About Marmite to Maple

So, in September 2010 I did something that many (myself included) would call life-changing.

With one click of a laptop mouse pad I’d booked a flight to Vancouver, leaving London Heathrow on January 11^th2011.  One further click uploaded my travel insurance details, and a third and final click opened an email confirming that my one year Working Holiday Visa will be waiting for me when I arrive on the other side of the pond in little under four months.

I didn’t what job I was going to do, where I was going to live, or whether I would to make any friends.  I convinced my boyfriend to come along for the ride, and he wasn’t sure what was going to happen either.

The first thing I felt after submitting my details to BUNAC was relief (from breaking out of the ‘will-I-won’t-I’ debate that’s been going on in my head for over a year) followed almost immediately by a combination of fear, concern and uncertainty, epitomised by the ever-foreboding ‘What if?’.  What if I can’t find anywhere to live? What if I come back to the UK and the recession has got worse? What if I don’t like maple syrup?

It turns out I didn’t need to be so worried. My initial return date was set for August 2011, but I extended this to the end of December to go home for Christmas.  I found a fantastic job, a great place to live and made some wonderful friends. I’m not planning on moving back to the UK any time soon, and I love maple syrup. I enjoyed my first year so much that I applied for a second, and a third IEC visa, and am in the process of applying for Permanent Residency.

Knowing what I do now, my what-ifs started to meander down a different route. What if I there was a way I could keep my friends and family up to date with how it’s going, both in the UK and in the City of Glass?  What if I could let other working holiday makers know how to get started, and what happens when you get off the plane at the other side?  What if I could offer hints, tips and advice based on my experiences in Vancouver?

It turns out that some what-ifs are easier to answer than others (particularly in the age of the internet), and Marmite to Maple was born.   I hope you find this blog interesting, informative, and dare I say inspiring, whilst I find out the answers to the rest.  BC here I am!