Going Domestic

our tax money at work

I was a bit amused last week when I made my first visit to the Canadian Embassy in Thailand. Part of me expected to find a heritage building, a sprawling lawn, lots of fountains and marble and a big ol' maple leaf, of course. I wasn't particularly let-down or disappointed to discover that it's on the fifteenth floor of an office tower on a very busy street, but certainly amused.

I had to hand over my (Newfoundland) driver's license to get a pass for the elevators, and then had to hang over my mobile phone once I arrived on the 15th floor and have the diaper bag x-rayed. Then, I was directed into a small room directly off the foyer. One side of the room was dedicated to visa applications, and the other - the part I was interested in - was for passport and citizenship applications. It was all very 1980's in decor. A little less modern than when I worked for Environment Canada twelve years ago. I might have spied a small flag somewhere, but no picture of the Queen, and certainly not one of Stephen Harper. I guess that refurbishing Canada's embassies and consulates hasn't exactly been a priority of the gov't since the Mulroney era. Oh well.

the internet is so cool

Something really cool happened today. I was checking my email account and trying to update my podcasts (it's my duty as a Canadian to support the CBC from afar), when a little box popped up on my computer and the computer speakers began to emit a jingle.

What was going on? Why, someone was calling me via Skype! Like every other ex-pat I know here, Chris and I have Skype on our computer. My use has been sporadic; I've used it a bit to call my folks on their land-lines, and Skype is the only way that we can access toll-free numbers in North America, which isn't very often. But no one had ever called me via Skype before, so I was totally unprepared and had to madly rummage through my desk drawer to find my headset!

Headset plugged in, I chatted with Chris's sister and her husband for just over fifteen minutes. A free long-distance call can't be beat, of course, but we were all amazed at how clear the connection was! Much better than what I've had calling land-lines via Skype. It was a cool way to start my morning ...