As I was preparing to come to Vancouver for my MBA, one of the main questions I had was about how life would be in a new city and what it would be like to go back to school again, this time married and in a new country.
Vancouver is an amazing city to live in. Apart from the beauty of nature, great public transport and so many parks, the people here are amazingly friendly. I remember a day I was buying a dishware set for my new place and had this huge box to carry out to the street to catch a cab. A young man standing in line nearby saw me struggling and set down his things, asked me to watch them, and carried the box outside. This show of kindness isn’t unique. It’s great to know I can ask people on the street for help. I know this makes me sound like someone who comes from a country of mean, unfriendly people. On the contrary, Venezuelans are very warm and affectionate. However, kindness in strangers is far more appreciated when you’re alone and starting life again in a new country.
My own classmates were amazing in helping me settle in. I arrived before my husband and I remember that the first thing I did when I arrived was to leave my bags in the hostel room (a UBC residence turned hostel in the summer) and went down to call some classmates that I had met over Facebook. A few minutes later, two of them arrived and we spent the evening out on the town, walking down to Spanish Banks and having dinner with a Vancouverite (Joel). In the next days a group of other international students and I went out to see Vancouver before the ISP.
Some Canadian classmates helped me to move into my new place (moving without a car is tough!!! Specially when you’re a vain Venezuelan woman and have so much stuff) and to do my first grocery shopping trip, which was also quite a load (I’m a big fan of cooking too).
Since then, I’ve really enjoyed living in a city that is small enough to not have so much traffic, but big enough to have enough entertainment, retail outlets, etc. There seem to be tons of outdoor activities to do, even in the winter. I love walking in the parks, even in the rain. Though it rains a lot here, it’s mostly a light rain. Being close to ski resorts is definitely a plus during this time of year, if you’re a winter sport fan…
Adapting to Vancouver has been relatively easy. Some things are weird, though… Can somebody explain to me how the “curl” sport works??? I just see a bunch of women yelling and brushing like crazy, but I don’t understand what all the brushing is for… Please don’t laugh. Consider the fact that the main Venezuelan sports are Baseball, soccer, surfing and maybe kitesurfing.
