We now find ourselves with weeks left in Canada, rather than months.
4 weeks today we leave one Commonwealth country and set out to another (hopefully warmer...) one.
4 weeks today we leave one Commonwealth country and set out to another (hopefully warmer...) one.
As the time to say goodbye creeps closer, the preparations for leaving the country step up a gear.
By and large we are still in that lull period - the quiet before the storm - but with every new day the 'lull' is slowly beginning to get a little tinge of urgency to it. In another two weeks and it will be full blown mayhem I am sure; despite our best efforts to get as much done in advance so we are not flying around in circles.
No matter how much you plan, there is always some flying around in circles, not knowing whether you are doing or going. That is pretty much guaranteed, at least it is with us!
By and large we are still in that lull period - the quiet before the storm - but with every new day the 'lull' is slowly beginning to get a little tinge of urgency to it. In another two weeks and it will be full blown mayhem I am sure; despite our best efforts to get as much done in advance so we are not flying around in circles.
No matter how much you plan, there is always some flying around in circles, not knowing whether you are doing or going. That is pretty much guaranteed, at least it is with us!
Our gym membership comes to an end on Thursday (tomorrow). The place which got me out of the house on those cold winter days; which provided me with a great deal of amusement over the patronage of some of the clientele (my eyes have never seen so much cosmetic surgery), and others which scared me, or the many which plainly annoyed me with their manners - or lack of manners, should I say; it also provided some much needed familiar faces in our first months in this strange land of Quebec.
We have cancelled contracts for the phone, TV and internet, which are all due to finish at 8am on 18th June.
Our mobiles should be cut off at midnight 18th/19th June.
I say due and should, as I never quiet believe these big companies. So eager and helpful to sign you up; when it comes to cancelling their services it is a whole different matter. The phone lines for starting a contract are open for far more hours than the departments which deal with the leavers.
We have been burnt in past experiences of the telecom giants; we have asked, upon signing up to something, if we are able to cancel our contract early and been assured we can leave easily and without hassle.
Ha ha.
Never believe that one!
In Spain we had a nightmare trying to cancel my mobile phone contract. Over eighteen months later we were still receiving threatening letters from the company (one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, you would have hoped their customer service would have been a little better...). We had paid up what we owed - but this was the problem, as we had a lot going on at the time and thought we probably hadn't paid that monthly bill so we paid it, even though we were back in Germany by then. Then they asked for more...
...and more...
We refused.
We sent cancellation letters recorded delivery.
They claimed to have received them.
We called in a friend to try and cancel it over the phone in Spanish. They wouldn't let her.
This went on and on for months, but they seem to have finally got the message...
At least this time, in Montreal, we made sure our mobile contracts were not tied in to a length of time, therefore we don't have the drama of paying off what's left on our phone etc etc.
(f you are not sure you are not going to be living in the country for less than the two to three years of most standard contracts check how to get out of it before you sign, or preferably, buy the phone outright and then you often aren't tied in as much. A large expense to begin with, but a lot cheaper in the long run! And a whole less stressful!)
We have cancelled contracts for the phone, TV and internet, which are all due to finish at 8am on 18th June.
Our mobiles should be cut off at midnight 18th/19th June.
I say due and should, as I never quiet believe these big companies. So eager and helpful to sign you up; when it comes to cancelling their services it is a whole different matter. The phone lines for starting a contract are open for far more hours than the departments which deal with the leavers.
We have been burnt in past experiences of the telecom giants; we have asked, upon signing up to something, if we are able to cancel our contract early and been assured we can leave easily and without hassle.
Ha ha.
Never believe that one!
In Spain we had a nightmare trying to cancel my mobile phone contract. Over eighteen months later we were still receiving threatening letters from the company (one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, you would have hoped their customer service would have been a little better...). We had paid up what we owed - but this was the problem, as we had a lot going on at the time and thought we probably hadn't paid that monthly bill so we paid it, even though we were back in Germany by then. Then they asked for more...
...and more...
We refused.
We sent cancellation letters recorded delivery.
They claimed to have received them.
We called in a friend to try and cancel it over the phone in Spanish. They wouldn't let her.
This went on and on for months, but they seem to have finally got the message...
At least this time, in Montreal, we made sure our mobile contracts were not tied in to a length of time, therefore we don't have the drama of paying off what's left on our phone etc etc.
(f you are not sure you are not going to be living in the country for less than the two to three years of most standard contracts check how to get out of it before you sign, or preferably, buy the phone outright and then you often aren't tied in as much. A large expense to begin with, but a lot cheaper in the long run! And a whole less stressful!)
We are selling most of our furniture, and this has been going in dribs and drabs. As much as we don't want to sit in an empty apartment for the last few weeks, we also don't want to feel pressured into giving our furniture (which most of is around eighteen months old) away for a knock down price out of desperation. Some things were snapped up as soon as we posted them on the Kijiji website; others are sticking somewhat...
Most enquiries about the more expensive items such as my lovely KitchenAid, and my bike, seem to mysteriously be sent around 2am - I reply with, "Yes it is still available." but then don't here anything back.
The enquiries sent in the daytime or evening seem to be the most fruitful. I can't help but feel it may have something to do with the hockey team playing in the all important play-offs at the moment: guy comes home late from an evening out drinking watching the game with his mates, to try and soften the angry glare of his wife for him being two hours late and falling over the chair/passing out on the sofa etc etc, he then promises the wife she can have the cornflower blue mixer or the lovely shiny bike, and to appease her sends an enquiry email...
Something along those lines...
In the cold light of day, the promises and declarations of love are 'forgotten' about...
The enquiries sent in the daytime or evening seem to be the most fruitful. I can't help but feel it may have something to do with the hockey team playing in the all important play-offs at the moment: guy comes home late from an evening out drinking watching the game with his mates, to try and soften the angry glare of his wife for him being two hours late and falling over the chair/passing out on the sofa etc etc, he then promises the wife she can have the cornflower blue mixer or the lovely shiny bike, and to appease her sends an enquiry email...
Something along those lines...
In the cold light of day, the promises and declarations of love are 'forgotten' about...
It's mainly busy at this period of time, rather than fretting over things.
However, last Wednesday my stress levels did become pretty high.
Someone had been due to come and look at my bike on the Tuesday night. I am reluctantly selling it, so was hoping the sale would be quick and more like ripping a bandage off rather than gently peeling it back, that kind of thing - a quick sale with not much thinking about.
They didn't turn up.
I emailed them and they replied sounding apologetic, saying they were stuck at work. They would contact me with another time.
They haven't made contact.
The following day another lady was supposed to come and look at the cart in the kitchen at noon, and then someone else was due to come and look around the apartment at 1pm.
I had spent the best part of Tuesday and all Wednesday morning clearing the cart and getting the apartment looking nice (not that it matters to us if they take the apartment, but it's still a matter of pride that you don't really live in a tip...)
I waited....noon passed...
...and waited...
No one showed up for the cart.
Oh well, at least I had to be in for the apartment viewing...
No one showed up to look around the apartment. The agent knocked on the door at 1.20pm and said they were a no-show.
I was not impressed.
I sent an email to the cart woman, probably more abrupt than my usual email it has to be said.
She replied and apologized having forgotten being stuck in a meeting, could she come at 5pm.
I agreed, but was sceptical about her turning up.
But 5pm on the dot she was at the front door, and she bought the wooden kitchen cart...
...as well as admiring the shiny clean apartment...
However, last Wednesday my stress levels did become pretty high.
Someone had been due to come and look at my bike on the Tuesday night. I am reluctantly selling it, so was hoping the sale would be quick and more like ripping a bandage off rather than gently peeling it back, that kind of thing - a quick sale with not much thinking about.
They didn't turn up.
I emailed them and they replied sounding apologetic, saying they were stuck at work. They would contact me with another time.
They haven't made contact.
The following day another lady was supposed to come and look at the cart in the kitchen at noon, and then someone else was due to come and look around the apartment at 1pm.
I had spent the best part of Tuesday and all Wednesday morning clearing the cart and getting the apartment looking nice (not that it matters to us if they take the apartment, but it's still a matter of pride that you don't really live in a tip...)
I waited....noon passed...
...and waited...
No one showed up for the cart.
Oh well, at least I had to be in for the apartment viewing...
No one showed up to look around the apartment. The agent knocked on the door at 1.20pm and said they were a no-show.
I was not impressed.
I sent an email to the cart woman, probably more abrupt than my usual email it has to be said.
She replied and apologized having forgotten being stuck in a meeting, could she come at 5pm.
I agreed, but was sceptical about her turning up.
But 5pm on the dot she was at the front door, and she bought the wooden kitchen cart...
...as well as admiring the shiny clean apartment...