Bye bye Canada

We left Winnipeg at 2:55 pm. The flight to Toronto was uneventful. At Terminal 1 we only had a short time between flights. Then it was bit of a zoo trying to Board the plane to Munich. We left Toronto at 7:55 pm. I added the 7 hours for the time change to Germany. As we taxied down the runway to depart Canada my watch said 3:00 am (Saturday). Jet lag here we come.

That's it! Back to Winnipeg!

Today, Candace and I came to Winnipeg. We came by way of Brandon because we had to do a couple of things there. When we arrived in the city, we went directly to the agency. Another couple was already there, so we waited in the lobby and visited with a nice lady by the name of Tonia. She is originally from the Ukraine and she is working on her Masters in Social Work. She will help us with the numerous transitions that we will likely encounter when we return. As we waited, a third couple came in and we visited with them for a bit. They are slightly behind us in the process and hope to travel early in the new year. It was cool to see three couples at different stages of the process but all working toward the same end result. Shortly thereafter, Candace and I had some time to visit with Tonia and the director of the agency (Darla). It was exciting to talk about the things that we would be encountering in just a couple of days. In addition to all of their insight into travel, they gave us a cell phone that we could use during our trip with instructions regarding how to use it.

Later, Candace and I went to her sisters where we spent the evening. It was a nice visit and it was fun to talk about all of the things that we are experiencing. Candace's sister (Camille) and I spent some time researching the Ukraine. Here's something interesting...the Ukraine is about 93% the size of Manitoba yet it has around 47 million people compared to our 1.2 million. Everyone went to bed fairly early, some due to work in the morning, and some due to an impending trip across the Atlantic. Thanks to Anthony and Camille for your hospitality. Remember, the next time we visit there will be three of us.

Last day at work

Today was our final day at school / work before the trip. Given that I am going to be away for two weeks before Christmas break and a week or more in the new year, the last three weeks have been quite busy. I have been trying to wrap up all of the big projects and little things prior to my departure. The past three days have been filled from morning until night with meetings and other things that have kept me on my toes. In spite of all of this, I know that everything will be fine while I am away. Everything is where it needs to be and there are people who are looking after those things that will require attention in my absence. Sitting at home this evening, I am surprised to feel a sense of relief. I thought I might be really excited tonight…but instead I just feel calm. Everything is ready for the trip, but more importantly, I am ready for the trip.

After school, I had one last basketball practice with the girls. When I arrived at the school, the team had a cake to acknowledge my upcoming adventure. I am really excited about the trip and there is nothing I would change about how things have unfolded. My only regret, and it is a mild one given what else is happening, is that I will miss the first basketball tournament of the season this weekend. They are a great bunch and I hate to miss anything that's happening with them. However, I know the girls are already well prepared and they will be in good hands. Thanks to Perry and Jim for stepping up...it is greatly appreciated.

When I got home for supper, Candace related a neat thing that happened to her at the end of the day. Around 3:15 pm, a colleague asked her to come to the hallway,. When she followed, she discovered all of the students and staff from Grades 8 – 12 waiting to congratulate her and wish her well. She said that when they presented her with a big card she had a hard time keeping it together.

Baby cake

Today, one of my colleagues at work put a note on my desk that said, "Come and have some baby cake". I went to our staff room and everyone was there waiting with cake and a present for the little one. It was another Winnie the Pooh item...this time a Tigger doll. I told them that this would be the one toy that came with me to the Ukraine.

It was nice to visit with them. They had several questions about what would happen once I got over there. It was fun to go through everything because it helps sort out all of the stuff I have in my head. The past couple of weeks I have been gathering lots of information regarding the trip, the country, and the expected process once I arrived.

I also talked on the phone to a friend. He and his wife were supposed to head to Ethiopia in December to adopt but their plans got waylaid by some unexpected bureaucracy. They are now not travelling until February. I would like to wish them luck and patience as they wait to meet their new son.

Packing...and other stuff

Today was spent wrapping up all the little loose ends that are required prior to our trip. I started packing and I finally got around to checking out our new handycam. Its pretty neat.

Candace was really energetic today. We were trying to decide how to relocate things in closets when she suggested we switch rooms for the little one. As I worked on something else, she switched everything from one room to another. It actually looks alot better in the new location and the little one will have more space.

Setting up her room

Today Candace and I headed to Brandon to do some shopping. We spent some time trying to decide what kind of bed to purchase. We already have a crib...but we need to get a bed because the little one might be anywhere from 14 months to 3 years old. We hit pretty well every store in town that carried bedroom furniture. We were tempted to buy something larger but we ended up getting a little toddler bed. We also picked up some other things for the room, for the little one, and for the trip.

When we returned home, I spent some time putting together the bed and a little rocking chair. Then we set up the room with all of the other stuff. When we were done I sat on a rocking chair in the corner and just looked around in awe. It wasn’t so much what we put into the room that struck me as much as what I imagined would soon be in the room. I could see a little girl playing with the toys, rocking in her chair, and then sitting at her table having tea before falling asleep in her bed. I sure hope she likes Winnie the Pooh…because we have a definite theme going on.

I thought I would then do a couple of other things so I started opening some further items. After realizing that the gate for the stairs requires mounting, I changed my mind and decided that it would be a good time to wrap it up for the evening. The car seat can sit in its unopened box until I get some time tomorrow. Once I finish writing this, I think I will go back in sit in that rocking chair for a while.

Friday thoughts...

Well...its Friday which means one week from today and we're off. After work, one of Candace's coworkers had a get-together for her staff to celebrate our good news. It was pretty neat...she had a poster up on the wall with our names on it in Ukrainian. Thanks to Sandy M. for her thoughtfulness. Everyone has been so supportive...it makes you realize how fortunate we are to live where we do and have the friends that we have.

It is hard to believe that we just found out that we would be making this trip a little over three weeks ago. Everyone keeps asking if I am getting excited about the trip. Interestingly enough, I have been doing a good job containing my excitement. What actually has the biggest impact on my excitability level is people repeatedly asking me how I am feeling about the trip. I sort of get focused on something that I am doing and someone drops by, calls or emails for something else and then ask me about what is happening. Don't get me wrong...I really appreciate the interest. It is just that it is making me more and more anxious. My biggest hope is that I can sleep a bit in the nights leading up to our departure.