May 31, 2008
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
‘Expat Life’ Category
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Happy Birthday, USA!
July 4, 2008 by Gail
Posted in David, Expat Life, Politics + Economy | 2 Comments
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U.S. Border Policy Enforcement Needs Reform
April 15, 2008 by Gail
* rant alert *
I have opined time and time again that U.S. border guards (at both airport and land points of entry) are ill-informed, inconsistent, and have far too much discretionary power.
Here’s another example of what I’m talking about:
U.S. border guards bar skilled Canadian from his job – CBC, March 31, 2008
Technician says increased protectionism at U.S. border is unfair
I still get upset when I’m reminded of how much time, money, and sheer energy David and I spent trying to follow the stated policies of U.S. Immigration to the letter in order to get married and be together. We had an immigration attorney working for over a year on our case (who I only finished paying in December 2006; visa application fees and such are nonrefundable) and did everything he instructed us to do to secure my visa — including being forced to live apart during what we learned later was a critical time in David’s health.
When I think of how much of a difference I could have made by just being there for David, getting him to the hospital and taking care of him in July 2005 when his lymphatic system was under attack and his symptoms were intensifying (night sweats, back pain, etc.), I can’t help but get angry at this system that’s supposed to PROTECT its citizens but is in fact turning them and their families into victims of nearsighted bureaucracy gone mad.
Posted in Expat Life, Politics + Economy, Rants | 6 Comments
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Scranton’s Claim to Fame (Before “The Office”)
February 19, 2007 by Gail
…the hill that leads into Scranton, Pennsylvania by blynaffitClick on the picture for the answer. Thanks to blynaffit for letting me use her picture.
See also David’s description of his city from the Flickr group “Praise and Curse of the City” two years ago:
I love that my immigrant grandparents made a life here, and my memories of their house across from the park and the museum, and hearing my grandmother’s Yiddish as a child. I love the railroad tracks and the boarded-up coal mines and the slag heaps. I love the careless accents and the affability of my neighbors’ voices. I love that there are soaring cities to the east, and endless forests to the west. I love that we still have our original chrome diners and our wonderfully awful newspaper, and one remaining human elevator operator. I love that Harry Chapin sang a silly song* about our town.
I hate that so much was lost when our city fell ill, around the time that I was born, and the youth and optimism that bled away over the years. (I love that health is returning, though.) Sometimes I hate that my city isn’t quite big enough, so that foreign films and foods and people don’t find their way here. I hate that the nearby farms are turning into housing developments, gated communities full of New Yorkers, wealthy and imprisoned. I hate the inept, corrupt and – worst of all – unimaginative public officials.
I love and hate the idea of leaving it, someday. I am Scranton.
*30,000 Pounds of Bananas.
Technorati tags: Scranton, Flickr, Harry ChapinPosted in David's Writing, Expat Life, Flickr, Other Photogs | No Comments
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A Bit of Canadiana For All the Expat Canucks
October 4, 2006 by Gail
Specifically, Neil, Breigh, and the newly-married Tanya. I’m conveniently located near the CBC Shop, purveyors of fine Canadiana for possible Christmas gifts. I’m taking requests!
Posted in cameraphone, Culture + Society, Expat Life | No Comments
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1,400 Miles or 2,253 Kilometers Later
September 23, 2006 by Gail
After returning to Toronto for one day after three weeks in Vancouver, I got in my car and drove from Toronto to Scranton, Scranton to Ambler, Ambler to Philadelphia, Philly to Scranton, Scranton to Rhinebeck, then Rhinebeck to Toronto in about six days. On Wednesday alone I drove about a third of that — 2+ hours between Scranton and Rhinebeck, then 7+ hours from Rhinebeck to Toronto. I spoke to Gigi’s Papa when I was east of Syracuse and he didn’t think I would be home before 2am, but I was in our underground parking by 01:10.
He also thinks I’m crazy for never using cruise control.
I’ve made three of these ON/NY/PA road trips since the end of May, and this drive home was the easiest. Oddly, though, the trip south last week really dragged. It seemed to take forever to get out of Toronto, and it continued that way until I turned south off Interstate 90 (part of the New York State Thruway) to head south along the very familiar I-81. For some reason, as soon as I see that sign for Binghamton (the last major town before the Pennsylvania border) it feels like I’m on the home stretch to Scranton, but in reality I’m not much further than halfway!
After my interrogation at the U.S. border on our way to Buffalo a month ago (just thinking about it still spikes my blood pressure), I smartened up and dug out the papers filed away that I had in a binder when I moved to Toronto. I put the binder back together again that contains supporting documents, eg. estate papers, marriage and death certificates, car importation, etc., so that NEXT time a USCIS officer gets “confused” with the details of my story and decides it’s easier to make accusations I’m going to simmer down and hand over that binder. In fact, I really should just make it easier for them and draft a one-page outline of events, with a table of contents.
Sarcasm never works at the border, so I’m keeping it all here, you see.
As I was driving to the border, I decided to skip the Lewiston crossing altogether and headed directly for the Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls. Which was a good move, I discovered, when I waited less than five minutes to reach a booth and was waved on through after three questions, the last one which was: “Are you the registered owner of this car?” I thought I was going to get the usual “Why do you have PennDOT stickers with Ontario license plates?” — but I didn’t, so I think I’m going to keep using Rainbow Bridge as my regular point of entry now. Maybe the officers have more sense there, or the spray from the falls works like Evian spritzer to make them more relaxed.
Posted in Expat Life, USA | 1 Comment
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The Difference Between Inconvenient and Downright Ludicrous
June 20, 2006 by Gail
Inconvenient: Canadian banks will hold a U.S. dollar cheque issued by a U.S. bank for up to 30 days before clearing it.
Ludicrous: American banks won’t accept a U.S. dollar cheque/check issued by a Canadian bank, fullstop. Or any bank in the world outside the U.S., for that matter.
I have a U.S. dollar bank account. I can write cheques in U.S. funds. But no U.S. bank will accept them. Does this make any sense at all?
Posted in Expat Life, Rants | 8 Comments
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20lbs of Cat Food, Sir
June 9, 2006 by Gail
Canadian border
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Friday, June 2, 01:45Canadian Border Services officer: “Where do you live?”
Me (stifling yawn): “Toronto and Vancouver.”
Officer: “How long were you in the U.S.?”
Me: “Four days.”
Officer: “What goods are you bringing back to Canada with you?”
Me: (pause) “Cat food*.” (Neither Rachael nor I bought anything.)The officer looked away for a moment, trying to decide whether
I was jerking his chainhe should continue his line of questioning and pretend he didn’t hear me, or if he should probe for more absurdities and maybe poke around the car.About 30 seconds later we were on our way, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“At least he didn’t frisk the glove compartment and find the big bottle of Hugh’s pills I can only get in the U.S. because it isn’t on the list of federally approved drugs in Canada.”
Can you imagine the delay? The explanations? After driving all day, I didn’t want to imagine.
I also didn’t want to imagine what kind of excremental mess was awaiting me at the apartment from Mister Hugh, a.k.a. The Most High-Maintenance Expat Kitty Ever. He’s got the costliest poop around.
* Hugh can only eat two kinds of food, and both must be purchased from a veterinarian. Hill’s Prescription Diet K/D (Kidney Diet) wet and dry. Every other kind, including other Prescription Diet cat food for old cats or oral care or to treat furballs, are available in pet stores but disagree with his digestive system. The wet K/D is to mix with his daily capsule, and the only kind he can generally keep down is the chicken flavour. THIS FOOD IS EXPENSIVE, and I save a bit of money if I buy it across the line. With the pills I have no choice but to order them from the compounding pharmacy in Wilkes-Barre; they’re that obscure.
Posted in Critters + Creatures, Expat Life, Hugh | 4 Comments
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Protected: Today
April 6, 2006 by Gail
Posted in Expat Life, PWP-1, Working Life | Enter your password to view comments.
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Daunting
March 8, 2006 by Gail
It’s hard to believe I was in New York only the weekend before. I finished packing up a three-bedroom house, squeezed it into a 17-foot U-Haul and moved it to a one-bedroom apartment in Toronto a few days after that. After waiting out a snowstorm. Welcome to my bizarre world. (more…)
Posted in Expat Life, House of Fielding, Travel, Widowhood | 2 Comments
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A State of Managed Chaos
February 27, 2006 by Gail
Taken yesterday in front of the 9/11 Memorial on Staten Island. My face is frozen solid here, as the winds are ABSOLUTELY GLACIAL.
Like my hair, things are a bit wild at the moment. Arrived back from New York near midnight, and have been running around today with phone in hand. In future, if anyone reading this needs advice on exporting a car from the United States and importing it into Canada, I would be glad to give you my two cents. I won’t bore the rest of you to tears with the (many) details, only to mention that I can’t register the car in Canada without a deregistration stamp from the American authorities on the back of the title, and there are all sorts of hoops to jump through before that can take place. It sounds like the two agencies work together, but I can tell you they do not!!
The New York trip was fun with a capital F, but now it’s back to the business at hand: moving. Anyone want to trade lives for a while?
Posted in Expat Life, Photography, Travel | 4 Comments
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