26 posts tagged “canada”

July's banner this year is a salute to Canada Day as well as the seven-year anniversary of my first visit to Vancouver (on July 29).  As previously mentioned, that trip was called Camp Vancouver 2001.  It also had several rhyming taglines - the official one being “more dedicated than Attila the Hun,” but another being “a long way to go, but a whole lot of fun.”  And my, was it ever an entertaining endeavor.

I will have much more to say about that fateful vacation in a future post.  So consider this a warning to those who have never engaged in obsessive behavior: something dorky this way comes.

Canada Day commemorates the historic moment on July 1, 1867 when Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada (i.e. Ontario and Quebec) joined in a federation to officially become Canada.  As such, it is often referred to as Canada’s birthday.  The Canadians in Vancouver take this somewhat literally, because at every event we looked at attending, birthday cake was part of the agenda.  Which really goes to show how fabulous this country truly is.  (I mean, if FREE CAKE doesn’t light your immigration fire, I don’t know what will.)

We spent the majority of our warm and sunny Canada Day with the crowd massive, road-clogging crowds on Granville Island.  Highlights of the day included a parade, free flags and pins, a giant map of the world (with rocks symbolizing where attendees were from) and the aforementioned FREE CAKE (preceded by singing the national anthem).  It was fun, although hectic (especially with our bikes!), what with all those people off work (work? haha, suckers).

In the evening, we walked over to the east side of the Stanley Park seawall for fireworks.  The show took place from a barge anchored in Coal Harbour.  By our American standards, the pyrotechnics were remarkably tame.  But the spectators were appreciative (or happily drunk) (or more likely a combination of the two).  All it took was a single big or colourful explosion and everyone would enthusiastically ooh, aah, clap or honk a yacht horn.

Come to think of it, the crowd was probably more entertaining than the display.  I was also amused by the adorable twin boys sitting in front of us.  They cheered for the first five minutes, carefully enunciating “yay Can-na-DAH” as only toddlers can do.  And there were not one but TWO groups of random young people who belted out the national anthem at separate times – both were met by cheers and applause from the viewing masses.

Overall, it was interesting to see how another country observes its national holiday of patriotism.  Compared to the U.S., I would say the day was less about concepts (e.g. freedom, independence) and more about simply raising a glass to mark another year with a good friend.

Unbelievably, we’ve been living in Vancouver now for three months.  That’s one quarter of a year!  It feels like only three weeks ago we were packing up to make the long drive out here.  I guess it’s true what they say about the time and the flying and the fun.

Our weeks here really have been enjoyable.  We’ve loved getting to know the city as residents – figuring out the little things i.e. where to buy the best fruit, what papers we like to read, how to get from one location to another via bus or foot or bike.  Every day we discover something new about this place we call home.

Of course, the homesickness still comes and goes in waves.  We’ve been sad to miss out on opportunities to hang out with (or show support for) our friends and family.  But we also see how those connections are sustained by the wonderfully versatile Internet.  It’s awesome how email, instant messaging and webcams can erase at least some of the distance between BC and MN.

So are we happy with the choice we made to pack up the entirety of our lives and haul it all to Canada?  Honestly, I can’t say.  Not yet.  Without jobs (and with the summer sun shining down upon us), it’s all too easy to think we’re simply on a long (and glorious) Vancouver vacation.  While it sounds silly at this point to say we need more time to mentally adjust, well, that’s exactly where we’re at.  Check in with me at the 6-month mark, and hopefully I’ll have a more concrete answer.

(And, you know, a JOB.)

The last couple of weeks have seen some exciting developments in the beverage department around here.  To start with, we finally received our first TeaSource order from MN!  I’ve been experimenting with new flavors from the local tea stores here (pleased to meet you, Ginger Peach Sencha), but unfortunately, the prices are too steep (haha) to sustain a crazy, loose-leaf tea whore like me.  Even with the extra cost of shipping, my hometown store is STILL cheaper; thus, the delivery of the special package from abroad to feed my addiction.

We’ve also discovered some fun, local drinks.  At Granville Island, we tried the fresh Ginger Mint Orange juice from Fraser Valley Juice and Salad.  Absolutely drool-worthy.  Who would have thought such a combo could taste so good?  We also ordered a Mint Hot Chocolate from the Blue Parrot Coffee café out there – made with real peppermint.  Like a mouthful of warm, liquid candy.  Mmm.

Finally, we stopped for a new kind of bubble tea while shopping at the Metrotown mall.  (Yes, we actually went to a mall!  In Canada!  And it was huge!)  For those who may not know, bubble tea is similar to a shake.  The beverage is generally made with a mixture of fresh fruit, milk, crushed ice and tea.  The signature part of bubble teas are the black, ball-shaped tapioca pearls (or flavored, candy-like jellies) that sit at the bottom of the cup and are sucked through a big straw to add texture to the drink.  (Still with me?)  The one we tried, however, was plum-flavored with gobs of PUDDING on the bottom.  Weird but yummy.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Canada for helping expand my liquid palate.  (And, yes, that includes you, Molson.)

Yesterday, we landed in Canada as permanent residents.  It took us an hour and a half to get through the border – exporting The Couv from the U.S., importing it to Canada and then going through the paperwork to make our immigration official.  At the end of everything, the customs officer presented us with two tiny Canadian flag pins and said, “Welcome to Canada!”  It was very cool.

We arrived in Vancouver in the early afternoon and drove directly to our apartment.  We met up with the building manager and got a tour of our new digs.  While I was disappointed to learn that the bathroom was NOT renovated as intended (hello, pink tiles!), everything else was in order.  Shane and I agree that this will be a good fit for us starting out, although it will be a very different experience not having a dishwasher (hello, dishpan hands!).

Our time so far has been split between cleaning the apartment (in preparation for moving in next weekend) and running around town to check off items on our all-important To Do list.  Today, we went and applied for our Social Insurance Number – or SIN – cards (the equivalent of U.S. Social Security Numbers), met with representatives from some local banks and…wait for it… GOT LIBRARY CARDS.  This last one is exciting on many levels for me, not the least of which is the awesomeness of being able to check out materials from the spectacular central branch downtown.

The next few days will involve more errand-running and generally enjoying life in Vancouver (before the serious job-hunting starts).  Then on Friday, we’ll head back down to Seattle to shop for apartment stuff and spend the night (before retrieving our shipped belongings on Saturday).

By the way, for those of you wondering whether we were able to transport our wedding sand vase intact, we did!  And we’ve got a sweet little nook in the apartment that fits the vase perfectly.

The past week has been a Tilt-a-Whirl of activity.  Last weekend, we loaded our storage containers – three 5x7x8 boxes – with the majority of our worldly possessions and sent them on their way.  While it was more than a little nerve-wracking trying to cram EVERYTHING WE OWN into such small containers (and then place them all in the hands of COMPLETE (albeit professional) STRANGERS), we were glad to have that gigantic first step out of the way.

 

We then moved into my parents’ house, and I awoke on Easter morning in my old bedroom feeling like I had traveled back in time.  It was very weird; when 2 p.m. rolled around, I half-expected to see my brother groggily emerge from his old room, too.  But we settled in and made the regular Easter rounds, even managing to fit in some games of Ticket to Ride.

 

The last few days have been a balancing act of cleaning the apartment, creating my demo reel (thanks go out to Joel, Elena, their entertaining kids and the basement Hacintosh) and filling out more of that exciting immigration paperwork.  Shane’s last day at work was yesterday, so we spent a chunk of today tying up loose ends together and making last-minute purchases.  We have thankfully managed to overlook the fact that we are spending money now sans income.  Three cheers for savings.  And denial.

 

Truth be told, this whole move has yet to feel real.  Even with all the preparations we’re making, even though we are down to a DAY remaining in MN, neither of us can process the fact that this is finally happening.  After years of waiting, we will be landing as Canadian immigrants on Monday.  And we'll be living in Vancouver.

 

How fucking weird is that?

Since I have been fielding a lot of the same questions lately (about our upcoming move), I thought I would compile and answer them in a single post.

 

1)      Where is Vancouver?

Vancouver is located on the coast of British Columbia, the westernmost province in Canada.  It is right along the Pacific Ocean, about two-and-a-half hours north of Seattle, WA.  (Note: the city is not located on Vancouver Island.)

 

2)      Why did you pick Vancouver?

We have traveled there many times and simply love the character of this unique city.  It is a beautiful place, with a good mix of nature and urban life.  It also happens to be the third largest production city in North America, so I might even find a job in television production (my major in college).

 

3)      Can you immigrate without jobs?

Yes.  We are immigrating to Canada as Skilled Workers.  Our application had to prove that we have work experience and employable skills, but not concrete job offers.  Since we passed the extensive evaluation (including proving we have the funds necessary to move without guaranteed income), it is expected that we will be able to find work in Canada.  You know, before going broke.

 

4)      Will you have a green card?

We will have the equivalent of a U.S. green card: a permanent resident card.  As permanent residents, we will have nearly all the same rights as citizens, except for privileges like voting and running for office.

 

5)      Why did it take so long for you to get visas?

The specific reasons are unknown to us, but we’ve been told the immigration office simply has too many applicants to process.  The paperwork on our end was quite extensive and time-consuming, too, since we needed to complete things like medical exams, background checks, etc.

 

6)      How long will you stay?

We are undecided at this point.  Our permanent resident cards are good for five years, but we can request new ones to extend our residency (or apply to become citizens, see question #7).  Our goal is to stay for at least three years (provided we can comfortably afford it) and make a decision about the future then.  I think we'll end up coming back to Minnesota; Shane believes we’ll stay “for this life and the next one.”  We’ll see what happens...

 

7)      Are you going to become citizens of Canada?  (And will you lose your U.S. citizenship if you do?)

That option will be available to us after we reside in the country for three years (we will need to take citizenship classes and a test, just like in the U.S.).  We do not know if we will choose to become citizens; it depends on how much we like living there!  If we decide to apply, we would eventually become dual citizens of Canada and the U.S., so we wouldn't need to give up anything.

 

8)      How are you getting your stuff out there?

We are loading up storage containers (with our main items and big boxes) that will ship to a city in Washington over Easter weekend.  We will drive our car (and the rest of our belongings) across the border at the end of March, get our apartment situation squared away, then drive to Washington and load a moving van (with our shipped belongings) to bring back.  We plan to be moved in officially by April 6^th (with the help of my brother and Shane’s mom and stepdad, who all live along the U.S. west coast).

 

9)      Can I/we stay with you when visiting?

Of course!  We should warn you, however, that we will only have one couch and a couple of small air mattresses to offer you for sleeping purposes.

 

10)  Are you excited?

Mostly, yes.  Moving is always a stressful experience – and moving to a foreign country all the more so – but we have been anticipating this journey for a long time, so we look forward to seeing how it finally plays out.

 

Let me know if there are other burning (possibly itching?) questions you have!  I would be happy to add them to the list.

1)       Cupcakes from Cupcakes are still delicious (especially the new red velvet cake/whipped cream cheese frosting ones).

We arrived at our hotel to see a dozen colorful little cakes behind the front desk.  My mom pointed them out, and I noted they were indeed from our favorite downtown bakery.  Imagine our pleasant surprise when the person checking us in handed the whole lot over to us!  Many thanks to Jon, Shannon, Soopa and Carrie for what will go down in our personal histories as the Best Lunch Ever.

 

2)       Apartment searching is rather exhausting.

We managed to squeeze in around 15 apartment viewings in the short span of three days.  Since we flew directly into YVR and opted out of renting a car, this meant walking from one side of the West End to another, often scrambling to make back-to-back appointments on opposite ends of town.  Combine this with the pressure to find out As Much As Humanly Possibly about each potential future residence and you get three very tired, very early-to-bed individuals (one of whom practically overdosed on Jasmine tea to stay awake).

 

3)       Vancouver appears to have one-bedrooms we like AND can afford (assuming we find jobs that pay us...and don't develop an affinity for the B.C. bud).

We will undergo a definite change from our sprawling suburban pad, with its ensuite laundry, new EVERYTHING and 820-some square feet of space.  The buildings in Vancouver are around 40-plus years old, although many have renovated bathrooms/kitchens (with semi-new appliances).  Most of the apartments fall in the 500-700 square foot range and have the typical shared laundry room.  But the layouts in our top ten are all nice and cozy (with hardwood floors!) and happily within the limits of our guesstimated budget.

 

We’ll be calling our favorite places in February, to see which (if any) have vacancies for April.  Until then, we'll be keeping our fingers (and toes) crossed we get in somewhere good!

 

4)      We can look forward to a much brighter living space, wherever we end up.

 

The biggest difference between Vancouver apartment layouts and the ones we’ve seen in the Twin Cities area: windows, windows, and more windows.  Most floorplans we saw are designed to maximize the amount of natural light coming in, with long rows of glass lining the outside walls.  Since many of the rooms are located in hi-rise buildings, that also means we witnessed some kick-ass views of downtown, the mountains and the ocean.  Even without the scenery, though, I am quite excited to leave behind the much darker confines of our Minnesota apartment.

Sure as hell not in Kansas anymore

5)       My mom is more adventurous than I tend to give her credit for being.

Not only was she willing to try Greek, Malaysian and cooked Japanese food, she also ate sushi for the first time ever!  We started her with a basic California (for you non-sushi eaters: vegetable, no fish) roll, then moved to a shrimp tempura (fried) roll, then up to a B.C. (salmon/tuna) roll and finally to some straight-up salmon sushi (raw fish on top of rice).  She’s not a full convert, but did admit it “wasn’t bad.”  Considering the source, that’s practically a ringing endorsement.

 

6)       We hope to have many visitors post-immigration.

Okay, I didn’t really need another trip abroad to realize this.  I just want to reiterate how much fun we have experiencing the city with friends and family; I believe this is the third or fourth time we’ve acted as “hosts” (and don’t even live there - go figure).  We really enjoyed having my brother and his roommate Zach spend Friday afternoon/evening with us, too.  So here’s hoping more of you can muster up the plane ticket or car ride to visit us in the amazing, beautiful city we will soon (rather unbelievably) call home.

* All photos courtesy of my mom and her new digital camera (which has turned out NOT to be the explosive combination I initially thought).