We've entered our last week in Toronto. We actually have 9 days left, or 8 useable ones. Things have been crazy lately and I must say that David has been beyond patient with me over the past week.
We've both been running around trying to get our visa stuff in order. Basically you fill out the application and assemble all the pieces, and then you have to go to a Visa Application Center where they take your paperwork and do your biometrics (retinal scan and fingerprints etc. Very CIA or something). David is the one who has to go through all this first, and as information isn't always provided when it should be it has been a little stressful. I'm slightly more fortunate, in that I am applying via the SWAP program so they sort everything out for me, but I am in a rush to get it all done by Friday so I can make my VAC appointment in Vancouver for the same time as I'm over there. Rushed!
My SWAP counsellor expects I'll be in England by October 15th, which means likely spending Thanksgiving in Canada, and 6 weeks of vacation at home. I can't believe we're actually going. David told me it's about a 40minute train ride between Cambridge and London, which is about 5 minutes longer than it takes us to get from Madeleine's place to our own, and less time than it takes me to get to work in the morning. I can't believe it! And only about four hours to Paris, or a similar length of traveling time from Port Alberni to Abbotsford. Needless to say it blows my mind a little.
Aside from all that last week, I got an extra shift at my good job (I work for a silk screen printing company) which meant having to get up at 6:30am three days in a row. This isn't bad in itself, except that I can't seem to make it to bed before midnight. So I was a little overtired... and on top of that, I had to go into the hospital for what I am terming an "invasive medical procedure" or IMP. I don't want to go into details, of course, but the short of it all is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with me that the doctor couldn't fix right then and there, and that grad school actually made me physically ill to such an extent that I needed medical attention >:) I joke and am in good spirits now (nothing like getting a clean bill of health when you've been mentally preparing for "the worst") but the preparation for the procedure was absolutely horrible, and the initial recovery was not the most pleasant. This medical thingy happened on the same day that our last load of boxes was being picked up, and our landlords decided to try to put in a new water heater. Fortunately Madeleine is a wonderful friend who didn't mind spending her day watching our house to deal with people showing up while David waited at the hospital to take me home. And she even stayed to look after me when I got home so that David could go out and run some errands.
So now all our possessions are gone and the stress of packing is no longer something we have to deal with. It's currently just a matter of selling our possessions, cleaning house a little, packing our suitcases, and spending time with some friends. I was actually really, really touched that two of our friends from school decided to organize a going away party for us.
I cannot wait to be westward bound.
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