Vancouver Arrival

Wow, I can't believe I've already been in Canada a week and a half! Luckily classes this week have been slow, so it's given me some much needed Internet time. I guess I'll try and catch up on some of my first week experiences.

From our road trip, Melissa and I arrived late on Sunday night (the 18th). I had to meet with the people who were renting me an apartment as it wasn't ready yet. They gave me keys to a temporary studio (bachelor as they call it here) apartment next door though. It had been damaged in some fall storms in Vancouver, so it was uninhabited. There unit was fairly functional though, as a temporary space. Essentially it's one room with a partial wall divider, and a tiny kitchen to the side. Part of the main room has huge ceiling cracks and storm damage, but no leaks (yay!). There are heat vents, but they don't really feel like they work....unless you stand right next to them. Little Aja kitty has figured this out, and makes one of the vents her home. I think that since there are cracks in the ceiling, the heat is just fighting a losing battle. So Florida-Me, has been fairly cold. However, between candles, LOTS of blankets, kitties, super warm PJ's, and a small heating pad, I've actually gotten along just fine. As I've said before, it's a lot easier to make yourself warmer than it is to try and cool off when it's too hot!

The other notable thing about this location is that the bathroom is a separate room down the hall. It's not a bad bathroom, but you do need a key. So it's very important (as both doors lock behind me), that I remember my keys at all times! actually, it's quite annoying. Luckily, my "permanent" apartment will have an attached bathroom...no keys necessary!

So that first night, Melissa and I unpacked the car to a certain degree, and huddled under the blankets for warmth. No bed, and we were too exhausted to try inflating the air mattress (which was huge and oddly long since it came from a hospital at some point). We did venture out to buy maps and get some info on the bus so Melissa could get to the Seattle airport the next morning (sadly our delay in Laramie prevented her from getting any real time in Vancouver), and for me to get to class in the downtown area...oh yes, and some snacks. I think the worst part was that for Melissa to catch the bus, she had to be there at 6am! The main bus terminal wasn't too far away by driving, so it was ok...just ugh, what a way to start in Canada! Long driving and limited sleep! And then the one person I know...she has to leave as soon as possible. That was tough. BUT...Melissa totally rocks for going through the adventure with me!

After getting her to the bus stop, I went back to bed for about 30 minutes before trying to figure out the public bus transportation for myself. And lucky for me...my first full day was full-on Vancouver. By that I mean it was cold, and raining...all day. Weather-wise, I don't really mind, but when you add that to getting around a new city...yeah, it was annoying. Oh well, at least I was prepared with my waterproof Helly Hansen coat, and an umbrella.

I forgot to mention, driving in Canada is WEIRD! It's actually not hugely different from the US, (it's not England!), but it's different enough to be a trial. First of all, say good-bye to Miles Per Hour! So instead of looking at my speed with the BIG numbers on my speedometer, I have to try and find the smaller ones for Kilometers Per Hour. That wouldn't be so bad, but boy do they seemingly hate to post speed limits here! I mean it, I've only driven on a few occasions this last week, but I have no idea what speed I should be driving. Being a city, you mostly follow the speed of traffic anyway, but I just feel like a moving target with Florida plates...you know the cops are just waiting to pull me over for anything.

And goodness, the Canadian drivers sure like to honk at me! Although I've noticed they honk at a ton of people. Living in Florida for 6 years, I know tourist driving, and I've hated it. But I rarely honked at people. I can also say that I don't ever want to BE that kind of bad tourist driver. And really, I don't think I have been. I feel like this is similar to L.A., where if you don't move a half-second BEFORE The light changes, you're getting honked. And you see this as a pedestrian too. They'll cut your nose off making turns around corners, and don't seem to care if you have the right of way. Definitely far more aggressive drivers here than I would have expected.

I could actually rant about driving here for a while. I'm so frustrated over it, that I don't intend to do it much. You can't really. I mean, there's nowhere to park. Even near my building I have a temporary pass for my temporary place, and I'll probably have to pay starting next week. But for businesses, they may have parking for their workers, and that's about it. Otherwise, find public parking, and you pay for it. Shoot, I walked to several thrift stores, and after buying things like a TV and microwave, I had to drive back to get them. One place, I stopped (in traffic) out front while the volunteers ran my purchase to my car for me. Another place, I parked a block away at a gas station and a volunteer helped me carry my stuff the block to my car. I couldn't find parking anywhere else!

The other maddening thing is something that I think just goes with big cities. Streets and turns are not consistent. Many streets have signs that say "No left turns M-F from 7am - 7pm". Ugh, what do you mean I can't turn Left now??? Other streets only let bikes go through, and no cars. So when you think you're a few blocks from your destination, you really have to drive in circles just to hit the right streets at the right times, and at the right angles. I know D.C. area has streets that go one-way in the morning and the other way in the evening, so I guess this is similar, but it's nuts. Oh, and for some reason, there always seems to be more construction during rush hour. Like they START blocking the roads at 4pm. That blows my mind. They also seem to have a lot of construction. That again could be typical of any city, but I think they are really trying to fix up their buildings and roads in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Have to be spit-spot perfect to show off to the world in 3 years!

Suffice it to say, I'm a greedy American who loves her car, but I'll be happy to use it very little here. I'll be even happier to get back to the U.S. and continue using it all the time. I love the environment, but I'm not sure I'll ever be a mass transit girl. I'll just get an electric car or some other "green" form of personal transportation some day.

Hmm...I think I'll have to tell you about my first school experiences next time. But I can say that I figured out the buses well enough that first morning, and got to the orientation on time...a bit wet from rain (ok, I did have to walk several blocks in a few circles to find the place from where the bus dropped me off), but fine nonetheless.

And it's been hard to describe the city, especially first impressions as it's been cold and rainy since I got here. So even when walking, you mostly hurry inside. But if the sun comes out or the clouds part, there is a gorgeous mountain view...right from nearly every street. At night, you can see the ski runs all lit up. Now that's quite beautiful.