23 hours from Lisburn to London (the Ontario one, not the England one!), 1 lost set of headphones, 1 lost baby bag, 1 found baby bag, 20 cardboard boxes, 8 suitcases containing half our lives, and 2 huge bags of “mum, will you ship these out in time for winter?”, and the relocation is finally complete. Well, almost. 

Since Paul got offered a fellowship post at one of the hospitals in London, we have gone through an emotional rollercoaster: from the excitement at the prospect of moving our little family of five half way across the world, to the stress and anxieties of the practicalities required, never mind during a pandemic! The week before we left the sunny shores of Northern Ireland consisted of frantic phone calls to embassies and immigration officials when we realised mine and the kids’ travel exemptions weren’t going to make it in time for our scheduled flight, trying to rearrange said flight and all the associated logistics, and then explaining to a four-year-old why Canada was now ‘three sleeps away’, instead of one! FYI – we told her we were waiting on the Canadian postman delivering us a special letter and he was late!


When we finally made it onto that runway at Belfast City Airport, after an endless wave of emotional goodbyes, we never could have anticipated the epic meltdown of two-year-old Aoife as she took in her very first sights of a real-life airplane! One rugby hold and carry on later, we were one flight down. The stop off at Heathrow airport was made so much easier by the amazing staff who escorted us all the way to our next flight, ensuring we didn’t lose any children, never mind the bags! I think they sympathised at the sight of Paul grappling one handed with a trolley with four suitcases, whilst pushing another two along with the other hand. Meanwhile I followed behind slowly with the three girls, with two Trunkis allowing some independence and preventing tantrums!


The seven-hour flight was easier than I’d imagined – the girls slept for a bit, and when they were awake, I just fed them snacks every hour! The in-flight movies were great for anyone older than a toddler…one out of three entertained! The hardest part of the journey was still to come. Once we landed, we had an hour to wait on the plane because customs and immigration was packed, and then a further THREE HOURS to actually get through immigration and be approved to reside in Canada for a year. 

The first morning in our accommodation consisted of a 6.30am live covid test. That’s right, LIVE. We were given at home PCR kits on leaving the airport and a lovely healthcare representative watched on from our phones as we spun that stick 15 times one way and 15 times another up our noses! Needs must in this strange new world we live in. That out of the way and it was time to address the endless paperwork needed to live and work here: driver’s licence, open a bank account, get a health card, apply for a Kindergarten place. At times it felt like nothing would go right, with hours spent on the phone and computer, a couple of wasted trips to admin offices, to be told that Paul needs to apply for everything first before we can be eligible. He is the permit holder, after all! The low of the week was when our air con decided to give up, creating a household of sweaty, grouchy people who could barely function. A Ross Gellar moment with my denim shorts had me wishing for the cooler climes of home! 


The week has definitely been challenging in more ways than one, and it’s been hard trying to keep the kids entertained while they frequently ask where their grandparents are, or why they can’t visit their friend ‘down the road’, who is now around 3,000 miles away. We’ve had our own kind of Olympics with plastic bottles, balls, cardboard boxes, and endless races across the garden, spent longer
than we ever would have in paddling pools and on iPads, and probably eaten more than we ever would due to sheer boredom! I’ve relished some quiet time browsing the aisles of the nearby Walmart, whispering to myself “where’s the dilute, where’s the dilute?”, and got over excited at finding Jolly Ranchers, Gatorade, and real-life maple syrup. 

For now, we’ll try to enjoy the last few days before Paul starts his new adventure at the hospital and I have to figure everything else out on my own with the three musketeers in tow!