The week before Christmas

I don't know why the time I take now between writing my posts seems to be getting longer and longer. Maybe because I have just been busier with other things...or there does not seem to be enough to write about.


Some things that have been going through my mind recently:


I just met a lady the other day, who was a Doctor in India, but because of the weird Canadian system of not taking another country's educational degree as a valid one, is not a Doctor in Canada. Did you know that it is not legal for her to use the title 'Dr' in front of her name here until she is certified and licensed with the Canadian degree? I thought, poor lady..going through all those years of studying and being called a Doctor in India and being treated with so much respect there, but is a 'nothing' here. She catches three buses and two subways to reach her twice a week course in Toronto, and comes home to her five year old (who stays with a neighbour) at 11.30 pm. Her husband works the three to three shift at a factory, and comes home only at 3.30 am. She was a Doctor in India??!!



We just started Christmas shopping! I love the stores here, the decorations in front of the houses, and the music that seems to be playing from every nook and corner of every mall...enticing shoppers to buy things no one could possible ever need.

Suddenly noticed the number of groups, agencies, homes etc advertising on t.v and newspapers for donations. Christmas is the time to give and there are plenty out here who seem to need. From homeless, to underpriveledged to the sick. It is nice to see so many people give their time, as well as money and actually go out in the cold to stand in lines to help those more deserving. Many familes take their kids too, to teach them the art of giving the time to help others.

We were so excited about snow initially. From 'Hey come and look at this, it's SNOWING!', now it is...'Oh, it's snowing again!'. Shovelling the snow is a real pain. You have to shovel it during the snow fall, before it gets too high and hard. We learnt this the hard way. The snow piles around the driveway where it meets the street were so hard by the time we decided to clear it, that we couldn't! Now there is just enough space for us to reverse the car out! Luckily the rest of the driveway is clear.

Melting snow refreezes. This ice makes it dangerous to walk on sidewalks without being careful. Roads become so slippery and you see cars sliding all over the side streets which are not cleared like the main roads are.

In a week, we are off to the United States. We decided to drive to Ohio where we will spend Christmas with a friend and then to Nashville to visit my sister-in-law.

Will write all about our trip when we're back..in the meantime,

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everybody!!