O Canada!

Well, I have been very busy NOT blogging, as you can see. We've now been here for 2.5 weeks, and since the mountains of comments after recent blog entries seem to imply that countless readers are eagerly awaiting the latest update, I won't leave you in suspense any longer. :)

We arrived in Canada on Monday 5th January, having travelled up by train from Seattle. Vancouver had seen a great deal of snow just before this - more than they've had at any one time in the last 40 years, apparently - so for our first week or so here, it was very very white!

Anyway, I'll group our updates into the following categories, so you can skip straight to the interesting ones if you like: Living Arrangements, Job Hunting, Dramas and Socialising...

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS:

For the first 6 nights, we stayed in the guest room in our friend Myla's house. (Ben had hung out with Myla when he lived in Vancouver for a few months in 2003.) After a week, we moved downstairs into her basement suite, which we'll be renting from her while we are here. It's a very nice little spot, and I hope to be able to give you a "tour" of it in an upcoming blog entry! Although it is in a basement, the top metre or so is above ground so we do have high windows and a respectable amount of natural light.


Our new home is in the city of Burnaby, which is east of Vancouver, but it really all merges into one huge city. We are on the south west side of Burnaby, less than a block from the edge of Vancouver, and only about 10kms from downtown Vancouver. Burnaby has a population of 216000, Vancouver has 612000, and both of them are included in the 2.25 million population of Greater Vancouver.

Our flat is fully self contained, and already had a fridge, washing machine and dryer, but was otherwise unfurnished. So, after using an air mattress as a bed, table, couch and desk for the first week, our Aussie money transfer came through and we set about getting some real furniture.

There's a great website over here called craigslist, through which we acquired all of our secondhand furniture either cheap or free. We are also using the same site in our ongoing job- and car-hunting. A week ago, we hired a 10 foot U-Haul truck for 24 hours, and went around the city collecting a queen mattress and boxspring, a dining table with 6 chairs, a desk, and a matching set of a 3-seater couch, 2-seater couch, and rocking chair (totally free and very 70s!). We also acquired a tan 3-seater couch and a maroon armchair from Myla. Luckily our loungeroom is quite long, as if you do the calculations, that's 16 seats...

We are also still in the process of gradually collecting the variety of other things that are needed when you start from scratch... everything from crockery and cutlery to bakeware and electrical appliances, and of course groceries! We have no car yet, so have been getting our weights training in by carrying it all home on the bus. :)

In a final living arrangments update, who should be living upstairs but Lisa B, as seen in our New York blog entries!! She'll be boarding with Myla until she continues her travels in March. So Myla's house is now overrun by Aussies and she saw her household increase fourfold in just over a week!

JOB HUNTING:

No news on this front yet, and not for want of trying. We've both been applying for plenty of jobs online, I signed up with two admin temping agencies, and Ben put his resume in at a few shops with "now hiring" signs at the local mall. We also have a couple of other leads due to kind friends being willing to talk to people they know. Ben has had interviews at two shops this week, and I've been put forward for a couple of jobs by one agency, so time will tell. It's not the best time to be looking for work here, but there are still jobs around so we are keeping our fingers crossed!

DRAMAS:

Three significant ones so far - The Great Wait, The Great Scare, and The Great Flood - and here they are:

1) "The Great Wait" - this is a very long story (1.5 weeks long to be precise), so I will try to keep it as brief as possible...

As we arrived by train, we went through Customs at the Vancouver Train Station rather than at the border. It seems they are not frequently called upon to issue work permits at the train station to Australians presenting a "letter of introduction" (a document stating that our working holiday application was approved and that we were to be given a work permit upon entering Canada). Instead of the usual computer-printed work permits, we were given handwritten A4 carbon copy work permits...

After travelling to Services Canada by skytrain (with all of our luggage in tow), we discovered that there were separate errors on both of our work permits, and as a result Services Canada was unable to issue us with social insurance numbers, which are needed to work here. On Ben's work permit, the handwritten expiry date didn't match the date in the computer. On mine, the document number didn't exist at all! We would need to go to the Citizenship and Immigration office downtown the following day, and get correct permits printed out.

The next day, Citizenship and Immigration told us that we would need to fill out applications for replacement paperwork, including photocopies of our passports, incorrect work permits, and entry stamps, and that this would take "2 weeks or less" to process. We submitted our applications the same day, but then settled in for a long wait, unable to jobhunt as we had planned to do straight away.

A week and a half later, we dropped in to find out how our applications were going, and after lots of phone calls the desk clerk said that our applications were next in the pile so if we would come back in half an hour, they would be ready! So we did, and they were, and we went and got our social insurance numbers that same day. Finally, we were at the stage we would have been at 11 days earlier, had we only arrived by plane...

2) "The Great Scare" - a comparatively brief but alarming drama...

A few days after organising the transfer of our Australian savings to our new Canadian bank account, wondering why the money had not yet arrived, we discovered that the account number given to our foreign exchange company was incorrect by one digit...

Yes, imagine our alarm at the prospect of a random Canadian at that very moment spending their unexpected and extremely generous anonymous gift...

Thankfully, after a couple of phone calls to the bank to correct the details, the reassurance that transfers take 5-7 days and thus wouldn't have arrived yet, and a few more days of waiting, the money arrived safely and we could then set about furnishing our new home, paying rent, and looking for a car. Phew!!

3) "The Great Flood" - subtitled "How To Impress Your New Landlord" - oh dear...

On our very first night in our new flat, the Sunday before last, we were happily sitting in our furnitureless loungeroom, washing churning away at the other end of the house, enjoying the peace and tranquility of having our own place for the first time in 6 months. This peace and tranquility was abruptly shattered when Ben walked out and discovered that the Great Flood of 2009 was underway in our flat.

For some inexplicable reason, despite having already done one successful load, our washing machine was spewing copious amount of water on the floor. It had already spread a few metres out from the machine in all possible directions, around the corner into our bedroom, halfway to the far wall, and even into our closet. I feel that this is an appropriate moment to mention that both rooms are carpeted...

The carpet squelched under our feet and there were puddles on the floor. The water was lapping at the foot of our air mattress with its brand new, as-yet-unslept-in bedding. My suitcase was on soggy carpet. You get the picture! We stopped the flood, but the only two towels we own were in the current load of washing. There was no other option but to go upstairs and wake up Myla. :S And THIS is the appropriate moment to mention that it was just after midnight (hey, we're unemployed!)...

Myla brought down lots of towels and also spent quite a while mopping out her own flooded laundry, the only part of her living quarters on the basement level.

So that's how it eventuated that on our first night in our new flat, the three of us spent an hour and a quarter stomping up and down on wet towels in our pyjamas, after midnight, wringing dirty water into the bathtub over and over and over. A real landlord-tenant bonding experience!!

The next day, Myla brought down a wet-dry vacuum cleaner, a dehumidifier, and three fans belonging to her parents. Ben extracted lots more water with the vac that day, and we kept the dehumidifier and fans on for an entire week, while we slept in the loungeroom. The carpet and underlay are now completely dry and look as if nothing ever happened.

And that was The Great Flood!



SOCIALISING:

I've just realised how long this blog entry is, and without many photos due to my camera's recent malfunctioning (Ben got me a new one today!) there are probably only two people committed enough to still be reading by now (hi Mum and Dad!). So I'll make this a very brief summary...

On our first Saturday here, we went to a musical parody called "The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!", which was very funny and strange. We went with Susie, Lisa, Shonna (one of Susie's two housemates), and Angharad...

On our first Sunday here, we had lunch at Ethopian restaurant (you eat with your hands, scooping up food from a communal plate using spongey pancakey-type things), with Myla, Andrew F, and Tyson and Nicole...

We went out for coffee with a bunch of young folk after the gospel meeting one night...

We went to an "Indian party" hosted by Darwin L, David and Ted, which was great! They cooked up heaps of awesome Indian food and there were probably about 30 people there - crowded but heaps of fun!

We ate muffins and drank tea at Kelly and Janae's place, with Myla, Lisa, and Andrew F, after the gospel meeting last Sunday...

And we had Lisa down for a Sunday lunch, and the local sister workers (Lanna and Sandra) over for dinner two nights ago.

Hopefully I'll quickly get into the habit of taking photos again (it's actually been a nice break) so that future blog entries will be more interesting for you! :)

Anyway, that's what we've been up to! Please keep in touch; we'd love to hear from you! Goodnight!

My, what a big Eye you have!

On the last night before we moved out of our flat in England, 17th July, Delle, Ben and I went up to London to ride on the London Eye (a giant Ferris wheel - a ride on it is actually called a "flight") and see The Sound of Music on West End with Kat and Mel. We had tea at Covent Garden at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen (try it if you get the chance!), and Delle raided the Australia Shop for some Tim Tams, having suffered severe withdrawal symptoms after going approximately two weeks with only the one packet she'd brought over with her. :)

Although it was right in the middle of a frantically busy time for us (tickets bought before we knew we would be moving the next day!), it was a fantastic evening. The Sound of Music was absolutely spectacular and the kids in it were SO so adorable!! It's definitely one of the top three West End musicals we've been to. Here are some photos from our second last night in London...



And here are some links to videos... the first is of some buskers playing under the bridge near the London Eye (note the percussion instrument on the left!), and the second was taken when we were at the very top of the Eye. What a view!!!!

Buskers video
London Eye video

Anyway, in case you're wondering, we had a good flight back to Australia last week! We left Heathrow Airport on Tuesday night, flew with Qantas via brief stopovers in Singapore and Melbourne, and arrived in Brisbane at 8:15am on Thursday morning.

Then we stayed awake all day - I studied for my online exam the next day and Ben got his teaching registration sorted out and signed up for supply teaching. On Friday, I studied and did my exam while Ben got his first day of work!!! So it was certainly straight into it!

That night we went to The Mikado in Brisbane with a group of friends. I think everyone else liked it - I, however, fell asleep about 15 times. Woke up at one stage to find a completely new character on stage halfway through belting out a crashingly loud song! "Who's tha...zzzZZ"!!!!

The next day, Saturday, we caught up with my family and saw my sister Roxy's flat for the first time, and that night we went to a 30th birthday party of an old school friend of Ben's.

For the next 3 months we'll be living with Ben's parents, Jim and Jenny, who live east of Ipswich (which is just west of Brisbane, Queensland, for you non-Aussies!). If anyone who is reading this has not been getting our group email updates (please email me if you'd like to get them!), our trip home was motivated by our friends' Tim and Chany's wedding, but we decided to stay on for a while longer. We hope to be in Canada by Christmas, but have not organised any further ahead than flying back to England on 17th November.

This week my priority is finding a job. Ben got his second day of supply teaching today, so we're glad that's working out. It's a strange thought that we're home, but it actually feels completely normal to be here. I'm trying to readjust to being in this timezone (the first couple of days, I was chatting to Mum at lunchtime and thinking it was teatime for her), and talking in dollars and kilometres. Everything sounds expensive and a long way away!!! :P Anyway, we'll keep you updated, and please keep in touch - especially if you're from England, because it could just be that we're missing you!!!

Happenings and highlights...

Hello all! It's almost 10pm on Friday night, so this won't be a long post (famous last words perhaps?), but I wanted to give you all a quick rundown on the recent happenings and highlights before tomorrow begins! That's because tomorrow we're off to London for a day of sight seeing and various touristy activities, which will probably give me so much to write about that I'll never go back and tell you about the last week if I don't do it now!

Let's go back to Thursday of last week... that was when we went to Trev and Sharon's to help set up the marquee for Saturday's party. Thursday night marked the third time we had eaten tea at their place in the four days since we met them!! Hmmm – I think they're glad to have another young couple around!!! Anyway, from my last post and photos, you can see enough about how the marquee-erecting went that I don't need to go into it here!

After tea that night, Trev wanted to go to “Hove actually” to pick up a picnic table for the party. “Hove actually” is what the town of Hove is often jokingly called, because people who live there, when asked where they live, say “Brighton... well, Hove actually”. Hove is on the coast next to Brighton, about 20 minutes' drive from Trev and Sharon's. Anyway, the four of us jumped in the car – and I think it was at least 9 or 9:30 by then – and set off for Hove. We collected the table and a large trailer from one of Trev's job sites, then had a little meander to find out where the new gospel meeting at Saltdean (also on the coast near Brighton) was starting the following Thursday. We drove along a road which had a stunning view down over the ocean and the city lights, and saw the Brighton Pier (mentioned in a previous entry) at night, all lit up with thousands of little lights – I liked it much better than the first time I saw it (day time, very crowded, etc), and resolved to go back some night when we can leisurely explore it on foot!

We also went through a gorgeous old town called Lewes (pronounced “Lewis”), which has lots of REALLY old shops and quaint narrow streets. Trev and Sharon told us about Guy Fawkes celebrations in Lewes (the biggest Bonfire Night celebrations in Britain, I think)... thousands of people line the streets to watch the local fireworks clubs carry flaming torches and roll flaming barrels through the town, and the night culminates with everyone walking to the top of a hill to watch fireworks displays in the surrounding villages! So we are definitely going back for that in November! Anyway, I was so tired on the way back to Lindfield that I fell asleep in the car!

Saturday was the marquee party. This was a farewell gathering for Max and Elaine, who go to our meeting. They are from NZ and have been living here for 7 years, but are off to the Ukraine for a while! At the party, we met lots more people, ate lots of yummy food, played cricket, and had a sing. They even had a welcome cake for us, as you may have seen in the last entry! So that was a really lovely afternoon.

On Sunday, we had Trev and Sharon over for lunch. I made Jynni's “Honey Mustard Chicken” from our wedding recipe book (I got Mum to email me the recipe as she has the books while we're away), but unfortunately it was more like “Mustard Chicken” due to my not anticipating that English mustard (which we had) is a good deal stronger than American mustard (which was in the recipe)!! We had to put a tissue box on the table because it kept burning up our noses/ sinuses and Sharon was almost crying! Anyway, she did eat the rest of Trev's too, but she could have been trying to make me feel better... :P For dessert, we had delicious blackberry pie, which Ben had made from the blackberries we picked with Trev and Sharon the previous Sunday.

On Wednesday (two days ago), Ben and I went to Brighton for his appointment to get a national insurance number. I don't actually know what this number is for exactly, but it seems a bit like a tax file number in that you need it to work here, you only ever get it once, and it's yours forever, even if you leave and don't come back for 30 years. When Ben had booked his appointment by phone, they hadn't been able to get me one on the same day, and booked mine for the 30^th, but when we were actually there we managed to get mine done right after Ben's! So that was rather good. We gave them a lot of proof of everything under the sun, while they filled out the forms, and afterwards I was very happy to learn that our car hadn't got clamped or fined even though I had parked it in what I thought was a “permit holders only” zone – but what was actually a “permit holders OR pay and display” zone that I hadn't paid and displayed for. But that is another story, and one that is too long and makes me look a bit silly, so I won't tell it. :D

Afterwards, we drove down to the beachfront and ate fish and chips (Ben) and chicken and mushroom pie and chips (me) for lunch, just down from the Brighton Pier. We then took a walk out along the Pier, which was absolutely incredible! It was a clear (although slightly chilly) day, and the ocean was a lovely aqua blue colour that we could see through the gaps in the boards beneath our feet, as well as stretching out into the distance on each side of the Pier. The remains of an old pier looked amazing silhouetted against the ocean off to one side. Families were relaxing on the beach down below, a kid was flying a kite, and a surfer lying on his board was lazily paddling around. Sound blissfully tranquil?

WELL! ... ... ...

We then walked into a large building on the Pier, and it was a total sensory overload! This building was a MASSIVE games arcade, with every kind of game imaginable crammed all over the place, and all available floor space covered with kids and adults either playing the games, watching the games, or weaving their way through like we were. There were games where you move the big claw to pick up stuffed toys or tacky gold watches, racing games with driver's seat and steering wheel, games where you could pilot a jet, games with drawers full of coins sliding in and out constantly, games where you had to dance as the screen showed you where to put your feet...!!!! HUNDREDS of games!!!! And I want you to imagine every one of those games occupied by at least one player with their friends and family looking on, every one of those games playing the beeping, pinging, boinging, loudspeakered music and sound effects that such games employ, and every one of those games covered in flashing, flickering, blinking lights and signs!!! It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!

We then emerged out the other side of the building, where there were more vendors selling everything from fairy floss to henna tattoos to glass cubes with your 3D lasered image in them. Back at the start of the pier, there were stalls selling various foods such as crepes and donuts, as well as those show-type stands (but permanent ones) where you could shoot the ducks/ pop the balloons etc to win prizes. By this time our “pay and display” parking was about to finish, so we hurried back to the car – going around the games arcade this time! But what a tacky yet totally fabulous place it is!!! I'm still planning on going back at night time when it's all lit up so amazingly! I also need to go again when I have my camera, as the last two times we were there, I didn't have it with me!

Anyway, it's getting late, so I must wind this up. By the way, three job agencies now have my CV, and two of them have sent it to an employer re an advertised job in the last couple of days. I'm just waiting for some feedback, but so far I must say they've been much more proactive than Australian job agencies! It turns out that they can only put me forward for “temporary” (i.e. not “permanent”) jobs, as they know I'm only here for a year... which eliminates lots of really good jobs and may explain why the applications I submitted from Australia didn't amount to anything!! Anyway, hopefully something great will show up within the next couple of weeks! Ben starts work on 3 September, so he will be going into school next week to find out his timetable and start planning etc.

Well, that's all for now! LONDON TOMORROW!!!! Goodnight!

The life of the unemployed!

Well, today is my 2nd (continuous) day of unemployment. While my darling wife slaves away (he he) at her boring job, I am living the life of a free man! Well, kind of anyway.

As I no longer have consistent work responsibilities (hopefully I'll get some supply work), I'm now the one running all over town trying to sort out all the little things that need to be done now that we have less than 3 weeks to go!! (starting to get a little excited here). It also gives me a chance to get a hit of internet - we no longer have a connection while we are house-sitting - and means I have opportunity to work ahead a bit on my new studies. Though I must admit I haven't been as studious as I should have been (have done nothing today for instance), I haven't completely wasted the last two days - I now have my International Drivers License, I finally found a Mont Blanc refill in Bundaberg (at the new Officeworks), have made an appointment with the solicitor for Anna and I to make new wills, finally got our mail redirected from Gin Gin and visited a couple more schools to register for supply work.

Speaking of living in Bundaberg - can I refute my wife's claim that living with cats is great? It is NOT GREAT! An overwhelming number of my many black garments (other colours too, but particularly the black) are now covered with white cat hair. One cannot move more than two feet in our current abode without tripping over, kicking, standing on or otherwise becoming entangled in a cat! I am looking forward to England for more reasons than one... :)