Kingston,Jamaica

[Kedeisha]

omg soooo young n funny as what he told his teacher i can imagine the teacher face ;D but make sure u r covered on the legal end to come here u know how we are with rules with kids so if u got everything covered now its just waiting for ur son to arrive n the transition into his new life here and a start of summer as school done now lucky him

 

[nae-nae]

aww thanks randysgirl! we all try to help when we can ;D love your comments..especially about the closets hahahahaha

kedeisha - what I did was use the time I was waiting for the marriage certificate to put together the applications, gather the documentation and hubby did his medical and police check. Once I got the marriage certificate and hubby sent his medical form and police check to me, the app was completed and ready to go.

welcom canadajamaica! I can't speak from experience as we did not have an accompanying child, but one would think the child should have all his ID with him, (birth certificate and PP) along with the form KG gave him when they gave the PP back. Customs will require that form and fill some of it out ... that will be the PR card until the child gets the permanent card in the mail

 

[Kedeisha]

nae nae how the baby girl she start move like ballerina yet

 

[chelley]

awww too cute about that... kids will go to great lengths to get out of doing work!

i think you want to tell him today, maybe during lunch hour? .. so he can say a proper goodbye to his school friends... my kids went to school for some time in Jamaica and we told them the day before we were pulling them out so that they could say goodbye, get pictures/momentos/contact information and such... he may only be 9, and he may be very excited about going to Canada, but his relationships probably also mean a lot to him... i know i'm sticking my nose somewhere it don't belong, but i went through it and just wanted to share how we handled it and why.... we didn't want my kids running around the school telling everyone they were leaving for many reasons, but wanted to give them a fair chance to say their goodbyes...

yes, bring parts of the application that were required to prove the mother isn't in the picture and whatever the father needed to show he was the legal guardian....

as kadeisha mentioned, transitional items might make him comfortable (toys, books etc), if it's air canada or westjet he's flying, tell him he's likely got inseat entertainment and to ask the stewardess how to work it (so he can watch a movie of his picking).... that will probably keep him busy for his flight...

 

[canadajamaica]

Step son coming tommorrow!

Yes, his teacher called his granny and his dad had to call down there and tell him to stop being so mouthy to the teacher! it was hilarious!

He will actually attend school here with my daughter for the last month because I want him to get a reading assessment and stuff done so we can work with him over the summer if he's behind his Canadian peers at all. He's been going to a good school ($) there but who knows if the curriculm is comparable, right?

and YES you're right Chelley, they're telling him today because of ALL those reasons . His teachers knew for a while now and I think they're doing something special for him today. I also made a point to them to make sure he says good bye to his great grandmother because who knows if he'll get back to see her again. It will mean a lot to him to have that last time with her .

 

[chelley]

not sure which school he is going to, but my kids went to a good school and my daughter (then age 6 turned 7) in Grade 1 (K4) was learning things she is learning this year in Grade 2 and beyond... my son (then age 4 turned 5) was in K2 in Jamaica and is now EXTREMELY BORED in SK in Canada.

if it's a good school and he was a good student, academically he should do just fine.. if anything he will likely be advanced... books are standardized across the board for the most part and the core learning at that level is beyond what we do in Canada at the same age grouping...

 

[chelley]

one thing he will likely have to get used to is the different teaching styles... Canadian schools are a lot less strict, lessons are done more informally as compared to Jamaica... no uniforms either

I'm sure he won't mind when he finds out he has no end of term/year exams and the hellish revision that leads up to them (even in K2 (that's our JK) my son had exams and a weeks worth of revisions!!!!

 

[chelley]

and it's great that he can say a proper goodbye to his friends.... i know that one of my daughter's good friends was very upset by her leaving, but then commented that 'at least she didn't pick up and go like so and so'... it made for an easier transition all around i think... and in this day and age, some of his friends (or maybe the class as a unit) may be online and they can communicate with one another....

and it will mean a lot for the great grandmother... hopefully he'll be back to see her and tell her all about his new home, but so true, you just never know...

 

[nae-nae]

kedeisha she's more like a gymnast!! lol jumping and rolling around, she loves to flip and sometimes the kicks are not so much fun...especially when daddy puts his hand on my belly, she seems to know it's him

 

[Kedeisha]

awww that must be soo amazing ;D

 

[lonely_wife]

With all that happen last night I forgot to congratulate Can-Indy-Jam!!! That is awesome news hubby and your step daughter soon be here my dear wowowowowowowowo!!!! Clean out those closets and as Canuck would say make sure those mirors are installed on the ceiling in the bedroom lol hahahahaha We got reno pros if you need a hand to install them Charlie husband covers the east part of the country and Canuck I think does the West lol hahahahaha lol...

Canadajamaica... welcome and congratulations to you and hubby... it must be very exciting to get prepared to have your step son arriving tomorrow... I am not familiar with the process for kids so I can't be of any help sorry but looks like Chelley passing on her knowledge... ;D

 

[canadajamaica]

and it's great that he can say a proper goodbye to his friends.... i know that one of my daughter's good friends was very upset by her leaving, but then commented that 'at least she didn't pick up and go like so and so'... it made for an easier transition all around i think... and in this day and age, some of his friends (or maybe the class as a unit) will be online and they can communicate with one another....

yes! i am hoping so ! I will help him set that up here if he is interested!

and it will mean a lot for the great grandmother... hopefully he'll be back to see her and tell her all about his new home, but so true, you just never know...
yes, she was SO sweet when we visited, she loved me i spent a lot of time up there too - she lives in the country and you cannot even get to her house by car, you have to park and walk up this steep hill. there's dogs everywhere. while i was there i purposely took certain pictures for his sons sake so that when he comes he'll have pictures of people in his life and places, for him to look at if he gets homesick, so they're all in an album and i even framed a few and put them in his room. <3

I HOPE he is doing well in school, we'll both have a lot to learn about things. I work at a school and in my home (I have 2 kids also) school is a big priority for my children - so he'll have a lot of help from us! He was SO happy when we did talk about him coming to not have to wear his uniform anymore and was AMAZED when my daughter and him discussed the policies around discipline at school here vrs there and the strictness, so he was happy to hear that and my daughter was releived she doesnt go to school in Jamaica ! lol

I will be interested to see what this kid will eat, will he eat whatever my kids eat? Will I have to make things different for him - will he be open and willing to try new things? His dad loves his Jamaican food but since we've been together has developed 'tastes' for a lot of the normal, Canadian dishes I cook too - we have kind of amalgamated our 2 cooking styles now. I hope he likes what we eat here!

 

[lonely_wife]

canadajamaica..... if your step son is anything like the children in my husband family... the kids like to try new things and they seem to adapt to the taste better than the older people... Since he is young I think the transitioning will be smooth... *this is not base on facts as I never lived through the situation but just from me cooking in jamaica*

 

[chelley]

i guess i should clarify that my children are canadian and we went to live with my husband while the paperwork was going thru and a few months after... so their transitions were different in nature and i have little input other than what i've given for the whole immigration and adjusting to Canada, but i know about adjusting to Jamaica and am sort of applying the logic in reverse if you will...

and yes, congrats can-indy-jam... exciting times!

as far as food... my Jamaican nephew LOVED it when i made "canadian food" (french toast, grilled cheese, etc) for him... so just feed him whatever your children eat and it may just be a treat to him too i find that many Jamaican kids, even the spoiled ones, will eat what is put in front of them because that's what they are taught... turning up ones nose at food is not only bad manners, but wasteful... i think have a better idea that people go without and they should appreciate the fact that they aren't one of them...

at that age in general, kids adapt quickly if they are open to the idea... my daughter jumped right into her jamaican school life, had a dozen best friends by the end of day one (and probably as many haters with her "tall hair" lol).... in toronto you have a lot of multiculturalism which will make it even easier for him to adjust IMO (there will likely be others that look like him, or maybe even are from Jamaica, or at least have Jamaican family)... my children were the only mixed ones in their school, and you probably know jamaican kids can fass, so they couldn't just blend in and be inconspicious to just "feel things out" if they tried.... he will probably have more of that option to play things a shy if he wants and be outgoing when he's ready... chances are he'll do just fine

nice that you were able to meet the great grandmother... those pictures will be cherished!

 

[canadajamaica]

Step son coming tommorrow!

Well, we dont actually live in Toronto, we live in London Ontario. He's flying into Toronto. There aren't a LOT of other cultures at his new school. My daughter is mixed and quite knowledgeable of Jamaican culture so she'll 'understand ' him. She will also help him with communication if teachers or kids have trouble with his accent initially. He told us when we were there that he is required to speak "properly" while he's at school - there - so he can - he said he just doesnt like to. lol . There will also probably be stuff at school that is new and confusing for him and she'll take care of him. She's 11 and very nurturing so she'll HELP. My bf/hubby has a big network of JA friends here in London also, sorta like an extended family, so they're ALL excited to meet him and a number of them have kids some of whom have also immigrated too so he'll see them on weekends and stuff.