Friday, July 15, 2016. 9:30 AM. Elaine and I went to our cluster mailbox.

Did we get it? The anticipation was dripping like August humidity in Pittsburgh. Key in. Slot opened. THERE IT WAS! A nondescript white envelope from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Mailed from Sydney, Nova Scotia via Canada Post. Two years in the making. Bingo.

Joy. Relief. Happiness. We got it. Thanks to Elaine’s organizational skills and a boatload of patience, we finally got my PERMANENT RESIDENT CARD. This arduous paperwork and e-filing journey took just under 24 months. Look Ma – I got the Card!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For all my American readers – you might be wondering what the fuss is all about (now that I’m a Permanent Resident of Canada and Citizen of the United States)?

In a nutshell – when traveling I will be asked to show my PR Card when boarding a flight to Canada or travelling to Canada on any other commercial carrier. Gotta have the Card to get back in. Can’t lose it. Can’t forget it. Can’t sell it for smokes.

The Card itself is sleek and tech savvy. The mugshot makes me look like a convict – bald head, goatee, no smile. All the words are in English and French. Oui oui. There’s a funky hologram-type stamp that I assume will be scanned by border agents. No signature required. Expiry date in 2021.

Voilà – after “deux ans” of being landlocked (in a sense), Elaine and I are free to roam. First stop will be the Steel City for a lengthy visit with Mom and Sister Jane. That starts pronto. We rolled the dice and booked flights without the Card. It paid off.

Yinz (Pittsburgh slang for you guys or y’all) may not hear from me for a few weeks. Got a to-do list longer than the MLB regular season. Bring it on. Mom and Jane deserve every bit of our love and attention.