Let’s just say this isn’t my usual writing style.  I speak of heart matters when I write here.  But for the last few weeks I’ve had another audience: Belgium Immigration.

Every year, from February, 2023 to February, 2027, I have to prove to Belgium that I’m a good person to live here.  If Immigration likes what I write, and the documents I provide, I get to stay.

So I’m focusing on detail, and on saying things in a way that an Immigration official will understand.  Precision, please.

In the paragraph above, “CPP” stands for Canada Pension Plan, one of the three pensions I receive.  Belgium needs to know  that I won’t become a financial burden on the country.

Yesterday I sent ten e-mails to my lawyer Amira, each with attachments.  My “Visa Renewal Notes” file guides Amira and the government through the information I’ve sent.  If she doesn’t think that a certain sentence will “fly” with Belgium, she’ll ask me to revise it.  “Speak to your audience.”

I’m proud that I’ve accomplished this.  Well, 95% accomplished.  I await two documents from the Government of Canada, coming by physical mail.

I’m a determined human being.  I will get the job done, with correct grammar and spelling.  I will stay in Gent (my home) until I die.

Speaking of which, today is my birthday … 76 years on the planet.  I intend to make good use of my visa for the next 20.

There’s a lot of life to discover