Monday, July 11, 2005

So, when are we leaving Canada?

Everyone seems to want to know when we'll be in Brazil. The answer to that question is not easy. I (Cary) am officially under contract with PACA, and school starts at the beginning of August. Since the girls (Kilah, grade 9; Summer, grade 7; and Sydney, grade 5) are enrolled at the school, and I am due to begin my role as soon as possible, we are eager to get to Brazil as quickly as we can. However, there are three major hurdles that we have to overcome first.

The first is the work visa. The process has gotten off to a slow start as the girls did not have passports. Two of those passports are in, and we expect Sydney's any day now. The visa process takes about six weeks from the time that we apply. If Sydney's passport comes in this week, we could have the visa by about the end of August.

Second is the sale of our house. We have had several people take a look at the house, but to date, we have no offers. The house has to sell in order for us to go, because without the sale of the house, we will not be able to pay off our debts.

Third, we need to raise our support. PACA provides a salary and a nice benefits package (including a housing allowance and a car) but the salary is based on the presumption that I would be coming to PACA alone. Since the family of five will be coming with me, we will need to raise support in addition to the salary I receive from PACA. This amount is substantial, but I expect that we will raise the funds necessary before the visa comes through.

Therefore, we feel that we will be making our way to Brazil as early as late August, or, more likely, sometime in September.