31 Dec 05 The Visa Report: Part Two and Farewell Ithaca!
The transit strike in New York City was an event extreme enough to cause a ripple effect for us in Ithaca, so I can only imagine the mental anguish it caused in the city!
Back to Tuesday afternoon - after our contact at the visa rush service crawled back out from her pit of dread, she phoned back to say she did, in fact, receive our applications and should be able to process them Wednesday. Total relief. We arranged to have our passports delivered to my dad’s place in Calgary so we wouldn’t have to stay an extra night in Ithaca just to wait for a FedEx package.
The movers finished loading boxes into the shipping crate in their truck. All but a few boxes fit in one crate, though I don’t know yet how many cubic feet it amounted to. My original estimate was 250 and I think in reality it was less…
Cleaned out the apartment in the evening then retired to our room at the fabulous Meadow Court Inn across from Wegman’s on route 13 for our final sleep in Ithaca! We dumbed down with our friend slash truckdriver Brad and watched multiple consecutive episodes of Dog the Bounty Hunter. If you don’t know the show, just go ahead and click the link - Dog’s cleaning up Hawaii one scumbag at a time :O)
Wednesday: After a last breakfast at the State Diner we packed the truck and met with the landlord for a walkthrough. Then confirmed with the visa rush service that our applications were filed with the British Consulate - woohoo! - and drove back to the home country without much fanfare.
Thursday: Mid-afternoon we checked our email and each received notice from the British Consulate that our visas had been APPROVED ! When we landed in Calgary later in the evening my dad greeted us with the Grand Poobah of FedEx packages, containing two passports beautified with lovely UK Visa stickers expiring in 2011.
JOY!
27 Dec 05 The Visa Report: Part One
Last week we got word Matt’s work permit was approved, but that was two thirds of the battle required to gain entrance to the UK. We had to receive approved visas in time for our departure from Toronto Dec 31.
Plans to file our visa applications in the US were too epic and dependent on magical forces to work I think - our tight schedule was supposed to go like this:
Monday: Receive overnight package from London containing original work permit and reference letters from Quantco. Repackage those documents along with other Very Important Papers, our passports and photos. Send package to a visa rush service, the one specified by Quantco’s immigration lawyer and the one he gave us the address for, in NYC via First Priority Overnight FedEx (to be delivered between 8:30 and 9:00 am Tuesday) so the applications would make the Tuesday morning submission deadline.
Tuesday: aka Moving Day and Apartment Cleaning Day. Applications should be filed at the UK embassy, ‘rubber-stamped’ APPROVED (fingers crossed) then returned to us via Priority Overnight FedEx (to be delivered before 10:30 am) so we could leave Ithaca directly after on Wednesday.
Wednesday: Load truck bound for Toronto, meet with Landlord for apartment inspection, receive package with approved visas and drive to Canada.
We knew the plan was ambitious and tight, but it was possible… We’d have FedEx on our side, having paid top-dollar, and the rush service was accustomed to pulling this off like every day. Not much could go wrong, we just had to go through the motions, quickly.
The Notsogood Backup Alternative Plan involved filing applications in Canada but, according to the immigration lawyer, required an in-person appointment in Ottawa. An appointment was booked for Dec. 30 just in case.
Here’s how it all played out:
Monday: I waited around home Monday morning for the delivery, keeping busy packing and sorting stuff. At 10:30am I heard a rustle at the door, flung it open expecting to see a man dressed in fancy courier colours but instead saw a neighbour - the unfriendly one. This morning she performed an act of kindness by bringing round the package which appeared at the wrong door at least an hour and a half earlier as indicated by the screaming orange superbold ‘9:00 AM’ sticker on it.
I tore open the package and sorted in the work permit and official letters with our applications and other Very Important Papers and hurried out the door to get to FedEx. As a sidenote, the ultra-competent US Postal Service is an agent for FedEx so first I considered sending the package from there. Instead I ventured several blocks further away on foot, toward FedEx/Kinkos thinking it was the more ‘official’ choice. As it turns out FedEx/Kinkos is a most absurd amalgamation of two companies with the result being more Kinkos, less FedEx, complete with apathetic service and confusing retail setup: the ‘Information’ counter had no body, nor did the ‘Shipping’ counter. Totally flustered, I flapped my wings and yelled “I NEED HELP” and just got laughed at. Still, the package eventually got sent and my faith was now in the hands of FedEx.
Tuesday: The movers did their thing at home while Matt tracked the FedEx package online. He sees an update at 11am: Package delivered to wrong address. Now we’re in a complete panic, believing our passports and Very VERY Important Papers are lost forever, having been delivered to some random NYC newsstand.
I frantically call the visa rush service to inquire whether they received the package.
Ring Ring
“Hello, Michelle speaking.”
“Hi, I’m checking in to see if you’ve received our applications.”
“No we haven’t received any deliveries because of the strike.”
“Oh-oh, our applications have been delivered to some wrong address and we don’t know what to do, we’ve got to find it, then get it to you. Oh my god.”
“It doesn’t matter because of the transit strike we can’t receive packages and the embassies are on strike so we don’t know when we can submit any applications.”
“Uhhh, what? Oookay, bye.”
I hung up and called FedEx. The CSR informed me the package was indeed delivered to the wrong address, which she gave me, and suggested I should try calling the visa rush service again.
All I could think was that we were screwed, that our crucial documents were in the hands of some random person on Fifth Avenue in midtown, in the hectic city of New York, which was in a state of mobile armageddon - a transit strike! That we would never locate this package and it would be impossible to leave for London on December 31st.
to be continued…
15 Dec 05 Lawn chairs
That’s what we’re sitting on… the canvas kind. They’re quite comfy and smell a bit like campfire! Nearly all our furniture is gone - sold or donated - but there’s still some to go. And we’ve still got to part with some perfectly great electronic things since they aren’t compatible for 220V.
Say hello to the new socket:
Random electronics remaining: Wahl hairclippers, popcorn popper, coffee maker, paper shredder.
Movers arrive in 5 sleeps.
We’re patiently awaiting the approved work permit and will immediately need to file visa applications using a rush service. Time’s getting tight!
12 Dec 05 “I want that one”
Thanks to Jen for recommending we watch Little Britain “in preparation for your relocation!”
It’s hilarious short-sketch comedy with multiple characters - all performed by the same two actors, the best of which are Lou and Andy. Always the same gag, but funny every time: Lou asks Andy to choose something, Andy says “I want that one” without ever looking at the choices, Lou asks “Are you sure? Are you sure you’re sure?”, Andy answers “Yes, Yes” then changes his mind at the point of no return.
In Herby City live Andy and his carer Lou. Lou selflessly dedicates his life to looking after wheelchair-bound Andy and Andy selfishly dedicates his life to making things as difficult as possible for Lou. What Lou doesn’t know is that there’s nothing wrong with Andy’s legs, and whenever he turns his back, Andy’s off out of his chair and gambolling about like a fat, balding, semi-naked spring lamb.
Second-funniest is Daffyd, the only gay in the village!
7 Dec 05 Good signs from the moving company
Finally! After soliciting around 10 moving estimates and speaking with several CSRs over the phone, we’ve made our choice of movers. It helped to narrow down the selection only to companies with FIDI/FAIM certification.
I’m surprised by the uncertain feeling I got dealing with most of these companies, but pleased by my current state of knowing we’re in good hands with the movers we chose.
Clarity is a virtue.
Directly after giving these guys the go-ahead nod, I received by email a personalized moving package consisting of the following documents:
We’ll have door-to-door service which means they pack the boxes, wrap the furniture, load the truck, transport to port and do the reverse on the other side. And they deal with customs of course.
So the only real worry left is making more stuff vanish from our apartment before they show up.
7 Dec 05 Weather comparison
Today’s high in Ithaca /-5*C / 23*F / 10-day forecast
Today’s high in London / 7*C / 44*F / 10-day forecast
and just because
Today’s high in Vancouver / 4*C / 40*F / 10-day forecast
Need I say more?
GET FED: