Here there and everywhere !

My week finally came to a close and i had time to reflect on just how many different activities i have been involved with in the last seven days and how most of them have been in some capacity or other connected with  people making a new life here in Halifax..at the beginning of the week i was saying goodbye to Nick who is a client of mine that arrived from Guernsey to look for employment, the original few weeks away from his wife and family stretched into ten weeks and as each week drew to a close we sat and re evaluated how things were going.  I saw Nick changed from a anxious family man who was experiencing  his first long term separation from his wife and kids to a friend to many of us who got to see the highly skilled IT guy that he is  ( including his prospective employer) and also experience his great sense of humour, he left with a LMO in his possession and a new confidence in his ability to settle here. We know he will be returning in January with his family.
Tuesday saw me babysitting Hazel who is an adorable four year old, Hazel and her family have been here since June and stayed with me here at Mumford for a couple of months while they looked for work and a suitable house to purchase..which gives Hazel the ability to march around the house confidently as she knows where everything is kept..no secrets from her as i try and stash colouring pens and goodies in a cupboard..
Just knowing that her Mum feels comfortable leaving her with me makes me re affirm that some of the support we are giving to families is paying off. I also miss my grandchildren so it gives me a chance to keep my hand in . While her Mum and I chat over a cup of tea Sharon from Wales drops in to catch up on news, she and her Hubby have recently arrived and moved to Lunenburg and are also waiting for a work permit. I can sense that the strain of not knowing when a pay cheque will arrive is starting to wear on them but they are in good spirits and still have no regrets to have made the move here early before their federal application comes through ( this could take years)
Meanwhile i check the Halifax Airport arrivals and see that the Sri Lankan cook who is arriving is an hour late so  I re- arrange the schedule for the bank appointments and MSI visit..I sit at the airport an hour later and watch the comings and goings I still remember our arrival and how excited and relieved we were to get past all the immigration paperwork. and walk through those doors .
I collect a very tired guy with a two year work permit and head down to Halifax chatting away about all the lakes, trees and rocks and how friendly everyone is and then see that he is asleep after a 20 hour flight!
We race to get into Service Canada for his SIN number before it closes then back to Mumford to regroup..RNS offer a settlement service to employers so that they can concentrate on training their new employee while we do all the running around ..Its getting late and i still need to take the newly arrived cook to the apartment where he is staying to spend the night..I drop him off and meet the guys that are letting stay there , they greet me with big smiles and we catch up on how they are doing, they are offering to take the new guy under their wing as they were my clients once and arrived in a huge snow storm we joke about the weather here and i leave them chatting away in Sri Lankan .

There’s a few more emails to send and telephone calls to make to get a sub -let organised in a small apartment on Tower Rd, I have chosen something affordable and I am working with the landlord to get the lease signed by the end of December.
The next few days are hectic and in between running around i manage to get groceries  a few xmas pressies and a visit to my doctor in.
Friday morning my Canadian student who has been with me for six months announces he is leaving for Yarmouth for Christmas. He  drags his belongings into the hallway to wait for a ride..I hug him and give a hastily prepared Xmas present to unwrap. as i leave the house to meet Mark from a training course.

There’s one more visit to make to the landlord and employer who owns a restaurant downtown, I park right down on the waterfront , the sun is shining, there are xmas decs in the store front windows and as I walk along lower water street i recount the six or seven places I have dropped cooks off to and various apartments that i have found downtown, It feels like my city, my city that attracts all kinds of people from near and far, including me who fell in love with this place over 15 years ago.
There’s one more stop to make on the way back as i cut through Bishops landing back to  my car I stop at The One Stop Wood Shop to say hi to Debbie a lovely scottish lass that arrived here a few years ago, she spent some time with us and I haven’t heard from her in a while  she now has a thriving business with her partner on the waterfront, another success story for small business and entrepeneurs !
I wouldn’t trade this job for anything else …I  really am blessed to be doing a job i am passionate about…I wonder what next week will bring?.or should I say  what Santa  will bring yes i am on his list i know I am!

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