my canadian landing experience...
as soon as i was sitting in the cab taking me to the airport my stress level dropped. at the airport i met an old friend, barbara, who was on her way to new york city together with her husband and 2 year old son. it was nice to hang out with them while getting through security and waiting for the next plane in london. a yummy hummus sandwich and i was ready for the last leg of my trip to vancouver, my window seat was nice but i constantly felt my neighbours elbows who carried about 10 newspapers with him and rustled through them. on top of it i had to listen to the movie he was watching eventually i gave up on trying to get some sleep, plugged my earplugs in and listened to the audio book of the da vinci code and then the weakerthans and propagandhi, my two most favourite canadian bandsi was very relaxed when we landed in cloud covered vancouver
on my way from the plane to the immigration booths i felt excitement creeping up my spine againeven the beautiful waterfall in the arrival hall didnt helpso i took a deep breath and got in the line for residents, which wasnt right i was told later but it wasnt a problem anyway. i was then called to a desk on the site of the hall which was decorated with a huge maple leaf flag, the officer checked my passport, my landing papers and my customs declaration and then sent me to the immigration office located next to the baggage reclaim hall. i was welcomed by two very friendly ladies who handed me info material, the forms for my sin (social insurance number) card and health insurance (every province has its own health insurance you need to cancel and reapply for if you move from i.e. vancouver to winnipeg, it is just a big country) and then sent me to the immigration line.
not that many people were waiting, mostly students and a couple from india, everything went quite speedy. the officer took my papers, asked if all details were still right, if i got married in the meantime or had kids, he wanted to know how much money i had, the quarterly issued bank statement of my savings account was fine enough, then i needed to make two signatures declaring that i never was deported or denied entry in canada and that i dont have a criminal record and finally the signature for my permanent resident card.
while he stamped the landing confirmation paper he said: and now you are a permanent resident of canada!
wonderful, thank you, was all i could say.
i grabbed my bags from the conveyor belt and walked over to customs. an officer took my lists that gave me so much headache over the last weeks, i waited for a few minutes, and he returned the stamped copies to me, without checking my bags at all. for those items i always take with me on trips, like cameras, laptop and ipod i now have a small green card which lists them so i wont have trouble entering canada next time.
and that was it!
kurt and t., an old friend of the kenzies, drove me to east van, to commercial drive, where i was introduced to the new bass player of the mckenzies, who took me up to north vancouver. apparently somethings wrong with kurts car so he cant drive the hills of north van. gooni was so sweet to drive me in his likewise slightly sick car who made some weird bubbely noises by the end of the trip, i hope he made it home okwe stopped by eva, joes girlfriends, house and got the keys for joes apartment. eva was very nice, gave me some info about the area, and after a short drive i was standing in front of the house i will live in for the next 8 weeks.
i entered the apartment and immediately felt home, a big living room with a huge couch, kitchen with stove and everything, bedroom with big closets, all emptied out for me, and a comfy looking bed, bathroom with bathtub and from both rooms a view out into the hills, trees and a park, all covered in clouds today, it has been raining all nighton one of the tables a note from joe, the mailbox key, and the offer to drink the beer sitting in the fridge. and the request to not smoke because hes allergic to ithe seems to lead a healthy lifestyle, loads of vitamins, spirulina and stuff in the fridge, dumbbells in the corner of the living room and flyers for meditation and yoga classes everywhere. above the bed the painting of a meditating indian god. hopefully hell help me to sleep longer than 4am, jetlag has hit me badly
and the most important thing for my peace of mind i had to check right after i dropped my bags...i have internet access!!! yes!!!
fell into bed and woke up early, definitely not enough sleepbut enough time to read through all the welcoming info i got at immigration, work on the computer and find out that joe doesnt have a coffee machine. help!!! daylight slowly came up and around 9am i went out to check out my neighbourhood. up the hill, toward lonsdale avenue where i found my scotia bank, which doesnt charge me for cash withdrawals, its a partnerbank of my german bank, then on to safeway, fruits, soymilk, bagels, veggie burger, cereal, coffee, and a coffee machine,at check out the lady said:
today is safeway satisfied customer day, you get a 10 percent discount on all your groceries.
thank you i answered and i realised i didnt have enough money on me. no problem, i went down the hill, got the money, and back up the hill, got a safeway customer card and another 10 percent discount. with all those discounts i treated myself to a nice cup of coffee and sat down in the caf at the corner enjoying the feeling of having arrived. an elderly couple sat down next to me and said that it had been colder the last few days, but in toronto they only have minus 16 celsius at the moment. good choice i thought to myself about my decision to spending the winter here. the lady asked me if i had a good vacation when i mentioned the snowfall in berlin on monday, then wished me all the best when i said i just landed in canada, and told me about her euope in 9 days trip last year.
at home i made some breakfast, worked on the computer and checked the internet to find out which was the nearest centre to apply for my sin card, luckily theres one just a few blocks away. thats my duty for today.
made some yoga to stretch my long distance flight cramped muscles, read a bit, took a shower but couldnt keep my eyes open any longer than 7pm
this morning i stayed in bed till after 5am and listened to the falling rainand now i am sitting here, will soon get into some waterproof outfit and walk down to lonsdale quay, apply for my sin, do some groceries, i need some tea, i miss my ginger lemon- and my tiger tea, especially with this weather
rainy day...
...some crazy weather yesterday! the rain was pouring down on me and the vancouver skyline vanished in the clouds. i was happy i was wearing my parkaand wasnt that soaked when i reached the human resources office at lonsdale quay. it took me one minute to apply for my sin card and hold the receipt in my hands, will have the card mailed to me within the next four weeks and could start looking for a job now
slowly made my way up lonsdale avenue, quite some hills here for someone from the flat country like i am! stopped at a health food store for my favourite tea, and bought some veggies, prices here are similar to german prices.
a store around the corner has a sign in the window saying: we carry european productsleberwurst, bratwurst,
at home i had to stretch my legs, i feel like a cowgirl after walking all those hills, have to get used to that kind of exercise.
the rest of the day was dedicated to my computer and the internet, it is wonderful how easy it is to find info re bus timetables, fares, shop addresses, info about cell phones, etc.,i am all set for my shopping day today
and the SUNs out!!!
tofurky day
what a gorgeous and bright daywalked to the bus stop around the corner and let me roll down the hill towards lions gate bridge, dark clouds hanging over the hills but bright sunshine and blue sky everywhere else. a breathtaking view from the bridge, it is so beautiful here, and reminds me a lot of san francisco. got off the bus and walked into the fido cell phone store new sim card and new phonenumber found out later that i cant make international calls from it even though thats what i asked for, oh well,at least i can use it in the states and can be reached by anyone from anywhere in the world. and i can always use a calling card with it and make international calls via that detour.
walked over to robson street and stopped at a caf sat outside for a whilepeople were walking around wearing t-shirts, summer feeling!!! and theni entered vegan paradisecapersi have to return soon, i couldnt believe my eyes and need more time to see everything they offerbought some tofutti better than cream cheese, organic chocolate, organic fair trade coffee,soy cheese, veggie patties, burgers, veganaise,some snacks like instant noodles,and last but not least the tofurky packagepure excitement!!! it is baking in the oven right nowsurrounded by potatoes, onion and carrots,and bathing in an orange/soy sauce mix capers also has a huge hot buffet and a bakery with vegan product, you can sit outside and eat or drink your coffeean oasis
back on the bus, up the hill, and up to lonsdale for a canadian bottle of red wine, and two videos,
they will hopfully let me keep my eyes open a bit longer tonight so i will sleep longer. i am aiming for bed time at 10pm and wake up time at 6am.
still debating with myself if i should go on the seattle trip on december 10th should check re rental carsmaybe this weekend. this weekend i will also go on a trip to granville island and maybe up to the mountainsif the weather doesnt change too much
eva showed up because she forgot something in the apartment, showed me the laundry room and where i can throw the trash out. shes a sweetheart.
and theni had my first tofurky. and it was sooooooooooo good!!!
what a texture and taste,amazing!!!
watched terminal which helped me to stay awake until about 10pm. im getting into my flow.
as soon as i was sitting in the cab taking me to the airport my stress level dropped. at the airport i met an old friend, barbara, who was on her way to new york city together with her husband and 2 year old son. it was nice to hang out with them while getting through security and waiting for the next plane in london. a yummy hummus sandwich and i was ready for the last leg of my trip to vancouver, my window seat was nice but i constantly felt my neighbours elbows who carried about 10 newspapers with him and rustled through them. on top of it i had to listen to the movie he was watching eventually i gave up on trying to get some sleep, plugged my earplugs in and listened to the audio book of the da vinci code and then the weakerthans and propagandhi, my two most favourite canadian bandsi was very relaxed when we landed in cloud covered vancouver
on my way from the plane to the immigration booths i felt excitement creeping up my spine againeven the beautiful waterfall in the arrival hall didnt helpso i took a deep breath and got in the line for residents, which wasnt right i was told later but it wasnt a problem anyway. i was then called to a desk on the site of the hall which was decorated with a huge maple leaf flag, the officer checked my passport, my landing papers and my customs declaration and then sent me to the immigration office located next to the baggage reclaim hall. i was welcomed by two very friendly ladies who handed me info material, the forms for my sin (social insurance number) card and health insurance (every province has its own health insurance you need to cancel and reapply for if you move from i.e. vancouver to winnipeg, it is just a big country) and then sent me to the immigration line.
not that many people were waiting, mostly students and a couple from india, everything went quite speedy. the officer took my papers, asked if all details were still right, if i got married in the meantime or had kids, he wanted to know how much money i had, the quarterly issued bank statement of my savings account was fine enough, then i needed to make two signatures declaring that i never was deported or denied entry in canada and that i dont have a criminal record and finally the signature for my permanent resident card.
while he stamped the landing confirmation paper he said: and now you are a permanent resident of canada!
wonderful, thank you, was all i could say.
i grabbed my bags from the conveyor belt and walked over to customs. an officer took my lists that gave me so much headache over the last weeks, i waited for a few minutes, and he returned the stamped copies to me, without checking my bags at all. for those items i always take with me on trips, like cameras, laptop and ipod i now have a small green card which lists them so i wont have trouble entering canada next time.
and that was it!
kurt and t., an old friend of the kenzies, drove me to east van, to commercial drive, where i was introduced to the new bass player of the mckenzies, who took me up to north vancouver. apparently somethings wrong with kurts car so he cant drive the hills of north van. gooni was so sweet to drive me in his likewise slightly sick car who made some weird bubbely noises by the end of the trip, i hope he made it home okwe stopped by eva, joes girlfriends, house and got the keys for joes apartment. eva was very nice, gave me some info about the area, and after a short drive i was standing in front of the house i will live in for the next 8 weeks.
i entered the apartment and immediately felt home, a big living room with a huge couch, kitchen with stove and everything, bedroom with big closets, all emptied out for me, and a comfy looking bed, bathroom with bathtub and from both rooms a view out into the hills, trees and a park, all covered in clouds today, it has been raining all nighton one of the tables a note from joe, the mailbox key, and the offer to drink the beer sitting in the fridge. and the request to not smoke because hes allergic to ithe seems to lead a healthy lifestyle, loads of vitamins, spirulina and stuff in the fridge, dumbbells in the corner of the living room and flyers for meditation and yoga classes everywhere. above the bed the painting of a meditating indian god. hopefully hell help me to sleep longer than 4am, jetlag has hit me badly
and the most important thing for my peace of mind i had to check right after i dropped my bags...i have internet access!!! yes!!!
fell into bed and woke up early, definitely not enough sleepbut enough time to read through all the welcoming info i got at immigration, work on the computer and find out that joe doesnt have a coffee machine. help!!! daylight slowly came up and around 9am i went out to check out my neighbourhood. up the hill, toward lonsdale avenue where i found my scotia bank, which doesnt charge me for cash withdrawals, its a partnerbank of my german bank, then on to safeway, fruits, soymilk, bagels, veggie burger, cereal, coffee, and a coffee machine,at check out the lady said:
today is safeway satisfied customer day, you get a 10 percent discount on all your groceries.
thank you i answered and i realised i didnt have enough money on me. no problem, i went down the hill, got the money, and back up the hill, got a safeway customer card and another 10 percent discount. with all those discounts i treated myself to a nice cup of coffee and sat down in the caf at the corner enjoying the feeling of having arrived. an elderly couple sat down next to me and said that it had been colder the last few days, but in toronto they only have minus 16 celsius at the moment. good choice i thought to myself about my decision to spending the winter here. the lady asked me if i had a good vacation when i mentioned the snowfall in berlin on monday, then wished me all the best when i said i just landed in canada, and told me about her euope in 9 days trip last year.
at home i made some breakfast, worked on the computer and checked the internet to find out which was the nearest centre to apply for my sin card, luckily theres one just a few blocks away. thats my duty for today.
made some yoga to stretch my long distance flight cramped muscles, read a bit, took a shower but couldnt keep my eyes open any longer than 7pm
this morning i stayed in bed till after 5am and listened to the falling rainand now i am sitting here, will soon get into some waterproof outfit and walk down to lonsdale quay, apply for my sin, do some groceries, i need some tea, i miss my ginger lemon- and my tiger tea, especially with this weather
rainy day...
...some crazy weather yesterday! the rain was pouring down on me and the vancouver skyline vanished in the clouds. i was happy i was wearing my parkaand wasnt that soaked when i reached the human resources office at lonsdale quay. it took me one minute to apply for my sin card and hold the receipt in my hands, will have the card mailed to me within the next four weeks and could start looking for a job now
slowly made my way up lonsdale avenue, quite some hills here for someone from the flat country like i am! stopped at a health food store for my favourite tea, and bought some veggies, prices here are similar to german prices.
a store around the corner has a sign in the window saying: we carry european productsleberwurst, bratwurst,
at home i had to stretch my legs, i feel like a cowgirl after walking all those hills, have to get used to that kind of exercise.
the rest of the day was dedicated to my computer and the internet, it is wonderful how easy it is to find info re bus timetables, fares, shop addresses, info about cell phones, etc.,i am all set for my shopping day today
and the SUNs out!!!
tofurky day
what a gorgeous and bright daywalked to the bus stop around the corner and let me roll down the hill towards lions gate bridge, dark clouds hanging over the hills but bright sunshine and blue sky everywhere else. a breathtaking view from the bridge, it is so beautiful here, and reminds me a lot of san francisco. got off the bus and walked into the fido cell phone store new sim card and new phonenumber found out later that i cant make international calls from it even though thats what i asked for, oh well,at least i can use it in the states and can be reached by anyone from anywhere in the world. and i can always use a calling card with it and make international calls via that detour.
walked over to robson street and stopped at a caf sat outside for a whilepeople were walking around wearing t-shirts, summer feeling!!! and theni entered vegan paradisecapersi have to return soon, i couldnt believe my eyes and need more time to see everything they offerbought some tofutti better than cream cheese, organic chocolate, organic fair trade coffee,soy cheese, veggie patties, burgers, veganaise,some snacks like instant noodles,and last but not least the tofurky packagepure excitement!!! it is baking in the oven right nowsurrounded by potatoes, onion and carrots,and bathing in an orange/soy sauce mix capers also has a huge hot buffet and a bakery with vegan product, you can sit outside and eat or drink your coffeean oasis
back on the bus, up the hill, and up to lonsdale for a canadian bottle of red wine, and two videos,
they will hopfully let me keep my eyes open a bit longer tonight so i will sleep longer. i am aiming for bed time at 10pm and wake up time at 6am.
still debating with myself if i should go on the seattle trip on december 10th should check re rental carsmaybe this weekend. this weekend i will also go on a trip to granville island and maybe up to the mountainsif the weather doesnt change too much
eva showed up because she forgot something in the apartment, showed me the laundry room and where i can throw the trash out. shes a sweetheart.
and theni had my first tofurky. and it was sooooooooooo good!!!
what a texture and taste,amazing!!!
watched terminal which helped me to stay awake until about 10pm. im getting into my flow.
marloski:
Good luck to ya! 
angelvanilla:
Just a reminder about the Christmas Vancouver Party on DEC.11 