Tag Archives: Canada

The work animals

Nervous system, does most of the control signal propagation leading to control and actions for an average organism. Thereby, are voluntary and involuntary system, so I learn. The involuntary system would do what it has to do, regardless of how much we hope to control it. The voluntary system is in our conscious control. Consciousness collaborates from awareness, when we are aware, we are conscious, we could put our effort into controlling the controllable using the voluntary systems. Sometimes, we forget to understand the controllable and then worry voluntarily about the uncontrollable, uncontrollably.

A movie may make us go through motions of emotions, make us believe, make us happy and sad, and if there are options go through the entire spectrum of rainbow. The measure of success of a movie, also depends on the human connect, how convincingly it can make us forget the controllable, and transform us into an universe of unnatural systems and processes.

In regard, to the economic immigration, people choose to go to places where there may be opportunities, try their ‘luck’, because that ‘luck’ is uncontrollable. But the effort to get to the luck is controllable with achievable targets, workable with checklist.

We can choose to take chances and work towards job using study then work, or straightaway work. From the beginning of humanity there may have been some kind of work, some form of employment. Industrial revolution would have solidified the systems in place to streamline employment and hence work-life was officially born. In some countries they have classified the universe of employment into categories. Like Charles Darwin’s origin of species, origin of employment would eventually evolve into labor classification, standard occupation code in the USA, national occupational classification code in the Canada and similar codification elsewhere. This is a more logical organic classification than the erstwhile work based caste system in Indian peninsula where you are born into a caste. While the pros and cons, supporters and haters exist for this this. Little would an Indian imagine that you will be born into a work based lock in the US H1B visa system. Which is a work visa system.

Other countries have yet another chance for foreigners in terms of job seeker visa. Currently some countries have some form of job seeker visa.

These countries are looking for workers, if working is what we are seeking, then we can get the job seeker visa, which does not guarantee the issuance of the visa, nor does it guarantee a job when we land there. We may voluntarily take these chances.

Some relations are also like this. In particular the immigration systems of the world. First and foremost, Canada as a globally known immigration system with express entry system, works for them. By entering the pool of candidates that the country may be willing to select, the metrics of which may be known, however, who will be beneficiary will not be known. This is a chance based system, a lottery with some components that we control like work profile, life skills and so on, but with absolutely no guarantee to get selected. Many in the USA mistakenly think that Canada is an easily place to migrate to. Perspectives, that we control. Ignorance is controllable. Ignorance is a choice in this age and time.

Sweden is also apparently an immigrant friendly country, until you read the troubles. How an employer’s paperwork can cause the beneficiary of the visa to be in uncontrollable situation is exemplified by this story.

With each of these opportunities we do not see much transparency in the policy, consistency, laws and systems in its entirety. Some things have to be experience, somethings learned, somethings we are told and are mandatory. The mandatory ones are easily understood, like getting a job needs work visa, legal residency, temporary or permanent, tax numbers mean to do the work, enough health to work and so on. Sometimes it is easy to fill forms given to us, as part of job application. We know that we need an address, a phone number and so on. This is as good as a checklist. And working through it is achievable to the most part. We do not predict natural disasters with 100% detailing, not all lives are saved in the world with all the predictive knowledge, do we say the universities and the eminent scientists of the world are useless? We could probably say they are not as useful as expected. Expectations are controllable, expectations however great can be controllable.

In all such employment, if we keep our expectations to limits, emotions to limits, limits to a controllable, then we could control. This is so as not be become a control freak. Every limit also defines the sphere of influence and control. Every control gives us a feedback, a feedback completes the loop, the loop of employment, work-life. Is this a re-definition of the work base caste system, at a global scale?

We get classified based on education, work, for some people work defines there routine and family life. Defining boundaries and freedom, benefits and rights. To the extent that success defined by work translates to work life. I need not believe this, though there is some understanding of the way this system works and I get to play it by being in an employment based visa. Even without taking visa and work permits into consideration. In everybody’s home country of citizenship too we get our life defined by work and employment. Even if we are running our own business, the employment of business defines certain part of us. Social life, environment, situations and circumstances that present to us are influenced by such work.

Social animals evolved to be a work animal.

A Walk to Canada

Proximity of a country at walking distance rarely arrives when you are stationed in a big country like USA. The closeness to the international border was not thought to be as close. I never had a chance to cross an international border by foot. It would have been a big tragedy, remembering the partition of India and people crossing by foot the newly created international border at that time.

The understanding between countries help the people in the border and is great boon to random tourists like me who is in Buffalo for some other reason, studying, rather than tourism.

13442412_10154924875535299_555509212288277137_n

The chill factor of summer lets the mind go random and for me it was the desire to cross the country by walk. Being an international student on F1 Visa in the USA I applied for Canada visa. Duly received it. Like a good new generation guy, showed it to friends, updated in facebook, planned my international travel and executed it.

I put it on Google Maps, took a print out, in case the phone becomes unresponsive.

I had to be double careful to have all documents in hand so that I can have my journey with no issues at the two entry points, viz Canada and USA. I got to downtown Buffalo as one of my friends were heading to Buffalo General Hospital. I started walk from Buffalo General to Mather Park, Fort Erie, Ontario.

I had to be sure that I am not going the wrong way. Since , google shows the shortest route for walking, it is better and energy-conserving to follow the path. I had to refer to the printed page of map in between just to make sure that I am going in the right direction.

On the way i was happy to see the Allentown arts festival. Allentown has its own history in Buffalo. Though it cannot boast of hundreds and thousands years of heritage as we do back in India, it still has something in it. There was some Latin American music on the street with the traditional drums and their unique beats. There were shops the completely took over the roads. Traffic was blocked for these two days. June 11 and 12, 2016. My plan was to have a short stay at the Mather Park , Ontario and return before night. The distances mentioned in miles in the maps can be misleading to the unfamiliar eyes and legs. 3.2 miles shown in the map is 5.1 km. This is not a normal casual walk. Luckily , there are many parks on the way where i could sit and relax. My first stop was at Symphony Circle. I had been there, have walked till there to attend the Kick off meeting of the pre-seed workshop. Unlike India, where you can walk anywhere and piss anywhere, here, the possibility of public urination is zero, a public offense. So, I was told that all shops have restroom and I could ask permission and have the job done, in case it was needed.  After a 10 minutes rest at the symphony circle for the unacquainted legs, I continued. From symphony circle I continued walking, the temperature was perfect for a walk. Not too hot, not too cold, the Goldilocks standards of sorts .

After the prospect park , before the front park I take a right and it goes all the way under the bridge, this is the path for pedestrians and bikes (cycles). I see the peace bridge from under the bridge and take a turn to approach the turnstile date to the peace bridge.

13418941_10154924875620299_1776297990947825648_n

 

 

I was wondering if they would be checking my documents at the R.F Willson Administrative Building. I waited and an officer told me I could go and on returning press the button at the door of the building to get the documents checked.  So I had the walk. The walk to Canada was under construction. I saw that some nice infrastructure is coming up. But the entry point to Canada at the current condition for pedestrians is not so welcoming. There was a big queue of vehicles which wanted to pass through the inspection. I was on the fastest mode, since I was the only pedestrian there.

 

The officers at Canada border were very helpful. Though I was this strange lone guy walking to another country. They were very pleasant and approachable. They told me how to walk to Mather Park with a cool walk along the river side. The Waterfront trail had lot of seagulls and kingfisher birds busy getting their lunch and hanging out. Another strange and old friends that I found there were the mosquitoes. I was like a magnet attracting almost all the mosquitoes on my pant. I had a busy time shooing and beating them to death. International Crime under the Peace Bridge! These were some very hungry mosquitoes with very less momentum and energy. They should go to Kochi and learn the tricks of their trade. I had a few clicks of the Peace Bridge from the Waterfront Trail, Canada. And kept walking to the Mather Park.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I was the only person at the Mather Park on Sunday evening. I found company with a spider who had the whole park bench for itself. If the spider was on airbnb I would paid generously. For it was a very satisfying, heart-filling feel of having accomplished something. Looking from the spider’s kingdom at Mather Park, the peace bridge, so near and was so busy but did not affect me. Peace was mine!

I stayed there for some time. Enjoyed singing my songs. Had the light breeze and the fresh air on me. After some time , with enough rest, I started back. As the officer had suggested there was an approach to bridge from the Mather Park. The stop sign read in English and French. Reminded me of the railway level crossing at Vepagunta. And then the international peace bridge.  more pictures to swank were taken. I said ‘Hi’ to the construction worker who adjusted the traffic cones for the change of signals over the bridge. Canada, entered the international boundary line and entered USA all within 30 seconds. The bridge was again full of trucks, the smell of diesel was bad enough to spoil the mood. The vastness of river , the seagulls and the swimming ducks tried to compensate for it. The wind tried hard to take away the unpleasant smell. The bridge rattled as the vehicles passed through, with the power of wind there is an illusions that you are swaying and moving, a nice experience.

I officially entered the USA after the inspection at the Administrative building. There was this biker who had come biking from the beach. An inspiration to go biking to Canada next time. I walked to Allen Station NFTA Metro , and took metro to my home. The total expense, other than the visa, of the international trip was due to this $2 USD.

 

 

Got the visa for CANADA from Buffalo

I am a student in University at Buffalo (UB). I have been to the Niagara Falls, USA on the orientation trip @$12 organized by UB. That was is August 2015. And then at that time the driver of the chartered bus used to caution us not to go too near the river as the flow rate is too high to survive safe. Also, we were cautioned not to cross the bridge come what may. Because then, as an International Student on F1 visa, without documents , If I went across I cannot enter back USA; and start my studies!

Buffalo and Niagara Falls are so close, also the visa to Canada is kind of affordable, many Indians (Bharathiya) came with it when they entered the USA. Better late, I could apply for it from here, Buffalo. It is the summer vacation. And there is enough time to engage in such indulgence. The Canada visa centre in Buffalo is closed and the processing goes through NYC (or LA if you choose to). Buffalo, NY is so close to NYC , LOL!

How I applied ?

I applied online at Canada Government website. There is fee to be paid  almost $78. I do not have any relatives or friends in Canada. So as support document, I attached why I wanted to visit Canada, to visit the Niagara Falls from Ontario, of course. After a few days the website sends email updates on status of application. This turned to “Passport requested”. And then I searched on net, where and what to send. This took some time to understand. This is because the Visa Application Centre(VAC)  for Canada in NY is through CSC, not the embassy. And there is a fee to be paid $ 31 (no card payment online, the CSC VAC website for details, or call them for more information). Here, the fee along with proof of payment, copy of consent form and application number goes to the CSC centre in Pittsburgh, PA, while the passport , signed consent form, passport request document need to go to NYC. This has to be in Prepaid Airway Bill, which is prepaid post (Indian English). US postal service (USPS) people know what the former is. In UB Bookstore, the USPS personnel know about this, because all the time someone would apply to get the Canada VISA in this way. The Prepaid Airway Bill comes with a tracking option. Priority Mail is written on the hard envelope. One envelope to send the passport, another is folded and kept inside it with the return address mentioned. This is the prepaid post! The total postal charges was $ 14.

I had forgotten to add some of the mentioned documents. The NY VAC will send details on missing documents if any. I send these via email to them. And in about a week and half (15 days) I received the visa with passport in hand.

Total charges for the visa (including postal charges from Buffalo) = $123.

This may be cheaper in India, depending on the location from which you are applying. Please check the corresponding process for visa application in India. Probably a good thing to consider once you get the USA visa process done.

I read the following blogs for reference to Canada side of Niagara Falls. This may become useful soon.

A good post of USA vs Canada side of Niagara Falls

And someone solidly vouch for the American side