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........