Frustrations and Flurries

This week has been slightly frustrating. We got the same response as last week when we called about the PR cards. We are in a bit of a pickle because according to BC (British Columbia) law, our international driver’s license is only recognized for three months. After that, it is mandatory to get a BC driver’s license.

However, in order to obtain one, one must have a PR card!! Since I have my card, I can apply (or shudder take the tests) for the local license, but P is not willing to give me the keys to the car, and despite the huge fuss (read tantrum) I made about it, I am not willing to drive Lanes around knowing my dubious driving capabilities. That and I’m socially responsible: )

The DMV was most unhelpful. Typical beaurocrats, they could not get past the guide they had on paper (laminated and printed from the internet to boot). The only choice we had was to take a copy of their print out and attach it to a letter we wrote to the immigration folks explaining our situation. I don’t know if it helps since they do not put a rush on new immigrant’s cards. I feel like we are constantly running around in circles sometimes. I’m about to get motion sickness!!

While I sat on the sofa and contemplated this madness with a cupcake in hand for comfort, I realized the ceiling in our apartment started to leak again. In the living room, with no water source above it, nonetheless. The plop plop noise is like a variation of Chinese water torture. I might as well put my forehead under it!! The sound of it drives me insane and keeps me up at night. Over the top, I know, but Lanes get her drama queen tendencies from me.

Since I put in so much effort into sprucing up the apartment, the anal retentive side of me (that’s like 90%) is getting exasperated with having to keep the new couch at a diagonal and placing a garbage can under the leak. It’s also annoying since the couch was blocking a plug point that Lanes finds particularly fascinating.

The maintenance folks came in five hours after it was reported, nodded severely to each other, and told me that they had to bring in the professionals, who apparently will definitely be messy (because I asked if they could do a neat job). I am not really crazy about the clean up.

Meanwhile P has befriended a Cookie Cutter. She is not one of the two on ‘the list’ but she is definitely an honorary board member of the club. Quelle horreur again!! What’s worse, he came home saying, ‘I just met the nicest person…’. He turned a little green when I gave him my opinion of the situation. What’s up with P getting the warm reception? He must be getting better looking in his old age (insert sarcastic muffling noise here).

No luck yet on the job front. I feel bad because every few hours I hear P exclaiming ‘oh that job would be perfect for me’ but there are so many e-mails coming in saying ‘the position has already been filled’ it’s really and truly disheartening. Even though the logical part of me (2%) has decided that I should not worry about this until at least six months have passed without a job.

But on a happy note, we got our Care Cards, so after our three month waiting period is up, we can finally find a doctor!! Yippee. Never in my life did I think I’ll ever look forward to a doctor’s visit. We also got approved for our monthly child care benefits, and the total of that almost pays Lanes’ school fees. We even got credit for the month of October. P and I were so delighted. I love Canada!!

P is still finding seminars to attend. The government appoints case managers for immigrants, to help us find employment. Pretty much glorified school guidance counselors, is what they are, but when you are in a brand new spanking place, it really is an invaluable service, no matter how much research you do before coming in (and trust me, methodical, meticulous P had folders and folders of research, his anal retentive side: 100%). They do stuff like advice on Canadian culture and give pointers on resumes.

Somehow or the other P found another case manager he claims is more efficient than the one he was first appointed. Since he is only allowed to have one case manager by law, I heard him making a call saying he wanted to ‘terminate the services of’ so and so. I had to raise an eyebrow on that one. There were just so many other ways to phrase that sentence, but no, he had to do it the harsh way. We’re calling him Arnie this week. He’s Schwarzenegger with skinny thighs.

Meanwhile, I’m not short of drama being stuck at home. As promised last time, I shall keep you up to date on the soap opera that is unfolding right on my doorstep. Let me (re)introduce you to the nice Thai lady who lives next door. The one that always appears with food, just at the right time—my Fairy Food Mamma (from now on, known as Lanes nickname for her, Aunty G).  Around five four without the slight hunch, Aunty G has hair that’s tightly pulled back and placed on top her head like an unflavored snow cone (or I guess a coconut flavored one).

Her features look like they have been painted on by a calligraphy brush. Angular grey eyebrows, upward slanting cheek bones, and a straight mouth, from which no one knows what is going to come out. And best of all, almond eyes that see everything. I mean it. She is in the know all the time. P is convinced that she spends her entire time staring out of her peephole. I think she is rather beautiful.

She also keeps a stroller in the hallway, right next to the door of our very patient Korean neighbors. When we first moved in we were wondering why someone kept so many empty bottles on a stroller outside the apt nonetheless. Turns out Aunty G collects bottles and paper for recycling and strolls it out in the evenings. She apparently can earn up to $20 some nights. Now I really regret not shipping Lanes’ stroller: )

According to Aunty G, our Mutual Neighbor works in the mall and leaves her dog, “Suze”, in the car all day. How she knows this bit of information is beyond me, and I know better than to ask. All I know is that Aunty G knows that I have a soft spot for furry four legged creatures and I knew she was trying to appeal to my sense of justice for our mute friends.

Last Sunday the dog was scratching at the door and barking all day (literally). Since Mutual Neighbor is never without the dog, I was worried thinking something happened to her and the dog was trying to send out an SOS. I had visions of little “Suze” being the star of “An Animal Saved my Life”. Of course when I stepped out to comfort the dog, Aunty G instantly materialized. She has an uncanny knack of turning up at exactly the right time, or exactly the wrong time (like my mom). Never in between.

I was met with yet another tirade on how ‘selfish’ Mutual Neighbor is to leave the dog here and there. Aunty G was going to pounce on her the minute she got back from the mall, and she wanted my help to gang up on her and speak for the dog. She even called the Manager of the apartment building (at home on a Sunday). Aunty G was rather indignant when she was told it would be illegal for her to gain entry into the apartment, so no, no one would be coming to let her in. I grabbed the phone before she thought to call the BCSPCA.

Having not heard Mutual Neighbor’s side of the story, I was hesitant to get involved (plus “Suze” looks happy otherwise). Sure enough, from my peep hole, I saw the drama unfold. Aunty G cornered Mutual Neighbor and told her she is self-centered and she is lucky to have neighbors (what’s up with the plural?) who are willing to care for her dog for free and she should really take us up on the offer instead of leaving the dog here and there.

Aunty G said that she and I can take care of the dog since we are home all day (say what now???). I seemed to have missed the conversation in which I was offering dog-sitting services. Truth be told, if not for Lanes and P, I would have been delighted to have some puppy love all day, but that poor dog is 18 years old, blind (according to Aunty G, looks fine to me) and probably close to crossing over. It would be traumatic if ‘Suze’ decided to ‘follow the bright light’ on my watch.

Mutual Neighbor didn’t say much, only that she will return the poor dog to her husband’s house (Aunty G claims they separated over the dog). Aunty G called me instantly and gave me a word for word replay of the situation. To this day, she is still fuming about it. Meanwhile poor Mutual Neighbor literally runs into her apartment so she won’t get caught by our Senior super snoop.

P doesn’t get involved in apartment politics. He and Aunty G seem to only have conversations in the car—she back seat drives from the front seat whenever she catches a ride with him to her doctor or to the supermarket. It’s a whole new spin on ‘Driving Miss. Daisy’, which will come to a dramatic halt if P can’t drive after the 26^th.

Back to the ceiling issues, when we opened our door to let the maintenance folks out, she manifested herself right in front of the door. We heard the two handy men gasp and suck in their breath and they ran into the elevator so fast, they might have got whiplash. Aunty G stated, super loud after them, ‘oh these two are good. The other one. He’s no good.’ The two men had made their escape, but now P and I were left with the harangue about ‘the other one’. Oie.

It has been snowing nonstop today, and I have made two new friends in the laundry room!! How exciting is that. One is an nice older Italian man whom I have seen around about a dozen times and he seems to be under the impression that my name is ‘Sweetie’, and the other is a mild mannered Indian lady who was delighted to find another South Asian. Her ceiling is leaking too, so we instantly bonded. The Sisterhood of the Leaky Ceilings.

While I was enjoying meeting folks, Lanes and P made their first snowman. Lanes was rather huffy and thought I was highly incompetent because I gave her a celery stick for the nose instead of a carrot. Lanes’ school closed for today and as I type, she is attacking a jar of peanut butter with great gusto. I must swoop in to put an end to it, for which I’m sure I’ll be told to wait ‘two minutes’. Hopefully we will have some good news next week, stay tuned….