My Head In The Clouds

It's crazy to realize that even if I learned a hundred new things everyday, there would always be more to see and discover. Take mountains, for example. Here I've been, grumbling about the neverending fog that wraps around the campus...and it never even occurred to me that the "fog" is really a cloud cover that rests, normally, at the top of mountains. Go figure. As it is, due to some nameless meteorological phenomena, the cloud cover has been relegated to halfway down Burnaby Mountain so that it's sunny and clear up here. Not only that, but I sat staring dumbly at the view: mountain peaks peeking out from beyond the clouds, the foggy mass lapping at the peaks like a lake of cotton brushing up against the shore. Breathtaking, to be sure.

I finally feel like I'm settled in. I've made some friends, am developing a routine and am getting a hang of my classes. I can read the newspaper on public transit without worrying I'll miss my stop, and I know to bring my own towel to the gym. This weekend, my two friends from Quebec and I will be shown around Victoria and all the beauty it has to offer. To hear it described, Victoria is a little taste of the BC I've always heard about: laid-back beauty nestled in nature and dipped in good company. Perhaps this weekend will be the beginning of a love affair with the province (it seems everyone back home expects me to want to stay here indefinitely). We shall see!

The Odd And Unexpected

After two days of fog and rain, I woke up to a blanket of white outside my window...and an e-mail in my inbox bringing tidings of a cancelled bus tour of Vancouver. While I nursed my dissapointment (there will be time to see it all later I guess) I decided to head out into the great white snowfall and get my computer checked by the Future Shop exerts at Metrotown, a huge mall about a half-hour bus and Skytrain ride away. Once again I was struck by the seeming contradictory nature of the weather here. While the onset of snow brings the bus system to a halt and brings on a rash of DANGER tape and red cones across the campus (apparently the glass roofs of the hallways are not made of tough enough stuff), pouring rain is comparatively minor although it makes me want to curl up in a fleece blanket and hide from the dampness that creeps, clammy and cold, into my bones (maybe I'm not that tough, either). I'll take a week of snow over a day of rain, anytime. That being said, as soon as this post is done I'm going out again. It's too beautiful to stay in.

It seems like lately my Spidey-sense for the differences in culture and mores has been revealing some strange and interesting things. The recreation centre doesn't offer any equipment related to snow sports (X-country skis, snowshoes, etc.) My phonetics and linguistics teachers use Mandarin as a point of reference in cross-linguistic comparisons...instead of French. It seems like everywhere I go I come face to face with the cult of the organic, the love of yoga and wellness. The beer here costs 11$ a pitcher (sobriety is in). Brand-names still rule but the names are not the same; Columbia instead of Baby Phat, The North Face in lieu of Simons. You can say the name Jesus in a crowded room without a swiveled head or a raised eyebrow, and very few people smoke. Cigarettes. But I digress.

It turns out that my cute little HP Notebook is, apparently, crap. I rolled into Future Shop with my long list of electronic ailments and came out sans computer, for at least 2 weeks. So my posts will be fewer for the next little while. I did leave with a smile, though, and a light heart. My adapter was busted and holding together with tape, and (of course) no longer covered by my guarantee (meaning 60$ to replace). But the awesome gentleman behind the counter went rummagin in the back of his office and handed me a new one, free of charge. Yes, Future Shop, I will be defending you next time someone blasts your customer service.

I'm siiiiiiiinging in the rain

I should have known it wouldn't last. The torrential snow became a torrential rain overnight that hasn't let up all day. Although I can't imagine keeping my high spirits after a week of this weather, there is hope! The locals go about their day, smiles on their faces, and don't seem to feel the slightest mood shift no matter how many days go by without a kiss from the sun.
Yesterday, I went shopping at the second largest mall in BC, called Metrotown. All I can say is, whoa. Over 450 stores, amongst them a huge Asian market that made me feel...like a minority. And yet, I also felt awed at the beauty and strangeness of this Eastern culture. As I walked along aisles of cans with labels I couldn't read and freezers full of eels and chicken feet, I suddenly realized how much I have to discover and learn about this people. I had my first class today, and of the 70 of us sitting in that classroom, only 5 or 6 were NOT of Asian descent. Yes, I have a lot to learn. And I'm excited to start!

The Great Move-In

Hello everyone! After a brief scare at the Baggage Claim desk (apparently Air Canada enjoys grossly over-booking its flights), I was able to catch another, direct flight and touched down in Vancouver at 5pm. After a 75$ taxi ride with a turban-swathed driver (it's nice to be surrounded by some cultural diversity again), my two friends and I arrived at Simon Fraser University and were quickly led to our respective residences. If first impressions mean anything, then BC is the land of perpetual friendly helpfulness, of smiling faces and helping hands and generosity without complaint. How refreshing, and inspiring! Already I feel myself smiling more, lending a hand to strangers as they struggle up hills and stairs with IKEA bags and overstuffed suitcases. This only makes me realize how individualistic we are in Quebec.
My residence is fantastic, with a common lower floor of kitchen and living room, and two identical floors of rooms. On my floor, there are only two rooms, with a shared bathroom, which means privacy and a quiet living space. My room is now decorated in my own cozy fashion and I've slept like a baby the past few nights!
The only hiccup in these past couple of days is the cost...of everything. At the risk of causing heart attacks or seizures, I won't disclose the price of a first grocery run, nor of my trip to IKEA. Suffice to say that I will be readjusting my budget to BC standards! I have also discovered that living on a mountain means that at the slightest whisper of snow, buses cease to run, staff choose to stay home and the campus shuts down for the day. It has snowed almost non-stop for the past 2 days, so today classes are cancelled and I get to sip tea in my Pjs and blog. Not a shabby way to start the school year!I have included my new contact information on this page; feel free to call, write, or message me! I miss you all and will be sure to update this blog as often as I have something to say ;)