The Canadian Wilderness

[sat8997]

So I picked my youngest kid up from my sister's care the other night. She'd been on vacation with them this past week in the Canadian Wilderness (St. John in New Brunswick and Halifax in Nova Scotia). They left early Monday by train to New York, then boarded a cruise ship. My sister had done this in the past with my older kid and everything always goes okay. I only have two rules for my sister when she is traveling with my kids.

 

-Don't let them fall off the boat

 

and

 

-Don't lose them in a country that's not their own.

 

So they are at sea for two days, spend a day in St. John, overnight at sea, day in Halifax, two days at sea and back to New York.

 

My daughter thought Canada was great. They talk funny and have really cool money. I now have a large handful of coins I can't use.

 

They toured around St. John, got back on the ship, get to Halifax, tour around for the day before returning to the ship. Here's where the fun started.

 

I had to give my sister an original birth certificate for my kid plus two letters, one for medical emergencies and one giving permission to take my kid out of the country. Once they boarded the ship they all get ID cards. This card along with a picture ID (for the adults) is usually all you need. So while they are in Halifax, my brother-in-law and his brother go on a pub crawl tour. By the time they get back to the ship they are crawling for sure. So my brother-in-law goes through the customs thing, his brother, my neice, all just fine. My sister and my kid bring up the rear and the Canadian custom guy won't let my kid on the ship. Her ID had a different last name from my sisters. He wants proof that my sister has permission to have my kid. It's back on the ship. My sister has to try and explain to her drunk husband where the paperwork is in their cabin. The customs guy sends them to a supervisor to get things straightened out. By now my sister is in a panic thinking she had to call me and tell me my kid is about to become a Canadian citizen. The supervisor starts asking my daughter questions and telling my sister to be quiet, she wants the kid to answer. So she was able to verify with the ships guest lists that, yes my kid was traveling with her aunt and they were able to board the ship.

 

I just want to say thanks to all of you Canadians for looking out for my kids safety. And a really big thanks for freaking my sister out. The laugh factor was priceless.

 

Sharon

Edited August 15, 2005 by sat8997

[Rabble_Rouser]

Well, that must be the first time a Canadian has EVER scared someone! (Well, at least other than good folks in the conservative Christian camp who are terrified all us pot smoking queers with our secret agenda...)

[Masked Monkey]

Well, that must be the first time a Canadian has EVER scared someone!      (Well, at least other than good folks in the conservative Christian camp who are terrified all us pot smoking queers with our secret agenda...) 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

make that Socialist pot smoking queers

[Mark Arbour]

Well, that must be the first time a Canadian has EVER scared someone!

[Masked Monkey]

Well, that must be the first time a Canadian has EVER scared someone!      (Well, at least other than good folks in the conservative Christian camp who are terrified all us pot smoking queers with our secret agenda...) 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

make that Socialist pot smoking queers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What's wrong with socialist pot smoking queers? I bet they make for one hell of a great country. Of all the Canadians I've met, there's only a few I didn't like.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll wager they were French Canadians

 

and I wasn't saying that there was anything wrong with socialist pot smoking queers, I was just expanding on his description