Moving Day!

So back to the story. I was in my Airbnb, sitting on the sofa, contemplating my next move. Should I go back to a hostel and just hope for the best? I really didn’t want to, but I hadn’t left myself with many options—especially with my irrational fear of viewing apartments. If I booked into another Airbnb, I’d be broke before summer even started. So, the hostel was starting to look like my only viable option... Until that buzz of my phone.....

It was a message from Gia. One of the girls in her house had found a new place and was moving out at the end of the month. Her question to me: Would I be interested in taking the empty room?

My answer? An overwhelmingly emphatic Hell yes!!

I didn’t know where the house was, what the room looked like, or who else I’d be living with. All I knew was—I’d finally have somewhere to live. I was giddy!!

Gia sent me on the paperwork that needed to be filled in. I have never been so enthusiastic about filling in a form in my life!! It was like this giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I sent back the forms and started planning what I needed to get for my new room!! The excitement was high! The next two weeks of living in the Airbnb were quite enjoyable as I didn't spend every moment there looking at housing websites, only to log off without having accomplished anything! 

I went shopping, buying bed sheets and decorations for my new room in anticipation of moving day! I was still working 2 jobs, so I was keeping very busy, but I was also making the most of my lovely Airbnb before moving into my first shared house! 

May 1st came around, moving day! I managed to pack all my stuff into my backpack and maybe 5 plastic bags! It's amazing how quickly you accumulate things! Because it was a Monday, I was working. Luckily, my Airbnb host let me leave my things in the apartment until after work, it would have been quite difficult hauling all my plastic bags into the office with me! 

All my worldly belongings!

That evening, I went back to collect my things and got a taxi to my new home! I didn't trust myself to find my way unassisted, so I gave the driver the directions and off we went!! Gia was home, ready to welcome me! It was so exciting walking in that door for the first time! But the mess.....There were bikes, shoes, clothes—stuff everywhere. The kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off. Gia apologized, explaining that the other housemate could be a little unaware of the fact that she was sharing a space. Apparently, a sink full of dishes wasn’t an unusual sight.

That made me a bit anxious, but honestly? I didn’t care. I had a home.

The mess!!

That first evening, I prepared my room so it was sleepable in until I had more time to make it homey! Myself and Gia had a few drinks to celebrate the move! The other housemate didn't appear that night, she was out, so I would have to wait to meet her! As it was dark when I arrived, I didn't really know exactly where I was, or what the area was like! But I was looking forward to exploring! I went to bed quite early and spent most of the night just lying there smiling, thinking.......I'm home!!

My first night in my new home!

When nothing goes right, go left!

I need to take a step back before I go any further with this story. I left out one place that played a huge part in my first few weeks in Canada......Vancouver Public Library, VPL for short! I failed to mention it once in my previous posts and to be honest, I have no idea how that happened! VPL Central Library became my sanctuary while I was living in the Samesun hostel.

It was quiet, it had free access to the internet and gave me the possibility to print CV after CV for a very low cost. Also, it had a lot of books!! It was the perfect antidote to spending endless hours in my bunk wondering what to do next. When I entered the building, it was like a sense of calm came over me!

However, I struggled getting there. Every day for the first week, when I left the hostel to go to the library, I ended up in the wrong place. Even using Google Maps, I seemed to get lost EVERY SINGLE TIME!! If any of you are familiar with Vancouver, you will know that VPL Central is quite an easy place to find! And from where I was staying, you literally had to follow the street to the big busy junction and turn right, and you would find it. Simple......not for me! I have always been somewhat directionally challenged, but this one really just stumped me for a ridiculous amount of time!!

Eventually, I managed to figure out how to get to the library from the hostel without the help of Google Maps. But then came my next challenge, sometimes I didn't go to the library straight from the hostel. Maybe I went to the shop, maybe I went for something to eat.......once again, I was baffled! The library is on one of the main streets in Vancouver, it's not like it's hidden down some alleyway. It is also quite a striking building, so doesn't exactly blend into the rest of the buildings around. I had no excuse for not being able to find this place, and yet, time after time, it eluded me! I lost a lot of precious library time because of this. 

One of my main issues is I have a tendency to always turn left. It's almost like a supernatural force that pulls me in that direction at all costs. Even if the map is clearly telling me I need to go right, something inside (or outside) convinces me it's wrong, and that I need to go left! This has caused me quite a few problems through the years! So much so, that my parents bought me a fridge magnet to remind me of this impairment!

Once on a visit to Paris, I wanted to go to the Arc de Triumph, which, according to those trusty maps was only a six-minute walk from my hotel. I left my hotel and turned left immediately. After over an hour of walking, I thought, something wasn't right (no pun intended). This was at a time when using Google Maps abroad was extremely expensive, so I was using them very sparingly. I instead messaged my parents, told them where I was, and asked them to look at the map back home in Ireland. 

I had walked most of the way to the outskirts of the city in the completely wrong direction! I had not taken any turns, it was a continuous street, so I turned around and headed back the way I came. As I got closer to my hotel, something large appeared in front of me, the Arc de Triumph, exactly as the map I had checked in my hotel room that morning had told me, a six-minute walk away.....to the right! 

I also tend to avoid public transport in cities, as the same thing happens, and much larger distances can be travelled in a much shorter time on public transport, so who knows where I would end up! Generally, when I visit a new city, I rack up at least 30,000 steps per day, but never really get very far!!! I hope someday, I will figure out how to navigate both cities, and my life!

But back to the library! It is an amazing building, from the first moment I saw it, I was taken by it! And so that was where I spent most of my time (when I wasn't lost, of course!) I guess the moral of this story is, that no matter how lost you get, keep going, you will eventually get there! And occasionally take a right turn along the way, even if every fibre of your being is telling you it's wrong! Also, if you ever go to  Vancouver, I highly recommend a visit to the Central Library!!

A-Listers buying Bananas

The first few weeks in my new job were interesting. I was still living in the hostel, and because I didn't want to eat microwave food every day, I was spending a lot of money in bars and restaurants. When I think back on it now, I don't think I have eaten out as much in my entire life combined, as I did during those first few weeks in Vancouver. And it ain't a cheap place, let me tell you!

Even though things were starting to look up, I still was struggling, and tears flowed from time to time unexpectedly. I remember one day going to a nice restaurant and ordering a steak, something that I do very rarely! As I sat eating my steak, tears started pouring down my face onto the plate, and I ended up not finishing the steak and crying uncontrollably in a corner instead! It was quite embarrassing! Every time I spoke to my parents on the phone, the waterworks started, I still wasn't sure I had made the right decision.

But I went to work every day, and tried my best to look at the positives! Vancouver is an absolutely beautiful place, and I wanted to be there. But I was still terrified to go and view apartments, so it looked like I would be staying in the hostel for a long time yet! However, at the beginning of my third week there, I went to book in for a fourth week, only to be told they had a 3-week stay limit...... uh oh! To this day, I still don't understand that rule!

If my stress levels had started to come down any bit at all, this drove them right back up...what was I supposed to do now?? I could of course move back to the Samesun, but that really, REALLY didn't appeal to me. I started looking at Airbnbs again. So I would pay the same for a week in an Airbnb as I would for a month if I found an apartment, but I just wasn't ready to go to see apartments. Airbnb looked like the only option to me at that stage.

Because I had worked in the factory for a long time and lived at home with my parents, I had some savings, however, taking a detour down under on my way had put quite the dent in them! But I went for it nonetheless!! Obviously, my parents encouraged me and told me they would support me with anything if I needed it, which was always such a comfort.

I booked an Airbnb for 3 weeks, thinking, that during that time I would grow some cajones and go view some apartments and have somewhere to live by the end of the month. I was working in the shop most days while living in the Airbnb, learning as I went. I discovered what a London Fog was.....(Earl Grey tea with steamed milk for the unaccustomed!) I was entertained by the kids who were visiting from America who got so excited when they saw a Kinder egg for the first time! I got star-struck when Hollywood A-listers came in to buy bananas! It was a pretty cool place to work really! 

Not only was I working in the shop at this stage, but the temp agency had finally found some work for me, so I was working Monday to Friday, 9 - 5 in an office, mainly doing data entry and filing, and then most evenings I would go to work in the shop for a few hours along with weekends. So really this didn't leave much time for apartment hunting.....or at least that's what I told myself!

But I never grew those cajones! I was entering my final week in my Airbnb, and I still had not gone to see a single apartment. I had taken numerous pictures of "For Rent" signs on my wanders around the city, but not once did I even contemplate calling any of the numbers on them. I had resigned myself to doing another stint in a hostel and told myself if I didn't get somewhere to live within 2 weeks, it was time to call it, tuck my tail between my legs, and make my way back to Ireland! As I was trying to choose which hostel to book into next, my phone buzzed........

Who was it? Only my guardian angel, back to save the day once again!!!!

Fear, Friendship, and Finding My First Job in Vancouver

So, it turned out, that moving into the Samesun hostel changed my life! During my first two nights there, I regretted all my choices, quitting my job, moving to Canada, and most of all, moving into the Samesun! But once I met Gia, my opinion changed! Even though she was 6 years younger than me, and this was also her first time living away from home, she seemed to be much more in control than me. 

In fairness, she had also been living in this dorm room since she moved to Vancouver from Northern England almost 10 weeks previously, so I guess she had more time to figure things out. When I realised she had been living there for so long, I got scared, I could not live like that for almost 3 months, I would not survive.

So after many attempts, my bank card was finally unlocked and I could afford to buy food again. At this stage, it was mid-March, the snow was beginning to disappear, and we reached St. Patrick's Day. If you are not aware, Vancouver has a huge young Irish community. If you want a home away from home as an Irish person, this is the place to go. But that is not what I was looking for. I didn't really want Irish friends, so for St. Patrick's Day, instead of going to one of the numerous Irish bars, I went with my new friends, Sam, Gia, and another friend of theirs who was living in the hostel, Bess, to get sushi. Being from the countryside in Ireland, this was my first experience of sushi....I liked it, but I didn't really understand it. But the whole experience was just so nice, I had a group of friends! 

Gia had found her job through a temping agency in the city, so she helped me get signed up with them, but unfortunately, they had very little work at that time. But it was a start. Gia had also found a room in a house and was moving out of the hostel the following week. This scared me, she was my lifeline at that moment. I was afraid that when she moved out, we would lose touch and I would be back to figuring things out myself........Luckily, she was a much better friend than I was. 

The day she moved to her new accommodation, I also moved to new accommodation, a different, quieter hostel in a quieter part of town! I had had enough of the party vibe, I needed some tranquillity!! I moved into a dorm with just one Italian girl, who was friendly but also liked her own space which was perfect for me. We got along well, but also kept to ourselves! 

After about 1 week in this hostel, Gia sent me a message saying the husband of a woman she was working with had a shop, and he was looking for a part-time worker. She recommended me and said I needed to go there that week for an interview. My stomach did a flip! I couldn't figure out if I was happy or sad. I desperately needed a job, but also, the thought of starting a job scared the life out of me. As I mentioned before, I had worked in a factory for over 9 years, and I didn't really know how to do anything else. I know what you're thinking, it's just a part-time job in a shop, but at the time, it seemed like the biggest deal! I was half tempted to not go to the interview, because of the fear. I'm not sure which fear was stronger, the fear of failing, or the fear of actually getting a job!!

Turns out I got the job. A nice little newsagent and coffee shop inside a 5-star hotel. Not too shabby at all!! I was still a nervous wreck, every time someone came in, I hoped they just wanted a bar of chocolate or a newspaper, but almost everyone ordered coffee, or wanted cigars from the humidor. I got the hang of things quickly enough I think, and started to settle in. I almost started enjoying it! I finally had a purpose in Vancouver!

The next task was to figure out how to stop living in a hostel, but just as my blog name suggests, I took it poco a poco!!!

 Finding my Guardian Angel

So it's February 2017, I am in my Airbnb on Main St. in Vancouver. It's snowing outside. The only clothes I have are summer clothes because, as you may remember, I have spent the last 2 months in Australia and New Zealand. What do I do? Well, mainly I panic! What have I done! I have no idea where to start, I have no qualifications, and I haven't done an interview in almost 10 years. I have never even lived outside my parent's house. Maybe, I should have tried this a bit closer to home. 

Each day comprised of wandering the streets, (after buying some more appropriate clothes) and figuring out the city! On one of my first days, I wandered straight down Main St. into the city centre, which in Vancouver brings you to a place called East Hastings. This part of town has a huge homeless community with many people using drugs, and is quite an overwhelming place to come across unprepared. It was quite a sobering experience, to say the least.

My next trek downtown was a more pleasant experience, making my way as far as English Bay and the West End. It's amazing how two sides of town can be so different. This side of town really is the polar opposite, very upmarket and one would almost say luxurious. 

But every day was not just exploring my new home, I had things to do. I started by signing up for courses in the local social security offices on how to update my C.V. and looking at flyers for jobs left, right and centre. I say looking at flyers, I never actually applied for any jobs, because I was too scared! But it made me feel like I was doing something at least!

My two weeks in my Airbnb were coming to an end, with no leads in sight. Next step.....move to a hostel! As I have mentioned, I like my own company, so the thought of this was not exactly thrilling me, but I knew it had to be done to meet some people. I decided to book into the Samesun hostel on Granville St. This was bang smack in the centre of town, and quite a party hostel.....again, not exactly my scene! But I bit the bullet, packed everything into my backpack and headed on my merry way. I was extremely nervous, so before I checked in, I may have stopped at a bar across the street to get some Dutch courage! I may have overdone it. I started talking to a couple at the bar who bought me many drinks, so I was not quite as petrified entering the hostel!! 

When I got to my room, I was a bit taken aback. It was a 4-bed dorm, the three other beds were taken, and there were things everywhere ... I mean everywhere! I had a top bunk, so I clambered up there and sat, taking it all in! The other girls in the room were out that night, so I didn't actually meet any of them until they stumbled in at some stage. I, on the other hand, was lying on my top bunk regretting those extra drinks I had, and hoping my first impression on my roommates was not me puking over the edge of my bed!

The next morning I realised that some of the other girls were working, so they were up and out quite early. One of them was working in the hostel, let's call her Sam, we got to chatting, and she was my first connection in Vancouver! I went out that day to explore again, and while trying to pay for something, I realised my debit card had been blocked by my bank back home! Just another thing to add to my stress levels! I went back to the hostel and cried on my bunk for the evening. Again that evening, I didn't really interact with the other girls in the room.

The next morning I went down for breakfast, and my Sam was working. I told her what had happened and she kindly offered to help me out in whatever way she could. I spent most of that day trying to contact my bank, pestering my parents who were trying to get it sorted out in Ireland, as with the time difference, it was not very easy for me to deal with the bank. Another day without my bank card. However, that evening when I got back to the hostel, 2 of the girls were in the room. Sam, and another girl who had a job in an office in town. Sam was asking me if I got things sorted with my card. When I tried to answer her, I broke down and bawled my eyes out in front of the two of them! This was when the other girl, Gia, came and gave me a hug, told me everything would be ok and we would figure it out! 

This was the moment I met my Guardian Angel!!

From the Frying Pan into the ...... Deep Freeze - Taking the Scenic Route to Canada!

So I went to Canada! It's pretty easy to fly from Ireland to Canada...but I tend to do things in a more roundabout way than necessary. So instead of flying directly from Ireland to Canada, I decided to take a slight detour and spent 2 months travelling around Australia and New Zealand along the way.....only a few thousand miles off course! It was a great decision, I enjoyed the whole experience. 

As a solo traveller, I like to join groups when I go to unknown places, as I am not the most organised person, and there is a possibility that I would see nothing if I was left to my own devices! So I booked 2 trips with G Adventures, one on the east coast of Australia, from Sydney to Cairns, and another around both islands of New Zealand. These trips are great to get you out of your comfort zone. As I mentioned before, I'm quite anti-social, however on these trips you are basically spending 24 hours a day with a group of people you just met. It's weird how relationships form so quickly during this time. Now when I look back at photos from those trips I see things I did with people I felt like I had known for years, when in reality, I had met them earlier that day, or maybe a day or 2 earlier. It's like a parallel universe that has no relation to your normal life. 

I would highly recommend a trip with G Adventures to anyone who would like to do something a little different. To date, I have done 6 different trips with them, and I don't have anything bad to say about them! I am hoping to get the chance to join some more of their adventures in the future.

But, I digress. This was a stop on my way to circumnavigating the globe, not all in one fell swoop, but I ended up doing it eventually!!

I got to Canada at the end of February 2017........the middle of winter in Canada, after leaving the height of summer down under. This was a shock to the system! It was FREEZING! It was snowing! I was very jetlagged. It was at this point, during my first few days in Canada (Vancouver to be exact) that I thought I had made a huge mistake! What was I thinking? I had spent a good chunk of my savings on my journey to the Southern Hemisphere, and here I was with no job, no connections, no friends....far, far away from everyone and everything I knew.

I stayed in an Airbnb for the first 2 weeks of my Canadian journey. It was a nice house, just outside the centre in a nice area. I remember my first experience in Vancouver was a good one. After getting the Skytrain from the airport, I then had to get a bus. When I arrived at the station, I was completely lost, I had no idea what direction I had to go, or what bus to get. I was laden down with a large rucksack on my back, a backpack on my front and trying to figure out Google Maps when a young couple with a child approached me. They were not exactly "rough" looking, but I was a little nervous. But that feeling disappeared when they asked me if they could help me out as I was looking a bit under pressure with all my luggage and the lost expression on my face. They showed me exactly where the bus stop was that I needed to be, and what stop to get off at. I was supremely grateful! 

When eventually I made it onto the bus, I tried to pay by card, which I discovered was not possible! I was preparing myself to get back off the bus as I did not have one single cent in Canadian money at this stage, but the lovely bus driver told me it was ok, to take a seat, and he would tell me where to get off......Canadians, eh!! Salt of the earth, they are!! I made it to my cosy little apartment and pondered my decisions.....

Things change quickly - from basking in the sun on the Whitsundays to looking out at a snow-covered yard🤯

Taking the leap

It's daunting! It's exciting! It's terrifying! It's exhilarating! 

Quitting your job and stepping into the unknown. 

If it were easy, everyone would do it—or would they? Why do people move away? Why do they decide that having a steady income and a roof over their heads isn't the be-all and end-all?

I still don't understand my need to give up my handy life and make things more complicated.

I am an introvert, an antisocial human who really enjoys their own company. Going out with other people generally instils a fear in me that is crippling. Ok, that's an exaggeration, it just makes me uncomfortable. Whether it's a small gathering of people I know quite well, or a setting with many people, some that I know, some that I don't, they both make me want to instantly put on my PJs and hide.

So, why did I decide that leaving the country and starting over again would make me a different person? No clue. Spoiler alert.....It hasn't worked!

I have done this before. In 2016 I decided to leave my well-paying, easyish, if not a little boring job, to move to Canada. I got my 2-year visa, not knowing what was in store for me. As a college dropout, I had very little on my CV, almost 10 years experience working as an operator in a pharmaceutical factory......not the most promising candidate for most employers. 

At a Canadian job fair in Ireland before moving, the only stand that spent more than 1 minute speaking to me was a hog slaughtering factory, who were very eager to pay for my flights and the first month's accommodation upon arriving. The flights and accommodation sounded promising, but hog slaughtering was not high on my list of desires. 

But I motored on, convinced it would all work out. That's my motto...."'Twill all work out". This makes people think I am a very chilled-out person, nothing can phase me. This is both true and false. I take big risks, quitting jobs, moving countries, with very little money in my pocket. 

Most people probably think this is a very foolish thing to do (me included) but I am extremely fortunate to have extremely supportive parents, who I know will help me out if I get myself into a hole or take me back into their home if things go belly up! I am very aware that not everyone has this support system, and I will be forever grateful to my parents, who also happen to be my best friends.

So that's really where my moving abroad journey began. It most certainly hasn't been plain sailing, I have been unbearably sad, immensely happy, and every other emotion in between. 

Want to hear more about it? Stick around for the next chapter!