So what about that trip?

A little update for y'all, in case you are wondering why we appear to have lost our minds, having taken time to plan a gargantuan worldwide voyage and proceeded to spend four months in Mexico and fly to Canada, with no plane tickets purchased for the aforementioned odyssey as of yet. Huh?

It turns out that life, as it is wont to do, got a little complicated.  For a number of reasons which constitute a separate blog post (or ten...), settling in Canada has been priority one for a couple of years now. Fortunately, in August, Canada granted us permanent resident (citizenship comes in a few years) status earlier than expected, necessitating a trip to the Great North right away to get established in our new country. For those of you (like my husband and me) who never paid a great deal of attention to Canada, upon arrival we discovered we didn't really know how to go about living in this unique, large, sparsely-populated (yet we live in an urban center...) northern land.  We will proceed to learn about that, in addition to completing paperwork and tasks that will form the foundation for our lives in our new home.  Harold has begun work in the construction business in these parts, and I am exploring nursing, Canadian style :)  Then, in several months, we will begin our long-delayed honeymoon with a new home base to welcome us back at the end of our journey.  Sweet!

Ice sports are a way of life in Canada-what better time to hit the arena and perfect our skating skills (or rather, try not to fall all over the place)...?  Yay-we survived! Turns out our landlord already has a plan for his three-month-old son: get him in skates by age 2 1/2. He'll be fierce, no doubt.

I never shared our other vehicle with y'all: an adorable 2000 "bochito" (Bug).  Acquired in August 2012, it resides in Oaxaca City, helping with the family food business and hopefully hanging in there to transport us during our next visit...

Flashback to Mexico City, August 2012. Preparing to fly off to a new Canadian life :-)

Harold pumps the first tank of gas into our new-to-us Nissan Frontier!!

Story of a NAFTA family :)

My sister and I visited British Columbia three years ago during one of her college spring breaks.  "Coffee so fresh you'll want to slap it!", declared the bus station coffee shop sign as the Greyhound bus that had dragged us over the border from Seattle spat us out in downtown Vancouver.  "Whaaaa?", we wondered.  For four days, we wandered around the cold, rainy, expensive city which featured terrible street music and a physically active and polite populace.  On our return to Oregon, we proceeded to label our Facebook albums for this trip "Canada: A Little Off".  Whew- never living there, I thought.

 Squamish Nation, Stewamus Chief.

 Peace out.

Lion's Bay, British Columbia.

  A Canadian classic: Tim Horton's.

 Lion's Bay.

  The queen of Lion's Bay and her "horsey".

Fast-forward to August, 2012.  Here we are, a series of life events having brought Harold and me together, and then to Canada as permanent residents free to live, work, and recreate in Canada's vast plains and mountainous forests, extensive shoreline, and icy northern regions, with eligibility to apply for citizenship in three years.  Let's just say that this time around, as an immigrant, my impression of this generally mild-mannered nation of 30 million inhabitants hailing from all corners of the globe is different.  The long, sunny late summer/early fall days don't hurt, and neither do the multiple "Welcome to BC", "Newcomer's Special", and "Immigrant Services Society" signs and billboards posted around the metro Vancouver area.  The general lack of trash and unsightly (non-artistic) graffiti, unexpected cultural/linguistic differences, and the exciting vibe of rapid societal change and growth are a plus.  The unending sparkling bays, rivers and inlets, extensive public transportation system, generally sincere and genuine people, high-quality, if sometimes more expensive, food, relatively healthy economy, and universal healthcare facilitate our adjustment to our new country.  Most inspiring is an overwhelming sense of space and possibility that we haven't quite managed to grasp mentally and emotionally.  

We now have three countries to keep track of: the three that comprise the dynamic, frustrating, lovable continent of North America that we call home.  His mother, my parents, the two of us, and his sister all live along the same road that traverses the Americas from north to south.  Whether it's Mexico 160, Interstate 5, or Trans Canada 1, the "Pan American Highway" symbolizes the unity in our respective lives, as we fill our days according to the contents of our hearts and minds, in addition to the dictates of our borders.  Wherever we go along this road, in one way or another, we are home....

  Still not quite sure what this means....Any guesses?

Hmmmm.  Paralyzingly dramatic scenery, universal healthcare, the metric system, multiculturalism, expensive gas and beef, extreme politeness, dry wit, "maple leaf" this and "provincial" that, streets named after British royals, widespread health-consciousness, postmodern "fusion" architecture, and a general relaxed, "we got this" vibe.... Might we be in Canada?  Sounds "aboot" right.