Canada Experiences

Hey, guys!

I just got a call from a guy, inviting me for an interview for tomorrow (Thu, 4 Aug)! If you can give me any advice, please tell me!
The job would be here:

http://www.cymaxstores.com/

actually i have no idea, what i am going to do there exactly xD I applied for a Customer Service Associate.
Wish me luck for tomorrow!

http://www.ehow.com/list_6133420_customer-service-associate-duties.html

Am I able to do that?!

For today (Tue, Aug 2) I decided to go to Granville Island. Again on my own. While I was eating breakfast at the Samesun Hostel (why not, if it's for freee =P , I met Brook again, the guy from New Zealand. As he did not have any plans for this day, he accompanied me to Granville Island and showed me a little bit aroung. In the afternoon, we went together with three from Stepin, Steffi, Tanja and Karsten, to the English Bay, where a statue is located, and headed off to Second Beach, where you can find a swimming-pool.
We went along the Lake Lagoon - this is as well a very quiet place. And if you would not be able to see the huge buildings beyond the lake, you really could forget that you are in a city. There is a lot of nature in Vancouver.
At Lake Lagoon I spotted my first rackoon (do you spell that animal like this?! It's a "Waschbär") ever. I always wanted to see one, now Ive managed that ;) I hope soon will follow a bear and a wolf and a mousse and ... =D =P
Geese, ducks and swans can also be seen in a huge number around the Lake.
After returning back to the Samesun, where dinner was awaiting, I went with Brook and an ohter German Guy (Stefan, who thankfully only talks English to me) to a pub called "Mousse's down under" in Pender Street. A "couch-surfing"-meeting took place to that time and I got the chance to talk to some people. I got some hints about jobs and about cheap supermarkets (Superstore, Walmart, No Frills, Shoppers). Ill check if you really can get there cheap food =D
But now I have to do some more applications ^^ cu.

Monday, Aug 1:

Today is a holiday, but actually that doesn't matter here in Vancouver. The shops have open till late, however.
So after some applications online (in shops like Tim Hortons or Save-on-Foods or Starbucks) i went down to metropolis shopping centre and it's incredebly huge mall. I left in some shops and (fast-food) restaurants my resume and often had additionally to fill out an application form.
After some time I decided to look for sth. to eat. There is a huge food court with lots of fast-food-stores in the mall, but still the food is quite expensive. at last i found a double-cheeseburger from McDonalads for about 1,60 CAD and tried not to care about the meat. But it was disgusting somehow... ^^
After that I did some shoppings in a Save-on-foods-store, where really everything has the size of jumbo packages... i don't know if that's the cheapest way to get along here, I wanna try it out, however.

When I brought my shopping stuff back home, I decided to go to Burnaby Lake (quite close to my new hostel) today. Acutally I wanted to that on my own. But as the Canadians are always so helpful and polite, some guy asked me - while I was standing there with my map - whether he can help me with the way. Well, I ended up with him accompanying me to the Lake. Was quite nice, but somehow weird. At least he was 49! Don't worry, though! I really did not have a bad feeling about that and I even phoned a German friend of mine that I am on my way with some guy so that anybody knows about that. He was called Rick, by the way, and he bought my a daypass, a sandwich, a drink and some frozen stuff ^^ it was impossible to refuse ^^

Burnaby Lake is quite nice and it is very quiet around it. At around 8 pm I was back home again and actually I wanted to do sth. more about jobs and my WWOOF-profile, but somehow i ended up talking with the two French girls in my room and even cooked a delicious meal with them =D as they were leaving the next day, they wanted to leave as much food as possible here.
At midnight I finally got to bed =D

As I promised here are some more things Ive learned during my first days here in Vancouver (it might be that I repeat some, cause i don't know anymore what ive already mentioned and what not xD).

- if you considered about taking a hairdryer with, dont do it. The energy power of German hairdryers dont match with the one here in Canada. So the normal air power will be shortened to about a quaver. I am really thinking about buying a Canadian one or to cut my hair....
- there are somehow a lot of German people here, so sometimes youll speak more German than English if you are unlucky
- i recommend to book a hostel for about a week when you are still in Germany, in order to have a fixed accommodation for the first while in Vancouver. In this way you can settle down and arrive in no hurry. Otherwise you have to think about a place to stay as soon as you arrive in Vancouver which might be a bit stressful, espcially when every hostel is full.
- many applications work only via the internet. if you are intrested in jobs like selling at Starbucks you actually can fill in the forms online when you are still in Germany. So you wont have to do that in vancouver anymore.
- At first glance, Canadian bus drivers seem to be the same assholes as German ones are xD =P

i cannot think of anything else right now, but there is definitely more that i could tell you. as soon as i have more things in mind, ill let you now ;)

Sunday, Aug 31:

I got up at 8 am. Unfortunately my roommate Veronica has too leave today, as she has booked a bustrip to Whistler for about 3 days.
Tanja slept that night as well at my hostel, for she didnt find any other place yet (meanwhile she is in an other hostel downtown for the next 3 nights).
Actually I wanted to enjoy again free-brekfast, but i couldnt get there in time. So we met other Germans in front of the Samesun at aroun 11 am and together we walked to Denmanstreet, where the Gay Parade should take place.
We got a quite glood place to watch what was going on and from noon till 03.00 pm the parade strode past us. To describe what I could see would be too complicated and would take too much time, so I just show you some pictures when I am back ;) =) For now I can tell you that it was awesome and quite funny-dressed people passed us.
This weekend quite a lot was going on in Vancouver, as it is the "long-August-weekend". Tomorrow (Aug 1) is namely a holiday. Of course, the shops will be open, though.
As I told you, yesteray was a firework. It was organized by Asian people. There will be another one on Wednesday (by Spain) and one on Saturday (by Canada) next week. It is like a competition. That is why it might me a bit difficult to find an accommodation right now. I am glad that i booked my hostel already when I was still in Germany... =)

After the parade I walked with Tanja a little through the city, accompanied her when buying a cell phone for her, and then we decided to visit Steffi in her area (West Van). We had to take the bus and crossed a bridge in order to get there. Youve got a nice view on Vancouver and the sea, then.
It was about 5 pm when we met there, we talked a little bit and exchanged experiences (unfortunately in German... we really should talk in English!!! I already tried that with Tanja and it worked).
I learned that many applications only work via Internet... so I am going to do that tomorrow probably. Tomorrow or the day after that I will try out the walk-in-method and attempt to find a job in metropolis shopping centre where about 470 shops are located... I definetely hope that I find work amongst this amount of shops.
I got home at about 8 pm, after getting to know some Canadian (one again with German background somehow) guys in my age. Perhaps I can go out with them tomorrow night. I dunno yet.
Well I just got a shower and washed my clothes for the first time here in Canada... they are getting dried in the drier right now and I really hope that they wont shrink xD =D otherwise Ill have to do some shopping the next days in Vancouver... would be quite expensive...
In my next entry which ill probably write now, youll find again some hints if you also wanna go backpacking here in Vancouver/Canada.

A lot of things happened on Saturday, July 30:

It was my first night in the new hostel and i could sleep pretty well, for it is located in a rather quiet area. My first location at that day was my old hoste, the Samesun. I hope, no false will read that, but it is possible to get there breakfast for free xD =P well, i grabbed this cance of course.
After breakfast, I met again that guy from New Zealand and three other Germanss joined us. Altogehter we joined a free walking-tour through Granville and Gastown.
A few things I learned during that tour:
- the biggest Zombie walk takes place in Vancouver and it seems as if the city is invaded my Zombies...
- there are some neon lights in the city. The reason: Vancouver is a quite rainy city (I cannot confirm that, though - till now it so sunny, I even have got a sunburn =/ ). On 200 days a year it is raining in Van. Together with the huge buildings and skyscrapers, the citiy would look rather grey and triste; that should be not the case with neon lights xD
- there is an alley called "Blood Street". In contrast to many beliefs about slaughter or a butcher shop or anything, the street is only named like this to attract tourist. I can confirm that it worked ;)
- In Gastown there are some old railways and a clock which is powered by steam (the only one in the world); there is as well steam issuing from the clock - but that is just show ^^ again to attract tourists....
- only approx. 60 % of the people living in Van are born and raised there. The main part is from Canada, indeed, but from other cities like Monteal. An other huge part is from a completealy different part of the world, particulary Asia.

After the tour, one other German of the organisation Stepin (Steffi) and I walked along the Seawall, up to Stanley park. Stanley park is very, very huge (about 10 square kilometers...). We just visited a very small part with a lake and Indian Totems. Additionally we both were very tired at aroun 4 pm (cause it is 1 am in Germany), so we walked back and seperated at the bus station.
I walked a little around alone, till I met Tanja (again "from" Stepin), Veronica (the German girl from my new hostel) and the couple from my new hostel.
About this couple i had a little confusion for a while, concerning their nationality. I figured that out now: Sophie is from Wallington, New Zealand and her boyfriend Tom From the Netherlands (having as well Austrian background). Nico, again a German and living at the new hostel, joined us as well.
Together we went down to the beach (at around 7 pm) in order to get a good place to see the firework.
We ate and chatted the next 3 hours, till the firework started at 10 pm and lasted for 25 minutes!!
The firework was fired at the board of a ship and partly exploded directly from the water. It was amazing.
Afterwards Tanja and Nico went home. The remaining four of us headed for a good pub; we finally found one and drank there Canadian beer =D It is quite good in my opinion, very soft, almost like silk. No idea how to describe it ;) We ate some chicken wings and fries there (me only the fries xD).
At around 00.30 a.m. we made our way home.
And then I realsied how bad my skin is burned... -.- I hoped Canada would be the last place where I get a sunburn... but well ;) =)

So this time I will include into my entry some hints for following backpackers...
as I've said on the flight Toronto something more exciting happened as I had a little talk with the customs xD =D and here my first hint: never take a pepper spray with you, at least not one that is against humans. Due to my honesty I admitted to have one with me...so opened my luggage and it turned out be that it is for animale-use only. So it is no problem to import that. Altogehter I can say that the Canadians, even the customs officer, are always kind, polite and gentle.
If you are standing on the street, map in hand, within a few secondes someone will ask you whether you need help. it is really amazing and something I love here in Canada.
The city itself I like as well a lot. It is overwhelming to see the sea and bejond the mountains; Vancouver is despite some skyscapers a quite green city.

So on July 28 I've visited togehter with two other stepin-members from Germany the introductory seminar in the SWAP office. It contained some good information, e.g. where to go the best for a bank account and mobile phones.
And that was the main thing the three of us occupied ourselves with this day. I've got now a Canadian mobile phone with a canadian sim-card and for 25 dollars per months i can call as long as I like and i dont have to pay if someone calls me. Actually you namely have to pay for incoming phone calls...
Hint: You can check already in Germay, if your German mobile phone will work in Canada.

And I've realised that you seem to get along with mastercard better than with Visa. It also seems that even if youve got DKB cash (that actually means that you can withdraw money from a cash point for free), the machine takes 1-2 dollars....
In total its quite expensive here. Something really annoying is that almost everywhere there are no taxes included in the price... so the article/food costs always more than it is labelled.

In the evening I was really somehow desperate and worried because of everything what was going on. I still cannot imagine that I wanna stay here for 10 months...

July 29:

During the night I was quite tense... I was so nervous because I wondered whether I am be able to repack by rucksack and whether I manage it to get everything (and myself ^^) to the new hostel.... and whether the new hostel will be fine. So many thoughts in my head, actually everything unnecessary. I think, gradually I get along with everything much better. The time Ive got a job, it only can get better ;)
Well everything went fine after breakfast. The best thing was, that someone of the same hostel also wanted in the direction as I wanted. He is from New Zealand and we had a lovely chat =D He told my about "Faresavers", which are the most cheapest tickets you can get. And he said something about Tourguys (free sightseeing tour or sth.; Ill have to check that on the internet myself).
Well, on Metrotown-Station we seperated and there I was picked up by the hostel owner for free... it took a while because I didnt understand where exactly I have to wait x)
And then I just settled in the new hostel. There are nice people from Netherlands (Sophie and her boyfriend) who gave me as well a lot of tips.
With them I went to Vancouver Downtown later on. I met Tanja at the Samesun to go with her again to SWAP for the Resume. The woman there corrected mine and I printed it now about 30 times... so hopefully among the 30 shops etc. Ill give my resume to Ill be taken.
I want to try it next week in Metropolis shopping centre to find a job. Would be great, for it is only a short walk away from my new hostel.
Well, at 04.30 pm I actually wanted to meet a canadian woman in front of my old hostel, but it turned out later that we both were at different places - again it was my mistake ^^ perhaps well meet somewhen else.
Instead I visited with Tanja Chinatown and we walked along Pacific Boulevard. Was really, really beautiful there.
At the moment is gay parade, by the way. We got a short glance at that. But I really had to go home to do some other stuff, like taking a shower and things...
The most embarassing thing what happened in the end, was that I almost forgot which room i have in the hostel xD =D i am still confused with this new style of life.