Frazell Thomas

We use Sprint here. We don't get charged for sending texts to Canada (I didn't realize others did! ) But the option that works the best for us is to use Skype on our cell phones.

We have an account with Skype called Skype-To-Go. (http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/togo/)

It's $2.95 a month, and you can call using your cell phone to Canada (unlimited). We just wait until evenings or weekends so we don't use up our cell plan minutes, call the skype-to-go number, and then it asks you to dial the international number you like.

It has been the best option for us.

In Canada though, we have a plan with "Win-tel" for landlines, and its 25cents a call to anyone in Canada or the US, it doesn't matter how long you talk for, its just 25cents a call.

Anyway, that's the way we roll, and it works out pretty well for us

Ooooo thanks for the heads-up! Every time I tell an American about poutine they give me this look like it's the most disgusting thing they have ever heard I'll never understand it. Poutine is great!

Oh well, now I know where to go! Thanks again!

--Kerri

I totally hear you regarding this mental barrier you face when deciding to go for US Citizenship. I don't quite know what it is either that I don't like about it, but I just don't. However, I will most likely end up getting my US Citizenship so that when/if I do decide to go back to Canada with hubby (and let him go through the immigration process), I know I can move back freely and easily, should I ever decide to return back to the USA. I will probably do as Flames does and not tell anyone unless it is vitally important that they know. But hey, I'll always be 100% Canadian

I dreaded and hated to get this vaccine. I didn't feel it was necessary or tested well enough, in my opinion.

I only did 1 of the 3 shots before my interview. I have been in the States for 6 months now and never went back for my 2nd and 3rd shots. And no one mentioned it at the interview either (only needed something saying I had had the first shot). Hopefully they don't ask me about it in 10 years, but if they do, maybe I'll just move back to Canada lol.

--Kerri

The buses in my city only run till 6:30pm

Lol lol, that's funny!

--Kerri

Hey to_hope,

Since I know you IRL, and we were at similar stages throughout this whole process, and continue to be, I thought I should comment.

I'm glad to hear your adjustment to the States is coming along nicely. I totally hear you about needing a break from the whole visa information overload, after the process has been completed. Visa Journey is GREAT! but when you finally make it, you do need that break. Hopefully you coming back to the board will inspire me to check in more often. I really do need to find ways to get my Canadian fix in, every now and then. Is it just me, or can it be incredibly lonely being the only Canadian around?

I'm so jealous of your opportunity to spend the summer in Florida. It must be amazing! Say hi to the ocean for me I have yet to make it down to the shore since I've moved to the States.

It's good to hear that things are coming along swimmingly with your husband. Isn't it nice to finally be living the way we should have been living ages ago?

And I'm totally with you on the taste of American milk...it's just weird. I want the milk bags back,.... please?

Anywho, just wanted to say it's good to see you back on here!

--Kerri

We use Sovereign Bank in PA and don't have a problem with Canadian cheques. We just make sure to put it in the ATM instead of giving it directly to a teller. It's alot less hassel.

What I've been blown away by is converting my CAD cash into USD. We have to go to a certain branch to do this (still Sovereign), fill out a form, and it took them about 30 minutes to exchange 1 canadian $100 bill...and they charged us a $3.00 fee.

Back home at TD Canada Trust you just swipe your card and away you go....somethings just aren't better in the states.

--Kerri

That's awesome! Though the card is quite hideous looking, isn't it? Either way, it is a beautiful thing! Congratulations.

We always pick up our dog poop. It would be silly and gross not to. However, I can't always see it in the dark so I sometimes pick it up the next morning.

The guy next door to us, though, smokes and flicks his cigarette butts on our lawn. It's really starting to annoy me. I'm thinking about picking them up, putting them in a container and leaving them on his front step. He only rents there.

Reading this reminded me of a time when I was younger and our neighbours cat kept doing its doodoo on our lawn. My mother, bless her soul, picked up all the doodoo, put it in a ziploc bag, rang the doorbell of the neighbour and said "I believe this belongs to you".

Lol good memories

--Kerri

A long time coming, but I'm glad it has finally happened for you two! Wow, moving this weekend? This will be a whirlwind week for you Best of luck I'm SOOOOOOOOO happy for you

Grrrr...

Why are all the jobs out there "part-time", or for people with 6 degrees, or way out in the boonies?

And why is the minimum wage in Pennsylvania only $7.15! And why, why, why! didn't EI tell me they needed a copy of my green-card, instead of just making me wait wait wait until I call them (and then they yell at ME like I'm supposed to know when they requested a copy of my passport and visa, that they really wanted something else?)

As you can see it's been one of those days, you know the kind where you look in your bank account and realize you may not have enough money to make it through the month.

Lord help me....

I'm feeling just a tiny bit stressed at the moment...*crawls under the covers and wishes Hubby would finally graduate from University*

--Kerri

Glad you had a succesful medical, to_hope.

I too was shocked when you said they charged you $50 for the courier! WOW!!

--Kerri

Wow to_hope, way to go to your brother! Good luck on him selling it to your dad. The most I ever won was a donut...maybe I need to go back to Canada for a visit and try again....

--Kerri

Hey to_hope!

We are currently going through the process of buying health insurance for me, I'll let you know what we end up doing

I called after I read that had been scheduled and I recieved my interview too! ...

So excited!!! (And nervous!)

I'm sooooo happy for you!!!! The wait is almost over! You'll be just fine No need to be nervous (like me saying that actually makes it any better ) Get there bright and early! I'm so excited for you!

Unlike many of your stories, I met my fiancee almost 30 years ago.

We grew up in South Western Ontario. Our families attended the same church together. She was a couple of years older than me but I was completely infatuated with her. Her younger sister liked me and I have since heard she was always mad at her older sister for taking me from her. I wish I had known then.

There are a number of stories through those early childhood years. We went on a week long family boat trip up the Rideau Canal one year and during that trip my beloved dropped a necklace at a dock we were tied at for a day camping. I, ignored my friends and spent hours looking for it. I eventually found it. I gave it to her hoping to win her heart. In my dreams only.

A few years later when she was a teenager, she worked at Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream. After church on Sunday nights, we would go for ice cream. I would purposefully make sure I could always be lined up so I could get her to serve me. I loved getting ice cream from her. Rocky road, chocolate mint and anything else she ever gave me in those little pink spoons. And her very strong right arm. That impressed me. But she never knew how much I liked her. And even if I had, she was just that little bit too old for me. But in my heart she was my beautiful.

Our lives went from there... in very separate ways. For almost 30 years. And lots of story that affected our lives in the interim. Then about 5 years ago I was speaking at a conference in San Diego. One of my friends, who happened to be my beloved's cousin, suggested I look her up as she lived there. She thought we would understand each other a lot and have much in common. So I got her email address and wrote her. And we arranged to meet and have dinner.

Wow... the evening came and we met and talked for hours catching up... sharing our lives and where we had been in the previous 30. And it seemed like 5 minutes. She was a kindred spirit. A soul friend. We clicked. For the first time in my life I felt like this person actually got me. I felt so free with her.

But because our lives were what they were... with our individual families, in separate countries, we continued with our lives, not even assuming anything other than that. We didn't communicate for more than 2 years other than a couple of random emails. Mainly because each of us was embroiled and dealing with our own lives. But somehow, that single meal changed something.

And then one day, out of the blue I got an email from her. She was checking in with me. Just to see how I was. And in a wonderfully serendipitous way, we were in the exact same place in our lives. The timing couldn't have been more right. Through difficult days we supported each other remotely.

And then - the rest, as they say - is history. A story that is wonderful to remember and full of delightful anticipation for the future.

Today I am waiting for Packet 3 to show up from Montreal. In many ways I can't believe it and at the same time can't imagine it any other way.

Thanks for letting me share my story. And in some small way, share this journey of immigration with you.

All the best as you create your own wonderful story!

t

Wow! Now that is quite the story! I like those kind, the long separation and then everything just clicks serendipiously.....ah romantic

....It was fate how we met, because I was invited to the party to meet my future husband!!

That is so cute JillA!

I met my husband through Yahoo Member Directories back in November of 2001. I was looking for someone to befriend that would later be able to fix my computer if any such problems would arise (hey, it's always good to have a computer geek, mechanic, lawyer, and doctor as good friends right? lol Though my older brother is the computer genius in the family, we weren't exactly the best of friends through the teenage years...).

I searched the directory for "computer" to see what screen-names would come up. The one that caught my eye was "Computer-Wizmaster", mostly because he was around my age, and not some old prune. (I should mention that he was located in Philadelphia) I sent him a message and we talked casually. I later found out that even though he is a computer genius, he was merely trying to edit his profile on Yahoo, not come up with a new screen name, and that the "Computer-Wizmaster" screen-name was a mistake and was never meant to exist. I was the only person to ever contact him on that screen name and I like to say it was a bit of Divine Intervention that brought us together. So at the ripe age of 15, I met my future husband, online. At the time he liked this girl at his school and I was trying to encourage him to atleast speak with her, he says I was so kind that he just forgot all about this other girl and focussed on me . Eventually he started introducing me to his online friends (he had his own IRC chat room at the time) as his "girlfriend" and I guess it just stuck.

Then in May of 2002, he was invited by his school teachers to chaperone the freshmen (9th graders) to Niagara Falls, ON. His school has NEVER gone to Niagara Falls, ON before, and I'm fairly certain they have never gone since. Since Niagara Falls is only like an hour away from where I was living, it was the perfect excuse to go see him for the first time in person! I weasled my older cousin (who was living with us at the time) to drive me down to Niagara Falls after school and we told my mother that we were going to Niagara Falls to celebrate Queen Victoria Day (which was a few days prior). He was a few hours late, which just added to the anxiousness of the whole situation, but eventually he arrived. Our visit was a brief 3 hours or so, but that first kissed sealed the deal!

And that's how we met Been together 7 years now and are finally living together

We have an account with with Skype called Skype-To-Go. (http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/togo/)

It's $2.95 a month, and you can call using your cell phone to Canada (unlimited). We just wait until evenings or weekends so we don't use up our cell plan minutes, call the skype-to-go number, and then it asks you to dial the international number you like.

It has been the best option for us.

In Canada though, we have a plan with "Win-tel" for landlines, and its 25cents a call to anyone in Canda or the US, it doesn't matter how long you talk for, its just 25cents a call.

Hope this helps,

--Kerri and Frazell

Oooo Delaware Do I hear no sales tax calling my name?

I'm a little late to help you with the lunch dilema, but I made this soup twice this week, it's yummy! And I've never made soup before and both times they turned out great, so here you go.

Creamy Veggie Soup

Ingredients

• 9 cups water or chicken broth

• Chicken soup flavouring

• 5 potatoes

• 3 carrots

• 3 stalks celery

• 2 onions

• 2 tsp. dried basil

• Salt, pepper

• 1/2 cup flour

• 3 cups milk

• 1/4 butter

Instructions

1) Cook together 9 cups water or chicken broth, 5 potatoes cubed, 3 carrots sliced, 3 stalks celery-sliced, 2 onions-diced

2) Add 2 tsp. dried basil, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper

3) Add chicken soup base flavouring to taste (~4TBSP)

4) Mix 1/2 cup flour with 3 cups milk. Cook separately with 1/4 cup butter

5) Add some soup to the milk mixture then add milk mixture to soup

6) Stir to heat through.

-- Kerri

Welcome to Philly!! Are you actually in the city? I'm a little bit north of Philly. Glad to hear it all went well at the POE!!

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone

Oh..I still watch Degrassi : The Next Generation...I guess that is kinda bad.

I like me some Degrassi: The Next Generation too!!!

It's sad, but so true.

--Kerri

Hey Guys, just figured I'd keep you all up to date. I am FINALLY in Philadelphia I actually got here last Saturday but was sick the entire first week I was here (feeling better now ).

I know some of you were wondering how I made out with my medical (with my delayed HIV test results, re-testing and what not). I finally got them Fedex-ed to me, and sent them to Montreal (they didn't need the X-Ray) and then Montreal sat on it for a good week and a half and eventually sent it back to me. And the next day, I moved! So it was all kind of quick (once we received it anyways).

The border crossing (POE: Peace Bridge) wasn't anything too scary. Just had to wait for about 1.5 - 2 hours for them to finish processing me and they were nice enough to let my husband be with me throughout that part. It was actually the nicest border crossing I ever had. The longest, but nicest. Even got an offical welcome handshake (ooo, ahhh )

Right now I'm in vacation mode, but as soon as I find a job, I'm sure that will stop quite abrubtly

And that's the scoop

--Kerri

I would but I keep asking myself: "Is it really that bad?"

Its not terrible, I have a sore throat and my head is stuffy. If it gets worse I will go home.

Hey, I have what you have My first week in America and already this big city is eating me alive lol.

Hopefully this sickness goes away soon for the both of us.

-Kerri

Side note: While we're on conditional status in the states, can we get section 8 housing? I always thought we weren't able to get any kind of government assistance at all? Welfare, food stamps, low income housing, etc.

Anyone know the rules that can help me out?

-Kerri