Friday 26th July 2013, day 16 - North Vancouver Night Market

Hi all

I know it's been a week since my last post, and I know some of you have been checking everyday. I can understand why, but it is hard for me to make myself get out and do things. I think anything I do would be stepping out of my comfort zone in one way or another, even going food shopping because the supermarket's on a busy retail street which attract lots of people. I'm going to try and make myself go out during the weekend and brave the crowds, even if it's just finding a few shops that I've found out about online that I like the sound of, and maybe make a plan of things to do during the week. It is hard, so please be patient :)

I’ve been out at the North Vancouver Night Market this evening. I was supposed to meet a group of people there, it was an event arranged on MeetUp. Unfortunately the bus I was planning to get didn't turn up, so naturally the next one along was full, and it was half an hour later than planned when I eventually managed to get on a bus towards Downtown, from where one catches the Seabus across to Lonsdale Quay. I'm pleased with myself because I still went, even though I knew I was unlikely to find the other people in the group so long after the arranged meeting time, I didn't just come back to the house for an evening doing nothing.

I'm glad I went. The market was great, there were lots of stalls, food carts, and live music from young local musicians. I bought a yummy bowl of rendang (an Indonesian dish of beef slow-cooked with lemongrass and coconut) with rice, and a raspberry and apple pastry. Of course it would have been more enjoyable if I weren't on my own but I didn't have a bad time. The Night Market is only on Friday evenings during the summer, but even without it Lonsdale Quay would be a nice place to go, with a pier, shops, cafes and restaurants on the waterfront.

Even leaving after sunset, and getting back to the house as it was dark wasn’t too bad. The only difficulty was finding the right bus stop back in Downtown. The bus routes divert after 9pm but the Trip-Planning tool on the bus website didn't tell me this, so it was several minutes before I found the right bus stop. After that it was fine though, and I got back to the house safely.

Oh! I made cookies on Thursday. Enough so the nine housemates (including me) could have two each. I didn't write that down though, so they were all gone within a few hours, and not everyone got one! Haha.

Laura

Saturday 20th July 2013, day 10 - Looking into WWOOF

Today I registered with WWOOF and HelpX. They're both work exchange websites but the latter deals in more than just organic farms – all farms organic or not, but also things like B&Bs and guesthouses, backpacker hostels, lots, even things like just helping out around someone's home maybe if they’re recovering from injuries or something. I joined HelpX too because it’s only 20 Euros for a two-year membership that, unlike with WWOOF, can be used worldwide so I could look for things like that in the UK when I get home without having to pay to join the UK 'branch' of it.

Funny how easily words come when one is truly interested in and passionate about something. I had to write what sounded to me as I wrote it like a cover letter for my profile. Normally I spend hours fretting over a cover letter, often resorting to getting help. This I wrote in a matter of minutes.

I've already been contacted by a WWOOF host on Vancouver Island, and the place sounds good, so I'm going to message them in the morning, and maybe give that a try for a couple of weeks and see how I like the whole thing.

Friday 19th July 2013, day 9 - Stanley Park

I went back to Work'N'Holiday this morning so I could see the first presentation I missed yesterday, but it didn't really give any information I didn't already know, and I was out again within about half an hour. I knew it wouldn't take long though so I'd brought lunch and suncream with me from the house and went to Stanley Park afterwards, which is next to Downtown and 405 hectares/1.56 sq miles/4.05 sq km of mostly forest with several lawned areas, a few beaches and the city aquarium, and the Seawall, a walk-and-cycle path that runs all the way round the perimeter (about 9km). So I spent about 4 hours walking round the place. I had a map but there are very few 'You Are Here' boarded maps or signposts so I went in the wrong direction a few times and didn't see everything but it was nice =]

Thursday 18th July 2013, day 8 - Orientation

This was my first venture into Downtown, and my first trip on a bus. The way the transport system here works is quite different to at home so I had to get my head around that before just getting on a bus. I went for my orientation day at Work'N'Holiday, from whom I can get help with searching for jobs, getting the equivalent of a National Insurance Number, opening a bank account, getting a SIM card, and a couple of other advantages like membership of a particular hostel chain, which also includes 25% off coach travel.

There's almost no information on their website so I didn't know what time it started and got there as they were finishing the first welcome presentation. There was a job presentation after that and then people from one of the banks, a travel company, and a recruitment agency came in. Work'N'Holiday have a deal with that particular bank, so if we open an account with them it's free for six months. So I've done that, because I didn't know if I'd be able to get that deal if I went away to research and then went into a branch on my own. I have found out there's another bank who do a special program for newcomers to Canada, and they waive the fees for the first year not just six months. So I might look a bit more into that and decide which one to go with before transferring any money over.

Apparently Work'N'Holiday don't have my details, or something. They've contacted Bunac (their partner company in the UK that I booked with) asking for confirmation that I'm on the programme so until they get that I won't be able to get a few things, like a SIM card.

The job presentation make me think that I don't want to put myself through the application process and interviews for jobs I'm not interested in, ones like office work that might pay but I probably wouldn't enjoy. I can do that at home if I must. I didn't come here to experience normal daily life in another country, I came to see Canada, to go to beautiful places and experience the great outdoors.

The presentation mentioned WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms), in which participants get free accommodation and meals in exchange for their time and effort helping around the farm/smallholding/ranch. It sounds right up my street and I just wish I'd known about it before.

Saturday 13th July 2013, day 3 - Khatsalano street fair, Kitsilano Beach and Hadden Park

This was the first time I'd been somewhere other than the supermarket. Khatsalano is a huge 1.5km-long street fair, one end of which was across the road from the house, with loads of stalls and food carts, and free live music stages at most road intersections. I walked almost the whole length of it before going to Kitsilano Beach, probably the most popular beach in the city. Both the street fair and the beach were packed with thousands of people. At the far end of the beach is a quieter park where I sat for a while and got my first view of Downtown Vancouver. On my way back through the street fair, I stopped at a stage that had contemporary folk sort of music being performed, which I really liked and would have stayed a lot longer than a few songs if I had suncream and wasn't really uncomfortable being on my own in a strange city. So I went back to the house and didn't go anywhere else (other than the supermarket) until Thursday.

First post

Hi all

Although I've been in the country for ten days, there's been nothing really to write about until now, because I've done very little. Just in general, the other housemates are nice (there are three Canadians, two French, a Mauritian, a Scot, a New Zealander and me), the area is quiet and residential, and my room is a decent size with lots of light, though it gets very warm and stuffy. I've got a couple of things about the last couple of days to post, so I'll get on with that now.

Laura