This post should originally have been posted a few weeks back, but the whole turmoil of jobs, snow and sleep made me forget all about it. So now, enjoy! (And a quick note on the post, not much has changed since then!)
You would never believe it. Every Canadian I have met so far, and even the guidebook, they all said that it would not snow in Vancouver. And if it would actually snow, than it would be slush and not any real snow. All these sources where wrong. Than this year, Vancouver of course has the most wintery winter ever! I just love it. There is snow everywhere. We have around 15 centimeters currently and more is to come! The whole landscape is the most beautiful, all the trees are white and it is really a wonderful landscape for the upcoming holidays.
On the other hand, every Canadian and the all-knowing guide book also mentioned that if there would be any snow in the city, all would be chaotic. And everyone was right about this! Not only does everyone seem unprepared (even though we had good weather reports about this for over a week before it started) but the Vancouverites do not seem to know how to cope with it. Colleagues and Canadian friends from other places than Greater Vancouver all know that snow tires are essential and that you should dress warm, wear proper shoes and invest more time when you are going places.
But the people here just don’t adjust to the new winter landscape. I don’t want to judge everybody, but I have seen many road accidents and some pedestrians are just not fit to be outside. All the buses are late and overfull, which does keep the cars of the street but still does not say that the bus drivers know how to drive the bus carefully.
Even worse is actually the City of Vancouver not responding to the heavy snowfall. Roads are still unploughed! The main routes have been cleaned, but the pavements are not even salted. Walking around means that you really have to have proper boots on – and not wearing ballerina shoes like a saw a girl at the café the other day. It seems just so strange to me that there really is not preparation at all for any snowfall here. In Sweden my city does not get much snow, but they still have the roads cleared to 7am when everyone cycles to work.
Anyhow, despite all the disturbances, I really really enjoy all the snow around. And passed my first free day in three weeks on skis. The first time ever! And I did look fun, but did not hug any trees or fall over more than once. I only realised that I do not like to make left turn! :) I went up Grouse Mountain and had a glorious view of Vancouver! Really amazing. And the slopes where great too (according to those who know this stuff). I kept to the smaller ones, being over taking by kids who were just racing down! I did try one greater slope, but it took my about an hour to get down, so I think I’ll stick to the smaller ones in the future. At least until I have got a real clue of how to make myself turn left! So more skiing is planned for the future!
More news are that I quit. I found myself two new jobs, both in coffee shops. I make slightly more money and have more contact with the customers. The downside is that I now work six real days a week and have less flexible time. An I have been working around the clock for over three weeks. So the skiing today was really great, as it also was a good way to celebrate my first day of in a long time. I will see how long I will stay on my new jobs, as I do feel that they might not be quite right for me. But I will give them a real try before searching for anything else.
Live here is still great – and with these final words I will leave you alone once more. :) I hope that you are all ok and have a great time with your family and friends over the holidays!
Cheers,
Ulrike