Fuck yeah! Canada!

@fuck-yeah-canada

13 posts

Nope!

trying to stay up to date is hard... ah well... in the mean time. I've returned to holland for 22 days now :)

canada was amazing! Met a lot of awesome people. barely scratched the surface of the outdoor things to do. And got my snowboarding fix :)

But it's high time to see my girlfriend again.

End of blog.

Worky Work updates

Working as a contractor gives one great freedom on starting and leaving a workplace at one's leisure (with fair notification in advance of course).

The downside of this is, that my current employer can let me go as easily as well. If there's no jobs for me at the moment, they can just as easily tell me that I'm not needed at the time and that "we'll see next week if there's more work lying around" for me.

Sad, but fair. This happened with my current client, which at first had great promise of giving me a steady 40 hour workweek for at least a few months. And since I thought this was a steady gig, I obliged for an hourly rate lower than I was going for.

All fair, I still had some leads to some jobs which just recently were asking if I was still available. So I replied to them again, and there was actually a promise for a higher wage. This week might get very interesting.

It can really go that fast.

I'm currently on the lookout for a job till the end of August. Preferably mid-oktober. This for tax reasons. As soon as I start making more than $30k, I'll need to ask for GST. Something I have little joy in figuring out. Definitely the downside of working in different countries; figuring out laws, taxes, and such.

I made the mistake in New Zealand in not researching this properly, and I ended up not having money set aside to pay my taxes. Ah well. I guess I'll just set a lot of money aside.

Will report back next weekend when there's more updates.

Month 1, week 2

Last weekend I went camping in Vancouver Island. Which wasn't my first adventure outside of the city, but it was my first camping trip in the Canadian outdoors.

Me and two co-workers from FCV decided to do this trip quite ad hoc, and we barely planned it. But it all worked out in the end ;)

Our first mission was to get our camping gear. After a quick visit to Canadian Tire we got out with a basic stuff. Tents, chairs, pillow, sleeping bag, and sleeping mat. I'm so glad I put some serious money in my backpack. I could almost strap everything on my back and have my hands free. :>

Next was getting to the island. Since none of us had cars we decided to get to the ferry by public transit, and then hire a car on the island itself (which saved us a few hundred bucks).

The ferry was located in Horseshoe Bay, which is about an hour away from the city center. From there you already have a nice view of the surroundings.

The ferry landed on Departure Bay a few hours later. The ride on the ferry was very pretty as well. We had researched where we should hire the car. And our best option was to hire at Budget, who gave us a pretty good Chevy.

The first night we stayed at Rathtrevor Beach, which is only a few hours north of Departure Bay. The nature around us was amazing. We made the mistake of booking on a family friendly camping. We didn't had a secluded spot where we could make our own private campfire. But instead we were sharing an open ground with about 19 other tents, most of them families.

Everything was quiet and dark at as early as 10pm, so the next day we set out to go more inland. The nature around Rathtrevor was amazing though.

We ended up at a place called Long Beach, which is near Torfino. Torfino is a popular surf spot of Vancouver. Sadly, my companions didn't surf so I had to table this for now. But I made note of this to go back here later this summer.

This camping spot was definitely better, and we decided to stay here for the second night as well. Meanwhile, we heard about a hike to a bomber. Which crashed into the hills around 1946. The hike turned out to be a trip through mud and jungle, and about one hour later we found the bomber, in pretty decent state. The wreckage was covered in messages from previous visitors, and we even found a geocache.

The last day was July 1st. Which was Canada Day. The birthday of Canada. We set out early in the morning to get the ferry back to civilization. On the way back I got a text from my new housemate that my room was ready to move in to, which made it a rad conclusion to the long weekend.

It took me one trip (walking!) to carry all my stuff from my previous place to the new place. The perks of travelling light. As soon as I dropped all my stuff at my new place, I took a long shower and fell asleep almost instantly. Missing the fireworks which started at 10pm.

It was a good weekend :)

Month 1

It's been nearly a month since I've arrived here. And I must say I'm pretty content with what I've achieved so far. I found a job, a place to live, explored the city and its direct surroundings. And met some nice people so far. Canadians are very friendly.

Last tuesday there was a pub quiz where some co-workers invited me along to. It was a thing I was also doing with my friends (who are also co-workers) back in Perth. There is a certain charm in having some trivia knowledge.

The weekend before that, I went to the top of Grouse mountain, by gondola. Some people take a hike to the top, which takes about 1-2 hours. The Grouse Grind its called. I'm not remotely in good enough shape to do that, but it is something I want to train up for and conquer, at some point.

The view from the top is amazing.

Coming tuesday (July 1st) is Canada day. So I took the monday off so I could have a long weekend. Me and 2 other co-workers are forging some plans to go out camping on Vancouver Island. We're doing everything pretty much last minute, so that sure's going to be pretty interesting.

After that, I should be able to move into my new appt. I'll finally have a private room, and proper WIFI. Hopefully I'll be updating this a bit more often :)

BTW, here's a view from the office:

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Day 10

Second weekend I'm here. And a quick update while I charge my phone and I get out to see the Capilano Suspension Bridge. I've found a place to stay, here in West End. Which would be a 30 minute walk to work. The room becomes available next week, so I'll have to put up with staing in a hostel for just a bit longer.

I'll be sharing the house with two other guys. The leaseholder is a very mellow 44 year old Canadian, which I can only describe as 'lebowski-esque'. The other guy I haven't seen yet, but I'm sure he's cool. It'll come fully furnished, which I'm very happy with. And it's a 10 minute walk from the beach. Pictures will follow as soon as I feel like it ;)

They were building a movie-set this week on my way to work. I'm pretty sure they haven't started filming yet, but I'll be sure to check it out before I go to Capilano. I was pretty stoked when I saw they were building something. But when I asked my co-workers about it, they shrugged and told me it happens quite often here in Vancouver. Apparently Vancouver has pretty cheap production costs in comparison to LA. So quite often they'll fly over, use local crew and equipment and shoot their thing. X-files was shot here as well for instance.

Coming week I'll be starting full-time at FCV. So there'll be less room for tourist shenanigans. I've been trying to plan my coming weekends, but it's proven quite difficult with this shitty unpredictable hostel wifi.

Facts

The new job is awesome. Still finding a new place is shit :(

I'm responding to people's ads but noone seems to be replying.

Also. Too many people looking for 'female only'. pfsah!

Driving through the forest, tra la la la.

The Olympic Thingies from the Olympic Winter thing of 20-thing.

The Lions Gate Bridge in the background

Day 5: Stanley Island

First night in the new hostel. What a difference! My first place was pretty cheap. But I was sharing it with 3 guys who I'm pretty sure never left the room. The room stanked accordingly.

Currently, I'm staying at a YHA affiliated hostelchain called Hostelling International (HI). The only thing I can complain about is the quality of the WIFI. But complimementary free WIFI has rarely been good in any place in Vancouver...

But onto the fun stuff! Just before noon, I walked down to Stanley Island to explore this amazing park. On Robson St. there are a number of good bike rental shops. I picked a cruiser, and asked for a basket. Because I was dragging along too much stuff (water bottle, a vest, my shoulder bag).

The park has a car-free path going along the shoreline of the peninsula, called the Seawall. It is split in two, one for pedestrians. And one for bicycles, who are only allowed to take the path counter-clockwise. It has a number of highlights along the way, including a collection of totem poles, some beaches and swimming pools. But the real attraction is the fact that is a giant green oasis in the midst of the concrete jungle of Vancouver city.

Riding the route means you're leaving behind the city behind in both a literal and spiritual sense. At the start you'll ride with the green majestic beauty of Canada on the left hand side and on the other side, over the water, the skyline of Vancouver. When you make that first left-turn, you'll leave the busy city behind you and the only thing that's with your peripheral vision is trees and pacific ocean. It's amazing to have such a nice retreat nearby.

I made a promise to myself to start working on my condition so I can do a whole lap around this 9 km park.

Finally, I handed in my bike again and sank my teeth into the local food phenomenomnom called Poutine, which is like a box of french fries, covered in gravy and cheese curds.

Oh. And did I mention I landed a job? I'm starting on Monday ;)

Day 4: Moar to exploar

The jetlag is finally settling in a bit. And so am I. I've moved out of my initial hostel, and into a better hostel (HI hostels). Yesterday I went by FCV, a pretty big and quickly growing digital agency and a potential employer. I had a good interview with 2 of the lead tech guys about work, agency live, and coding in general. I've got a good feeling about this, and I hope to hear more about that later today.

My other pursuits regarding EA games have pretty much stopped in dead water. But that's ok. Even though it sounded amazing, the deal I would get at FCV would be better for both of us. Since they're looking for someone for 3 months initially, and I'm looking for more agency experience rather than client side experience.

Yesterday I've also met with a good friend and his girlfriend from Rotterdam. By chance he was just visiting Vancouver as well, but at the end of his 3 week trip. I had just missed him in Rotterdam the month before, so we had to meet up. He gave me some tips where to eat, and showed me some points of interest where I should go around Vancouver. Which I'm planning to do this weekend. Maybe I'll even rent a bike.

Right now I'm sitting in the common room of the new hostel, waiting for my room to be ready. When that's done I'm going to look for a more permanent place to stay til the end of November. It all feels pretty exciting. Everything is coming together. Even faster than I had expected.

Day 2: Setting up shop.

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 :)

Prologue: Leaving Perth.

Another chapter is coming to an end. A chapter which started on February 14th 2013. The day I landed in Perth, Western Australia. A day on which I only knew the guy who brought me in; Mike Dekker. And now, just over one year later. I have to say goodbye to so many more friends I never thought I'd make.

It's been a year of movienights, shenanigans, quiznights and tomfoolery. Romance and heartbreaks. Gourmet Hot Dogs and ludicrous hot summer days.

Perth is a unique place on Earth. There's so many things you can complain about. And yet so many things you can admire about it.

Next week I'll be packing my bags and flying back home to friends and family in Holland, where I'll stay for one more month until I fly out to Vancouver.

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