What I Did On My Summer Holidays…

Once I was going to write a blog about seasons, and how lovely it is to live in a country with some.  Then the weather went screwy, it rained for 6 months solid, and I thought I’d better keep quiet.  But the sun came out in July, just as the school holidays started, and we had 2 solid months of really hot sun, long days and warm nights.  The west coast is breezy and fresh, never humid, and there is always water to head to if the heat becomes too much.  Today the rain returned, for the first time since July 22nd, and I wanted to reflect on our lovely summer.  So, this is what we did during our summer holidays…

Dinner by the fire at Deception Pass, WA

Tie-dyeing teeshirts at the Township 7 Winery

Raccoon hats and strange machines at Fort Langley

A free Vancouver Symphony Orchestra concert at Deer Lake

Swimming and jumping off the dock and more swimming everywhere there was water….

Beachcombing at Porteau Cove

Sailing School at Port Moody

And enjoying our garden as it grew, and grew and grew!

What did you do this summer?

InterNations.org

I’ve been invited to be a featured blog on the website InterNations.org.  The website is set up to create support networks and exchange news with others taking the big step of moving across continents and oceans for a new life.

For more information about moving to Vancouver or about experiencing culture shock when moving to a  new country, please visit InterNations.org!

To Bear or Not To Bear… That is the Question

“There was a bear and 2 cubs here last night,” said our neighbour, and thus starts the terrible dilemma.  I have decided that this is the year I will see a bear, reasonably close up and not be terrified.  Cautious, yes, but not utterly freaked out.  After all, I am very nearly Canadian and all Canadians deal well with huge, clawed, jawed, hungry omnivores, don’t they?  Last year we (almost literally) bumped into a couple of small black bears on the cycle route in Whistler and the year before that, we stood in our sitting room and watched as a largish teenage bear crossed our lawn.  This year I am determined to do some real bear-watching.

So this afternoon when I heard that we had been visited, and might again, I was quite pleased.  Then I got to thinking.  The last bear in my garden tore apart my compost bin and I had to move them both into the shed (the bins, not the bear) for the summer to prevent tempting the bear back – luring or feeding bears is against the law, and once they become accustomed to garbage and compost, they are nearly always destroyed.  When I got home today, my compost bin was in 2 halves, but nothing had been taken out – was it bears last night, or the meter man who visited today and might have been really really clumsy?  If I close the gates, will that keep them out?  And if they get in, will they stamp all over my lovely garden, which has finally woken up and started growing? Worse, do they like peas?  Will they eat all my baby vegetables?

Perhaps if I string up bells and get an air horn, I can frighten them off if they come.  But I don’t want to frighten them off, I want to watch them and photograph them.  Argh!  What should I do?

I think tonight I shall sit out on my balcony, within easy reach of the door, with my camera , air horn, pepper spray, bear bells and camouflage netting and see if they come back.   If nothing else, I might be able to surprise the neighbours.

Island Living – is it for you?

The ferry to Vancouver Island

The Island Life For Me is a new post from Frank and Sue Gerryts, at Relocation2BC, about the pros and cons of life on The Island (Vancouver Island), or one of the many little ones scattered all around these parts.

Grow, Dammit, Grow!

This is the first page of our Migration Book.   We wrote it together to keep track of our feelings and dreams about our adventure moving to Vancouver.  On one page it says… “I’m going to have a GARDEN again!!”  Nearly 20 years of moving every 2 years has meant that countless times I have cut beds, made compost, dug in fertilizer, planted out and moved just as the soil gets good and the vegetables ripen.  I was really looking forward to getting a place with enough garden to make something special, and having enough time to do it.

Of course, our dream house is blessed with an aspen tree on one side, nearly 80 feet tall with roots that run through the lawn, surfacing every few feet like cresting dolphins.  So, raised beds it is, then.  My sister explained that, although we are on a similar latitude and the climate feels the same, one can’t just plant the same varieties as in England.  She bought me a book, Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades by Steve Solomon, which I read.

What it doesn’t tell you, but your neighbours will, is that everything is so bloomin’ late.  We’ve had a rotten couple of years, but even so, my innate English gardening sense goes off in March – “Brrrrring!  Spring Is Here!  Lambs are born!  Daffodils are out!  Plant something!”  I just can’t help myself – I gather the seed packets, and start preparing the soil.  Then I wait for soil to warm up.  Maybe Easter….. or late April….. I can wait until May…. Mothers Day, 13th May, still too cold….. my brother in law doesn’t plant out until late May, I can wait….. Where the F*!@ did June come from?  And why is it still cold?

Spider babies on jasmine

10 Things You Need To Know About Jobhunting

I first posted about job hunting some time ago, and a request for job hunting tips reminded me that this is a hot topic that needs updating regularly.  So, although I am not currently looking for a job, here are some ideas from one who survived the job search and is now one of the managers who might just be deciding your future!

Tip 1:  When we moved here, I budgeted for 3 months out of work.  It took 6 months.  Everyone I have spoken to since has said “It always takes 6 months to land a job here.” Why?  I don’t know.

Tip 2:  A Canadian resume is like a British CV, but there are subtle differences.  I eventually landed a job going with a Functional layout, rather than the traditional Chronological, but if you don’t want me to get all technical, just research on all the great web resources and get the resume right.  It is best to get someone to read through both your resume and covering letter (each application needs a fresh covering letter and resume targetted to the specific position and, most importantly, addressed to the right person and company); spelling and grammar mistakes make a big dent in the first impression.

Tip 3:  I didn’t bother getting my qualifications converted before we moved here because it’s very expensive and I’m a generalist, but after 5 months unemployed, I was prepared to pay!  I translated my qualifications on my resume, to give prospective employers some idea of the levels (GCSEs = High School Diploma etc).  If you are a specialist, it pays to get the conversion documents before you start applying for jobs.

Tip 4:  You will need an internet connection from the start.  I used all the main search sites (workopolis, monster, vancouverjobshop), and checked all the recruiting pages of the companies or local government agencies I wanted to work at.  The Provincial and National sites are great (bcjobs, Government jobs, workbc), and a lot of companies use Craigslist, although you must beware of the many scams posted there.

Tip 5:  The job search landscape seems different to me – it’s a highly unionized workforce, but personal recommendation is the way to go.  Networking and forcing introductions pays dividends.  The job hunt process is more personal too – follow up applications with a phone call, follow interviews immediately with a thank you email or card – things that felt pushy in the UK but are expected here.  Now that I am doing the recruiting, I push good prospects to send me their resume and I network to spot the next great addition to my flock.  I heard on the CBC News today that 80% of jobs in British Columbia are “hidden”.  That is, they are never posted, but are filled through networking, personal recommendations or head hunts.  A common tactic is to contact the company you want to work for and request an informational interview with someone in your chosen area (use the company website to find the right name).  Gather information about what qualifications they are seeking and how best to present yourself.  At best, they will like you and offer you a job.  At worst, they will refuse to see you (politely, because we are Canadian).

Tip 6:  The traditional view is that you will take a career and salary step down when you emigrate.  You should expect this.  Even with outstanding written and spoken English and great qualifications, even in the multicultural melting pot of Vancouver, employers are cautious of the unfamiliar.  I couldn’t see how I could be unfamiliar – we were all speaking the same language, and using the same skills after all.  That was until I started sending my first emails at work, and receiving puzzled requests for translation – many of our quaint old phrases haven’t made it across the pond, but you can win over anyone with a carefully placed “Blimey.”

Tip 7:  I joined a couple of agencies to get some temping work, and was very disappointed.  Perhaps my timing was wrong but I eventually got picked up by a local college for the general clerical pool.  A far cry from the HR Manager position I was looking for, but 6 months is a long time for someone who has never been out of work in her life.  My husband was recently laid off when the company he worked for went out of business.  They paid for a career consultant to work with the employees, but with little success.

Tip 8: It depends what you are looking for, but like house hunting, it can help to drive around the area within a decent commuting field, looking for suitable companies, and for Hiring Now signs.  This really works if you are interested in retail or looking for part time work close to home.

Tip 9:  Work BC was recently overhauled and revamped.  This is part of the Provincial Government’s scheme to focus on employment for all, and replaces many of the specialized job search services with more general offerings.  The website has an interactive map of office locations as well as many online services.

Tip 10:  Consider the growth areas.  If you have not entirely set your heart on Vancouver, you might find that your particular skill set is in demand somewhere else in BC.  Kelowna is a growing city with some great opportunities, and in a beautiful part of BC near to the Okanagan with its wonderful climate, vineyards and fruit orchards.  Further into the interior, the weather grows increasingly extreme, but that’s where the logging and oil are, plus a big demand for all essential services like teachers and medical staff.  Vancouver Island is also an option; Nanaimo is pushing itself as a growing city and there are opportunities there.

Bonus Tip:  Do as much work as you can before you arrive, arranging introductions  and networking through Linked In or GMail.  Join professional associations to get into discussion forums and arrange some social or professional development events when you arrive – it makes you feel like you are being proactive and gets you into the work environment quickly.

Tangentially, children…

Sometimes I wander off the point a little.  My friends and colleagues are used to this, so you, dear reader, must get used to it also.  Today’s post is not about emigrating to Vancouver or the wonders of British Columbia but about parenting (the last time I did this was Eating the Elephant).

We like our children to at least attempt to be helpful.  I am a traditional parent who, when I see a pack of squabbling weasels, will find work for them.  I give out chores.  Yesterday Laurel, eldest weasel, was mooching about in a teenage way, while I was shifting a truckload of top soil into the vegetable garden.  “Laurel” I yelled “Can you bring me the seed potatoes which are sprouting on the windowsill?”  She did.  She took my seed potatoes, carefully sorted into groups by variety, piled them all into one container and brought them to me.  “Which ones are the Warba?” I asked “Huh?” she said.

Later I was marking out a circle for a new bed.  I asked her to make a string compass – peg, piece of string, hammer peg in ground, lay paving stones in circle marked by end of string.  She created her compass from a stretchy piece of fabric, and marked 2 lines on it.  One half of the bed was measured to one line, then she got bored and moved to the other side and used the other line.  It’s an interesting shape, but it’s not a circle. Huh.

In the evening, I asked her to make some cookies for lunch boxes.  “If you want to make triple chocolate ones, swap 2 tablespoons of flour for 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder” I suggested.  This evening, after dinner, she was nibbling at one.  “These are very solid and bitter,” she complained “must be all the cocoa powder.”  “How much did you put in?” I asked.  “I swapped the flour for cocoa, like you said.” “What?  ALL the flour?” “Duh, yeah. Like you said.” “I said 2 TABLESPOONS!” “Huh.”

Then she went off to practise a bit more slouching.  Huh.

Sending The Good News Home

A few weeks ago we finally got round to mailing the 2011 Roundup DVD back to friends and family in the UK.  This annual event is months in the making, as I sweat and stress over which images, which films, which music to use to fully bring across the essence of the year that has just passed.  I lie awake at night worrying that I have used more pictures of one child than another, that I have not put enough emphasis on one guest’s visit compared with another, and will insult someone.  No matter how hard I try, I know my father will hate my choice of music.  So why bother?  I actually love putting together the annual round up and we all love watching the short movies.  This year the girls were fascinated by our 2009 movies, when they were all so small and squeaky, so it’s a great way to share their growing up with those who see them so rarely now.

Then, on Saturday, I was chatting with my BFF – her in Worcester, me in Coquitlam.  She said the DVD had arrived, she and her children watched it and since then they have all been very depressed.  “Why don’t we go ice-skating, Mum?” asked her 11 year old.  “You do so many amazing things, and we feel so boring” she complained.  I thought about this for a while and I have realized that we are all falling victim to …. The Facebook Effect.  Let me explain….

We have friends on Facebook who arrived in Vancouver shortly after us.  They have amazing children who are always smiling, always happy to be out with their parents at every event and every cool place in town.  They eat at wonderful restaurants, go to parties with a diverse crowd of friends, ski, sail, camp and snowshoe (often in the same day).  We are very jealous, and question why we are not so interesting.  The Facebook Effect has caught us.  When I last spoke to our friend, she complained bitterly about the effort it took to persuade her daughter to come out with them – the sulks, the arguments, more sulks.  I tried not to look pleased, but this is not the story we get from FB.  Of course, we all post the best pictures; not to be smug but to share the news and the great places to be.

So I told my friend in Worcester about the bad days, and I explained that we have the same problems we had in England – there’s a ton of great stuff we could be doing every day, but we can’t afford to do it.  We still have to make lunch boxes, wash and iron clothes, stop the leak in the basement and replace all the mouldy drywall.  We still have to shop carefully for the bargains, and we still wish we could win the Lottery.  We still disagree to the point of yelling at each other and threatening to walk out, but now I’m not sure where I’m walking out to – I could go home to Mother, but it’s very difficult to maintain a righteous anger when you are cooling off in an economy seat on a 10-hour flight.

I’m already planning next year’s DVD.  During the year I am going to take photos of us doing our homework, commuting to work and having sulks.  Then I’m going to set it to something by The Smiths.  That should keep everyone at home happy.

When You Get Right Down To It….

Grouse Mountain - The Peak of Vancouver

Apparently blogging about blogging is really not on.  Totally off, in fact.  Utterly not cricket in the blogosphere, wherever that is.  I learn these things from my  husband, who has been blogging longer than me and hates the fact that I get more readers.  I keep telling him that I will not sink to his level, I will not play these sick little games of whose blog is better, then I find myself obsessively comparing our stats and laughing to myself (more Mwah-ha-ha, than hee-hee-hee).

The thing he finds most difficult is that the top search, the main reason, the path that leads my readers to me is, in fact, Sushi.  Last week I wrote about the women’s locker room – surely naked women would be a more frequent search subject than sushi, yes?  It was a post I wanted to write, but I will admit that I felt pretty smug including “women’s locker room” in the tags list.  But no.  Top Search again is, of course, Sushi.  And “knitted Marmite” (if you are the knitted Marmite person, let me know if you find a pattern – I quite fancy a cuddly jar of Marmite.)

I have been writing for my own creative outlet, and for the benefit of those who might be considering taking this giant leap of faith to another country, or who have recently done so and are asking the inevitable questions (“Will I ever feel comfortable saying pants instead of trousers?”, “Will the roadworks on Highway 1 ever be finished?”, “What the heck is Poutine, and should I be innoculated against it?”*)  I’d like to feel I’m doing a small public service, but apparently I am helping those who are confused about sushi (and want knitted Marmite).

So today, I’m just going to tell you what I have been up to this week and include the word Sushi in the tags for the fun of it.  If you arrived here searching for Sushi, there’s a blog post here.

It is Spring Break this week in British Columbia, or at least in School District 41 (Burnaby).  School holidays are not standardized across the Province, so many schools have started taking a 2-week Spring Break.  Without half-term holidays, the long drag from January to July is very, very long and this is a much needed break; 2 weeks would be nice.  I decided to take the week off and, as we could not afford a real ski holiday staying at a real ski resort, I designed our own.  Every day this week we have loaded the car and driven 30 minutes to Grouse Mountain, where we have had a lesson and spent an hour or two skiing, skating or hiking the trails, followed by hot chocolate in the cafe.  The whole week has cost about $1000, which includes a private instructor for the 2 eldest children, lessons for me and Tiny Weasel, rentals and some ski passes (we bought annual passes for the girls at the end of last year, for $60 each).  Not bad, really.

Dim and I also visited our local Garden Centre on Saturday to buy a blueberry bush for the hamster’s grave (have we really been here as long as a hamster’s life cycle?).  The Garden Centre was hosting a whole weekend of speakers and free workshops on all subjects – planning your garden, arranging plants in planters, composting, and our favourite, the Forest Grove School Garden with guest speaker, our friend, the wonderful and inspirational Barb McMahon, of Sprouting Chefs.

Barb McMahon at the Sprouting Chefs stand

Barb’s passion is food – growing it, cooking it, introducing others to it in all its infinite variety, which is why she is such a key part of The McTraslerRomeroMahon Dining Club.  Three families, one English, one Canadian (with Japanese in the mix), one Mexican, with 8 children ranging from 4 years old to 16 years old, meeting monthly to experience new cuisine wherever we find it.  My children are shamed into trying new food by their adventurous and confident friends.  Any day soon we’ll be trying the Chinese Dim Sum at Yan’s Garden on North Road.  February was Korean Barbeque at Insadong, also North Road, and January at Fuji... can you guess?  Yup, Sushi!

*the answers are yes, no and don’t ask, don’t touch, avoid at all costs.