After all that excitement about the dog walking, nothing has actually come of it. Niki set up two appointments with me and double-booked herself both times, cancelling at the last minute without apologising. And it's now been two or three weeks since I last heard anything from her. So I'm thinking she's probably not a very good boss to have anyway, if she's that disorganised! Mum is very happy to hear I won't be taking dogs hiking in bear country, as she thought they might mistake Goldilocks and her dogs for a tasty treat.
In the meantime, I've been considering moving cross-country to Ottawa where I have some friends to visit, Paul and Caroline. I'd like to see more of the country and I'm not particularly attached to Vancouver. I've enjoyed spending some time here and visiting some of the city's highlights, but I'm also finding temp wages very restrictive in that I have so little spare cash after paying bills, that I can't really afford to take short trips away or go out much. Plus things have turned sour with my roommate and we had a bit of a disagreement about cleaning (I'd like more of it!). It didn't make much sense to come all this way to have an unhappy living situation and work for peanuts. So I've decided to move on from my apartment, and I will decide in the next couple of weeks whether to stay in Vancouver or head east.
On a positive note, things are going really well at my current (continued) temp placement. I'm getting on really well with everybody now they've slowly warmed up to the girl on the front desk with the funny accent, and several of them have mentioned that they hope the personnel manager (who is currently on vacation) will ask me to stay on long term. I've had some really nice feedback that I've made a big difference to the place, and I've been flat out with a whole assortment of different tasks they've been giving me. That first week when I was so bored I was falling asleep seems like a distant memory now! Amongst other things, I'm occasionally writing, signing and sending correspondence on behalf of senior managers; setting up HR systems; and processing important (6-digit) financial transactions. I think I'm in a fairly good position to negotiate for a higher wage - if they'll maybe consider taking me on for a short-term contract until I head home in mid December. If not, I've discovered my temp agency has an office in Ottawa - so why not move there for my last few months and then I'll be able to visit places like Montreal and Quebec city more easily. I'll decide in the next 2-3 weeks!
What else is news? I made it to Vancouver Island on the weekend, where I caught up with Aaron and his cycling association friends in Victoria. They were having their AGM and then attending the BMX World Champs, which were held in Victoria. I was very fortunate to be able to stay in Victoria free by tagging along as Aaron's guest! (Thanks mate!) I left work early last Thursday, caught a ferry across and spent Friday looking around the inner harbour and downtown.
Totem poles at Thunderbird Park.
Looking across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Holland Point.
Breakwater at Ogden Point where I stopped for my morning caffeine fix.
The Inner Harbour with the Parliament Buildings in the background.
The Empress where you can take have a traditional English high tea... if you book a space several months in advance!
The entrance to the Parliament Buildings. I took the free tour.
Looking up towards the central dome.
Captain George Vancouver and some of his mates (can't remember the details!).
Pretty flowers. Looking back towards the Inner Harbour.
Shoal Point apartment complex - Canada's most awarded building apparently!
House boats at Fisherman's Wharf - very cute.
This one was for sale for CAD$325,000.
Entry to Victoria's Chinatown.
Saturday we spent all day watching the BMX heats, semis and finals (in the HOT sun!), and I was very happy to see New Zealand's Sarah Walker take a silver medal in the Elite Women's event! It was fun watching the BMX races as they're short, fast and action-packed! Good entertainment.
Good to see some support for the Kiwis!
Aaron and I in the stands. Not sure why I'm sticking my tongue out??
My new business?
Sunday Aaron and I found a great little place for brunch and then wandered around Chinatown and downtown a bit more. Then it was time to catch a bus back to the ferry terminal. I was blissfully unaware that on Saturday most ferry sailings were cancelled due to a bomb threat, and thousands were stranded, unable to make the crossing! But it was all back to normal by the time I caught an afternoon sailing on Sunday.
Vancouver is currently hosting a series of fireworks displays, called the Celebration of Light. Over 4 nights spread over 2 weeks, 3 countries (Spain, China and Canada) compete to be voted the best display, and hundreds of thousands of people flock to the waterfront to picnic and watch the fireworks. Last night I went down to English Bay with Sam (a friend borrowed from my best friend Mary) and we enjoyed beer and chocolate ice cream while watching the Chinese entry. The music they chose for their display was kind of odd - classical didn't seem to quite fit? It was really amazing to notice how quiet all the thousands of people were while staring into the sky with child-like awe at the spectacle.
Here you can see some of the people setting up to watch the fireworks at English Bay, hours before it got dark!
Mmmmm chocolate ice cream!
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