I ♥ Vancouver

All is finally in place: I got a great job, enough free time but not too much to get bored, a nice boss and co-workers, (more) money to spend, some great new friends and old friends visiting, and of course a nice (and mostly warm) house in a nice neighbourhood and with the best boyfriend :). Oh and it’s all in one of the prettiest and most fun cities I’ve ever been!

After my last post, I experienced my first north American Halloween and carved my own pumpkin! A lot of the houses were decorated and some people went all overboard and made a whole graveyard in their garden! It was so cute to see all the kids and even the parents dressed up :) and ofcourse those in between also got their costumes out to party! Together with some friends, I went to a party in Tom’s bar where the theme was Jack the Ripper’s dark London. I was very happy to see that the amount of “sexy” witches and police women was less than I had expected. Some image created by all those crappy American teenager movies I guess.. And here is what we (me, Bibi, Liz, Sabrina and Genna) looked like:

The first snow started to fall on the mountains some weeks ago and this weekend it’s even supposed to snow in the city! Which is a big deal as that usually only happens once a year… but this year is promising to be a good one! Some news articles say it will be “the coldest winter since 1955” due to a cold La Nina weather pattern and people are warned and instructed to prepare themselves.. haha! The local mountain resorts will be opening within the next days/week! So I better get my snowboard waxed soon and start saving up for the very expensive lift tickets!
Yesterday I already got a good winter preview went I went to Whistler with Maria (a German friend from my exchange in Finland) and her cousin, who also lives in Vancouver. The village was all white and it I experienced the first snow flakes falling on me since January! You can imagine my excitement ;)! And we saw a bear that was easily making its way up on one of the slopes, after being chased out of the village by a dog! Driving through the forests and mountains and seeing a bear really made realize again how wild and amazing this province is! And how great it is to live in a 2-million city and still have all this wilderness so close by!

Maple leafs, work and bikes

After one and a half months back in the city, it feels like I never have left and I often forget that I am all the way on the other side of the world… only to be reminded by one of the thousands of (not very hard to miss) bright red and white maple leaf flags that are visible from nearly every single spot in the city. Speaking English has become so common that I have trouble speaking Dutch to strangers and translating words to Tom. But don’t worry, I won’t lose my roots! Living abroad only makes your own culture more interesting. Watching “De wereld draait door” online, seeing Dutch bikes (which are sooo expensive here) and buying drop in the the Dutch Girl Chocolate store next to my work have never been so exiting . And Bibi and I will be celebrating Sinterklaas with ours guys, including the poems, ‘surprises’ and pepernoten!

Now about my job! As you already figured, I could stay… and have been really enjoying the few days I’ve worked so far! It’s not like any other store where you just have to say hi and bye and sit around all day. It’s very sales oriented and I really have to talk with the people about what they want and suggest items that fit to their wishes. All the stuff in the store is so nice and I’ve already had it that I sold something with pain in my heart because I actually wanted to have it… even though I know it’s better this way since I have to be making money and not be spending it.
My boss is a very nice woman and the other girls in the store are great too! So I really think I can stay here for a while!

And now about the good old weather! Unfortunately, after enjoying some very generous warm autumn days (see first photo) the weather now has changed to wind, rain and coldness. But the cold also brings the amazing colours of the autumn leafs! Our street is filled with red maple trees (now I know why they’re worth being the national symbol!) and other yellow and orange coloured trees. So together with my amazing new blue vintage cruiser bike and camera I’m going around the city to capture all the greatness before it’s gone.

 

The start of something new

After sending out many (unanswered) emails and bringing around many resumes (Canadian CV) to many stores, coffeeshops and even bars in many areas of the city... I had my first successful job interview two days ago! So good that I can come for 3 training days next week! I'm not officially hired but there are 3 positions so I hope for the best! It's a kind of "world store" with clothes, accessories and gifts like candles, cushions and house "prularia" (my dad's word for unorganised and in his eyes useless stuff). The owner was really friendly so I'm going to work my ass off next week!!

For the rest, I've had a good first month! Tom kidnapped me to Tofino (the most beautiful oceanside town on Vancouver Island) for my birthday, which was really really great! I had no idea! We spent lots of time on the beaches and relaxing in our great apartment with a nice view and a fireplace :)!


After a rainy start, there were a lot of nice and sunny days in Vancouver which I spent on the beaches around the city and biking around with my French friend Alexandra. Also went to Jamie Lidell's concert last Monday with Bibi! It was very funky! And upcoming Tuesday Tom and I are going to see Angus and Julia Stone <3!
Monday it will also be Canadian Thanksgiving and we're going to a real "turkey dinner".. or just a veggie version of it for me..haha! And the time has come to start hunting down a halloween costume! Jup I'm embracing the North American culture all the way!

Hello autumn

My first autumn in Vancouver!
And it's promising to be a good one :)



So far no updates on work.. keep on trying!

Vancouver adventures

"There is something in the water of Vancouver, something that makes people come back for more"

Yes, I'm back, already for the third time! After a little 'holiday' at home to see all my family and friends, doing all Dutchie things, and graduating with an 8 for my thesis, I came back to start my working life here..

What this thing about Vancouver is, is something you can't exactly name or see on first sight (except for those amazing mountains and beaches and my boyfriend ofcourse). It is in the small things.. of which I got a small reminder on my second day back in 'Van'. When I walked around the shopping mall downtown waiting for Tom, a large and not so friendly looking security man at the entrance of a store said in a high-pitched voice "thank you" when I left. I don't know about you, but where I come from not even a store owner, let alone a security man, would even think of thanking their customers for visiting their store!

Something that also strikes me, now that I started applying for jobs, is that apparently in Canada it is not allowed (even illegal) to ask for a persons age, gender or even nationality in the application. Which makes me being foreign and young a lot easier!

So far I've applied for 4 jobs, of which one was already taken and one I might have an interview with this week. Really hope it works out and I can start my life here! Still getting used to being back, and doing everything for the 'first' time again. First time to the supermarket, first time in my favourite coffee shop, first time downtown, first time sushi etc etc.. Even though I've seen it all many times before, it still feels a bit like new again. Just what I like!

Summer of love

Back in the Netherlands after a month of fun in Vancouver to celebrate the finish of that thesis that seemed to last forever. After some good times in the city with friends and good beach and hike weather, Tom and I went on a 10 day camping trip to Vancouver island. Dino (Bibi's boyfriend) was so kind to let us use his car, which was needed because Vancouver Island is big! About the same size as my whole country!
First we drove up north to the amazing Buttle lake, located in a quiet Provincial Park and with a perfect lake in the middle of the mountains and forests, with our own private beach!:

Next, we drove down the east coast of the island to Hornby Island, one of the northern Gulf Islands. Which is just as pretty and hippie as all the others I've seen! We have been hanging out at all the different beaches for swimming, tanning, kayaking, walking, playing frisbee, sunset watching, and even skinny dipping in the phosphorescence (algae that lights up when you touch the water)! Unfortunately we weren't very lucky with the campsites... at first we ended up at a spot next to the playground of a too child friendly campsite.. while the next campsite we stayed at was a more teen friendly campsite, also known as "the party campsite". I don't know what was worse, the screaming kids or screeming teenagers! But for the rest, the island was amazing:

At last, we drove to the west side of Vancouver Island, to the famous tourist town Tofino. Because we didn't book anything and the campsite we wanted to go to was full, we had a very pleasant surprise when we accidentally bumped into the prettiest campsite of all times right at the oceanside! Something about bad marketing..
In Tofino, we obviously spent a lots of time on the beach, enjoyed some nice campfires with marshmallows and glasses of good wine, while looking at this amazing view:

"Thesis student researches ecotourism marketing in Vancouver"

My article that was published at my study's weblog :)

After waiting, preparing and anticipating for seven long years, it was suddenly there: the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games! On a rainy day in February, a usually calm Vancouver transformed into the bustling centre of the world’s attention, taking all the Vancouverites and tourists along on a 17 day spectacle of exciting sports events, live music, multicultural highlights and festivities, arts, light and firework shows and many impulsive street parties. These were actually the first Olympics in which the host city’s inhabitants did not all abandon the city but embraced the event with such a spirit that exceeded everyone’s expectations. And so did mine! As someone who was never interested in watching any prior Olympic Games and being unconvinced about these, I suddenly spent my days looking online for the games highs and lows, keeping track of the medal count, watching interviews with athletes, cheering for Dutch ice skaters and roaring for the Canadian hockey team on the streets of Vancouver among thousands of other happy and excited people! An experience I would not have wanted to miss out on.

As a fourth year ITMC student I chose Vancouver as the setting for my final thesis about ecotourism marketing for the reason that Vancouver is rapidly becoming one of the world’s sustainable hotspots. During my placement here in my 3rd year I noticed the many attempts of businesses and organisations to be environmentally and socially responsible and work together on creating a lively, active and inspiring atmosphere to live in. And Vancouver wouldn’t be Vancouver if they did not let their environmental awareness shine on something that would have major impacts on the city and its surroundings: the Olympic Winter Games. As large scale events usually go together with great numbers of waste, water and energy use, and negative impacts on the nature, Vancouver wanted to make a difference. The organising committee of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics (VANOC) has worked hard to become the first to report, reduce and offset carbon emissions and use the experience to increase awareness and participation in emerging solutions to climate change. From using recycled rubber tires as floor material at various venues in order to protect the land; supporting and licensing aboriginal merchandise; improving public transportation; building the Olympic villages and venues under the new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system; making use of a paperless press release distribution system which saved an estimated 1.5 tonnes of paper; improving old venues rather than building new ones; to offsetting all VANOC’s carbon emissions that could not have been reduced or eliminated in any other way. With their many innovative and successful initiatives, they really have made a difference and hope other cities will follow suit by their example.

All of this makes you wonder why Vancouver and the province of British Columbia are not globally recognized as sustainable tourism destinations. The spectacular nature is here, the outdoor activities are here, the indigenous cultures are here and the various sustainable initiatives are clearly here – in all different forms available for all sorts of people. What better way to promote sustainable tourism on a global scale than through the most sustainable and hospitable Olympic Winter Games broadcasting live from Vancouver’s most spectacular scenery? I truly hope this event has made a great impact and many more will come to visit the beauty of Vancouver! Tourism British Columbia’s slogan says it all: You Gotta Be Here!

Source: http://www.tourism-bachelor.com/2010/03/05/thesis-student-researches-ecotourism-marketing-in-vancouver

Welcome to the 2010 Spring Olympics

It is February and it is already spring in Vancouver; the first flowers popped out of the ground, the first trees started blossoming, Wreck beach is full with nudist tanning NUDE, the temperatures haven´t gotten below 5C in two months and Vancouver is getting ready to ‘welcome the world’ accompanied with suitcases full of thick sweaters, wool socks, hats and gloves… “Welcome to paradise, sorry about the weather” I read today as the headline of a local newspaper.
Good luck with that!