One Month In!

Yay for me, I survived a month in a new city without a job and friends. Disclosure, it’s a few days short of a month but 29 Days In just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Also I make I sounds as if the city I moved to has been taken over by a zombie army hellbent on killing me with no running water and no other survivors.

I probably could not have picked a better place to try this whole year abroad thing. First of all, everyone is friendly and lovely. Secondly it’s a bonafide First World Country which means luxuries for days. Thirdly, it’s summer which just makes everything better. And finally I’ve been working my ass off so I’m kinda reaping a bit of what I sowed.

To begin…I have sent out 74 job applications in the month I have been here. I have joined five temp agencies/recruiters.  I have been on 23 interviews including three group interviews which are the worst thing ever. I’m not sure why they are a thing. I have walked from one end of the city to the other in a blazer trying to look professional but merely looking sweaty and red-faced. I have printed a gazillion copies of my resume and references and I can now school people on my cover letter skills.

So after all that, I can say that I am on my first temping assignment and it’s all going well. I am enjoying not perusing Craigslist daily for a new job (until the assignment ends and then I’ll be bookmarking that shit) and it’s great to feel productive. Before this my only achievement was not eating junk food. As is life, I've also be contacted for more interviews while on this placement. Obviously I cannot go which means the universe is just taunting me again. Like that time I thought I had lost weight but my jeans actually just stretched.

In case you didn't realise, this is the pink strip in Vancouver.

 This job couldn't have come at a better time. Vancouver is very expensive. That’s all aspects of Vancouver. If you’re willing to shop around, you can definitely be smart about saving money. But housing and transport will kill you. The transport is great here. The trains are fast and always on time. The buses are mostly always on time. And they’re a bit more confusing. But I’m making my way. I am started to worry when it gets colder or wet. I’m not so sure I’ll be lamenting the joys of the public transport then. Unless you’re really lucky, you need public transport to and from your place of work. This is where the costs creep up on you like a dodgy guy at a club. The nice thing is once you move to the right Zone, you will be saving daily. The bad news is there’s just no way around the cost though.

So apart from being a working girl, I also moved. My dream was to live Downtown. The rents crushed that dream. Unless of course I was open to sharing a room, literally living in a living room or in a closet (no joke) I was not going to be able to afford it on my savings. So I started to look around (never giving up hope on that Downtown dream though) and I found cheaper, worse, okay, better and nicer places. 

This is bike polo. Which is real. Apparently. 

Some of them had weird rules, others were a health hazard. But in the end I found a great house with other people from around the world. It’s close to the trains, the neighbourhood is pretty and the WiFi is included. I just need a moment to discuss the amount of available WiFi in this city. I love walking past all the places I've visited and have my phone instantly connect. It’s definitely one of those things I’ll miss.

My new hood. 

Other highlights in my life are:

Experiencing my first bit of rain. It was a light drizzle, it was humid and my hair didn’t go big.

Watching the fireworks at English Bay for the Celebration of Light. We went to watch France’s night and even managed to score free tickets to the observation deck.

The Pride Parade! Not just the parade but the build-up like the stadium being lit up in rainbow colours, Davie Street and getting free shit. People walk the parade and hand out stuff. It’s amazing. I walked away with two rainbow flags, beads, coffee, band-aids, seeds, sweets and condoms. Lots of condoms.

Discovering Michaels craft shop. If you know me, really me, you'll know how much this means.

I'm still enjoying all the coffee. I now just have the iced versions.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh! 

An Update...

...So here are how things are in Canada. Different is not even the word. I've included some pictures of Vancouver throughout the post.

The Job Situation

So there seems to be lots of jobs available in Vancouver. Even more if you are like me and are not picky. At the moment, I am still not used to this whole not working thing and need something to keep me going. I much prefer lounging around all day if I know my bills are paid. So I have exhausted Craigslist and applied for all things my experience allows me to try out for. I also applied for minimum wage jobs as well as junior jobs and many jobs that I have no experience in but that I think I'd be great at.

Canadian employers do not think I'm that great. Or if they do, they are very subtle about it. By subtle I mean, you do not hear any feedback. I am close to 50 job applications in the two weeks I have been here, I have probably heard back from 7. And hearing back sometimes is a phone interview which is a precursor to an actual interview. Getting the actual interview is a whole other ball game. Never ever will I be unappreciative of the simple "Your application has not been successful." automated email. At least that gives me closure.

The only way I handle all of this while remaining positive (because I have literally only been here for 18 days and it's not the worst thing ever) is my years of experience dealing with boys who never get back to me. I have been on many dates with guys where I feel I show off my impressive pop culture knowledge, my amazing jokes (this one's debatable) as well as all my great wife material skills. And then after a few days I hear zilch from the boys. At first I wonder why, why, like seriously why not. I'd date the hell out of me. I have friends and gay guys who would all want a piece of this but not this guy. And then I get super mad at the boy. How dare this simple boy who isn't even that cute reject me. Does he not know how lucky he would have been to have this on his arm. I could have rocked his world. And then I use a lot of four letter words and curse the day he was born. Then I get a little sad and then I realise, screw it, I have other shit to worry about.

So at the moment, I still apply to all jobs and I only spend a few minutes thinking about how the employers are missing out on their one in a million.

The Living Situation

Oh boy, is this a tough one too. I lived in the city in Cape Town and it was everything. I grew up in the suburbs and I can tell you, I belong in a city. I like noise, I like shops and bars and I like walking places, taking cheap taxis, being around people. I don't want gardens, I don't want quiet, I don't want suburbia. I have nothing against it but I feel for a new city, I need to be in the thick of things. Sadly, Vancouver does not want me to be happy.

The places in the centre of town, Downtown, the West End, Coal Harbour, Yale Town, are available. But they cost millions of rands. False, they don't cost that much but when you are unemployed and still thinking in another currency, they seem like the unattainable dream. And the majority of rooms that are available are scary.

A big thing in Vancouver is sharing rooms. There are a lot of colleges and universities so it makes sense. Except when you are 27. Because I ain't got time for that. So that immediately crosses out all the great places in my budget. The ones at the end of my budget are also great, if they were private rooms. Another Vancouver thang is living rooms, i.e. people sleeping in living rooms. It's so common to view a great room and find out that it's actually a cordoned-off living room. Normally they're a huge space which if desperate could work. Other times it comes with weird rules like the one guy who stated no noise after 8pm. Not no cooking or no watching TV, no noise. Not even bathroom visits. There was more than one reason I declined that place.

So sadly it looks like my dreams of being in the Downtown area are being squashed. The only good news is that there is more than one happening area. This is not like new up-and-coming areas but there are other places that have noise and bars and shops and people my age that tick all of my boxes. And they're in my price range. So things are looking up.

The Other Stuff

I am obsessed with root beer. I buy lots of it.

I am in a coffee lover's dream world. Everywhere I look I am able to get a cup. It costs a lot so I save it for treats. And I get mad when they misspell my name.

Drinking costs a lot here. So when I do have a drink I savour it. I also have a new appreciation for ciders
and beers. You get a lot here and it's the cheaper option.

Canadians are still very nice.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!