2011: The Year of the Maple Leaf
Here we are once again at January 1st, the beginning of another new year, a fresh start, and a collection of well meaning resolutions to help us on our way to a fitness/weight loss/learning a new skill/giving up a vice utopia. I’m well aware that by the time I publish this post many of us will have broken at least one of our precious promises (probably the one involving chocolate or smoking), but for those of you who are working hard to keep your pledges, I thought I’d add a few of my own resolutions for 2011, or The Year of the Maple Leaf as it shall now be known.
1. Always say YES – This particular gem of advice was given to me by two lovely friends this morning, and comes with the tag line ‘you can always say no later on…’ Following this instruction too literally could obviously land one in all manner of sticky situations, however the general gist is to be positive, flexible and open-minded to new opportunities (both business and pleasure) as you never know where they might lead.
2. Remember I’m in CANADA– Not that I’m likely to forget my geographical location at any point, but I can see already how all too easy it would be to get settled into a routine and simply replicate my life in the UK in Vancouver. A working holiday visa is a once in a lifetime opportunity so I want to make sure I make the most of it and do things I wouldn’t be able to over here, like going to watch ice hockey, driving to the Rockies, rollerblading round Stanley Park and improving my snowboarding.
Wishful thinking...
3. Do what I WANT to do… – …not what I think I should do. For example, I could look for work at a University in Vancouver because that’s what I do at the moment so is a natural career step, however is that what I actually want to do? To be completely honest I’m not really sure what I really want to do, but when I work it out I’ll write it down in big red letters and stick it to my fridge so I won’t forget.
4. Have FUN! – Sounds obvious, but relates closely to resolution number three, in that if I’m not enjoying something then why do it? I could get a sensible job at a good company working in a big office from 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday, but doing something boring for the sake if it is not the aim of the game. The point of moving half way across the world is to spend a memorable year living in a great city, doing and experiencing new things, all conducive to having fun!
I think four resolutions are enough for 2011, all of them specific enough to give me purpose yet vague enough to explain away if I fail. That’s if I fail, not when, as these are four promises I’m confident I can keep. And if I don’t, they’re subjective enough so I’ll be the only one who knows…
No one knows you’re up there…
In my last post I mentioned that telling other people about my Canadian adventure was making it seem all too real, however nothing could prepare me for the trauma that was to take grip after watching Adam Green’s Frozen (2010)[1] on DVD last week. Without giving anything away for those of you who haven’t seen it, Frozen tells the tragic tale of three skier/snowboarders who find themselves stuck on a ski lift after the slope has been closed down for the week. If you don’t want to know what happens when someone jumps off a ski lift, don’t watch this film (or look at the back of the DVD case). It’s not pretty.
Funnily enough, despite moving to Canada it wasn’t the thought of actually being stuck on a ski lift that terrified the living daylights out of me (I’m planning on going snowboarding a few times but I’m not doing a full on ski season), more the knowledge that if I was to find myself in a sticky situation, my family would be a 10 hour flight away. I will of course be in the more than capable hands of my horror film obsessed boyfriend (who knows all the rules and would make sure I won my fight for survival as the final girl), but the thought of being in a different country to my family just makes breaking a limb, getting burgled or catching some sort of airborne illness seem all the more terrifying. Of course, these are minor ailments compared to being stuck on a ski lift for 5 days and nights (depending on the airborne illness), but still.
Frozen (2010): How not to end a Sunday on the slopes
Realistically I am fully aware that Vancouver is really not that far, and a 10 hour flight is nothing compared to the likes of Australia or New Zealand. On a bad day it can take me 5 hours to drive to my parents’ house from home, and the fastest I could get to Edinburgh on a coach is 11hrs 50 minutes. Unfortunately such logic and rational thinking does not always prevail at 4am in the dark when one is convinced they can hear wolves in the kitchen.
After thinking for far too long about endless ‘what could go wrong’ scenarios, I have come to the conclusion that the answer is: anything. Indeed, anything could go wrong in Vancouver, but it could also go wrong in Southampton (my house). Or Ipswich (my parents’ house). Or anywhere else in the UK at any time whilst I’m getting on with my everyday life. And if I was on a bus in Edinburgh when the unthinkable happened, it would take me even longer to get home than from Vancouver. Worrying about what could happen abroad is silly, unnecessary and counterproductive, and I hereby resign to move on from this phase of the emigration thought process.
Saying that, maybe I’ll walk the Grouse Grind[2] up to the top of the mountain instead of taking the chair lift when I first go snowboarding, just in case. No point tempting fate is there?
[1] Frozen is out on DVD in the UK now: www.frozen-film.com
[2] The Grouse Grind is a 2.9km trail up the face of Grouse Mountain: http://www.grousemountain.com/Winter/vancouver-bc-hiking-trails-trips/
From Fantasy to Reality
So now I’ve booked my flights, told my employer and started clearing out my flat, it’s come the time to tell my family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and anyone else who stands still long enough to listen. All I’ve done for the past 18 months is talk about how I want to live in Canada and I’m ‘hoping’ to be going out for a year in January 2011 (all the while covering my back with ready-made excuses in case it didn’t happen), so now it’s actually happening I thought the first thing I’d want to do is shout it from the rooftops to anyone and everyone in earshot.
Whilst that’s true, and I definitely have been (well, shouting it silently from Facebook and Twitter at any rate), telling other people about my plans has had one effect that I didn’t expect – it’s made me really, genuinely nervous for the first time. Obviously I’ve thought my decision to go on a working holiday through properly, taking into account everything that could go wrong, but I’ve never really seriously considered that I would have anything but the world’s most amazing time. Telling other people about my plans has transformed them from a warm and cosy fantasy inside my head to a somewhat colder reality; it all seems very real all of a sudden.
I wonder why everyone wants to come and visit...
Saying that, I have been very lucky with my responses, and the vast majority of people I’ve told have been overwhelmingly positive, full of advice, and incredibly excited for me. My family have been very supportive of my decision (although I’m not sure they believed I’d actually go through with it) and my parents are already making plans to come and visit for the end of the ski season in March. So many friends have said they want to come and visit, and I really hope that some of them do.
If anyone else out there is planning a similar adventure but didn’t quite get the response they were hoping for, hang on in there. Ultimately, you’re not choosing to do this because it’s what your friends and family want to do, you’re doing it because it’s what you want to do. I appreciate that’s easy for me to say as I’ve been so lucky with my responses, but I do honestly believe that the power of positive thinking can get you anywhere. If you’re lacking that, a working holiday visa can help too.
Living the Dream
Today has been a particularly stressful day at the beginning of what will be a particularly stressful week at work, and every time I open a particularly frustrating email or receive a particularly irritating telephone call I remind myself that in 12 weeks and 3 days I will leave my office for the last time, and in 15 weeks and one day I will be on flight AC855 to YVR (Vancouver International to those who don’t speak airport).
Handing in my notice to leave for a completely new country with absolutely no idea what I’m going to do for work is a dream I find exhilaratingly liberating, perhaps because it is the perfect excuse to start from scratch and choose a job that I genuinely do enjoy. At the end of my working holiday I’ll be returning to the UK, and to my career, and I’m starting to view my year in Vancouver as a parallel universe in which I can do absolutely anything without it really mattering in the ‘real world’ back home. I like cheese, so maybe I’ll work in a deli? I like bath and beauty products, so maybe I’ll work in The Body Shop? I like chocolate, so maybe I’ll work in a Hershey factory?
12 weeks and 3 days to go...
As a Volunteer Coordinator by trade, I’m a great believer in the benefits of giving up one’s time, both to the individual and to the chosen organisation, particularly when it comes to developing new skills. This week I discovered the amazing http://govolunteer.ca/, a fantastic source of hundreds of volunteering opportunities across all of Vancouver, and I am confident that I’ll be able to use my spare time to volunteer in a role that utilises my UK experience and keeps my CV ticking along.
Although I’m under no illusion that Vancouverites don’t work hard or that all Vancouver jobs are easy, the thought of doing even the most mundane administrative role doesn’t sound quite so boring ‘over there’. I like to think that even when the in-tray is piling up, just knowing I’m half way across the world in a thriving city by both the beach and the mountains will be enough to get through 9-5 and live for the evenings, weekends and bank holiday Mondays. As with any new place I’m sure the novelty will wear off eventually, I just hope that time comes long after I’m on a plane back home for Christmas!
Useful Resources #2 – Facebook
In 2010 living one’s life through social networking is commonplace, so it was no surprise when I stumbled across a number of Facebook groups that really have aided the entire working holiday process.
BUNAC Work Canada (Official Page)
The official BUNAC Work Canada page is maintained by BUNAC, and is a useful starting point for information about the application process, BUNAC deadlines and finding out what else is out there.
BUNAC Work Canada (Official Page)
Where can I find it? http://www.facebook.com/bunaccanada?ref=ts
Good Points: As its run by BUNAC, this page is a good place to ask questions that you’d like an official answer to, and also keep up to date with ‘official’ news and updates.
Bad Points: It’s not used that much, particularly the discussion boards, but this could be because of the existence of the below…
BUNAC Work Canada (Independent Group)
This is an independent group monitored by a fellow BUNACer, and is particularly useful for asking questions about the less ‘official’ things, like what to take, where to live and whether your iPhone will work. The discussion forums in particular are incredibly well used, often by current/ex BUNACers who have been there, done that, and given useful, relevant and most importantly impartial advice.
BUNAC Work Canada (Independent Group)
Where can I find it? http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2213183700&ref=ts
Good Points: The best bit about this group is the discussion threads that appear for each group flight, for example ‘January group flight to Vancouver’. Once you know which flight you’re going to be on make sure you find yours and get to know your fellow travellers months in advance.
Bad Points: There’s so much information on this group that it can take a long time to sort through all the old threads and find what you’re looking for, but other than that it’s perfect!
SWAP Vancouver
SWAP stands for Student Work Abroad Programmes, and as BUNAC’s partner organisation in Canada they provide full support before and during your working holiday. This comes in the form of walk-in centres in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, orientation talks and jobs and accommodation listings, as well as organised social events and excursions.
SWAP Vancouver Group
Where can I find it? http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=18773579090&v=wall
Good Points: Joining this group is a great way to get a taste of the social events and trips on offer as these are all advertised here, and other SWAPpers use the site to let everyone else know about jobs, places to rent or items for sale in Vancouver.
Bad Points: You have to request to join the group which can be off putting, and as the discussion threads aren’t used much you’ll spend most of your time trawling through posts on the main feed.
The Wild World of Insurance
For me, the most daunting part of the working holiday application process was choosing and purchasing travel insurance.
Whilst I hope I could grin and bear the pain if I broke my leg whilst trying to be clever when snowboarding, I don’t think I could cope with my parents uttering a disappointed ‘I told you so’ if I didn’t have the right insurance to cover me. I figured that if the worst is going to happen there might not be a lot I can do about it (other than stick to the piste), but I could make sure the aftermath is more bearable than my broken limbs by doing my research into insurance.
BUNAC offer an exclusive and comprehensive policy through Endsleigh that covers all eventualities with lots of added extras, but does also come with an exclusive and comprehensive price tag. It’s all very well looking elsewhere for your cover, and a lot of travellers do, but it’s crucial that your cover ticks the right boxes with BUNAC otherwise it won’t get approved, and your letter of work authorisation will be delayed while you find yourself an alternative.
Sensible Skiers on Grouse Mountain
I am no insurance expert, but luckily the guys at BUNAC are, and they provide all Working in Canada applicants with guidance of minimum requirements for your cover, including period of cover, geographical area covered, medical cover and activities included. From my experience, things to look out for include whether you’re covered if you come back to the UK at any point during your trip (some policies will cease the moment you’re back on British soil) and what the excess is on any claims you might unfortunately have to make.
If you decide to go with another provider, other BUNAC-ers have gone with the following:
STA Travel – http://www.statravel.co.uk
ACE Insurance – http://www.aceinsure.com/
Multitrip – http://www.multitrip.com/
This isn’t to say that you don’t need to check these out thoroughly before you commit!
I went with ACE Insurance and paid £203 for 12 months global backpacker insurance. I was happy that the policy covered my needs for what I’ve got planned, and BUNAC were too. The topic of insurance is always a popular one in various blogs and internet sites, and does tend to induce mass panic (and even mild hysteria), but for me it turned out not to be quite the minefield I imagined. Different policies will work better for different people, and I am in no position to endorse any particular provider, but I do recommend you do the research as it really is worth it – insurance is not something to skimp on.
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Marmite to Maple 