I sat there in the cold plastic chair feeling nervous because I hate getting my blood taken. I also felt emotional because well, I'm emotional at the best of times let alone finding out you're pregnant in a foreign country with no job and no health insurance - surely that would make anyone feel a little less than pulled together.
The nurse called my name, and we went into a cold, open room with a bunch of other strangers getting their blood taken. There was no courtesy curtain, no privacy, totally exposed. It was precisely at that moment I thought - we can't have this baby here. I had no job or health insurance, and this moment tipped me over the edge - or maybe it was the calamity of events that led to that moment.
First, let me back up a little. It's a post-COVID world and in hindsight, moving countries was maybe a little rash. A holiday probably would have scratched that itch but hey why not sell all your belongings and use your dwindling savings to move to another country? We (my partner Ryley and I) are nothing if not spontaneous, adventurous, and ,some might say, impulsive - but when we're 80 telling our grandkids about our wild escapades, it'll be totally worth it.
Watch: Mamamia's hot tips for your next vacation. Post continues after video.
So we moved to Canada. First Montreal because the idea of immersing ourselves in the culture to "learn French" seemed like a good one. If you know Montreal, you'll be rolling your eyes (in French, because you know, French first). If you don't… well, it's VERY French. We stuck it out for three weeks before we decided we'd make the move to Vancouver, maybe we'd be more inclined to hike mountains than try learning a new language.
