the walls to build on the cabin we don't want the snow to get in and start things rotting.   So Dominik, Jonathan, Rebecca and Jeremiah went up on Tuesday and I followed on Wednesday with Elena and Josiah, to have lunch, do some work and trade out kids.  They had had a good night in our little mini-cabin (3X3 meters, built when Jonathan was a baby) and were even too hot due to the great woodstove.

Our original 3X3m cabin and outhouse.

Staying warm. 

The lake is already frozen!

All tucked in and ready for bed!

On Wednesday I ended up driving through a little snow squall before emerging back into the blue skies and sunshine in Perth.  It was kind of exciting, making me feel like I really am back in Canada again!  Once at the cabin we had our lunch and then I helped Dominik put the Tyvec wrap back around most of the cabin.  He finished the last little portion the next morning with Jonthan.  I drove home with Rebecca, Jeremiah and Josiah while Elena and Jonathan stayed on for the night.  We also went the next day to the indoor playground at McDonald's to try it out.  It was great.  Tall and a great place for the boys to run up and down!

Dominik, Jonathan, Rebecca & Jeremiah sind auf unser kleines Grundstück gefahren- um zu übernachten und zu arbeiten.  Am Mittwoch bin ich mit Elena und Josiah hingefahren.  Ich habe ihn geholfen die Tyvec Folie rund um unsere Hütte zu wickeln.  Dass der Schnee nicht hinein kommt.  Es war dort kalt, aber schön.  Auf meinen weg hinauf sind wir durch einen kleinen Schneesturm gefahren!

Bacon and eggs. Yum!

Our last few days have been spent trying to rearrange our things into a small and compact space.  We received most of our boxes in the post which we had shipped from Austria, and we were ecstatic to get the rest of our clothing back!  Today I bought 28 hangers and they're all full now.   Since we want to buy land and build we know that we will be here with my parents until the spring, so we are trying to organise and contain ourselves as much as possible.  It is an adjustment for my parents to suddenly have a family of 7 move in with them, and we are very grateful.  So far we seem to be getting used to each other!

Gestern und Heute haben wir probiert unsere Sachen besser zu organisieren und zu lagern.  Wir haben nicht so viel Platz und wir werden sicher bis der Frühling kommt dort sein, und es ist wichtig dass alles ordentlich bleibt. Auch für meine Eltern.  Was für ein Schock wenn 7 Leute einziehen!  Aber bis jetzt geht alles gut.  Wir gewöhnen uns an einander!

Today, to finish off the burocracy bit, we went to 'Service Ontario' to apply for our provincial health insurance.  The lady there was really lovely and we had a nice chat as she processed all 7 of us.  No we just have to wait until February for it to kick in!   Then we walked up to 'Service Canada' to apply for, or in my case, to reactivate, our social insurance numbers.  As it happened, Dominik received his straight away but I'll have to wait to be processed as it was dormant for more than 5 years.  This is in case of identity theft.  My new immigrant husband received his first!  Our big laugh here was when the woman asked Dominik, "And do you identify as a male?".   Unbelievable.  I certainly hope so!

Wir haben auch heute alles fertig gemacht für unsere Ontario Gesundheitsversicherung- so wie die E-Karte.  Die Frau dort war sehr freundlich und es ist schnell gegangen.  Dann haben wir was anderes gemacht bei 'Service Canada' und eine Frage für Dominik war, 'Identifizierst du dich als Männlich?'
Hmm....ja.  Er hat 'JA' gesagt! 

Today I spoke to a Real Estate woman and when I mentioned Austria she switched to speaking German!  She's from Germany and we will meet her tomorrow.  What a coincidence!

Die Maklerin (weiblich von Makler???) ist eine Deutsche!  So, habe ich heute mit ihr Deutsch geredet.  Meine Eltern haben dass ganz witzig gefunden. Ich auch! :-)  Wir werden sie morgen persönlich Kennenlernen.

We've been running around trying to get paperwork in order..I still have a bit to do, but we did have the time at the cabin, I made our Christmas pudding and I had breakfast with a friend (without kids!!) this week.  We're off for coffee at friends tomorrow morning and then on Sunday we will visit the church family where we were married and have lunch with friends there. It will be nice to do some visiting.  AND......homeschool will officially begin on Monday.  Hence the big push to get everything done and dusted before this weekend.  And then I will start looking for some sort of job.  Hmmmm...... 

Wir haben so viel zu tun gehabt, und wir haben noch mehr zu tun, aber wir haben auch Spaß gehabt!  Bei unser Hütte zum Beispiel.  Und ich habe eine Freundin zum Frühstück getroffen, morgen treffen wir uns mit Freunden, und am Sonntag werden wir unsere alte Gemeinde besuchen.  Am Montag fängt Homeschooling richtig an, Dafür wollen wir alles organisieren was noch zum Organisieren ist. Und dann werde ich Arbeit suchen.  Hmm....

Good night!

So, have a great week!  More news soon!

Ich wünsche euch eine schöne Woche!  Bis Bald!

We made it to Canada!

It is amazing to think that we've been here in Canada for almost a week now!  Tuesday last week we made our way really early in the morning to the airport in Vienna, with a massive amount of luggage!  We were each allowed two checked bags, one carry-on item and then we had an extra bag for ski boots and three bags of skiis.  Enough?  And there we were met by some friends from Vienna and others who had driven there to see us off.  It was a really lovely time, seeing how well supported we were.  Especially with breakfast at Mc Donalds for 14 people!

Our first flight was uneventful, from Vienna to Istanbul.  Yes, I know that we flew in the opposite direction from Canada, but Turkish Airlines was the cheapest for this amount of luggage.  And really, compared to our western carriers, they still have a really luxurious service.   We had an hour to change flights there, and because of the kids we went relatively quickly through the extra security check.  Even though we hadn't left the secure area there is another check before you board a connecting flight.  One line for women and one for men.  Patted down, checked for residue on hands etc, and all electronics looked at.  The children got to sit to the side with the bulk of our luggage.  I just had my handbag and all of our jackets.  So, security is good but they didn't look at the bags that the kids had! ;-) 

This flight had in-flight entertainment for the entire 10 hours and 20 minutes of the flight.  It was all lovely.  Until.  UNTIL.......  About 4 hours or so before landing in Montreal Jonthan succummed to the virus that the other kids had already had.  He started vomitting.  And he continued even until after the plane had landed.  He looked so pale.  After de-boarding he felt a bit better, in the fresh air.   We went quickly through customs, they were really friendly, but then we had at least a half-hour wait in immigration.  This was the killer.  The kids were SO tired.  It about 1:30 in the morning in Austria and we were all feeling it.  Finally Dominik was welcomed to Canada and we gathered our luggage (5 trolleys full) and left.  Our lovely friends Peter and Shelley came to meet us with the vans of my parents and we headed home to Grandma and Grandpa. Our trip from home in Austria until we reached Grandma and Grandpa´s took 25 hours and 15 minutes.

The first day the kids actually weren't awake at 4am as expected, except Josiah, and we made our way for our traditional First Canadian Breakfast at Tim Horton's (courtesy of the Jugend Team!  Thank you! (Dominik's co-workers)) at around 8 am.  We have been gradually adjusting to the time difference and now, 5 days in, we have pretty much conquered it.

We have spent this first week making lists of things to do and we've been running around getting our banking, driver's licences, health cards etc in order.  On top of that we are now starting to look at properties which are for sale.  So long as the snow holds off we can look around!  But today it has been snowing- at least this evening.  The kids were really interested to watch some of the Grey Cup on television tonight.  The game was played in Ottawa and it was played in the snow!  Yesterday they experienced some of 'Hockey Night in Canada' and today watched some of a replay of the game.  Gradually they'll sort out which teams play what and who to cheer for.  Jeremiah is the one most interested and he is very concerned that he is able to do training every day.  It's good that my parents have a treadmill and some hand weights to keep him occupied.

So, that's what we've been doing.  I'll give you a few impressions of our first few days being back in Canada. These aren't criticisms.....but comparisons.   I've lived for the last 14 years in Austria and although I was in Calgary for a few days in January of this year, it has been over 3 years since I spent any time here at all.  Coming back here is a stark contrast to the state of things in Austria and in most of Europe.  Some houses here are in such bad repair, and we've seen a few cars which I'm amazed are still on the road. One was so rusty, sorry - no photo, I've no idea how it is still holding together!  We don't see them like that in Europe just because the regulations are so strict.  In Brockville it seems as though the average age of people here is about 70 years old.  SO many pensioners! And they congregate in Tim Horton's.   People are very friendly here...much more open than in Austria.  I was going into a store and a total stranger turned and smiled and asked me if I had seen the spectacular sunset.  Yes, he was a pensioner too!  The children have noticed how people are more chatty generally, and more friendly.  But we also notice that, although food is in abundance, there isn't half as much organic food on offer.  And, most shocking, there is sugar in the table salt!  WHY???  I didn't realise this before.  Or maybe it wasn't there when I last lived here. No idea.  But these things we do miss from home.  What IS wonderful is all the Christmas music and Christmas displays that we see everywhere.  The kids were most excited to see a Christmassy Darth Vader with a light sabre- at Canadian Tire of course!

But we're adjusting and as we figure out where we should/will be settling, then we can sort all these things out ourselves.  We've found a few good online organic shops (salt is at the top of the list!), and we know that we will keep our home well....and our car.  Dominik has already bought some tools in the Black Friday sales so we're prepared to do anything!

I'll post more photos next time.....and I'll see if maybe Jonathan can do some translation into German tomorrow.  I'm sure that I can't manage that tonight!  (he's better anyway! :-)).   Thanks for following us on our journey- it is only just beginning!

Getting ready to fly!

It would appear that our time of waiting is rapidly coming to an end.  We fly a week from today and this knowledge fills us all with both excitement and dread!  We're so excited to be starting a new and adventurous life together.  A life in which we hope to have lots of time and fun together, and getting to know what life in Canada is now like.  Being with old friends and with the other set of grandparents...these are all great things to look forward to.  And blizzards!  I can't wait for a good blizzard.  But not, I pray, on the day of our arrival!
 
On the other hand, we do not look forward to having to say goodbye to many good friends whom we are really going to miss.  Our schedule is full with meetings for one last cup of tea.  We have a lot of packing ahead of us too, and sorting and giving-away.  It will be a fantastic feeling of relief when these jobs are all done.

I was away yesterday in Vienna overnight with Elena on a mother-daughter outing and Dominik started packing.  He made a fantastic start, actually.  The best packing tool so far is the idea of 'vacuum-packing' items.  Dominik has 8 feather pillows and one large feather duvet in plastic vacuum bags and I am truly amazed at how small they are now!  Wow! 

The children have only 3 more days of school ahead of them.  It does them credit that they are still doing their homework!  Jonathan's math teacher has given him the option of writing his math exam or not, but I don't know that Rebecca's english teacher did the same!  That will be on Friday, her last day of school.  What a going-away present! 

This is short but there's not much else to say just now!  The end is near, the house is a mess, and the packing continues! See you soon!