People & Places
Wallace's Canadian Blog February 07
Rachel Wallace, who recently moved to Nova Scotia with her family, keeps us informed with their Canadian goings on
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who replied to my first blog. It was great to hear from you all. Keep the emails coming!
Well, Jack and Kerry are pleased today as school has been cancelled due to bad weather again. Kerry has her friend round to practice a dance they have to perform at school tomorrow while Jack keeps moaning "when's lunch?"
Ian is away in Cape Breton, where he started the first of many courses this week. We have finally found out which certificates he can keep from England (not many!) and have started booking up for the ones he needs to do. There are about ten in all, most of which will have to be done in Cape Breton. This is a pain as it's a three-hour drive away so more costs involved with accommodation, etcetera.
The Towage firm interested in Ian are desperate to employ him as captain but their hands are tied until he is 'Canadian' qualified. Hopefully this won't take more than four months – that's long enough without money coming in and plenty going out!
As Ian is going to be away Monday to Friday and the kids are at school, I decided to offer my help at Kerry's school. This offer was jumped upon as they are desperate for volunteers. I have now got a regular stint in the school library on a Wednesday morning and will be listening to children read on a Thursday afternoon. Apparently, there are plenty of other things they have in mind for me so I shall be busy. This should be a great way to meet people.
Reflecting on the days after our arrival, we stayed with June and Mark Spindloe at the Mumford B&B. They were so welcoming and informative. Having emigrated ten years ago they have a wealth of information to share. They kept us on track if we were despondent and reminded us of all the little things which needed doing like getting our SIN cards (Social Insurance Number), our MSI (Health cards) and our Permanent Resident Cards. When you are focused on getting a house, job, car, etcetera, these things can get overlooked.
We enrolled the kids in a nearby school (not where they are now) within a week of arriving. I think I was more nervous than they were. By lunchtime they had a list of new friends they had made. We arranged for a 'buddy' to take care of them for the first couple of days so they didn't get lost or feel alone but we needn't have worried. One of my main concerns before leaving England was getting them settled in one school then having to make them change again. It's silly the things you worry about because the children were fine with it. They started their new schools in January once we had bought our house and again were settled in happily within the first day. The children are so much more laid back over here and don't seem to grow up quite as quickly, which is lovely. They actually talk to you too!
Another thing we sorted soon after arriving was signing up with a Doctor. Wow! They sure are thorough over here. The children were both physically checked, as were we. Ian and I also had all our blood tested and chests x-rayed. As a precaution I was sent for an ECG as the doctor thought she could hear a slight heart murmur. Also, as there was an enlarged area near my heart on the x-ray, I now have a CAT scan booked for next week. It's a bit daunting having all these tests but they certainly don't intend to miss anything. Hopefully, all will be well!
Better finish up for now as the kids need feeding. Next month I'll write about buying a car and shopping.
Looking forward to receiving some more emails and watch out for next month's blog!
Click here to email Rachel
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