In the previous edition of this blog I was unemployed, homeless but generally having a good time. Fortunately, the latter part of this hasn't changed, but the other two have.
Since moving from UBC to the Hostel at Jericho Beach my experiences in Canada have changed a lot. UBC was a nice place to stay, but I really had to get out of there. On a positive note I had my own room, washroom shared with only a couple of people, and it was directly next to the bus. It was also an astronomical $354 dollars for a weeks stay, and was dull. Very dull. I barely met anyone whilst staying there, so when my mate Dylan mentioned that the Hostel was located right on the beach, had good links into Downtown, and was only $20/night I was sold. After setting fire to my debit card to pay for my stay at UBC, packing, and getting the hell out of there, Dylan helped me move my stuff to Jericho Beach, and that's where I stayed for the past couple of weeks.
Since then the time has flown by. I've met people from all over the world. Places like Ireland, Australia, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Mexico, Bolivia, China, Taiwan. Everyone is friendly and is interested in what you are doing in Canada, where you've been before, what you want to do next. Like myself, many people came alone, some are passing through on heroic voyages around the continent by car/van/bicycle, many are here for a year or two to work, and many are just on an extended break over the summer from University or College.
The Hostel, which was formally an Army Barracks, is cheap and cheerful, but it shows. The washrooms leave a lot to be desired, and you only get a small locker to store your stuff in, but it's a great laugh. You meet new people every day, and during the Euro 2008 tournament the Germans who ran the cafeteria set up the television outside with a gazebo, sofa, and fridge stocked with alcohol. The staff are friendly and chatty, there's a huge kitchen for food preparation, and the aformentioned Jericho Beach is only a couple of minutes walk away. Canada Day happened on Tuesday, and the Hostel management organised a big bbq/chill out/beach party-type thing for the day, and we watched the Fireworks over Downtown Vancouver in the evening from the beach.
Shortly after moving to the Hostel my search for employment finally bore fruit. After a gruelling two hour inteview/test session with Kelly Services, an employment agency, I was finally offered a job. As of Monday I have been working on 'Data Entry' for a software company in Downtown Vancouver. Thus far I have sat on a very comfortable chair, moved various reference numbers around various different screens, and consumed various packets of Cuppa Soup Noodles whilst sitting on various pages on the internet. I've also marvelled over, on many occasions, the top floor of the building. In England, an office kitchen - in my experience at least - includes a couple of cupboards, a kettle, and perhaps some slightly mouldy cheese. Try here: A ping pong table, every type of free coffee, tea, hot chocolate you'd ever want, a football table, a big-screen TV with three games consoles, subsidised snack machines (25p for a Twix anyone?), sofas, and an outdoor roof patio with a barbeque. I'm sure I could've done worse.
I start work at 8am - something that I've been finding fairly difficult, after five weeks of getting up whenever I feel I can be arsed, but the pay isn't bad, and the office is relatively relaxed. There has been a lot of training happening this week, so it's been a case of information overload at times, but there is a load of new temps aside from myself, so everyone helps each other out. All in all it will at least allow me to pay the rent at my new place!
Yes, it's true - I have a house. Well, a room, actually, in a shared house. It's not too expensive, and I'm living with a couple of guys from Quebec, a chap from Toronto I've never met as he's always working, and a Tunisian guy called Slim (who wasn't very), who disappeared the other day. The building is huge and upstairs there's a house where the couple who own the place live. My landlord, Frank, is from Hungary and his wife Fadia is Lebanese. They're also incredibly friendly and gave me a lift to do a food shop the day I moved in. Overall I'm pretty pleased, as my room is large, is fully furnished, has a double bed and plenty of storage space, and I can get a bus to Downtown in around 15 minutes.
At the moment I'm living on a bit of a limited budget, but soon enough I'll get paid and be able to visit places on weekends, and save up for when people come over to visit. It's nice to be unpacked now, having been living out of a bag for the best part of a month, and I'm feeling a lot more settled. I've made lots and lots of friends at the Hostel, and a fair few of them are here for a year. After a tough start things are looking up.
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