Hello Vancouver!
After a four and a half hour flight, I arrived safely. A little turbulence - I love turbulence. Wish it lasted longer, but it was very brief.
Arrived in Vancouver ahead of schedule. Got into a taxi and drove to East Vancouver. I booked a room in a lodge on Pender Street. One street south of Hastings. I was so upset that I dragged myself into that part of Vancouver. The room was moldy, small (barely held all my luggage) and the beds really uncomfortable. There was no sink in the room like promised. Sink, washroom and shower all in the hall. Europe hostels were more clean and inviting than this place. It was a hole.
That night I booked a car for the next day. Wednesday was my apartment hunting day.
Woke up at 3:30 a.m. because of the time difference and couldn't sleep anymore. We got out of the room really quickly and headed towards downtown to pick up the car. Took a bus for a little while, then we walked across a bridge and just took in the real Vancouver...not the East Vancouver hole.
Plan of attack. Drive to UBC and hope to find apartment announcements posted on bulletin boards. I found nothing in the newspapers I bought. By instinct I ended up in the Journalism office. I didn't even have the UBC map with me. Found a board with a map and realized the journalism building is down the street. It was meant to happen! I went in, met Barry -- the program secretary -- it was nice to finally meet him. He took me around the building into the various classrooms and introduced me to a couple of instructors. Too bad the program director was busy. I'll meet him next week.
Mac lab after Mac lab. He recommended I get a Mac for all the design things we'll be doing. Again, there was a reason why I didn't purchase that laptop in Toronto. It just wasn't meant to be.
We walked to the student services building and the grad student building and got a couple of listings. I booked two appointments. One at 1 p.m. the other at 2 p.m. Then I started to call the places I found online. Taken. Taken. Left message. Taken. Taken stop calling!
I was really discouraged. Plan B into attack. Get into the car and start driving through the streets. The Budget car guy recommended certain streets to do the whole driving through with a cell phone in hand. We did that for 2 hours and found not a single listing.
It was almost 1 p.m., drove to the first place since it was really close to UBC. A huge orange and pink house. Brand new basement suite. The catch. Share with another girl, who was probably going to take the bigger of the two rooms and it was at the top of my budget. If I was going to pay $700 for an apartment, it better be my own.
We decided to drive to the next appointment right away. I was getting a really sick feeling in my stomach. Butterflies. I really wanted this place to be ok. It was further than I wanted it to be, but I soon realized how close it really is to the campus. Vancouver blocks are not German blocks (for those of you who heard my Germany walking stories).
The house was lovely on the outside. The apartment entrence is through the back. Down the stairs. Huge window that looks out into a patio. Walked in and really loved it. Living room area and kitchen. Then there's a huge bedroom that right now is holding two mattresses -- so visitors have a place to sleep and I still have room to walk around the two sleeping arrangements. Walk-in closet and two entrences into the bathroom. Private from the bedroom and one from the living room space.
I wanted this place and I got it! I put down whatever money I had and they cancelled all the other viewing appointments they had at 4, 5 & 6 p.m. There was a girl right before me, but they told her right away that she wasn't right.
At 2:30 p.m. I had a place.
At 7 p.m. I moved in! They let me move in right away. Especially after they found out where I am staying. So what if I paid for the night, it was better to get out of there right now!
We found out where there's an Ikea (needed a comforter, also bought some cups, still need a couple of pots, wok & a kettle). Went to Costco, got some groceries, got a lot of the bare necessities to start me off.
Drove to the hostel. Picked up my luggage and left.
8:00 p.m. I was done moving in.
I love it here. I am still semi-unpacking. There's tons of light and the apartment is temperature regulated. It is on a really quiet street that has a park a block away - good for running. And this is all on a hill, so you get panoramic views of the mountains from the park. The weather has been so non-Vancouver that I get to see the mountains without a problem. It is warm and sunny and blue skies.
So, visitors - yes. There's a place for you to sleep!
Hanging pictures on walls - yes.
TV - yes (but no HGTV ... darn ... no more renovating/decorating shows ... also no TLC)
Internet - yes.
Full kitchen - yes.
Great shopping and restaurants on both streets! Especially Cambie and I am not far away from Broadway and Granville streets for more amazing clothing shopping!
I also bought a laptop. A MacBook Pro. I think I'm going to be in debt by the time I am done school. I think I will finally understand what a poor student feels like. I've had it way too easy. Way too good.
I have a bit more shopping to do. A little here and there and soon this will feel like home. It already feels like home.
And of course, we are driving out to the mountains this weekend to do some hiking and exploring of North Vancouver. After my mom leaves, I am waiting for visitors. You know you are welcome and I will need the company. It hit me yesterday that I will live here all alone real soon and that this isn't a vacation, but rather I'm here to study. I have to go to school!
Photos will be posted of flickr soon of my moving in, my mess and the final home.
Arrived in Vancouver ahead of schedule. Got into a taxi and drove to East Vancouver. I booked a room in a lodge on Pender Street. One street south of Hastings. I was so upset that I dragged myself into that part of Vancouver. The room was moldy, small (barely held all my luggage) and the beds really uncomfortable. There was no sink in the room like promised. Sink, washroom and shower all in the hall. Europe hostels were more clean and inviting than this place. It was a hole.
That night I booked a car for the next day. Wednesday was my apartment hunting day.
Woke up at 3:30 a.m. because of the time difference and couldn't sleep anymore. We got out of the room really quickly and headed towards downtown to pick up the car. Took a bus for a little while, then we walked across a bridge and just took in the real Vancouver...not the East Vancouver hole.
Plan of attack. Drive to UBC and hope to find apartment announcements posted on bulletin boards. I found nothing in the newspapers I bought. By instinct I ended up in the Journalism office. I didn't even have the UBC map with me. Found a board with a map and realized the journalism building is down the street. It was meant to happen! I went in, met Barry -- the program secretary -- it was nice to finally meet him. He took me around the building into the various classrooms and introduced me to a couple of instructors. Too bad the program director was busy. I'll meet him next week.
Mac lab after Mac lab. He recommended I get a Mac for all the design things we'll be doing. Again, there was a reason why I didn't purchase that laptop in Toronto. It just wasn't meant to be.
We walked to the student services building and the grad student building and got a couple of listings. I booked two appointments. One at 1 p.m. the other at 2 p.m. Then I started to call the places I found online. Taken. Taken. Left message. Taken. Taken stop calling!
I was really discouraged. Plan B into attack. Get into the car and start driving through the streets. The Budget car guy recommended certain streets to do the whole driving through with a cell phone in hand. We did that for 2 hours and found not a single listing.
It was almost 1 p.m., drove to the first place since it was really close to UBC. A huge orange and pink house. Brand new basement suite. The catch. Share with another girl, who was probably going to take the bigger of the two rooms and it was at the top of my budget. If I was going to pay $700 for an apartment, it better be my own.
We decided to drive to the next appointment right away. I was getting a really sick feeling in my stomach. Butterflies. I really wanted this place to be ok. It was further than I wanted it to be, but I soon realized how close it really is to the campus. Vancouver blocks are not German blocks (for those of you who heard my Germany walking stories).
The house was lovely on the outside. The apartment entrence is through the back. Down the stairs. Huge window that looks out into a patio. Walked in and really loved it. Living room area and kitchen. Then there's a huge bedroom that right now is holding two mattresses -- so visitors have a place to sleep and I still have room to walk around the two sleeping arrangements. Walk-in closet and two entrences into the bathroom. Private from the bedroom and one from the living room space.
I wanted this place and I got it! I put down whatever money I had and they cancelled all the other viewing appointments they had at 4, 5 & 6 p.m. There was a girl right before me, but they told her right away that she wasn't right.
At 2:30 p.m. I had a place.
At 7 p.m. I moved in! They let me move in right away. Especially after they found out where I am staying. So what if I paid for the night, it was better to get out of there right now!
We found out where there's an Ikea (needed a comforter, also bought some cups, still need a couple of pots, wok & a kettle). Went to Costco, got some groceries, got a lot of the bare necessities to start me off.
Drove to the hostel. Picked up my luggage and left.
8:00 p.m. I was done moving in.
I love it here. I am still semi-unpacking. There's tons of light and the apartment is temperature regulated. It is on a really quiet street that has a park a block away - good for running. And this is all on a hill, so you get panoramic views of the mountains from the park. The weather has been so non-Vancouver that I get to see the mountains without a problem. It is warm and sunny and blue skies.
So, visitors - yes. There's a place for you to sleep!
Hanging pictures on walls - yes.
TV - yes (but no HGTV ... darn ... no more renovating/decorating shows ... also no TLC)
Internet - yes.
Full kitchen - yes.
Great shopping and restaurants on both streets! Especially Cambie and I am not far away from Broadway and Granville streets for more amazing clothing shopping!
I also bought a laptop. A MacBook Pro. I think I'm going to be in debt by the time I am done school. I think I will finally understand what a poor student feels like. I've had it way too easy. Way too good.
I have a bit more shopping to do. A little here and there and soon this will feel like home. It already feels like home.
And of course, we are driving out to the mountains this weekend to do some hiking and exploring of North Vancouver. After my mom leaves, I am waiting for visitors. You know you are welcome and I will need the company. It hit me yesterday that I will live here all alone real soon and that this isn't a vacation, but rather I'm here to study. I have to go to school!
Photos will be posted of flickr soon of my moving in, my mess and the final home.
posted by Anna Kat at 10:50 AM
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