Forgive me, readers. It has been 2 weeks since my last entry. :)
Unlike Guatemala, where my scattered entries were justified (I preferred to live out my adventures rather than write about them), I've just been undisciplined, unruly and generally all over the place. It's been great.
There is a light at the end of the Employment Tunnel: after handing out endless resumes and tacking up ads around campus and putting together kickass cover letters...I have managed to snag a tutoring job. I help a 10-year-old immersion student with her French. It's only once a week for the moment, but I've asked the parents to offer my services to other parents. We'll see how that goes. I had my heart set on a job on campus but I didn't get called back for an interview. Keep that in your prayers please...without money it's difficult to travel around BC and that's definitely why I'm here (studying is just an excuse).
There is a silver lining to this cloud: not being able to travel far has allowed me to slowly discover Vancouver and all its wonders. So far I have visited Granville Island, a quaint harbour area that reminds me of Maine, with its Local Market stalls and the long docks you can walk along and the smell of fish and Montreal bagels in the air. I'll definitely go back soon. I also took a brief jaunt around Gastown, an area of downtown that boasts a grandfather clock that functions only with steam! The inner cogs are unbelievable, with a chain that slowly descends, second by second, to finally deposit a brass ball onto a lever, activating a switch that makes the hands advance by a minute. Fascinating.
I also got my first look at the Downtown East Side (DTES), an area populated by addicts, homeless people and prostitutes. The statistics are grim: the DTES population has a Hepatitis C infection rate of 70% and 30% of the people have AIDS (rivalling some African countries). 52% of DTES residents are hard-drug users. And the scariest part is, with the Olympics coming, these 'messy' people will be swept under the rug, either evicted or given a bus ticket elsewhere. I still have a lot to learn and discover about this underbelly of the city (from a distance, for those who are reading this and are worried...).
This is older news, but a couple of weeks ago, I got to head to Chinatown and celebrate the Chinese New Year (Year of the Ox!). Gung Hei Fat Choy!! There was a beautiful parade with dragons, lions, martial arts demonstrations, women with fans and...bagpipes. Hey, why not, it's 2009!! Despite the rain, my friends and I were able to enjoy the tradition and beauty of Chinese culture. A great trip all-round!
Well, that's enough for today. More soon, I promise!
Unlike Guatemala, where my scattered entries were justified (I preferred to live out my adventures rather than write about them), I've just been undisciplined, unruly and generally all over the place. It's been great.
There is a light at the end of the Employment Tunnel: after handing out endless resumes and tacking up ads around campus and putting together kickass cover letters...I have managed to snag a tutoring job. I help a 10-year-old immersion student with her French. It's only once a week for the moment, but I've asked the parents to offer my services to other parents. We'll see how that goes. I had my heart set on a job on campus but I didn't get called back for an interview. Keep that in your prayers please...without money it's difficult to travel around BC and that's definitely why I'm here (studying is just an excuse).
There is a silver lining to this cloud: not being able to travel far has allowed me to slowly discover Vancouver and all its wonders. So far I have visited Granville Island, a quaint harbour area that reminds me of Maine, with its Local Market stalls and the long docks you can walk along and the smell of fish and Montreal bagels in the air. I'll definitely go back soon. I also took a brief jaunt around Gastown, an area of downtown that boasts a grandfather clock that functions only with steam! The inner cogs are unbelievable, with a chain that slowly descends, second by second, to finally deposit a brass ball onto a lever, activating a switch that makes the hands advance by a minute. Fascinating.
I also got my first look at the Downtown East Side (DTES), an area populated by addicts, homeless people and prostitutes. The statistics are grim: the DTES population has a Hepatitis C infection rate of 70% and 30% of the people have AIDS (rivalling some African countries). 52% of DTES residents are hard-drug users. And the scariest part is, with the Olympics coming, these 'messy' people will be swept under the rug, either evicted or given a bus ticket elsewhere. I still have a lot to learn and discover about this underbelly of the city (from a distance, for those who are reading this and are worried...).
This is older news, but a couple of weeks ago, I got to head to Chinatown and celebrate the Chinese New Year (Year of the Ox!). Gung Hei Fat Choy!! There was a beautiful parade with dragons, lions, martial arts demonstrations, women with fans and...bagpipes. Hey, why not, it's 2009!! Despite the rain, my friends and I were able to enjoy the tradition and beauty of Chinese culture. A great trip all-round!
Well, that's enough for today. More soon, I promise!
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire