Hello all of my beloved POS & Kingston JA friends!!!
We are HOME and "landed" safe and sound in spite of the snowstorm and thank you all so much for the well wishes and support and shout outs!!
I have been offline since Thursday partly no internet access but mostly busy with final departure/post landing activities with hubby, so I will catch up with everyone personally a bit later, but for now here is the official landing story.
Hubby slept for only one hour on Friday night as he was going down to the wire with sorting his household items and packing things in storage and although he might not admit it, he was s-t-r-e-s-s-e-d...........I eventually fell asleep by virtue of exhaustion but only completed a few hours sleep myself due to excitement and anticipation.
A quick re-cap, hubby and I met May 1st 2008, did the long distance relationship, got engaged Feb. 2011 and married Jan. 2013. We were refused TRVs 4 times during our 6.5 years together so all of the travelling was me going to Trinidad. So he was never in Canada (he has only ever travelled to St. Vincent and Tobago) has never met my family or friends in person and none of my family/friends side was able to be in Trinidad for our wedding.
So now, finally after years of phone cards, Skype dates, e-mails, instant messages and one way travel, I am beyond thrilled to finally be able to bring my husband home to the place he has only seen virtually, via a computer screen!!! Of course, we were late getting to the airport, instead of being there 3 hours before the flight we arrived with less than an hour to check in and board. The flight was a bit delayed as the pilot had to file a new flight plan for approval due to the snowstorm in Toronto. So we left Trinidad about 30 minutes behind schedule and ended up flying for about 6 hours instead of 5 (or slightly less) which is what it usually takes. We had 4 large fully loaded suitcases and 2 carry-on bags. Because we each have our own homes and are keeping hubby's home in Trinidad we decided that he did not really need to have goods to follow (the B4 forms) to bring any significant household items with him.
Hubby was very sad to be leaving his home and I am glad to say that I was aware of how conflicted he would be and for the most part, I did not take it personally that he was having these feelings of loss. Would I have liked to have seen a bit more excitement from him......to be honest yes, but in knowing my husband I also know that he is not really exuberant before something happens, his reaction comes afterward. So God gave me some grace to be patient in that area and I was grateful for that.
The flight was good, we ended up sitting with a Trini lady who had immigrated to Canada years ago so we chatted with her about what he might expect with this process. He napped off and on during the flight but was wide awake to watch the plane land in the midst of the flying snow. The snowplows had just come out to clear the tarmac so we had to wait on the plane until they cleared the snow from the gate where we were going to deplane.
As we were exiting the plane it was very chilly so he got his first blast of cold air there!! The airport was pretty busy and there were quite a few people needing to make connecting flights so they were prioritized through customs before the rest of us. It took about 30 minutes to get through this line up - we went to the visitors line as directed, when a person is landing they are not officially a PR yet, so we were told.
Then off to immigration, again very busy with a long line up, we were about 45 minutes here and when it was our turn the officer joked with my husband about why he was leaving a nice warm country like Trinidad to come to this weather. Being at the actual immigration counter was about 10-15 minutes and then off we went to get our bags which were all conveniently off the luggage carousel and together. I grabbed a porter, there were no self serve buggies available and we pulled out our warm shoes from one of the suitcases and changed out of sandals into those. No coats though, we both were wearing sweaters.
Then outside to grab a cab, which ended up being chaotic due to the weather as the airport allows all cabs to come in whereas normally airport taxis have to follow stringent guidelines and flat rates. Hubby wants this part of the story to be told to all of you - when the first cab (a car) came we were told they would not take us as we had too many bags
...what??? We were told we HAD to take a van and pay extra for it, because it was a van and so I started "arguing/haggling" with the cab driver and the guy managing the taxi pick-up area while hubby's teeth were chattering behind me until finally he said "quit debating and pay the man, I'm freezing!!"
.....lol....lesson one of landing with your husband from a warm climate.....
Driving home from the airport the plows had still not been out on the highway so hubby's eyes were BIG as he watched the snow falling and the other drivers navigating the roads (remember hubby is a cab driver/tour guide by trade in Trinidad, that's how we met!!). Get home and the cabbie will not pull into the driveway as he is afraid he will get stuck in the snow so he stays on the road and will not help with the luggage as he has a "bad back"!! ??? So I run in the house, grab a huge coat that my brother left for my husband, take it out to him and hubby traipses all of our luggage through the snow on the driveway. After we get in the house I say to him, what do you think of the snow (his first time ever seeing and experiencing it) and he says "I was surprised that I sank into it, I thought I was going to be able to walk on top of it"
So that night, he met my mom in person and she had prepared some delicious food for us and a few other treats (including champagne
) so we had a great visit with her and then headed to bed.
The next day we had a nice leisurely breakfast and headed outside for the snow shoveling of the driveway. Ours is pretty big and hubby and I tackled it together - he was a natural!! I took pictures of him with his shovel and his big coat, hat, gloves, boots - you would have thought he was born and raised in the snowbelt Grin. A little later he called him mom and brother to let them know he arrived and I heard him say, "wow, this place is beautiful, first class and top notch and COLD!!! Cool". Then later we started to do a bit of unpacking, some laundry and reorganizing of cupboards to accommodate hubby's stuff. We did some shopping and I took him to a few West Indian specialty shops to get him some of his familiar spices and sundries and then my son came over to see us and meet his "stepfather" in person. My daughter called; however, she has the flu so that meeting will likely happen next week and we received calls/e-mails from other family and friends welcoming him here and asking about his reactions to his new home.
Yesterday we both got haircuts and did more unpacking (unbelievable how much stuff 4 suitcases can hold) and today we went and got his SIN number. I have been driving him around to show him the neighborhood, main intersections and a few landmarks so he can try to start getting his bearings a bit. Before he left Trinidad he got his international drivers permit which is valid for a year, but I am not letting him drive yet and he seems to be fine being the passenger for a change - although he is an annoying backseat driver!! But what can I expect from a Trini cabbie?!!
We are both still pretty tired and have our sleep schedules messed up but I think that will sort itself out soon. It is almost surreal to see my beautiful man moving about the house doing things I could only imagine over the years and being able to just be a normal couple without the immigration stress/pressure on our heads is truly amazing. We have some other appts. scheduled this week along with a few social events with friends and then Christmas. I am truly thankful to God, my friends and family and all of you on this forum who helped me keep my sanity (for the most part!) during this process. The one piece of advice I want to give to those of you still waiting is for you and your spouse to be realistic with your expectations and not think that your life will be perfect the minute you are together after landing. If you can be patient and forgiving with each other that is so important - the stress of this process almost drove my husband and I apart on a few occasions, even as we prepared to come home together recently. Just realize that each of you may have some moments and moods where you will want to throw in the towel but DO NOT. Ride the choppy waters together, pick your battles, apologize quickly and sincerely and HUG it out. :-* I am so enjoying hugging it out........many blessings and prayers for all of you to be persistent and endure as individuals and in your marriages. Love Mr. & Mrs. CdnandTrini.
