ALEXIS

DOGWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SURREY, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Alexis is now enrolled in the third grade at Dogwood. Her first day of school is next Tuesday.She would start today if she could...she's very anxious to be with other kids.

I also signed her up for before and after school care. Trudy, the director is super sweet and made Alexis feel very welcome.

Alexis still has the moves. She kept this handstand up for a full minute.

" What if I should fall right through the center of the Earth...oh, and come out the other side where people walk upside down" Alice in Wonderland




Hanging off the monkey bars at the Dogwood Park playground

After my wimpy attempt at pushing her on the merry-go-round Alexis decided she could go faster if she did it herself

Just swingin

Alexis prefers an upside down view of the world

A striking pose from the top of the jungle jim

Sunday

View from the Vancouver Community of Christ church. Our friends will be happy to know that we finally made it to church. Not only did we drive straight to it without any mishaps, but we were an hour early.

After two weeks of mostly warm weather, the past few days have been chilly enough to warrant sweaters and long sleeves. Alexis is just not willing to give up on summer quite yet.

We have enjoyed getting to talk with more and more of our loved ones on Skype. Currently Candy, Tony, Pam, and the Heides have it downloaded to their computers. (No, I'm not a paid spokesperson for Skype nor do I have stock in it,I'm just all about free goodies) If you happen to get on Skype you can find us under apianist61

http://www.skype.com/intl/en/get-skype/on-your-computer/windows/

AND THEN THERE WAS THREE

Seattle skyline

We left at 6:30 this morning to take Mom and Pam to the airport in Seattle

Port of Seattle

Saying goodbye at SEATAC airport

It has been a wonderful three weeks spent with my Mom and dear friend Pam. We have so appreciated the help that they have been to us as we have had so much to do to get settled. There were a few tears as the time to leave drew near but they were tempered by a sense of great thankfulness that we have had this time together.

It was a beautiful drive through Washington as we headed back to BC

Heading North on I-5 close to Bellingham

Jim and Alexis at the seaport in Blaine, WA



Alexis and me, Blaine, Washington...a stones throw from the border




The excrutiatingly long wait at the border crossing

Our home away from home Surrey, BC

The view from about two blocks down the street

Surrey, BC









Nine hours later we're almost home

It's a little bit scary that we're all alone now. It's been so much fun to have so many of our loved ones with us. While I am really excited to get school under way I'm going to miss the daily conversations with Mom as I drove home from classes each day.

A faintly visible Space needle in Seattle

>

Mom, Alexis, and me at SFU Burnaby Campus

Alexis taking in the sights from the top of SFU's patio balcony

Jim left bright and early this morning for his first day on the job. He said he made it to work in about thirty minutes but it took forty-five coming home through HWY 1 construction. His day went well with the work being much like his job at home. It was the accents of many of his co-workers and customers that threw him for a loop. He said he had to listen really carefully to understand what people were saying especially if he was on the phone with them.

Mom, Pam,Alexis, and I spent much of the day at SFU trying to wrap up the loose ends that I couldn't get accomplished last week. While the girls shopped in the bookstore I went to the registrar's office and got my school ID. I got a bit turned around trying to take them to the Criminology dept and poor Pam ended up having to walk what seemed like miles. After talking to three different people, each getting us closer to our destination, we finally made it. Everyone was able to sit and rest up for the walk back to the car while I took care of some business at the CRIM office. I now have the keycard that gets me into the MA office as well as my own little key to my own special drawer in the office.

The only thing that is still undecided is the parking arrangements which come at a premium. To park in the blisters on top of blisters on top of blisters parking lot is $270.00 per semester. To park in the "it only hurts when I walk" lot is about$379.00. I may be eligible for a discount as a TA so I need to have my dept. email parking services a copy of my teaching contract to get a price break of sorts. Thursday 9/2 is the graduate student orientation so I should be able to get it dealt with then.

I guess fall comes earlier here as trees are starting to turn. The mornings are becoming noticeably cooler although it still warms up lovely in the afternoon. Alexis wants to go swimming every day no matter chilly the day has been so Mimi took her to the pool tonight thinking that once she "freezes her buns" a bit so she will realize that it really isn't as warm as the week we arrived and will quit asking to go. Somehow I don't think the cool air is going to dissuade her. As long as the pool is open (September 30) ..(I told you that folks here are hardy) she'll want to be in it.

SATURDAY

It took four hours of sitting and pacing, going across the street to Subway for refreshments, pacing some more, and reaffirming to the pleasant young man that we would not come back to his store for a fourth day if they had not provided us cell phones before we left. I'm so thankful that we had Pam as a witness because no one would believe the rigamarole you have to go through. Jim,very nicely told them that if this was what Americans had to go through to get a phone in the states, there would be rioting in the streets...I don't think they believed him.

Success! We each have a cell phone...under totally different plans (don't ask, the reason is so crazy you would think I'm lying)but at least we have phones. Sorry, it's just for local numbers we aren't rich enough to buy a plan that has international calling!

We do have Skype up and running. I am apianist61. It is super easy to download, so far Tony and Pam have it on their computers.

If I haven't mentioned it already, BC is beautiful, I think at this point, that it is this fact that is making all the wildness of trying to get settled worth it.

We are going to try once more to make it to church tomorrow. Pam has emailed the pastor of the congregation that we couldn't find last week and if we don't hear anything from him we will attempt to find the Vancouver branch instead.

I am thinking about setting up a separate blog acct or something where I can chronicle my experiences of living in an RV park rather than use my Fulbright blog. A professor at Park University, when he found out my living arrangements in BC, told me that there was a book to be written about life in an RV park and he expected me to write it. I just laughed at the time and thought...who would want to read about that?....I'm beginning to think he may have a point..I don't know if I can really keep up with all the writing and school and Alexis's schedule,but I may try.

GOOD DAYS

Wow, eleven months and over 2,000 miles later I finally made it to Simon Fraser University

A scenic overlook on campus













Around each corner the view keeps getting better








Me on top of the world at SFU's reflecting pool




I believe this is called the quadrangle



Jim and I had left early Wednesday morning to talk to the people at his prospective job and to see what I could get done at SFU. After visiting with the boss at CBS Parts in Burnaby he told him that he can start work as soon as he has his SIN card. So that was very good news. It had looked promising before we left home but until you are actually hired you are kind of on pins and needles waiting to see what will happen.

We then headed up Burnaby Mt to Simon Fraser. Wow! What an absolutely gorgeous drive. Much to my amazement SFU is an enormous campus..I just had no idea. Jim and I walked and walked stopping and asking directions numerous times along the way. We finally found the student center where we were told to begin our day at the registrar's office where I would receive a student ID card. After taking a number and waiting I was told that until I had officially enrolled in classes I could not get my ID.She told me to find a computer, register for classes and come back 24 hours later after the info and been entered into her database. OKAY... The Criminology Dept.(far, far away) was our next stop.The minute I rounded the corner heading into the department I knew I was at home. While they have much more lovely digs than my friends back at Park, in comparison to the Science Hall and other areas of the university that we walked through, the CRIM dept seemed more cozy, if you will. I thought to myself...yes, these are my people, I will feel very comfortable here.


Philip, the graduate secretary was a terrific help, he enrolled me in my classes while I filled out all the TA paperwork. I was also pleased to meet Professor Boyd, Dean of the Graduate Department. He is just as personable as I imagined he would be. After finishing there Jim and I headed to the bookstore where I was able to purchase my books. So tomorrow I will(this time with Mom and Pam)make a trip back to campus to get my ID, buy a parking pass, and enroll in new graduate student orientation. This was actually one of the more productive days I have had thus far...and it felt really good.


Thursday

The heat wave broke and we awoke to a cool, rainy day. Jim headed out early and was successful in obtaining the much coveted and sought-after SIN card. (Much jumping up and down at this point!)As he came in the door he announced to Pam that with this card in his possession he could now officially "SIN" all he wanted to! When he called CBS to tell them the news they told him to plan on starting work 8:00 Monday morning. (imagine cartwheels and backflips!)


Alexis has made a friend. Lauren is the 6 year old daughter of Troy and Linda, the park managers. I am so thankful that she has someone to play with as she has been lamenting that she is bored without other kids around. We had been telling her to just be patient, school will start soon and she will meet others there but Lauren is a sweet little girl and I'm thankful for Alexis's sake that a friend came sooner than later. As Pam and I are sitting in the laundry room...the only dry place to get on the computer...the two of them are in the office playing Polly Pockets.

I don't know where to begin, let's see....

Monday.....there's the issue of needing access to our money that is in the US as well as needing a bank account in Canada so we decided to see what we could accomplish in that regard. We had been (erroneously) led to believe that Scotiabank was a sister bank to our bank,the Bank of Amercia(no transaction fees for using your debit card, etc.) so that's where we headed first. Nope, there is no relation what-so ever, sister or otherwise between the two, but ...for a sizable fee they would be happy to help us access our BOA money....heading down the road...The Royal Bank of Canada was next on our list as they and Bank of Amercia were one of the two Fulbright-approved institutions. This was a very multi-cultural banking experience as were the only two"westerners"there. Compared to the brightly colored menagerie of men in turbans and sari-clad women, Jim and I appeared quite dull and uninspiring in our jeans and t-shirts

When we conveyed our wishes to the customer service girl were nicely told that we would need to make an appointment for another day if we desired to open an account with them. After politley inquiring if there was another branch location that could see us more promptly they (it's a miricale!) found the time to squeeze us in.

Justin Antwar

Remember that name! This young man was great! He had never opened an account for anyone such as ourselves... .. non-Canadian, non-immigrant.....nobodies and he did a wonderful job. As he waded painstakingly through the reams of paper work he kept saying, "This is such a good experience for me. I've never had to do this before but now I will know how to do it. I'm so glad that you came in!" I told Jim that he reminded me of a middle eastern version of Tony. He looked to be the same age and was just very mature and poised. Two hours later we had an account, the catch was we had to go back to the states , find a BOA branch, and wire transfer the money unless we wanted to wait two weeks for the money to clear. Note to self and other international travelers....bring plenty of cash, a bank draft of the money you want to deposit with you and be able to wait two weeks before you access it. We had no idea...Aren't we glad that my Fulbright didn't take me to the North Pole or somewhere overseas! With only twenty miles between us and the border this didn't turn out to be nearly as frustrating as it could have.



Tuesday

Back to the U.S.

The border crossing wait was just as long as last week but not as frustrating. Within 30 seconds of walking in the door two...yes TWO people asked if they could help us, no lines , no taking a number, no being told to come back another day(really RBC? we just want to GIVE you our money??).... It took all of 2 minutes to get to the bank and another ten for them to wire the money to our RBC account.I like to think of this as American efficiency at it's best!

After we got back to Canada in the afternoon we decided to quit window shopping and just pick a cell phone plan. Much to our dismay we don't qualify to have one because we have not established any credit in Canada. Once we have acquired a SIN or Social IInsurance Number(Canada's equivalent to our SSN) we can use that and our passports to get phones. Until then our neighbor Rene, a colorful gentleman from Quebec, has graciously told us to put his number down when contact info is needed. Jim is going first thing tomorrow to apply for his number and the university is helping me with mine.
We'll be set before long.

Losing battery power,

Tomorrow...Jims job and the view from school!

HAPPENINGS

A little about our RV park.


Troy and Linda are the (married) park managers and they are absolutely wonderful. When we arrived late on Wednesday night they had a space already reserved for us...the only problem was that we were too close to our neighbors to even get our awning out and there is major highway construction gong on 24/7 just a few feet a way. It is an understatement to say that I was disappointed...bordering on hysterical is probably closer to it. After the months of anticipation and days of driving our home in Independence could be considered more rustic. Jim is used to the occasional emotional outburst (yes, only occasional!)but I felt sorry for Sam. I'm begging Jim to do something and Sam is trying to be supportive of him but he also feels bad for me because he's not impressed with the site either.


The next morning Jim went and talked to Troy and he drove him to a couple of other available sites and we found one that we liked much better. It's a few rows over from the first one but it has a lot more room and is far enough away from the hwy that much of the noise is muffled. I was so grateful. I'm not sure exactly what Jim must have told Troy when he told him that "we" weren't happy with the lot because when I met him and Linda the following day, they were quick to assure me that I would calm down? and begin to feel more settled after a few days?? and that they too are raising their children here and that I need have no fear of my neighbors???

Oh well, it all worked out and we are most grateful to both of them for being so accommodating to us pushy, and thanks to my husband's portrayal of me, paranoid, Americans.




WE're still trying to nail down our banking,internet and cell phone service. Hopefully we can accomplish all of that tomorrow. Oh yes, and we most definitely will be buying a GPS that works in Canada....

LOST
No, we are not marooned on remote island but many times over the past few days we have felt as hopeless as our poor plane-crashed friends from ABC, in ever finding our way back to our RV park .

The gravitational pull of HWY 1!

Hwy 1 runs right beside our park and as I mentioned it is under construction. Thursday in our travels we spent over two hours stuck in it's powerful force field. With numerous exits and on-ramps that are closed, it keeps circling you round and round back and forth over the Fraser River until you finally find an exit that will let you get away from it. Over the two hours I believe I heard such comments as, "I can't do this much longer I've had to pee for the last 45 minutes!" Papa, are we lost? Will we ever get back to the RV park?" "No, no, NO! We can't be going back around again!! STOP" "If you think you can can get us off this road I'll just pull over right here and let you drive :) someone really did say that!!! I wonder who it could be? "Oh, let's just enjoy the pretty scenery Alexis, what is down there on the river that we haven't seen that last (50) times we we went over it?" Hmmm, who does that cheery voice sound like?


LOST EPISODE 2

Today we tried to go to church. We all got up early, got dressed and spent the next 3 hours driving around Burnaby, Cocquitlam, New Westminster, and Vancouver. Only 45 minutes of it was spent trying to find the church, the other two plus hours were spent trying to find our way home again! Jim announced on our arrival that while we hadn't been able to go to the worship service that he was none-the-less praising God that we had finally made it home!



Alexis enjoying the hot weather

Hey, I know how to convert Celsius to F. Times the C. # by 9. Divide by 5 and add 32. Woohoo!





Where I sit to blog

PHOTO MONTAGE

My new keyboard sound so wonderful !

Dogwood Campground...our B.C. home






Pam all snuggly in Tony's baby blankie



Sam, Jim, and Monty at our home in Surrey

Debra and Pam


We finally made it!


Somewhere west of Missouri :)

Montana

Idaho

Washington

Sam, Debra, and Jenna...without them we wouldn't have made it to Nebraska. Thank you so much,we love you!!

Pam giving Sam his umpteenth Konan Crunch

Alexis in Idaho


How Alexis spent the trip when she wasn't riding in the car
west of the Mississippi