How messed up are ya?

As the year, and decade roll to a conclusion, I am moving closer to thinking that retirement vs employment is a better option. And this is before I actually get to work. Here’s the abbreviated scoop….

I have travel booked in to Iglulik for January 2nd, meaning I’ll leave just after midnight, drive to my nursing classmate’s and leave my car, taxi to the airport and catch the 0530 Air Canada flight to Ottawa, then Canadian North to Iqaluit and First Air to Iglulik..arriving (hopefully) mid afternoon to -22c weather. I began my quest on December 2nd and was originally told by the manager that there was an opening for Homecare Supervisor in Iglulik and she would pass my dates along to the scheduler. After a week, I contacted the staffing person to be told that she was awaiting direction from the manger as there was an indeterminate (full time) homecare supervisor booked for Jan 10th in Iglulik who would need orientation. I’m sure with my first time there and only for a week, I’ll be pretty disorientated myself, so we’ll see. I received an email from the manager asking if I’d work the first three weeks in Iglulik and move to Pangnirtung for the final time. I asked about per diems if being relocated and was advised that ‘GN process is for two separate CSAs’. I was assured they’d book me to relocate during the week when I’m being paid, not on the weekend when I'm off - I have since received a hotel booking for Iqaluit on Friday Jan 24th and flight to Pang on Saturday. I requested a two day layover in Ottawa without accommodation  when my duty travel was being booked for February and initially the manager agreed to this, then stated it wasn’t allowed ‘due to GN liability’ even though we aren’t paid for our travel out of community. Since I’d already planned a visit with the daughter and son in law, I advised I’d book my own travel from Ottawa to Halifax…apparently no liability with this plan. I have since received a booking for the Hilton Garden Inn in Ottawa for Feb 13th (one day too early) with flight in to Ottawa for Feb 14th at 10 pm and out the morning of the 15th at 7:30 am. Haven’t dealt with any of that yet because….on Dec 20th I received two CSAs to sign for Iglulik Jan 2 - 24 and Pangnirtung Jan 26 - Feb 14 stating I’d receive step 2 on the 6 step salary scale. This was particularly annoying as I know an RN with two years experience who receives step 4 on every contract. I requested amended CSAs to sign, the Director advised that HR had to make the change, not line managers and she would contact me Dec 27th. On Saturday Dec 28th I had an email exchange with the Director who advised (as I expected) that HR wasn’t available until January 2nd and would I fly in to Iglulik and HR could check the pay scale upon their return? I responded that I was expecting step 4 but was advised that there was no way to promise this so….I replied that I would sign the CSA for Iglulik only with the understanding that the pay scale would be amended to step 4 or I would not move on to  Pang. My thoughts of the nurse eagerly heading home from Iglulik on Jan 2 was the only reason for my capitulation. If anyone asks me about the staffing crisis in the north or retention…I think I can provide some background. And unfortunately, this sort of tale is becoming the norm. How messed up are they? I'm certainly glad that we've had a great holiday visit with the family which has helped settle the priorities and distract from the silliness of the government bureaucracy. 

It's been a busy month since I arrived home with baking, social activities and I even managed to get some gifts completed. The shore captain and I were a team with crocheted shawl (me) and shawl pin (he) for the baby daughter, a Saskatchewan Roughriders poncho in white, green and black (complete with my first ever graph of their logo) according to his specifications for the firstborn daughter and a jeans top for the teacher daughter (which I created in Cuba) plus last minute three cowls for three daughters. Fun to have your creations appreciated. I had a few Frenchy's shops (always good therapy) and for the first time I experienced a 'heist' of my basket (granted before I paid but there were some great finds in there for my next grandbaby). Did a bit of online shopping - as did many on our rural route - the Canada Post driver had to make additional deliveries on the weekend before the holidays because he wasn't sure he could fit the 160 parcels in his van saying "you've all discovered online shopping" as the reason. 

The house is suddenly quiet without several extra generations being accommodated and no sounds of little feet. It was wonderful to have the oldest daughter and her new to Canada husband with us for a spell. Gave us a chance to show him some maritime hospitality and introduce him to local foods. We had roast beef the first evening he arrived and he said with a grin "what is this - beef? shut the door!" as it is only served at resorts in Cuba. We were able to provide an ‘almost’ surprise baby shower for them under the guise of a ‘meet n greet’ for our son in law which saw at least 45 people drop in. They received lovely baby gifts, lots of cash and gift cards while having great visits with neighbours, friends and family. There was the usual extended family supper and catching up on the news, the grandkids hanging out with their cousins and lots of excitement. Santa came to visit, especially as Grawmp put out reindeer food for the sleigh pullers, and both grandkids and newest son in law were very pleased. Christmas supper was served to over a dozen and we had multiple delicious meals with various combinations of family members (depending on who was working at the time) and ate WAY too much. Yesterday the last of the houseguests moved on, the tree went out the door, and lots of reorganizing and purging was done. 

Today was spent….packing. Sounds like a simple activity but it took over the day. Searching through travel accessories, lining up my travel clothes, unearthing the northern gear - parka, snow pants, Pang hat, sealskin mitts, scarf and kamiks into the stuff sack to wear from Ottawa onwards. Sorting through the scrubs, shoes,fuzzy pjs,  humidifier, headlamp, external drive of movies, choosing books and craft projects, charging the UV light, iPod, power pack and finding all the documents for work. Packing my knapsack, partially packing two duffels (45lb remaining for groceries) and developing to do lists. 

Tomorrow the oldest grandson arrives for a sleepover and will accompany us on our New Years Eve date. We've gotten movie tickets to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Staying up to ring in 2020 will likely not be an option for the three of us. Speaking of grandkids, I discovered that gramping (also called grandcation or a skip-gen getaway) is the latest travel trend...grandparents taking their grandchildren on vacation, even tours booked according to age (grandkids not the seniors) We're on trend it seems. 

The next update will likely happen after return from Nunavut as I'll just use data on my phone to keep up online and with the ransom virus attack the network is (belatedly) vigilant about visiting non government sites. Happy New Year and looking forward to 2020...what a date! Another great year coming up!

Yes, yes I'm still here...helloooooo

This morning, after putting the oldest grandson on the bus (thinking yet again that bus drivers are really earning their money today) making a cup of tea and sitting looking at the snow, freezing rain and gales, I realized….this is the first day in over three months that I don’t have a long MUST DO list, usually in a country other than Canada. Finally a chance to update the blog with lots of news….while I ignore the cleaning needed before the Christmas decor goes up.

September / October saw the six week adventure across the pond completed with seven newly visited countries added to the bucket list.Lovely weather for the most part, great food, smooth travels and amazing scenery. Flight to London, negotiated the express bus/underground system to St Pancras Station and our nearby boutique (funky decor) hotel. A bit of wandering, supper and an early bedtime to deal with the jet lag. A day spent on the Hop On Hop Off bus touring all the tourist sites of London with a River Thames boat tour to Greenwich and return. Perfect day. Off in the morning on the Eurostar (high speed train) from London to Amsterdam and it’s a great way to travel with lunch, wifi and scenes of France, Belgium and Holland speeding by at 345 km/hr.  Lovely small hotel in Amsterdam, local suppers, visit to Anne Frank House (waited 50 yrs for that after reading Anne Frank’s Diary) strolling by the canals, enjoying hot chocolate and stroopwaffels at cafes. We joined our rivership the AmaSerena and spent a week cruising the Rhine, viewing castles, excursions to medieval towns and learning so much European history through France (Alsace) Germany and into Basel Switzerland. After an additional three days touring Basel, Lucerne and Zermatt by train we put our travel companion (shore captain’s office manager x 27 yrs) on a flight home as some people aren’t retired yet, and made our way to Davos, St. Moritz and area then back through Sargans. Spent three weekends visiting with our Argentine friends in the Bodensee area and managed to fit in a visit to Gundelsheim and supper out with our summer neighbours who own a winery there. Enjoyed the south of Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein then off through Luxembourg and Belgium to catch the Eurostar back to London. A rainy pub afternoon in London and supper with a (could be our daughter) friend we met in Mendoza two years ago. Early morning ride on the underground to Heathrow, flight home through Montreal and a stop to see the grandkids in the city. They change so much in a couple of months at age one and three years! Just a sampling of the many trip photos:

St Pancras Station

Rhine River cruise 

Swiss rail

Cog railway...Matterhorn

Lindau, Germany

Mainau Island, Germany

Regensburg

Belgian waffle 

Salzburg, Mozart in the palace

Wine in Lichtenstein

Brussels, Belgium

What was my favourite country? Switzerland, followed closely by Lichtenstein....both expensive but lovely. We enjoyed all the destinations, with slower travel managed a deeper experience and felt sorry for those on tours rushing from one distant destination to another. Just because you can....should you?

Arrived home Friday 10 pm and out the door Monday 1 am for my next adventure, so a very busy weekend. Essentially, opening the mail, unpacking the backpack, laundry, repacking, organizing gifts for Cuba and off to the airport. Uneventful flights, prearranged taxi to the bus station in Holguin and….3.5 hr delay as the the bus was broken down in Camaguey. Finally underway just before 9pm and napped my way through except for Bayamo then Palma Soriano  arriving in Santiago de Cuba at 1am to a waiting son in law with the vintage side car motorcycle who efficiently delivered me to my casa particular, woke the family and I was shortly in the shower and bed after a long day. Spent a busy first week as two days after I arrived our son in law’s passport was returned from the Canadian Embassy in Mexico to Canada and the shore captain was tasked with being the mule to deliver it. So, after all the waiting on November 7th our Cuban son in law flew to Montreal, navigated Canadian Immigration and joined our oldest daughter in Ottawa. They’ve since moved to a new apartment and are getting settled as they’re booked to come home for a visit over the holidays. Exciting times! The remainder of my four weeks in Cuba was calmer with visits with friends, Spanish lessons (took a while to reestablish it in my mind), ballgames, trying new restaurants and acclimatizing to the 33c days. This November was much hotter than last year this time! 

Guys Frenchy's

Back to Canada at 1 am last Tuesday and in to hang out with the city grandkids as the teacher daughter headed back to work after maternity leave. This milestone was further complicated by conjunctivitis…first the baby, then his older sister and of course the inability to go daycare while infectious. We enjoyed two lovely days of walks to the playground, reading lots of books and playing and an ice cream cake party for the birthday boy. I left to pick up my car from my nursing class buddy on Wednesday evening as required by a Thursday morning dental appointment. Friday brought another appointment and two Frenchy’s stops. The quote of the days at the checkout….cashier to senior customer…..I’m gonna sell it to ya, no need to explain :) Then one of the clerks posed in a mascot head for a customer to take a photo and said…I get paid by the hour, so whatever. It’s the happiest place on earth…like a visit to Disney World but a whole lot cheaper. Scored some lovely finds and had fun while doing so. 

The oldest grandson (9th birthday last month) spent the weekend and we had lots of good times. Had gotten him NHL-OPOLY for his birthday and we played that Friday evening - of course Grawmp won. Good thing when the question was ‘name a team which has won the Stanley Cup’ and he answered Toronto Maple Leafs, they didn’t ask for a timeline eh? On Saturday the grandson and I took a trip to the Ten Thousand Villages annual sale which was a great opportunity to study geography, fair trade, social justice and pick up some neat things. He insisted on a drum from Indonesia (grandfather’s rule that it can only be played when he is not in the house) and was amazed by the collection. We made our way to Simply Pho You which is a new Vietnamese restaurant in town…won’t be our only trip as the spring rolls, pho, salad rolls and noodles were wonderful. Nice to see new Canadians doing well. Over to the Cineplex and we (and a sold out crowd) took in the matinee for Frozen II…overwhelming number of Elsa gowns, just sayin. Sunday saw us enjoying a video chat with the electrician daughter and hubby in Ottawa, a game of Battleship which Grawmp won as well, lots of books, making a batch of chocolate chip cookies to share with the grade four class. We even managed to fit in some writing practice and multiplication….what is with this boxes of numbers vs memorizing a times table now? My nerves!

Have set myself a goal this week of navigating the labyrinth of northern nursing contract for January/February. There has been a huge issue with the government network being hit with the ransom virus in October so all the hard drives have to be replaced or factory reset. This has taken out all the government email so faxes and phone are the new normal. I sent my proof of RN registration to a hotmail address....yes, this is the level HR is functioning at two months in. The short version is that the former jobshare partner is urging me to come to the first community we were roommates in (where she has returned to do homecare) and I could do a public health contract - no TB, not many STIs but a large population of babies and children so lots of immunizations which sounds ok to me. We'd be able to hang out and catch up and I could revisit folks. However, tracking down the manager to see if this is possible (see above communication snafu) is nigh on impossible. And of course it wouldn't take me to the eastern region of the territory....meaning the gateway is Edmonton not Ottawa. Another option is homecare (or alternatively public health) in the Baffin region, which would allow for Ottawa visiting so I'll pursue that as Plan B. If I don't get a few weeks in January/February...I'll run out of year with all the plans which come up. I can see how semi retired people talk about being too busy to go to work. 

Speaking of which, tomorrow is a retired nurses luncheon and I'm looking forward to visiting with former coworkers and colleagues. Haven't been able to make the event for a couple of years what with work and travel so will be nice to make an appearance. Got to get those pies baked which I promised.

Well, enough procrastinating with the cleaning/decorating, even the kitties are suggesting I get busy. Lots of holiday prep this year as it's the first year for the Cuban son in law to experience a Canadian Christmas. He's heading down for a visit a few days before his wife as he's not able to work until his permanent resident card is issued so is taking advantage of this. He'll get a chance to check out the lobster industry and see some of the local landmarks, hopefully the weather cooperates. We'll have an open house to welcome him to the family/country so lots of good times.