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Today in the mail, a letter from the Canadian Embassy in Berlin. If we could come over for an interview? Well, more like: you must come over for an interview, otherwise we will not process your application any further... So, we have to go to Berlin on April 18th for the interview on the 19th.

In the same enveloppe however, were the papers for the medical examination. So I'm gonna call a doctor Monday, to set a date, and do our medicals! I hope Berlin has the results before April 19th, 9 am, and they approve our application, so we can finally come to Canada this summer!

Am I happy?

HELL YES I AM

   

I hope all goes well for you Brenda. Good luck with all that!!!!

Are you coming to BC when you get here? Just asking casue you've posted in the BC forum.

   

Yep!
It is so beautiful there! In Holland, we have a lot of concreet, but not much trees (one of the reasons not to go to South SK or Alberta or Manitoba) and mountains are far away. We figured it would be great to be able to ski in our backyard, and during our stay in 2006 we fell in love with the south-kootenay area. What the Okanagan-area didn't do in 2005, the Castlegar area did.

We have not seen all Canada, that's for sure, but after googleing and searching the internet for years, you have to make a discision. So South-Kootenay it will be!

   

Not a big fan of Castlegar myself, but I haven't been there in a long time so maybe it doesn't stench of a Pulp Mill anymore. Nice scenery though, interesting History, and plenty of mountains.It's also nice and central being close to Trail, Nelson, Slocan Valley,and the Nancy Greene ski hill. Overall a very nice part of the Province.

Good luck on your application!

   

Good Luck Brenda!

BTW.....BC is the best Province in Canada.....dont let anyone tell ya otherwise....

Oh but a very close 2nd goes to the Maritimes.....

   

hehehe, The Maritimes don't have Rossland to ski though! It is on my list to see, and hope I will able to do so one day

Castlegar can still smell (depends on the wind, I noticed ) ... Celgar is still there but the most beautiful spot we saw, was Beaver Valley (50 km south-east of Castlegar, next to Trail). Fruitvale and Montrose are so beautiful! They are really small towns (Fruitvale has 2250, and Montrose even less), but all amenities in Trail, Nelson, and 200 km to the east in Cranbrook.

We love the fact of going out, and not drive into a traffic jam, but just be in the great outdoors. In winter, have snow (to shovel of your drive way ) and in summer go to the lake, or river or whatever, and not share it with another 100.000 people. The mountains, the people are nice, work shouldn't be a problem, and last but not least, housing is not as expensive as the Lower Mainland or the Okanagan Valley.

Anyway, we think it is a great part of the country!

For anyone who doesn't know what it looks like, here is the website of the Comunity Futures, with a lot of pictures:

http://www.southkootenay.com/cms/Media_ ... allery_pi1[showUid]=5

These are just landscape pictures... Beautiful!

   

Great news Brenda, I love BC and someday I hope to retire to Powell River.

   

Diary of an Immigrant from Europe to Edmonton.

December 8 - 6:00 PM. It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9 - We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the Whole World? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life.

December 10 - Out for a drive near Fort Saskatchewan and saw a beautiful herd of deer. They are so beautiful and majestic we thought to ourselves how could anyone hunt and murder such a delicate and timid creature. We decided to make a mental note to return with our camera and perhaps some thing they would enjoy eating and see if we can coax them closer.

December 12 - The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. l don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14 - Snow lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -35. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish l wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15 - 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in the NWT, after all.

December 16 - Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, Which I think was very cruel.

December 17 - Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20 - Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Goddamn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 21 - Drove up to Ft. Saskatchewan because I heard the UFA there might have a shipment of snowblowers but I was too late in getting there since there is so much ice still on the road. Because of these slippery roads I couldn't stop in time when some friggin deer bolted out from the brush along side the road. The whole front end is destroyed and the autobody shop says it will cost $5000.00 to repair. I wish the hunters had killed all those bloody pests in the fall.

December 22 - Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white shit fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I think the asshole is lying.

December 23 - Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she nuts!!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24 - 6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow plow I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the goddamn snowplow.

December 25 - Merry fucking Christmas! 20 more inches of the god damn slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think shes a fricking idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wondeful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26 - Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move to Alberta? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27 - Temperature dropped to -45 and the pipes froze, plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me 1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28 - Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. THE BITCH is driving me crazy!!!

December 29 - 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30 - Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver he is now suing me for a million dollars not only the beating I gave him but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his ass. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted.

December 31 - I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8 - Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

   

hehe, good post GPB.

   

Brenda: Be sure to checkout the Russian restaurants. Best Borscht in the world!(actually Grand Forks makes that claim, but I figure the Borscht in Castlegar can't be much different)

   

That's great news Brenda. I love that area of BC as well, especially Nelson.

Best of luck.

   

And who is going to do the shoveling you think?

   

That's man's work Canadarc.

   

I tried telling that to my dad. It didn't go well.

   

Oh, and lots of luck to you, Brenda. I've been to Castlegar once, but it was in December. Still a nice area though.

   

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