The first few days in a new country are the most exciting ones, as I've concluded from my trips to Australia and New Zealand.
That feeling you get when you step out of the airport. The time you're spending in a new area, familiarizing yourself with the new environment. It's unique.
My plane landed around 2pm, Vancouver time. But it took me about 2 hours to get to my Hostel in downtown Vancouver.
Still a bit woozy from the long flight (9 hours, from London), it took me a few minutes to reboot my brain. Then I went to the immigration desk at the airport, to get my Working Holiday Visa. It took me about 30 minutes to wait in line, and then about 5 minutes to get the paper.
After I stepped outside the airport, I got that typical 'new airport smell'. Not available as car freshener. It was pretty sunny, around 3pm, so enough time to still explore the city.
From the airport to downtown takes about 30 minutes, during which you get a glimpse on your time ahead in the city, not counting the underground part of course!
After showering off the trip, I went on a mission to look around a bit, and get myself settled. I got a new Apple charger adapter and a local phone number. Then the shops started closing so I grabbed a simple meal at the local food court. I walked through the dining area, taking note what most people were eating at that time and choose the food vendor based on that.
After that, the jet lag, combined with a food coma, took the better of me so I turned in for an early night.
The next day I got up early to charge my phone, send some emails and some quick adjustments on my resume and portfolio site. And I set out for todays mission: Getting a SIN and a Bank account.
A SIN (social insurance number), is like a social security number, or a SOFI number (in Holland). It's needed to get paid. So pretty important.
Choosing the right bank was a bit of a hassle. And in the end I ended up just picking the biggest bank; BMO (Bank of Montreal).
While I was being helped, a senior gentlemen in the queue collapsed, and started shaking. Possibly due to heart attack, personal rushed to his aid and a paramedic was on site within a minute (which is pretty impressive actually). And he was taken care off as I was being led to an office in the back to finalize my account.
When I stepped outside again, I got an email from a prospective employer, saying I can come in tomorrow for a chat. With the sun and good news in the air, I spend the rest of the day just wandering around the downtown area feeling pretty excited, as the first few days in a new country tend to be :)