Ecology of Ease?

On a regular Sunday morning, I group-chatted with 2 friends I made overseas and shared an idea I had for a business. I’d discussed it with a couple of people already but had not made a move. For whatever reason, today was the day. I even applied for a mentorship program from my city! I won’t hear about that for a couple of months and I’m not expecting much, to be honest. The program looks great! It’s just that I was applying right at the deadline and didn’t provide any supporting documents with my application, which was recommended but not required. But I was in a hurry! I’d be thinking about this for well over a year and it just seemed like it was right then or not at all.

I always think a potted plant is a perfect representation of new beginnings and clarity.

So what’s the business? It’s going into people’s homes and helping them streamline their spaces, possessions, and (hopefully) habits. I’ll be using my BA in Psychology to understand habit and attachment. I’ll be using my MSc in Human Ecology to treat the home as an ecosystem and make small adjustments in it for optimum health and happiness for the family within. And I’ll be using my extensive personal study on minimalism to assist clients with their mindset regarding their possessions and consumption. To further that, I’ll be doing it responsibly! Items that can be donated will go to shelters or organisations that help people starting over. Items that can be repaired will go for repair and be sold or donated. Items that can be recycled will be recycled and items that are trash, well, they’ll start their process of decomposing responsibly rather than taking up space and attention in the client’s home. My goal is to connect with local businesses (big and small) to fill these needs. It will help the client move forward more quickly, and it will help other people in the community, as well.

I was thinking about calling the business Ecology of Ease. The “ecology” because of my own background in Human Ecology and the acknowledgement of home management as a science and the home, itself, as an ecosystem. There is a science to a healthy home and it radiates into the healthy humans who reside within it. And then the “ease” comes from the ease that is created with minimalism and living with less. It’s simple, but not easy … doing the hard work will create a rewarding ease about the home and mind for the people within in. When one walks into their home, they should feel a joy or the sense of deeply exhaling into peace and calm. Your home should cradle you – not incite you!

I always say if there’s chaos around you, there’s chaos within you!

And it’s ok that everything isn’t a picture perfect for a magazine spread on minimalism! But, I think that most people reading this would agree they can pare down their possessions and would feel good about it. And many don’t know where to start. So this is where I’m coming in with Ecology of Ease!

I’m fired up to reach in and help out and do my part but I’ll admit that I am a bit lost and where EXACTLY to begin! So perhaps a little notice on my blog. 😉 And perhaps I’ll start to collect ideas and experiences (and hopefully photos) so I can write about what I’m learning on the way.

Wish me luck!

Decisions

Decisions, decisions. 

Back in Canada and almost done our 14 days of quarantine and we have the usual choices to make. 

We need a place to live. 
We need a school.
We need a vehicle.

These are some real head-scratchers.

Step 1: Home. Home and school are very intermingled. It’s basically this: You can’t register for school without an address and if we spend all our money on a home, we will get less of a vehicle.

Here’s the thing though … When we left Canada, just at the end of Dec 2019, my kids were in a public middle school and a French-immersion public elementary school. Not surprisingly, they want to return to the schools (kids, teachers) they’ve been with for the past 2-3 years. Because we love to do everything the hard way and chose to put one kid into an immersion program when the other wasn’t allowed (just due to his age at the time of application), we are in a bit of a catchment pickle. In order for BOTH kids to end up in their schools of choice, we need to live in the one specific neighbourhood that we left from. It’s a lovely hood and I’ve no issues buying back into it. But we are less than thrilled at what’s available to buy and are filled with remorse for selling our beloved home. 

We have looked at homes just one neighbourhood over, where our oldest will not be in his catchment, but we can ask for special permission for him to switch, especially since he was only gone 6 months (and everyone else was gone for 4 of those) and he would be in his final year at that school. BUT the schools are all full. So it’s no guarantee he will get approval, as the final word is based on his school of choice’s attendance numbers. So I can’t buy a house and just presume it will be ok as the principal has warned me it may not work out and there’s not a lot he can do about it. 

We have asked if our realtor can visit our old home and ask the new owners if they’d be interested in selling. Everyone, please keep your fingers crossed for us. 

In addition to buying a home, there is also the issue of where to just BE. Right now we are in a 2-bedroom suite in a hotel in downtown Calgary. It’s fine for now but the major issue is that there are only 2 beds: a queen and a double. My kids are not ok sharing a double bed and their sleep is suffering. But the building management does let us have our cat here with us. We had planned to move to Airdrie after we were done quarantine. However, Husbandy’s company does not have any approved partners there that are not actual hotels. I do not want to live 6 weeks in a hotel room with my family and a cat while my husband works from home. We found 2 lovely Airbnbs but the company cannot approve them, even though they fall well-within the approved expense band. We have also been offered more spacious suites in downtown Calgary, with larger beds, in-suite laundry, and balconies to stay in after quarantining, but we would have to pay $500 out of pocket to have our cat with us. 

IF our kids physically go to school in a few short weeks AND we are still downtown Calgary, I would drive them 25 minutes to the elementary school and then wait there until the middle school opened an hour later and then drive back 25 minutes. Later, I would drive back out to Airdrie 25 minutes, pick up from elementary school, wait an hour and then pick up from middle school and drive back 25 minutes. This is about 4 hours a day spent in transit for my kids to attend school. But maybe they won’t attend … which brings me to my next big decision that needs to be made.

Step 2. School. So I’ve already touched on the issue of school above. The kids want to be in their old schools. Can you blame them? Poor dudes have been shuffled around enough. Our oldest will be in his senior year of middle school and he actually missed his senior year of elementary due to the grade shift that happened mid-term when we first moved (in the middle of the year). It would be great if he could have a year “on top” of the school and get to be a leader among his teachers and peers that he’s come to know, rather than as the new kid once again. 

Another layer to schooling is Covid. Sigh. Just when I thought I kind of had everything figured out, I remembered that pesky global pandemic. How could I fail to consider how Covid would impact school after Covid killed my husband’s job, forcing us to move country (and putting us in this situation) while literally quarantining for 14 days as a result of the travel and Covid 19? Oh y’know, just been busy, I suppose. But here I am now and learning about options with school. Our schools, as I mentioned earlier, are full. When we left Canada, there were 36 kids in my oldest’ class. The schools are doing a lot to keep the kids safe, including masks, distancing, changing schedules and class locations, keeping the kids in cohort pods, and more. We are told many classes will be held outside, which is great until you remember we live in Canada so that won’t be a sustainable option (hello -40 degree winters). No system is perfect. The province (and perhaps the country) has offered us the choice to distance-educate. This is different than home schooling because in this scenario the school still makes the curriculum and does all the grading, and they will meet the kids online for 1-2 hours for online instruction, as well. And it’s different than what distance-educating was from March-June because there has been time to actually create a program and it’s not an emergency situation. They have made it very clear that if parents choose this option, they will be expected to be involved at a high level and will be responsible for ensuring kids get their work done and handed in on time. (Many parents just walked away from distance-education in March-June because they couldn’t do it, for whatever reason.) But you also can’t register for distance-education without an address. 

I wondered if having the kids in distance-education would be helpful to us in buying time to find a home. Also, if their dad may be moving to India in December or January, perhaps we could also use that extra time? Additionally, I worry there will be a LOT of kinks to work out with the new school routines and Covid. Plus, with distance-education, if one of my kids gets a cold, they still “go to” school, however, if they have any symptoms of illness at school, they will be isolated and a parent needs to be there within the hour to pick them up. Then the child stays home until symptoms are gone or 10 days, whichever is longer. … I think. There’s a LOT of info to go through. And when the kids are home from school, they won’t be receiving their regular education as they would with the distance-education. They would receive the same kind of support they would if they were home sick any other year: just the basics of what was missed. I worry that if they go to school, they will be home all the time anyways with minor sniffles and without the educational support we would be offered with distance-education. I wish I had a crystal ball. But I suppose if I had a crystal ball, I wouldn’t find myself in this mess to begin with! 

Step 3: Vehicle. This is less of an issue. Basically, we have decided to only buy one vehicle. With Husbandy working remotely (out of India with the same company he has been with for the past 14 years), he shouldn’t need it daily, plus he might actually move there when the borders open and then he REALLY wouldn’t need it. And he does still has that damn motorcycle. With me not having a paid job to go to, I also shouldn’t need a vehicle all the time. Now, we did think our kids would be taking a bus to school but even if they didn’t, I think we’d be ok. We are just trying to decide if we need the optional 7 seats that we usually opt for, and if 4×4 is necessary (we like going to the mountains and snow can be problematic). But the biggest issue with the vehicle is if we spend all the money on a home, we will spend less on a vehicle. They’re all interconnected. 

So these are the current head scratchers we are faced with. Perhaps once I can leave quarantine and take a walk, it will all become clear and I can forge a plan. Please keep your fingers crossed for me on that one, too! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Leaving UAE and Beginning Quarantine

How was the move/flight, you ask? Well, we spent a few days in hotel after our home was packed up in Abu Dhabi. We needed that time to close bank accounts and make arrangements to complete the sale our vehicle, say some goodbyes, and regroup. Then off to Dubai for a couple of nights (we did get to the aquarium and 2/4 of us got to see the Burj Khalifa) and to fly out. 

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  This was inside the famed tunnel.

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  Bee loves the birds!

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Photos from Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo

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The Mr and the bee at the Burj Khalifa. Monkey is scared of heights so we stayed at the hotel.

When in Dubai, we got an email from our airline, KLM, saying proof of COVID-19 negative results were necessary to anyone whose destination was in Europe. Our destination wasn’t in Europe, but we were stopping there to switch planes. Does that count? We were unsure if we had to have the family tested. Then we learned that Dubai airport was now requiring (as of August 1) anyone who came through or left from DXB to have their negative COVID-19 results with them to fly! So … somewhat frantically, we found a clinic to do the tests and give results by email within 24 hours, as that’s all we had. Great news: no Covid! 

Then the next worry about the travel was our cat. When she came to Abu Dhabi with us, she had to come as manifest cargo. It is about the cost of 4 human tickets for the same flight. But it is also the only way to get into the UAE for a cat, as per their import laws. There were several other issues bringing her into UAE but we were assured it was much easier to leave! She arrived in a ridiculously large for such a small cat, but she needed to be able to sit with her ears up and have 2 inches between clearance between her ears and kennel roof, and to be able to lay down in a natural C-curve position. Our intention was to have her in the same large crate, but to fly as baggage in the hold of the airplane. This is a separate baggage area that is temperature and pressure controlled: she wouldn’t have been tumbling down with the rest of the bags and end up on the conveyor belt, I swear! But, as it turns out, due to COVID-19 there were embargoes on her travelling in the hold. When an animal travels in the hold, the crate is given a baggage tag and handled by the airport staff to take it to the next plane. Or, if you’re going to be more than 3 hours between planes, the crate (and pet) is taken to an animal comfort stop … a pet hotel … for the pet to come out of the crate, stretch, have access to a litter box, be taken for a walk, fresh food/water, etc. Here is a link for a little tour of the pet hotel in Amsterdam airport (widely known as the largest and best): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXAYOjJGAHc But, as I mentioned, there was an embargo on pets in the hold, which also meant she could not visit the hotel this time. Thus, our kitty needed another special carrier to go under the seat. Sigh! It was MUCH smaller, but did have side zips where it could be expanded, when opportunities allowed, to give her more space. She needed to ride at my feet for the 8 hours from Dubai to Amsterdam, stay in the carrier for the 10 hours we had in Amsterdam airport, and then for the 10 hours flight to Calgary. I had a lot of trepidation on how this would work out. To my relief, she was a little trooper! Though, it was difficult for me, as she wanted to be nearest to me and I couldn’t have my feet straight in front of me for lack of space, but overall, a tiny price to pay. At the airport, we found a quiet place and opened the kennel up as much as possible and offered her some food and water. She did great!

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Here is our kitty in her kennel. It’s as big as the rectangle up top, but both of the long sides unzip and fan out for more space for her to lay down in a natural position.

FYI: DXB did not ask for our negative COVID-19 results. 

I tried to give the results to the agent in Amsterdam. Also had no interest in our negative COVID-19 results. 

On August 4^th, we touched down in Calgary airport and another piece of journey simultaneously completed and began. When the plane landed, we were told to remain seated and leave the airport row by row only retrieving our bags when the row in front of us had exited the plane. We tried. But unfortunately, few people followed the rule. Also, the 2-metre distance and proper mask usage seemed to elude many. We were given forms to fill in for the government indicating where we would be staying, how to contact us, and to show we understood the quarantine rules. Then our photos were taken and placed on a group kind of ticket we used for the family and we were questioned by immigration about the same issues on the form. We were asked if we knew how to get food and supplies to us without leaving the quarantine, how we would be travelling to where we were quarantining, and then given a handout with infographics on how to quarantine properly and told AHS (Alberta Health Services) would be in contact in a couple of days. Then we went into a socially distanced lineup to be able to leave immigration. In the line, we had to download an app that connected to that group ticket I mentioned before and fill in additional information about where we would be staying. When the app registered us, we were permitted to leave the lineup, have our temperature checked, and then enter into another lineup to speak with a nurse from AHS about how we were feeling, what to do if we were unwell, and again to demonstrate we understood how to quarantine. Phew! To be clear, Canada wanted us to quarantine!

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Handout about quarantine rules from Public Health Canada

But, FYI, Immigration and AHS were also not interested in looking at our negative COVID-19 results. I’m so happy we all had a q-tip shoved 5 inches up our nostrils and then wiggled around!

We finally got outside – DEEP BREATH IN – oh that clean crisp air was a delight to our lungs! And as a treat for our eyes and hearts, our old neighbours and good friends came by with their massive truck and loaded up our 9 pieces of checked luggage, our 4 pieces of carry-on, and 2 of our 4 backpacks. In case you’re wondering, we were all masked (them and us) and didn’t ride in the same vehicle. Our family followed them in a taxi with the cat and we headed to our rented suite downtown to begin our time in quarantine. 

In the Airport in Dubai with luggage

Our suite is basically a serviced furnished apartment. We have 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Unfortunately, no balcony, but the windows do open. … and here we sit! I’m writing on Day 2 of quarantine. So far it’s MUCH calmer than Day 1.

On Day 1, one of the first things I did was to place an order for grocery delivery. That was at about 8am. Thankfully my mom let me use her number as a contact as we didn’t have one any more. Then I ordered breakfast and coffee from a popular food delivery service (also using Mom’s phone number). After about an hour I was wondering why breakfast hadn’t arrived. The app said it was delivered. I typed in a live chat to figure out where the food could be and after quite some time of them insisting we had the food and me assuring them we did not, she offered to reorder or refund. I chose refund: I wasn’t going to leave such important business to such clearly inept people again. I then tried to order the same thing from another food delivery service but their system was having issues with my credit card. Sigh … ok, fine, back to the first service. I asked the same person in the chat if they could actually just reorder. No, she could not as the order had now been closed. Fine. I will just do it again. And now THIS company has issue with my credit card, too. Double sigh. Now I’m calling the bank to work it out. The bank needs to verify my identity by asking me to go onto my online banking app and tell her the last thing purchased on a specific day. … But the app won’t let me log in as I’m not where they’re used to me logging in from so, as a security measure, would I like to be called or texted with a secure code? Well neither, because that was an Abu Dhabi number and I’m now sitting in Canada with no phone number. Oy!! So then I had to have her change my Abu Dhabi phone number to my mom’s phone number, so the system could text my mom a code that my mom could then Messenger to me so I could get into my own banking to then tell the woman about a specific purchase so SHE could verify it was me, so that she could unlock my credit cards, which had apparently been locked for my own security. But what about my sanity? lol So … at about 11:45, I was able to again order that coffee and breakfast. It arrive 15 minutes after my grocery order. At that point, I REALLY needed that coffee. 😉

Through this, we are also trying to get cell phone plans. I had no idea this would be such an unexpected barrier! We spent hours looking through plans and choosing what we needed/wanted. When it finally came time to pick the company and sign the contract online, we were told to go to their downtown location for 5:00 to pick it all up. I told the gent that I would double-check to ensure our friend could be there for 5:00. He then informed me that it had to be US who picked up the phone, SIMs, and plan. I reminded him we were in quarantine. He told me I could just press my ID against the glass of the store. Evidently, he thought quarantine was just to protect that one employee in the store from any COVID-19 we might have picked up en route. Day 1: no love. 

Now on Day 2, we still don’t have phone numbers or plans, and as I began to write this, I suspected we might by the end of the day. However, I have just learned we will not have one until the end of next week! So just a few days before we leave quarantine, IF it runs on time. And speaking of time, WILL THIS DAY NEVER END? I’ve been up since 3am and keep looking at my watch and wondering how long until dinner where we can wind down. Oh …. Only 10am. Dang! But I’ve gotten to speak (via apps, of course) to some friends and family and that helps pass the time. It’s nice to catch up and even nicer that we’re on the same time zone so I don’t have to be super-aware of the clock. I’m a little worried Monkey has painted all of his D&D characters that I brought to last the 2 weeks, but I’m sure he will find something to fill his time. I have been thinking about getting a large paint-by-number that Bee can hang as wall art when he’s done. And there’s always our wonderful friends who offer to drop items off for us, if we need. I did pack a lot of items for quarantine in our air freight. But I’ve learned today that we cannot have the air freight unit we are OUT of quarantine, so that’s handy! Haha – what can you do but laugh?! Now the focus will be the Mr. working hard on the new gig and taking in loads of new information for his new role. And then, of course, there is also the task of finding a place to live! We need an address before we can register the kids in school … if there will be school. There’s so much to consider! … and I’ve got 12 more days to think about it all! 😉

We were never here …

Photo taken as we drove by the Grand Mosque

Well, it happened: Covid 19 caught us. So far we’re not infected, just rejected. We are heading “home” after a few short months in Abu Dhabi due to Husbandy’s job now being non-existent. My dear, my dear. What an exercise in patience and powerlessness this has been! 

To recap: back in April (just 3 months after arriving), we knew things weren’t looking well for the industry (oil & gas) and there would be major layoffs and salary reductions globally, due to the impact of Covid-19. Basically, we were told that if we were still here at the end of April, we could relax. But then the borders were closed and the few people that did experience being laid off at that time had to return to work by government law. You cannot release someone if they cannot go home, apparently. So then, we were told just to wait to the end of May. Then June. The last day of the month, we were informed we had 1 month to find another job in the company and that they would try to help, but if nothing was found at that time, it would the end of our relationship with the company. My husband started reaching out to every contact he had within the company locally and globally. Many had already been released, were in the same position, or teetering on the edge of it. 

So now we have a couple of weeks where we don’t know what’s up. Will we move back to Canada? Will we stay in the UAE? Will we move to another country? If so, which one? Will we be unemployed? If we are, what then? A couple of potential offers from out of the company came but leaving the company meant losing unvested stocks and potentially having to repay for our move here or Husbany’s recently acquired MBA. What to do? A lot of unknowns! There were a few options within the company that were brought up and didn’t work out but one of them stuck: India. This is a tricky one though because it’s only a temporary role (12-18 months) and did not offer to move the family; just the employee. Now, India is about 4 hours by plane from Abu Dhabi and about 30 hours by plane from Calgary AB. We toyed with the idea of staying in Abu Dhabi while Husbandy went away for work and connecting as often as possible … but that’s hard when you’re meant to quarantine for 2 weeks after a flight. It turns out that the company wasn’t willing to have us on the books here, even though the Indian sector of the company would be repaying every cent. There were issues at play there that I still don’t understand that have to do with global/regional and numbers. It doesn’t matter now. We also toyed with the idea of moving the family to India on our own dime. Unfortunately, India’s borders are not yet open and we couldn’t stay in UAE for the interim. 

Alas, we are heading back to Canada, as a family. Husbandy will be working the job in India remotely for the time being. He will be sleeping in the day and working in the night, as there will be a 12-hour time difference. 

My bedroom, back in boxes again

This decision was reached about a week ago. Since then, I’ve sold my window coverings and appliances (you have to buy that stuff for rentals here!!), vehicle, electronics I can’t plug into the wall in Canada, and given away all the food in my fridge and cupboards. I’ve applied for permits to leave my villa – apparently that’s a thing. Maybe people have tried to leave without paying in the past? I’ve gotten my cat ready for export by talking with veterinarians and airlines and transfer specialists. I’ve had 6 dudes in my house from 9-5 daily sifting through and packing my belongings into boxes. I have answered many questions and received answers from people with different accents speaking from behind masks while tape guns stretch and tear, stretch and tear. The sounds of the tape gun is deafening and anxiety-inducing. It’s come to mean to so much more than a tape gun over the years and moves. I’ve watched my spouse double down and learn a whole new job while still supporting the office that let him go. I’ve tried to be open to my kids and their feelings on leaving … to leave time in the day for silliness and stillness and talking and quiet. I’ve leaned hard on a neighbour I didn’t get to know as well as I would have liked. I’ve also managed to see a physiotherapist for some dry needling as my neck and shoulder decided they’d like to tap out in this process. No body! NOT NOW! 

All that in a week. 

Still going though! 

Now I type at a bedtime in a hotel room as my bed is packed and ready to be shipped. I will be searching my lists as time permits: find kennel for our kitty as the hotel won’t allow her to be with us, find a taxi that transports cat when we need to shift to Dubai to prepare for the flight, needle the company into finding us a pet-friendly place to quarantine upon arrival to Canada, shift our items one by one bag by bag to reach 50 pounds for the checked and … well, find out the allowable weight of the carry-ons! We need to close bank accounts, credit cards, and visas, notify schools of our exit, because apparently there is a small chance you need permissions there, too. I think it’s to ensure fees are paid. They withhold records, which you need for the next school. Fortunately, our bills are paid and the new school won’t need the records anyways. I’m sure I’m forgetting multiple things but my head is too full for the moment. I have a few wonderful people who have offered us support in Canada: places to stay, vehicles, caring for our cat if we’re not allowed to have her in the apartment the company finds us until we find our own home, deliver us food, do video walkthroughs of potential home purchases, etc. It’s always a softer landing going home.

We will be 2 weeks in quarantine as soon as we arrive to Canada. When we are done that, there will be less than 2 weeks remaining of Canadian summer before school starts up again. We cannot register for school until we have an address though, so I’m not positive on the dates. What to do for that short time? I don’t want to spend it shopping for a home and registering for school! I want to go camping and hiking and see family and friends! I’m not actually sure we can do that though as there’s that nasty Covid-19 still floating around and Alberta numbers are on the rise. Also, the majority of my household items will not join me for a couple of months yet. Though I did leave my camping gear with my parents! 🙂

I just thought I’d share this little write-up as a peek into what it’s like to leave quickly. I am thankful the contract stated that the company would have to move us home, regardless if we’re still employed with them or not. It’s nice to have other people doing the physical labour of a move. Though I do wish they’d keep their darn masks on. But that’s a whole other blog post, and apparently a controversial one depending on where you are in the world. Here, it’s law. If you’re not in your home or outdoors with nobody anywhere near you, you wear a mask. 

We will be in Dubai a couple of days before we fly out and hope to see a couple of things there. Perhaps we will see a famous aquarium (https://beta.thedubaiaquarium.com/?utm_expid=.-c6FsQFrTSaeHyyNrQ4pyA.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F) or the Burj Khalifa (world’s tallest building – https://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/). I’ve been in the UAE half a year and haven’t been to Dubai. Craziness, I tell you! Just add it to the list of crazy I keep, I suppose. 😉 FYI I keep hearing The Headstones’ “Reframed” rolling through my brain … I’ve reframed every single failure!

So How’s Abu Dhabi?

We’ve been in Abu Dhabi since just before Christmas 2019. It’s been … interesting. Schools here are hard to get into. Some are competitive but mostly, they’re just full. As such, our top pick isn’t the school my kids attend. Rather, Bee (my youngest) attends a French School called Lycée Louis Massignon (https://llm.education) and Monkey (my eldest) attends a British School called Brighton College Abu Dhabi (https://www.brightoncollege.ae) Both kids were accepted but waitlisted to American Community School. In the mean time, I applied to a couple others. Both kids were accepted and waitlisted to 2 other British schools, as well. But, the first school that we were offered a spot was the French school for Bee and we took it. But let me explain something quickly. 

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Both my kids started school at International School of Bangkok. We moved to Canada when Bee was mid-way in KG and Monkey was mid-way grade 3. I tried to put them both in French immersion school; however, due to Monkey’s age, he was not permitted to join. In that school district in Alberta, you must join the French immersion vein of education by grade 1. So we made the tough decision to have one in French immersion and one in regular public. So I have one kid who speaks French and one who does not. Flash forward 3 years and we’re moving to Abu Dhabi with their multiple choices of schools. Another noteworthy thing: the international schools here are full, as mentioned. BUT there’s also a way to jump lines: being certain nationalities, working for certain embassies, or working for a company who funds the school in some way. We were none of those things. …

This is what the school looks like at the front gate. We came by here before he started attending to see what it looked like but this was as far as they’d let us see!

The busses for the school.

A pano of the LLM campus, inside the stone walls.

So, we accepted a spot for Bee in the French school. This is NOT an immersion, this is like a school that a random kid in France would attend, transported to Abu Dhabi. Monkey was offered a spot, but he doesn’t speak barely a word of French. They said they’d work with him but he had no interest and I think that might have been too much to ask of him. Bee began school early January. Meanwhile we hadn’t heard anything from Brighton College, as their offices were closed over the holiday. I began to homeschool Monkey with no real curriculum, but I was still getting emails from our school in Canada and knew what they were up to and let that guide me. After a week of this, we dropped by Brighton College to ask why we hadn’t heard back and learned both boys had scored well on their entrance exams (this is a competitive one to get into) but they only had one spot in grade 3 (Bee’s grade) and had offered it to another child back in December so they were waiting to hear from that family before responding to ours. I told them we’d already accepted a spot elsewhere for Bee and they accepted Monkey right then and there. We began to make plans for him to attend. Monkey started school there the last week of January. 

The school building

A pano taken inside the grounds of Brighton College Abu Dhabi

The week after joining was a week off for Monkey. Then he went back to class and Bee had the following week off. Did I mention Bee’s hours were only 7:20-12:30? And Monkey’s 7:20-3:30. Both kids rode busses, thank goodness, as I was not permitted to drive yet. Again, quick explanation:

… 

You can drive in Abu Dhabi if you’re visiting from Canada. However, when you come to Abu Dhabi to live, you need to get an Emirates ID. To get an Emirates ID, you have to hand over your passport and license. There was some kind of misunderstanding or delay with mine, which means something that should have taken 2 weeks took over 2 months. And for over 2 months, I could not legally drive, even though the driving rules are the same here as in Canada, with the steering wheel on the left and driving on the right. When my Emirates ID was FINALLY ready, I was able to apply for the license in Abu Dhabi. To do that, I needed to go to have my eyes tested, blood drawn, and fingerprint scanned. I’m pretty sure identity theft would be impossible here. … 

So I’m not driving, my kids take busses to different schools. One of them only attends for a half day and returns with an hour’s homework in another language each day. And then, in late mid-late February, our sea can of household items arrived! I spend some time (all my time) unpacking and organizing and figuring out what would be best where. For perspective, there were over 300 boxes that came into the home on one day. (Packing for a move across the ocean is SO different than packing for a move across the province as far as what materials are needed.) Shortly thereafter, I started reading in the news of this virus making its way around the world. I’m not sure which day is was officially labeled a Global Pandemic, but on March 3, our schools closed. It was meant to be for 2 weeks; however, it was for the rest of the school year. 

The kitchen. This is what it looks like when you get help unpacking. The movers open the boxes and place everything down on the nearest flat surface. STOP!! No more help, please!

Now, I’m a home educator … in two languages. And everything is closed. Like so, so, so very closed. We were not even allowed to go outdoors for exercise, at that point. Monkey’s school was 100% reliant on ipad and Microsoft Teams. Bee’s school would send a work plan every evening. I would print off worksheets in multiple subjects to prepare for morning. Then, in the morning, first thing was to download the teacher’s copy of yesterday’s work and correct ours. Then we would follow the daily plan, working together, en français, to learn/complete the tasks. At the end, we would photograph everything and send it to Maitresse (teacher) to show we’d done it. Bee met with his class twice a week for an online lesson with his teacher. He would also have a 30 minute meeting for Arabic lessons and another 30 minute meeting for his English lessons, which apparently the school legally has to give us, even though we are native English speakers. We would follow Monkey’s set times: start at 7:50am, break 9:30-10, break 11:30-12:15, class until 1:15 and revisions and studying until 2:00.  At 2:00, I was TIRED. Lol We all were! Then we could go into our driveway to skip, or to our little back yard to toss or kick a ball back and forth. Monkey’s school also provided us with daily in-home workouts.

Doing some sit-ups as part of a HIIT work-out we had to photograph and send to gym teacher

Working on French … but like how we’d do English 😉

In this time, Hubby was in the office 5 days a week 11 hours a day. He was the last person I know of who was still in the office daily. For a short time, he was home more than he was at the office. That was due to a Covid scare in the building. People in the building tested positive so they closed it down entirely. He works in a massive building but his company only takes two floors. Two weeks later, he was in the office 3 days a week and working from home the rest of the time. 

Hubby’s office building. The tent things you see at the bottom are the shades for the car park.

Both kids finished school this week (last week of June and first week of July). They did alright in distance education and will progress to their next grades. Abu Dhabi has very slowly begun to open. In fact, I think it’s slower than any other area I’m aware of, including neighbouring emirates. It’s just been a week since people under age 12 or over age 65 were even permitted to be indoors in public places. I think a couple of the public beaches have opened, though you have to reserve a spot to be allowed there in order to maintain social distancing. It’s never less than 30 degrees now, even in the middle of the night: it’s 48 degrees as I type this. We are still not allowed to be inside one another’s homes. My sons typically go for a bike ride with the kids from two families we have met in the compound, wearing facemasks and helmets. After about 20 minutes, they will come home, absolutely dripping with sweat and asking for water or popsicles. Their favourite thing to do right now is meet their friends online (from their respective homes) to play a video game and I’m rolling with it, as best I can. 

I often get asked how’s Abu Dhabi? And I have to say, I really don’t know. I’d been excited to experience in an entirely new culture and part of the world, but I’ve had very little exposure to it, at all. I did see Louvre Abu Dhabi, which was amazing (https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae). (If you’re reading this in the times of Covid still, there’s some cool stuff to check out from home.) My kids went to an awesome waterpark here in Yas Mall (https://www.yaswaterworld.com/en). Hubby has had more experiences here because he moved here 3 months earlier than we did. He saw the annual Formula 1 races (https://www.timeoutabudhabi.com/bars-nightlife/423390-the-ultimate-guide-to-the-abu-dhabi-grand-prix-2019), celebrated National Day (https://www.bayut.com/mybayut/events-activities-uae-national-day-abu-dhabi/), and did a fair bit of bars and brunches with friends. I’m hoping to see more of the United Arab Emirates but I fear I will not due to the economic downturn and our expat status. I suppose there’s always some internet research at Genius Hour!

Kids: what they’re missing in school

School. We’re not allowed to go there now, nor is anyone else. Instead, we are online: we get tasks to complete each day. We are connected via different online programs to create classrooms or just to be connected to the teacher. It’s not what it was, obviously. But I was thinking today about some of the problems are: Why won’t they focus? Why do simple tasks seem insurmountable? Why the bad attitude? I know kids don’t always love being in school but I do wonder what exactly they’re missing out on? Then I started thinking about school and realizing that, really, for my kids anyways, we’re now missing the best part.

School has always been about learning, of course. Kids learn their lessons. But they also learn how to get on with different personalities, how to collaborate, how to listen and to speak up and when to choose which, how to communicate clearly, what other people like to eat, and what happens in other people’s homes or lives. Of course this isn’t an exhaustive list by any means. But the common thread here? Other people.

Yes, we have breaks, and we have fun. But I’m not other people. And there’s no monkey bars or football field. There are no foot-races or soccer games. There are 3 humans at the table at school time and no more.

What are the best parts of school? Seeing friends, seeing teachers, recess, and access to things we don’t have at home. Where do we meet most of our friends? Where we spend the bulk of our time, of course: our work friends or school friends we keep throughout our lives, long after we’ve graduated or moved on to different jobs or careers.

So what are we missing here? Here are just a few … Friends, teachers, break from home, joy of returning home, new people and their stories, diverse conversation, new experiences, exposure to new ideas and revisiting old ones, shared stories/jokes/experiences, competition, validation, reward of grades or approval, to see and be seen, walking the halls and seeing the artwork, lounging in communal areas, having your characteristics/gifts/talents be appreciated by others, being sparked or inspired, and/or watching people make their choices and see the outcomes.

I’m not sure what I’m meant to do about this. Yes, we can set up video calls or meetings and visit museums online but these are barely scratching the surface of an actual real-world real-time experience. For example, I believe kids can be excited to speak with one another on a call but likely couldn’t relax enough for meaningful chat during the call. A lot of the deeper conversations happen quietly in a corner somewhere. Or you can ponder an image of a piece of art, but you’re not going to be able to circle it, see how shadows and light fall upon it from different angles, or witness to the reactions it might incite from other admirers, which can add meaning, depth, and memory to the experience. And yes, we can stay physically fit, but we’re not involved in any kind of team camaraderie and there’s something to be said for sweating and working and trying so hard to win TOGETHER. Those shared experiences are rife with meaning, win or lose. I cannot think of a way to replicate or imitate the deeper school experiences for my kids. As an adult, and particularly as an expat, I have a means of connecting with others wherever they are in the world. I feel like, for the most part, grown-ups will be fine. Kids though, they’re too young to have their own phones, or even to ask for the phone numbers of their friends. And being new to the country/schools, they don’t even know the last names of their fellow students. It feels quite isolating.

I will continue to do my best for them. But I’m at a loss as to how to fill these gaps. You only get to be a kid the one time … and it’s an integral piece of the adult you become. I’m really hoping I don’t mess this up.

For now, I just want to share this in the hopes it might generate some empathy towards our little (or not-so-little) ones. Maybe we can come up with something brilliant. Usually, the answer isn’t imitating something we had before but creating something new for the current need … however long that need exists.

 

 

 

 

Quickie Stream of Consciousness on Covid 19

What’s the proper way to act in a Global Pandemic? This is new to me. Was the Bubonic Plague a global pandemic? I have piano lessons for my kids tomorrow: do I cancel? Do you take piano lessons in a Global Pandemic? I genuinely don’t know the proper response to such a label!

I always knew this is how it would end up. I knew that it would be a global pandemic. What else would happen? Of course it would be a global pandemic. But we keep flying and cruising and scoffing at the concerned.

I need to stop touching my face. Get the kids to stop touching their faces. Did you see those people all touching their faces? Animals.

Can I get it from an animal? Do I still care about animals? I’m a vegan in a global pandemic. Will I be able to find tofu? Will I eventually submit to cannibalism? No. We’re not at that point.

Okay, wait, what IS a pandemic, exactly? So, an epidemic is when a disease is spreading faster than expected, and a pandemic is when that disease spreads across countries or globally. Covid 19 is a global pandemic. But I think it was a pandemic before today. And I do think that everyone already knew that, as well. So why does giving it a label make it sound so much more terrifying? Did you know that Smallpox is estimated to have killed up to 500 million people? How many people are on the planet now? 7.8 billion. There are seven billion and 8 hundred million humans on the planet. That’s 7,800,000,000. It took Smallpox about 1000 years to take out 500 million. If we were to lose that amount of people this year, our global populations numbers wouldn’t hardly budge.
7,800,000,000
– 500,000,000
7,300,000,000

I’m just trying to put this in perspective.

I’ve always thought there would be something that would thin out our ever-bulbous human population. I just wasn’t sure I’d be here to see it. This is really scary. Who do I know who would be at risk? They say it’s the sick and the elderly. Who do I know that’s sick and elderly? Which of my family is at risk? How do I keep them safe from so far away? Should I fly home? No … best to stay away from airports. Can I still go to the grocery store? Should I be stocking up on supplies? How many Covid 19 cases are in my country now? Do I trust the numbers reported? Do I trust this isn’t some form of constructed population control? I should have better prepared myself to live off the land. I can’t even grind wheat. Shoot – wheat doesn’t grow in the desert. I REALLY can’t live off the land in Abu Dhabi! Shoot! I don’t even have a garden.

Deep breaths.

It’s going to be fine … I tell myself.

Deep breaths.

But will it?

I don’t know. If I die, does it matter?

It’s going to be fine.

We shouldn’t have burnt the Rain Forest down. What if the solution or cure was there? What if it was in a tree or a leaf that is now extinct? Urgh. Humans are the worst. We just took over everything, had too many kids, took up too much land, used up too many resources, and live lives of excess. We totally deserved Covid 19.

OK what can I do now? I guess not be part of the problem. Proper hand washing, maintain good habits and be crazier about teaching them to the kids, be vigilant about asking visitors to wash their hands, healthy diet … how do I ensure my family gets adequate exercise? No pools, right? Can people who have been exposed develop immunity? How do I know if I have it? My throat hurts.

Slow breaths.

I want my family and friends to stay safe.

I have IKEA furniture arriving on Friday. I have plans to go mountain biking this weekend. Should I cancel? This all seems so trivial now.

Please make good choices. I’ll try, too. I promise.

Leave Things Nicer Than You Found Them

Leave things better than you found them: better for yourself, those around you, and those that come after you. Clean up after yourself, be kind to others, think about your impact. Why listen to me? You don’t have to. But if you did, I bet your life might improve in ways you didn’t expect. And it certainly wouldn’t hurt you or anyone else, so why not?

 

 

I’ll start small. Words. Your words impact those around you. Are you spreading positivity? Negativity? Information? Ideas? Do you have a goal with that mouth of yours? Most don’t. Or perhaps they do but only subconsciously. Consider this: If you are complaining, you’re dumping on someone else. Now they’re holding that burden or might be left with a sour feeling when you walk away. How about leaving them with a compliment or a thought, rather than the burden of your minor life annoyances? I understand it’s better to talk about certain things, but perhaps it shouldn’t be with the first person you come in contact with. If you want to talk smack about a person who bugs you, maybe do a check-in first. Will this actually make you feel better? Do you think the person on the other end of this conversation would consent to you offloading this information on them? If so, then perhaps it is better to share. But I would argue that more often than not, it’s better to let it pass. Not every thought needs to be expressed. Sometimes not giving attention to the bother decreases its power over you.

The next way we can leave things better than we found them is to simply not make things worse. As an adult, your entrance should not result in chores for others. In the home, your spouse, child, or roommate should not be able to discern the chain of events that took place after your arrival based solely on the trail you’ve left behind. How inconsiderate! It’s a fact that humans feel better in tidy spaces. It’s also so much easier to simply pick up after yourself as you progress through your day. Chances are good that your home environment will be improved if a concerted effort toward tidiness is made. Be a model for kids, or show your respect for your spouse or roommate by taking an active role in the responsibility of the routine tidying. Any thing that you do requires cleaning up afterward: waking up, making coffee, eating, dressing, and even reading require you to clean up something afterward! Really, tidying should come as naturally as breathing or eating. Being responsible for your own mess in a timely manner will likely improve your home or office surroundings, your mood, your relationship with the people you live or work with, and can even spill over into attitudes that your kids carry with them out the door and into life.

Being responsible for your own mess is necessary both in the home and in the greater world. We find ourselves now in a time where we need to be thinking about our own and other people’s messes constantly: from littering (on Earth, in oceans, even in space, for goodness sake!) to our carbon footprints. There have been laws written to combat the harm that was done when we didn’t know any better and for people now who just don’t care. When I lived in Thailand, I visited a place called Monkey Island. I was so excited to get to watch the monkeys play, sleep, or people-watch. But my major takeaway from that experience was, if I were to come back, I’d like to bring garbage bags. The island is completely inhabited by monkeys and visited by tourists to see the monkeys daily. The tourists come with their tourist plastics, drinks, food for the monkeys, etc. It was gross. The monkeys will run up and take things from tourists’ hands, but monkeys don’t understand what they’re getting and don’t have the ability to deal with trash responsibly. I think if you want to bring the monkeys food, which you shouldn’t, it should be folded into a banana leaf rather than plastic bags. And, as the monkeys will steal right from your hands (daring little thieves), tourists should not be permitted to bring any non-compostable items off the boat. But the willingness to invest in that kind of reasoning, to inconvenience yourself for the sake of some monkeys on an island and their environment, or to risk unhappy tourists not spending their tourist dollars, is a tough sell. Nobody likes rules.

People typically don’t wants to be told what to do, especially if it’s new. Where my parents live, recycling is limited and items need to be sorted and washed, then stored in your home before they can be taken to the depot. My dad considers the cleaning, sorting, storing, and delivering to be unrecognized volunteer hours and I cannot disagree, really. In my small city, a resident is only allowed one bag of garbage a week so it becomes necessary to recycle and compost: you must. It’s when the choice to do it goes away that people become firmly for or against. But the fact is: if people were making the right choice to begin with, the rules would not be necessary. Why do people need to be forced to do the right thing? I never understood people who had children but did not care about the environment. Having children is an indication you care about the future but how can you care about the future and NOT the environment? It’s contradictory.

Do you know what makes it so much easier to keep your home tidy and create less waste? Minimalism. Or if you’re uncomfortable with that word, as I know many are, let’s say consumption reduction. Stop buying so much stuff that you have excess and nowhere to put it all. Often, people soothe themselves by with the affirmation they will donate their older clothes to the needy when they’re buying new ones. Let’s be honest, chances are very good the clothes were not great quality to begin with so nobody wants them when you’re done with them– they don’t have anything left to offer, not warmth or comfort: they are throwaway clothes. The needy don’t need that. If taken to donation, those clothes would be put in the rubbish bin. This is the bin that goes to be shredded and shipped overseas to be made into something else, or just to be transferred to a landfill. Why? So you could have a somewhat trendy shirt to wear 10 times before it lost its lustre and shape? The same goes for toys and trinkets, and the plentitude of other things we buy (usually on sale) each day, week, or month. How about food? How much food goes to waste each week? Taking the time to make a plan for meals can help significantly reduce your waste, and also save you time and money. It’s hard to want something that you can have and not get it. But I think there’s a good case for doing just that.

I realized long ago that nobody really cares what I think or do. But they do pay attention to where I spend my money. When it comes to money, everyone is listening. Each dollar spent is like a vote. So now, when I buy cosmetics, I ensure I’m buying from companies that don’t test on animals. I will pay more for an ethically sourced or fair wage piece of clothing or food. The more individuals think and act (ie shop and spend) in a manner that shows they value leaving things nicer than how they found it or, even more importantly, they DE-value those products that cause harm, then maybe prices will change and shopping conscientiously might become more financially advantageous to consumers. The thing is, there will always be people who just buy whatever is the cheapest, for whatever their reason. But if some of the people before that come along and create a shift in marketing and pricing etc, then it might become easier and cheaper for future consumers to support these products that help with the good.

If you make a mental note to do a check-in each time there’s a decision to be made, you can easily leave things better than you found them. Going to the grocery store? Say something nice to someone or pick up that fallen apple in the fruit aisle. Walking down the sidewalk, pick up that piece of litter or push the pebbles back into their place in the neighbour’s yard. Dropping kids off at school? Why not go in and read to the KG class for 10 mins? Heading into the office? Make a pot of coffee for your office mates, or invite the newbie to lunch. These are small and achievable ways to make positive impacts. But what about larger impacts? Are you a person who has the opportunity to be a change-maker? Could you run a business with positive impact in mind? There are business owners who want to create positive change in their industry by making their goals to care for their employees with scholarships, to use locally sourced foods to support farms in the area, to invest back into the community, etc., rather than to make the most amount of money possible. Their customers understand they’re getting a quality product or that they’re investing in people when they pay money for this business’ product or service. On a larger scale, you could be that business; on a smaller scale, if you’re going to lunch, go to THAT place!

The willingness to leave things better than you found them is a willingness to make positive change. It takes thought, time, energy, and resources. But I believe that it gets easier over time. As your decisions become more intentional, I think the positivity they create will be rewarding and thus will happen more frequently until they become routine. And with that routine, maybe it takes less thought, time, energy, and even resources to do your good.

back to school beautiful kao yai biking in Bangkok boutique camping in Thailand challenge challenges Children's Discovery Museum Bangkok Chokchai Camp Chokchai Farm day trip driving in Thailand elephants expat expat driving exploring Trang southern Thailand first blog fitness Funarium glamping in Thailand ice wonderland Kao Yai National Park Kao Yai with kids kid fun kids in bangkok kidzania last days of expat summer living in a box motorcycles in Bangkok North American vs Thai traffic obstacle preparing for the year Root Garden Rot Fai run Songkran stuff to do with children in Bangkok thai experience Thailand Thailand natural beauty traffic in Thailand Trang vacation in Trang vegan Watercress Restaurant writing exercise

 

I moved.

So … just so we’re all clear and on the same page: I’ve moved back to Canada.

We found out we’d be leaving Thailand some time back in October and had about 2 months to work it out. It’s been madness and there’s been a great deal of heartache with having to leave my friends there, my scholarship daughter, the wonderful school, and the amazing lifestyle the opportunity had afforded us while in Thailand. … I wonder if I could file a complaint with my husband’s company and tell them I need compensation to keep up the lifestyle with which I’ve grown accustomed to?! 😉 But, in this market, I think it’s just good Husbandy still has work so I shall maybe need to keep my mouth shut.

ANYWAYS, so I’m back in Canada now. Life has been loco for a while but I’m working hard to just take it one day at a time and to roll with the punches and not take things too seriously. I thought I’d write a blog about some of my observations since returning home after a short 3 years away.

1. The people here are huge, both tall and wide.

2. The cars are all the same colours essentially: differing shades of grey, black, and white. So boring.

3. There is  S O   M U C H   S P A C E !!

4. When you even approach the crosswalk, motorists stop. Even if you hadn’t intended to cross the street, motorists stop.

5. Country music. I didn’t miss that.

6. When you phone people, they’re on the same time zone again! But this doesn’t work for your friends you had to leave. 😦

7. It’s easier landing back on this end than moving that way. There’s a cocoon here to catch you and wind you up with love and assistance.

8. You need more stuff in Canada.

9. It’s SO EXPENSIVE in Canada. You want a hamburger in a restaurant? $18.
You want a bottle of water? $3.
I’m in sticker shock for food items, but also for the cost of monthly living: bills, fuel, insurance, kids activities … it adds up quick and it HURTS. (Did I mention I think the company should give us a type of expat alimony?!)

10. Welcome to bagging your own groceries and pumping your own fuel.

11. EVERYONE wants tips.

12. People routinely check and discusses the weather. The weather here can swing by 10+ degrees from day to day, or even morning to afternoon. The forecast can have a nice number but it doesn’t account for potentially bone-chilling winds.

13. I have to clean my own toilets. Having household help in Thailand is pretty common and it’s expected if you’re an expat.

14. (So far) the Thai food isn’t. Yes, that was a complete sentence. It claims to be Thai, but it most certainly is not. It lacks flavour, heat, and even texture. Hey, I get it, we’re in Canada! But, just don’t say it’s Thai food because it feels crumby to surprise my husband by taking him to dinner at a Thai restaurant and have to look at his face fall with disappointment at the first bite.

15. Did I mention we moved back in the middle of winter? There’s a bit of a shock to that. We’re from here and we knew what we were getting into, and Alberta is MUCH milder than Saskatchewan was. BUT, but, but, but, my kiddos’ skin is really suffering. Between the temperature switches of being outside and then inside, having cold and wet cloth touch their skin until the cloth dries if they’ve been playing outside, the incredibly dry air, the very hard water, and the chlorine added to the water supply, they’re covered in angry red patches of painful and itchy skin. I have to chase after them constantly to slather them head to toe with body lotion, and routinely put a thick vaseline-like concoction on their faces multiple times a day to help heal spots that pop up within hours. Everyone here is shriveling up from how dry it is and nobody seems to know about it.

16. My hair. I can straighten it and it stays that way.

17. My kids have discovered the electrostatic. They revel is dragging their socks across the carpet and chasing each other (and often times, me) to deliver a good ZAP!

18. Hockey. Hockey, hockey, hockey. It’s a hockey culture. You probably play. If you do not play, you understand that you are at the mercy of others’ schedules that are at the mercy of hockey practices, games, and tournaments. New friend? Great – but we can’t play until hockey season is over. LOL For real.

19. Vegan food is pretty easy to come by. This is good because it’s convenient but also bad as it’s much easier to be a Fat Vegan. 😉

20. People here maybe aren’t as friendly. I haven’t decided yet. It may have been because I was in an expat community before, but arriving here, nobody cares that we’re new. Nobody wants to know how you’re doing with the move, what they can do to help you integrate into the community, when they can have your family over to visit and have the kids play. So far, except of course from people we already knew and call friends/family, nobody has extended a hand or a welcome. Don’t feel too badly for us though, as I’m obnoxiously nice and friendly when it comes to my kids getting a sense of belonging so I’ll make it happen. Oh they’ll be my friends … whether they like it or not! Hahah!

Alright, I made it to 20. I’m sure there are many more and/or will be more but I’ll stop there for the time being.

Now for me to keep on trucking! Our sea shipment should arrive in Canada this week. We’re still not sure how long it will take to get through customs, to be transported to Alberta, or to set up time with the movers on this end. But I’m sure it will insanity when it happens. Stay tuned …

 

License to drive … but where PART 2: disappointment.

I didn’t realize how I had left this hanging until this very moment! So the last we chatted on this matter, I had a driver’s exam scheduled …

Now I will precede this next part of our tale with the knowledge that I’m a super-driver. 🙂 Of course, EVERYONE is a super-driver, but I passed my driver’s exam when I was 16 on the first try. I have had several people comment on what a good driver I am. And I honestly think my husband initially fell in love with me while we were in his jeep and slipped out on some ice on a bridge and I brought the vehicle back between the lines like a pro! 😉 So … there’s my cred.

Now, I went to the appointment at the Thai DMV slightly nervous. I didn’t get a minute to practice and I have no car to practice on. Reminder: I drive a left-side (like Canada) golf cart on the left side (opposite Canada) road. I’m VERY accustomed to driving beside the sidewalk, not in the middle of the road! But I digress …  I was nervous and still don’t speak Thai. So I showed up for my exam to find like 30 other people with the same exam time. We were all told to wait outside. Then some numbers were called and we went upstairs for a debriefing of the exam (this was all in Thai). The woman at the front of the room played a video with subtitles on it in English; however, she kept pausing the video and pointing at things on the screen and explaining them in further detail in Thai. I definitly missed out on this.

After the video, we were told something in Thai and everyone left and started going to another room. When I finally figured out that was the line-up for the test (sigh), I’d wasted over an hour. When I got my keys and the card that monitors your progress through the exam (it was all computerized), I was sent downstairs for the test. They said “go down now.” So, I went downstairs and looked around a bit: Nothing. I walked around a bit: Nothing. I asked around a bit: No English. Finally, my driver came up to me in the van and asked how it went. I told him I hadn’t taken the test yet! So he found out where I was supposed to be and got me there. I NEVER would have found it alone. The test could now begin!

Part 1.
Drive the car to the testing area, simply passing a simulated traffic circle. Check.

Part 2.
Drive the car through some pilons forward and then backwards. Check.

Part 3.
Drive the car to a stop sign and stop. Check.

Part 4.
Parrallel park. Check.

And it was done! All this happened in a parking lot so everything was simulated. I went upstairs to collect my license. But wait. They’re shaking their head at me. “No,” she says. No? 😦 What had I don’t wrong? Apparently, the stopping at a stop sign was not stopping at a stop sign, it was pulling over at a stop sign and I had to have less than 20 cm between my tire and the curb. But … the curb (in the simulated area) was painted to show you couldn’t pull over there! And what the hell? The guy at the start of the test had said to me “you go and you stop!” DANG!!!!!

Now this story happened back in early June. It’s now late August so my memory is a touch fuzzy, but I will tell you this: to understand what had even gone wrong was almost impossible. The woman at the desk didn’t know, a random person in the hall that spoke English couldn’t tell what the problem was, my driver didn’t know what I’d done wrong, an English speaker in my husband’s office couldn’t say, and neither could the gentleman who was helping in the office at the beginning of this tale of woe. Each person read the card in thai and told me something different about what went wrong. I bet I didn’t do anything wrong at all! I ended up going back and forth to different buildings, climbing many flights of stairs trying to figure out how I could fix this situation to attain the license before going to Canada for the summer. Did I mention it’s 1000 degrees in Thailand? After visiting Husbandy’s office and having some people make some calls for me, I was able to reschedule the test sooner than later to try to get it before I went to Canada. They were offering me a time 3 weeks away, but I was going to Canada in 7 days. I made my way BACK up to the scheduling office where I was offered Monday afternoon. I left VERY early Tuesday morning. I said no, I’d like to come in Friday please. She said she couldn’t and after a lot of ho-ing and humming, I said mai penrai and took the Monday. Mai (not) penrai (problem).

The following Monday I showed up for another exam. This time, the man from my husband’s office joined me to ensure everything was crystal clear. Only, it got REAL muddy. It turns out that my name wasn’t on the list to take the exam. There was evidently no way that I could sneak in to take the exam (that lasted all of 3 minutes) as the system was computerized (or something like that). This was all very infuriating to me because it was several women glaring at me accusingly and often pointing while they spoke to the man from my husband’s office angrily. Why so angry???!?!?!?! What had I done? He told me that I had been rude to them when I was there last and told them many things that I did not. Now … I had never seen these people before, except one. And THAT one was the most angry. And to add to this, these woman did not speak English. And we’ve already established I don’t speak Thai … so HOW could I have been so offensive?! HOW, I ask!!!! Well, I didn’t win this one. I couldn’t rewrite the test. I didn’t get a Thai license. And I didn’t do a darn thing wrong. It was a MADDENING experience that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

But, it’s not all a sad story. I was still able to drive when I went back to Canada as I was able to obtain a new provincial license. And now I can use that CURRENT license to obtain a Thai one. FINALLY. Now, let’s never speak of this again.

Epic confusing fail. 😦