Work Canada Diary
University of Sunderland Journalism graduate Graham Reid, 21, from Northamptonshire flew out as a participant on the 2007 Work Canada programme on 14th November. Find out what he gets up to in Canada - watch this website for his regular diary entries!
1st May
I saw a different side of Vancouver today. When you’re in the hostel, it is a stereotyped, tourist side of Vancouver that you are exposed to. New people come in and go out daily, with stories of bike rides in Stanley Park, drinking sessions along Granville Street and the view of the city from the Harbour Centre.
Today, I moved into my new apartment, which is a 15 minutes bus ride out of downtown. The suburb is fairly pretty, with plenty of greenery and not too busy. Move one block over, however, and you come to Commercial Drive.
I had heard of the road, which is notorious for its restaurants and friendly, edgy bars. But not many of the travellers (from the hostel I stayed in, anyway) make the trip out to see it. Strolling along the street, just browsing, and looking for the supermarket, I was excited to see the places I could be frequenting once I’m more settled into apartment life.
With the warm weather, balconies were buzzing with couples, groups of friends and rushing waitresses. Along the railings, blue and red fairy lights created a relaxed ambience. This is a place I could get used to.
I had been gagging to get out of the hostel. When you are passing through, you are full of energy and itching to be active. When you are a resident, this incessant excitement can wear you down, and I only managed to rise to it on occasions.
I did keep myself busy. SWAP organised a kayaking trip on Earth Day (we went on a Tuesday, with Earth Day being April 20th), which was great fun. I actually met a BUNAC friend, Conor, from my university, and we reminisced about the old days, whilst straining our arms in our tandem kayak. The other people I met also seemed fun, and we went for a sociable drink in a pub on Granville Island afterwards.
I met up with Tom, Maisie and Astrid for a Friday night in (it was intended out, but we never made it). They were people I had met on the first SWAP pub night that I attended. With summer coming, the pub nights will become more frequent, and the friendships will hopefully grow.
Amongst the pub nights and SWAP organised events, I have made an effort to get fit. My winter of hibernation in Montreal, amongst the snow, had given me an honest layer of warmth. Vancouver, being the health-crazed city it is, had been given the challenge of turning me into an athlete.
To give me some motivation, I signed up for the Vancouver Sun Run, which consists of 60,000 people jogging, walking, and in some cases, pushing pushchairs, along a 10 kilometre course around downtown.
I hit the streets thrice a week in a bid to get my fitness up, and ended up finished a credible 5503rd out of 59,713. I had aimed to get the course finished in under an hour, so I was pleased with the 52 minute time I posted.
Afterwards, hoards of people handed me leaflets advertising further runs in and around the city. I have caught the running bug, and intend to work my way through some more of the organised events.
It’s a real lifestyle change on the West Coast. Now, with my new apartment, healthy ethos, and corporate lifestyle (my temping job had been letting me attend business brunches!), I am ready to fit right in!