Happy Thanksgiving
Well, it’s Thanksgiving. This will be the first Thanksgiving I will have ever spent out of the US. I would always go over to my parents house for the day. Mom would cook, dad would have the parade and maybe a football game going. Sometimes my brother would be in town, sometimes not until closer to Christmas. The weather was usually in the 50s or 60s. After eating, mom and I (and my brother if he was in town, along with his pupper Loki), would take a walk around the neighborhood.
Part of me is sad that I won’t be able to see my friends and family this year. Part of me is angry that the US is hurting so many people. And part of me is grateful for the wonderful kindness of my friends here in Canada who have let me stay with them. They’ve worked hard to make me feel at home. I truly enjoy being here with them. But I still miss home.
I’m hopeful things will get better for everyone soon. I also feel like I’m exactly where I need to be, here with my friends. I feel like I’m on the cusp of something good, something greater. Despite all the bad this year, I’ve also had a lot of good.
This year feels like it’s been several years packed into one. I was horrified at Trump taking office and his immediate slew of executive orders attacking everyone.
In March I made the decision to leave and stay with my friends in Canada. In May I moved out of my house and into my parents house to try and sell it.
In June I left a job I’d worked at for 22 years, and all the friends I had there.
In July I left the sword group I’d been a part of for more than 10 years. And then we decided to rent out my house instead of sell it since it wasn’t selling. I wish I’d made that decision sooner—it’s working great. I have a steady flow of income coming in every month. With the economy not doing well, and thus my sales not doing as well, this has been a blessing to keep me treading water.
In August I went to the beach with my friends and watched a water rescue of a plane that crashed in the ocean in front of the house (everyone was okay), and a few days later watched a turtle nest hatch and the babies rush the ocean for the first time in my life. After that trip I went to visit a friend up in Baltimore. On the way back, I took the wrong train, and several of us had to get off at DC to get on the right train. Later I went to Tennessee to visit my cousins and aunt. I spent 3 days in Townsend, so I could go through Cades Cove in the Great Smokies over and over. I hiked over 20 miles over the course of those 3 days, and saw 4 bear, a bunch of deer, turkies, and maybe an elk. Then I went on to Knoxville and celebrated my youngest cousin’s fifth birthday. The last day of August I flew into Canada.
My friends immediately did everything they could to make me feel safe and welcome. And the longer I’ve been here, the deeper our friendship gets. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with them. We’ve settled into a nice routine.
I’ve never had a year like this one. I think it’s paving the way for better things to come.
Residency
I’m still working on applying for the Express Entry Program here in Canada. The education assessment is complete. They said it would take about 60 days, but it only took about 2 weeks. They’ve determined my university degree is on the same level as a Canadian university degree.
Now I have to request my rap sheet from the FBI. The first step in that is getting fingerprinted. I have an appointment in a couple of weeks to get fingerprinted at a police station about 30 minutes away. Then I’ll have to mail those fingerprints to the FBI to get my criminal history. That is the final piece I need to apply for Express Entry. I’m almost there. And then I hope I get approved quickly.
It's been a long strange trip around the sun this year. There has been a lot of good and a lot of bad. But I really do think there’s something better on the horizon. Back in the US, I was angry and scared all the time, and I was losing myself to the insanity happening there. It’s so much nicer being able to breathe freely without the overwhelming fear clouding my senses. I’m still frustrated and angry at what’s been happening, but it helps being a bit removed from it, and feeling safe.
I wish we didn’t have borders and countries. We could move beyond that. We’re all people, and every person deserves to feel safe, and deserves to be healthy and happy. We’re not there yet, but I hope some day we will be.
