Western Canada Tour

I've been away for almost a month, and am finally back in NYC. Hurray! The whole purpose of the trip was to interview for my K3 visa - the temporary permanent residency status for spouses of American citizens. This interview was the take place in Vancouver (obviously, since I officially was living in Toronto!).

First, I flew to Calgary to see my friends Jen and Bob get married. The flight path was long (12 hrs), taking me from New York to Toronto and Vancouver before landing in Calgary. I only stayed a few days, so my apologies to Calgarians I didn't get a chance to see. Jen's and Bob's wedding was lovely - full of personal meaning and wonderful people. I loved how they had an open house the night before, so that guests could meet one another in a more informal setting. I also loved that they had all the guests get Polaroids taken, all hammed up for the camera in silly costumes (boas, viking hats, masks). These events certainly broke down any ice! While in Calgary, I stayed with friends Dan and Kate, who just moved west during August - the same time we moved east! Their house is always a wonderful place to come home to, filled with treasures and beautiful artwork and lush plants. Thank you for taking care of me!

I then took an overnight bus to Castlegar to stay with my parents for a week. This was another 12-hr journey, and though I was able to get some sleep on the bus, it wasn't a restful night! But the trip was certainly worth a week of yummy food and that general feeling of 'being taken care of' that parents always provide! I got to meet their new puppy, Birdie, who is a large-and-still-growing bundle of energy! She's very well behaved and full of joy! Unfortunately, my cat Sam, who now lives with my parents, has not quite warmed up to the dog yet. In fact, Sam throws a fit every time he sees Birdie! And though Sam now ventures outdoors, he's still the shedding, affectionate kitty that he was when we were in Edmonton. I was glad to have had time to hang out with my much-missed cat! My time in Castlegar also introduced me to duplicate bridge - a gruelling 27-hand evening!

Another 12-hr bus ride took me to Vancouver. This time it was a day trip, which was both good (beautiful scenery) and bad (annoying loud passengers). We got to ride along a very snowy Coquihalla Highway - so glad I wasn't driving! While in Vancouver, I stayed with ever-hospitable friends Andre and Deb. As usual, these visits involve yummy food and fun activities! We went wall-climbing, ate out lots, and generally had a great time being full and silly!

The main point of the whole trip, of course, was for my interview at the US Consulate. The day dawned snowy and I feared the poor weather would cause havoc for the buses. Luckily, there were no problems. I arrived early, and waited in the "10:00 am" appointment line. 10am came and went, and still a dozen or so people were waiting in the 9:30am line! Eep! Then the security guard asked if I was there for a K visa, which I was, and pulled me out of line and sent me inside. Several wrong lineups and security checks later, I found myself on the 20th floor, having paperwork processed. It ended up being a 90-minute wait, without food, water, a clock or a bathroom. At least there were two other women waiting to be interviewed as well, and we had a wonderful conversation getting to know one another! Both were finacees of Americans and were hoping to get to the US soon so they could be married. Unfortunately, both also ended up needing more paperwork done before they could be approved. Miraculously, all my paperwork was in order (an immigration lawyer with a client in the waiting area said this was rare indeed for applicants to be approved their first time!) and after a fairly short and straight-forward interview, I was approved. Yay! I had lunch with Deb and Andre (who both work downtown near the consulate) then headed back to the US building to pick up my visa. Hurray!

A few days later, I was on an overnight plane ride to Baltimore, where Toby was for a physics conference. Yet another lengthy ride, taking me on a convoluted route through Las Vegas (where "The Strip" was visible from the air) and Houston (where much signage declared that handguns must be in checked luggage) and finaly to the Baltimore-Washington International Airport. It was yet another shuttle bus ride, commuter train trip, and a taxi fare before I arrived at the hotel in Baltimore. Boy, was I exhausted! But definitely worth being able to see Toby again! We spent a few days in Baltimore then took a train back to NY Thursday night.

It feels good to be home!