Catching the Wave

Last night Tonya and I experienced another dose of Calgary culture first-hand, reaffirming my great affection for this city's arts community. We attended the first annual Calgary Latin Wave, a petite film festival featuring the year's best movies from Latin America. The festival is a joint venture between Fundación PROA and the Calgary International Film Festival.

We were privileged to see The Secret In Their Eyes (El Secreto De Sus Ojos), which won this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It's an amazing work from Argentine director Juan José Campanella and was shown in Spanish with English subtitles.

The movie is simply amazing. Campanella's creation features a compelling story, fascinating characters and a great score. There are scenes of unspeakable violence, sardonic humour and a touching, understated love story that interweave effortlessly throughout the film. Rarely have I been so incredibly pleased at watching a movie. Our fellow patrons applauded vigourously at the conclusion, which is something you don't often experience at a cinema these days.

And the fact that the festival was so well done, and right here in our back yard, made it all the more enjoyable. As this was the first year of the festival, next year is not yet a certainty. But the showing we attended was very patronized by our fellow Calgarians, so here's hoping they return again next year!

One Step Closer...

This week, I set up appointments for medical exams for Tonya, Priscilla and me in support of our Canadian immigration application. This is a big deal, as it is the final step in the process before receiving our Landed Immigrant status - or "Green Cards" to use the US parlance.

There are a number of ways to apply for permanent residency status here in Canada. The traditional way is to apply directly to the federal government using a point-system which looks at education, profession, language skills, etc. to establish a basis for admission to the country. It's a self-directed plan than can take several years and is mainly designed for people who are still living in their home country.

In additional, there's an employer-based program which allows companies to nominate foreign workers here legally on short-term work visas to become permanent residents. It's much faster (12-18 months) and I applied initially under this program while working for ATCO. The downside is it's tied to a specific job with a specific company, so if you change roles or employers you have to start over. Which is exactly what happened to me when I joined Suncor last spring.

Fortunately, Canada launched a new, self-directed program recently called the Canadian Experience Class or CEC. It allows people who have worked legally (i.e. hold a work visa) in Canada for two or more years to apply directly for permanent status. Since I easily qualified for the work piece, I started the process last fall.

The application forms are painstakingly detailed. We all had to catalogue our complete US residency history (including addresses and dates) as well as work history since the age of 18. Imagine how many times a 40-something couple have moved and changed jobs in 20+ years! We also had to obtain FBI criminal clearance as well as clearances from all state law enforcement agencies in every jurisdiction we've resided in since age 18. Whew!

Once all the documents are prepared and submitted (and healthy fees are paid) the government finally starts their piece. It's taken six months, but the fact that we've been requested to do our medicals means we are close to the finish line. Medical exams are the final step and are required to insure we don't carry diseases which endanger public health or create a drain on the health care system. Which is ironic, since we've been living here and participating in the health care system since 2006 - go figure!

If all goes well, we should have our permanent status confirmed in the fall. Once we are declared "landed immigrants" we can petition for citizenship in two years, provided we are not deported for hooliganism in the interim! So, step by step, we are approaching our goal: dual citizenship and two passports. Which can only mean one possible celebration: Cuban vacation - here we come!!!

Back "Home" in Calgary

Thomas Wolfe's protagonist George Webber in You Can't Go Home Again said so eloquently "You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time — back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."

That may be true, but it sure felt like a homecoming of sorts for yours truly upon landing in Calgary last evening. Sure, the weather was a pale reflection of the tropical magic of Mexico. By all accounts, it has been rubbish around here all spring long, or what has loosely passed for spring. Based on all the rants from my friends and colleagues, this has been the spring of our discontent (with apologies to John Steinbeck).

But home to me isn't about temperature or humidity or precipitation. Home is a state of mind where one finds comfort, purpose and a sense of belonging. I have definitely found my place here at the intersection of the Great Plains and the Rockies, under a big sky. So, for now, Calgary is home. 

There's also something more deeply profound that I discovered about myself during these past few months. I like - no I love - being a foreigner, a stranger in a strange land if you will. Let me attempt to explain.

Sometimes I feel an extreme sense of liberation and freedom in NOT belonging to a place. For me, there is great comfort in anonymity and the ability to move without tether or shackle. Maybe it's an ability born out of necessity due to all the moving I've done since my teenage years. Or maybe, conversely, I've done a lot of moving in a vain attempt to scratch an unseen itch.

I don't fancy myself a loner - I certainly enjoy the fruits of society - music, art, culture of all variety. These are clearly things made by my fellow creatures. But I always feel a bit like I'm on the outside looking in. It's hard to describe, but being a visible foreigner (not quite Ausländer, as I never felt unwelcome) in Mexico for over a month gave a real sense of being on the field, but not really in the game. It was an interesting sensation of being able to move freely and observe people without really being a tangible part of daily life as most people probably know it.

Living in Canada is somewhat similar in certain respects, save the obvious one: it's a lot easier for me to pass for Canadian. And, I suppose in a country with a large immigrant population, I have as much right to "feel" Canadian as someone from China, Kenya or Pakistan who now lives here. So the next step in the immigration process will prove interesting: will I feel any more or less like this is indeed my place, my home once I get my green card or ultimately my citizenship?

Time will tell, as it does in all things. But this little piece of the puzzle now has a place to fit in, and I am left feeling thankful for the time to come to this clarity of mind. My "sabbatical" has a couple more months to go, so who knows what gems await discovery by careful eye and patient hands...?

Last Week in Mexico

We put Priscilla on the plane home to Dallas yesterday. I always enjoy our visits, though of late they never seem to last long enough. Leaving the airport, the realization set in that we would be returning home to Calgary soon ourselves.


It's been a truly amazing month here in Puerto Vallarta. The point of this extended visit was not to discover if we liked it here - we proved that theory many visits ago. Rather, it was to see if we could potentially live here long-term, once our work permitted it. It's safe to say we answered that with a resounding YES! as well.


Which is not to say we won't visit other places in the meantime. We've spoken recently of a trip to the Baja in the spring. Probably not a big tourist destination like Cabo San Lucas, but instead someplace a bit more "authentic" like Loreto or La Paz. The real discovery this time for us is that we truly like observing the local people and not so much the vacationing masses.


Fortunately, Puerto Vallarta is a diverse enough destination to offer many slices of life. We've enjoyed wandering its streets and neighbourhoods, haunting its coffee shops and taquerias and simply admiring life in the tropics.


So, as we prepare to head back to Canada it will be with a mixed sense of excitement for home and regret of leaving such a wonderful place. And of course, counting the days to our next visit...

Sailing Banderas Bay

Sunday the 23rd was an amazing day on the water with Captain Peter Vines of Vallarta Fishing. The four of us (Tonya, Priscilla, our friend Wendy and myself) met Pete and Tony, his helper, at the Los Peines Marina before boarding his lovely 50-foot sloop, the Dos Niños.

Pete and Tony took great care of their guests all day long. We had continental breakfast featuring some nice pastries and fruits, a mid-day snack and then a tasty lunch. Of course there were lots of cold cervezas to be enjoyed as well.

We fished on the cruise out to our snorkel site, catching a number of bonita - lovely fish that put up a terrific fight - as we all got a chance to reel one in. Once we arrived at Los Arcos, a local group of islands known for great snorkeling, we got to get wet in the cool waters of the Pacific. There were tons of tropical fish to swim with and we all enjoyed bobbing around for a bit.

Afterwards, Pete and Tony hoisted the sails and we cruised back to the north toward the Marina. There was nothing but the sound of the water and the wind in the sails. Yours truly even got to take the wheel for a while.

All in all, we were on the water for over 6 hours and enjoyed a glorious time. Thanks to Pete and Tony for a great day and we definitely will plan to sail with them again!

Status Report, Mr. Sulu!

So it's been two and a half months now that I've been off work, which begs the obvious question: Do I miss it?

The obvious answer is, no I don't. But that doesn't really tell the whole story. I do miss the people, those meaningful daily interactions which, for me anyway, make existence as a cog in the giant corporate machinery tolerable. It's the hallway chats, catching up over coffee, or helping someone solve a problem which makes their work easier or more worthwhile. Those are the things I miss.

As for the endless meetings, contrived deadlines, arbitrary targets and general headless chicken impersonations, those I can live without. Sitting here enjoying a tropical breeze and a cold beverage on the patio makes that so incredibly clear. I can definitely do this every day and never get tired of it.

Sure, I'd need to refresh my iPod at regular intervals and restock my book collection (just finished Ayn Rand's masterpiece Atlas Shrugged and now working on John Steinbeck's East of Eden) but other than that I'm pretty good here.

But alas the old bank account will dictate sooner or later that I'll be heading back to work. For a few more years anyway. For if I've learned one thing during these past few months, it's that there's more to life than work. And I hope to explore it as soon as possible.

Who's with me??? Warp speed and fire photon torpedoes!!!

How About Those HABS!

In a memorable debate moment, President Reagan once chided "Well, there you go again..." And it seems the same can be said for these upstart Canadiens of 2010.

After a stunning 7-game upset of the league's best regular-season team (Washington) in the first round, all Les Habitants could do in Round 2 is dispatch the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and their stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Here's a good write-up of Game 7 from TSN, Canada's ESPN-equivalent.

What makes Montreal's accomplishment even more improbable is they almost missed the playoffs entirely, earning a single point on the last day of the season to snag the final berth in the Eastern Conference. And they've enthralled the faithful back home, where over 21,000 fans packed the Centre Bell to watch Game 7 on the Jumbotron. Talk about your fan support - some NHL teams in the Sun Belt can't even get fans into their buildings when they play games there in person!

Now not all is belle in La Belle Province. It seems there is the not-so-small story of some fans back home taking their enthusiasm to extremes, or what most people call rioting. Quelle domage! Let's keep it clean and fun, mes amis! Make all Canadians proud to support the Blue, Blanc et Rouge.

So on to Round 3, and hopefully another treat for fans across Canada and even us supporters here in Mexico. Boston and Philadelphia are tied 3-3 in their best of 7 series, with Game 7 coming up in Boston. Now wouldn't that be a dream showdown - Habs vs. Bruins for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Sweet!!!

Lena Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010)

It is with much sadness that I learned of Lena Horne's passing today. She was a remarkable lady in so many ways, and the last surviving member of a quartet of remarkable African-American women (along with Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday) who shook the world in the middle of the 20th century.

It's still hard for someone of my generation to imagine the difficulties she faced due to segregation; prejudice which severely limited a budding film career and forced her to take a heroic stance against playing "Latin American" roles to disguise her true ethnicity. She refused to compromise with the big studios, choosing instead to pursue a career in the theatre and as a recording artist. One can only wonder at the mega-star she might have been in a more open-minded society.

But in my mind her talent is both unmistakable and truly legendary. The laughter and joy she made a hallmark of her career will never be lost and never duplicated. The light in her smile will never be extinguished in the hearts of her fans around the world.

Rest in peace Lena. You will be missed.

Sunsets, et al.

Sunsets are a thing of beauty in Mexico, particularly here on the west coast. There is nothing more inspiring and relaxing than watching that big orange orb disappear into the Pacific Ocean. But it's more than just a spectacle to celebrate the end of the day.

I find that the sun sets the rhythm for the entire cycle of life here. It's easy to start a sleepy morning when the sun rises behind the mountains to the east, lighting up the sky but still leaving most of the world in shadows. Mornings take on a fluid, easy pace as the sun climbs over the surrounding hills and trees, illuminating the lower lands which hug the bay.

But don't be fooled into thinking the pace here means the local residents are slow or lazy. Nothing can be farther from the truth. In the nearly 20 years I've been visiting Puerto Vallarta, I've seen quite a transformation from workmen leading donkeys laden with bricks and concrete sacks to today's modern, mechanized workforce. You can argue the pace is different than Canada or the States, but trust me - these folks work hard and take great pride in their labours. And they certainly earn my respect and admiration.

So it's with a bit of sorrow and much longing for tomorrow that I bid another day adios and watch the waves swallow El Sol once again. But a tropical sea breeze and a cold cerveza will certainly take the sting out of the loss for yet another evening.

Until next time, hasta luego!
Don Marcos

Thar she blows!

You gotta love those pesky idioms.

Being in a foreign country reminds me of how little I really know my own native language. There are so many things we say that we take for granted, knowing nothing about the origins of what we speak. "Mind your Ps and Qs" (pints and quarts - Old English) or "Adios!" (go with God) spring to mind. There are countless other expressions we use daily without a moment's thought to what they truly mean.

And so it seems the native Spanish speakers here in Mexico have another thing to teach me - and one I'll remember well. Most beer here is sold in American-sized 12 ounce (355 ml) botellas, or bottles. But as I learned in a previous trip to Mexico (Huatulco, to be exact) they have a special name for the big boys.

Here, it seems the 32-ounce, or litro bottles of beer are known as ballenas.

And if the picture doesn't say a thousand words, that translates to WHALE in English. And how appropriate, I might add.

Nothing caps off your day (pun strongly intended) quite like an icy cold ballena, and my personal favourite when visiting this part of the world is Pacifico. I must say I'll never forget this one in any word-association game, regardless of language...

So as you go about your daily travails, give this a thought: Somewhere, at this very moment, someone in the tropics is hoisting an icy-cold draught of pure heaven. Don't you wish you were here?


Vaya con Dios!
Don Marcos