week 3 begins with a bang!

well i have been here three weeks now - totally crazy how fast the time has gone! but yesterday was possibly one of the best days here so far so week three has started pretty well! lets hope it keeps going onwards and upwards!

sooo the sun was shining, the bikini was on and i went to hit the beach. i decided to stop by the supermarket to get myself some nice fruit to accompany me to be beach when i decided i should ask for jobs in there. its pretty much across the road from my house so super close ie roll out of bed and go to work style! so i thought hey, no harm in asking. so i asked, chatted to a really nice and friendly guy called brian, i think the irish accent worked a treat and ive got myself another job!! woowoo! so after my little rant yday about not getting enough hrs in veras i think im gonna be able to work both jobs together and will hopefully be plenty! so yea :) that was a pretty good start to they day. I start tomorrow so we'll see how that one goes! karen the cashier will be trying to work without 20/50c coins! i do miss these a lot - my mental maths will be on top form when i get home!

i spent the majority of the rest of the morning soaking up the sun, stopping by the library on the way to get myself a book to read, very closely walked away with a gay novel (its crazyyy how open people are to gayness here, theres even a section of the library dedicated to gay/bisexual books - i found this pretty strange in comparison to home, but yea, there you go. I suppose i cant really expect anything different in the west end) and yea then went back and sat on the patio while munching some lunch and catching up with some radio 1! headed back to the beach in the afternoon and was meeting tina for a while at the beach so that was good! i decided to set up camp on the grass nearby the beach as it was a little breezier there. i made a new friend too - a little girl called julia, she was one and a half and a little cutie pie! she started hoking in my beach bag to which caused her dad a bit of embarrassment but it was fine. i chatted away to her and she loved my ipod, she even knew to put the headphones to her ears etc and bopped away to the music! had a bit of a blether with her dad while she hoked away. he was very freindly and asked if i wanted to go for a drink that night. slightly awkward as i was like ehhh you have a daughter - where is the mum?! but then he mentioned that the julia stays with her mum and night and him by day which i presumes means they arent together. i made a few awkward excuses about seeing freinds etc but then he asked for my no. he was nice and chatty but i dont think il be rushing for any drinks with him! but it was another example of super friendly canadians! soo yea, then tina came to the rescue so i had the excuse of ohhh my roommates coming to visit so julia and him headed home!

then last night i headed to a youth event at church. the speaker guy was called paul becker - hes a dance choreographer for the jonas brothers, miley c etc. so yea that was really good, apart fromt the slightly embarrassing incident when i was standing behind him through the service and when we were saying hello to people around us i said hello, introduced myself as karen, him as paul and then it clicked that he was the speaker/famous! i felt starstuck a little for the first time. it was an occassion to remember!

after this, i went to an outdoor cinema with kerry, got myself some amazinggggly yummy yam fries (sweet potato fries) and sang our hearts out to mamma mia as the sun set and the stars came out! perfect day if you ask me! lots of fun with lots of freinds!

the summer has arrived in vancouver

wooohooo for the sunshine! it has actually properly arrived now! the beaches are packed, the bikinis are out and the bbq's are out! :) just how i like it! The past couple of days have been pretty sunny and its supposed to be getting hotter! thank goodness, i was starting to think id come the whole way across the world to get sunshine and was gonna be getting the same weather as ireland! and thats not cool!!

since friday, i was working on saturday and sunday nights so that was fun. ive only been getting 4 hr shifts which is a bit of a pain as i really need big bad 8 hr shifts to pay the rent/live etc so im having to have a look around and see what else i can find aswell/instead!! its sooo frustrating, as soon as i think ive got something sorted - boom, it turns out to not be as good as id hoped! grrr! but i was in a coffee shop/restaurant place yesterday that is hiring and the guy seemed pretty keen. he was saying its around 40 hrs a week sometimes maybe 36 and sometimes maybe 42 but will average out about 40 so thats good! im just really hoping i get something sorted soon coz its starting to get frustrating now! but anyway enough ranting about jobs, u dont wanna have to hear it as much as i dont want to have to do it!

so what else have i been up to? ehhh well ive been hanging out with people from all over the world which is brilliant, its class how many different nationalities there are in one city, but getting to know them has been great! i suppose coming from ireland where the majority of people are irish it was a bit strange at the start but im loving it! i went for an explore with two friends from honduras on monday, im def going to visit them sometime! it sounds like a brilliant country with LOTS of sunshine, tho by the sounds of things it might be a little too hot! so yea just keeping myself amused with lots of exploring - i love it and its free! :) and just makes me realise how lucky i am to be here, i may not be loaded with money right now, but im still having fun and i suppose its a hugeeeasss learning curve about how to just get on with it and keep going and keep having fun and the best will come and will happen i just gotta keep positive about it and all will be well!

sorry there isnt anything particularly exciting that i can think of thats been happening, but im off to bowan island on friday for the day so think that should be really fun and hopefully il have lots of stories from that! missing everyone lots, keep sending emails, fb msgs etc, they are soooo appreciated and i will get back to you! xxx

p.s. if you want a postcard feel free to fire me your address!

wow how time flies!!

i cant believe that its friday already!! thats crazy, this week has flown in and therefore means that theres a lot to tell you about. well the main news of the week is
1) i have just landed myself a full time job in veras burger shack
2) it was canada day yesterday and it was amazing!!

in the middle of the street the parade was on

1) so the job - woowoo!! i know in my last blog i was telling you about having a job in an icecream shop, well after i got back from the trail there, i had a missed call on my phone from a place id left my resume in the day before. so i rang it back and it was veras, the woman (rose)then said shed just sent me an email too incase shed got the wrong no. anwayyysss to cut a story short, she wanted me in for an interview/to meet herself and her daughter as i had met the husband the day before. its a family run business and so they offered me i trail for friday (today)! so im just back from there and i got the job! Im pretty much stand at the till and take the orders, the way it works is that there is a selection of different standard burgers but then you can chose what toppings you want, so i just have to take the order, key it all in and hey presto! the language barrier might take a little bit of time to get used to as i found myself saying that will be 12 pounds 80 please instead of dollars etc! and pronouncing tomato as tamato etc but il get there!! but yea the other sister was there, she also works there at weekends so she kept me right and it went pretty well. aparently friday nights are their busiest so i suppose it was a good thing to get thrown in at the deep end, but yea it was really fun and i got my veras t-shirt! woowoo! (just incase ur wondering, i rang the icecream place and told them id got a full job, they didnt seem bothered at all so i think its all fine) so yea, i have my first proper shift tomorrow night so looking forward to that! all the staff seem lovely and it seems like its gonna be really good banter and fun too! il keep you updated!
check out http://www.verasburgershack.com for more info on veras finest burgers!

2) canada day

sporting my canada top

sooooo yesterday was canada day, and lots of fun was had. kerry, grant and myself got our red gettup on and hit the streets.

myself, grant and kerry being very typical tourists

theres was tonnes of different things on to see and do. street entertainers, a parade, fireworks etc! it was really cool just seeing everyone out on the streets and enjoying the atmosphere! it was the perfect opportunity to be a total tourist and not having a care in the world about doing so - i even had my camera around my neck to prove it! there was a few typical tourist photos snapped up too...we have noticed that chinese/asian tourists, (which there are a lot of here) have a rather amusing pose, of kneeling down a little bit with a peace sign on the go. its a good one! so yea, we went exploring around canada place - a big landmark building here, and then over to granville island. both places had lots of different things to watch and keep us amused. after this we went to watch the parade, pulled up a pew, well plonked our bums on the pavement, and waited for the parade to start! it was really good, lots of different groups and bands etc and just soaked up the atmosphere! then we headed to stanley park to watch the fireworks. it wasnt the sunniest of days yesterday so it got a bit chilly but it was fun. the fireworks were pretty good but i must say i was a little let down. maybe we are just a bit spoiled on guy fawkes day in scotland but the atmosphere and everything was great too. got back home and hit the hay, went out like a light and snoozed away!

soooo that brings me to today. i got to speak to my sister, jill, this morning so that was veryyy fun! i havent been speaking to her since i got out here so it was really good to hear her voice again and get a good catch up! :) then coz the sun was shining i decided it was the perfect day for a nice run. ive been trying to keep my running up while im here and with lots and lots of running routes about i have no excuse. the most popular one here is the stanley park seawall; its a 10k round trip and usually i just run a bit of the way and then turn back so usually do about 8k. today the sun and i think just a general happy feeling kept me going and i completed the 10k - wooowooo!!!

so yea, im now pretty pooped so i have the feet up and im watching some classy us tv - "say yes to the dress"

hope you are all good and are having a good weekend! keep in touch xxx

today is a happy day

sooo i have a job, and a trial tomorrow and an orientation tonight! woowoo! :) i am so flipping happy, the job i have been offered is for an icecream place, its just up the road from me but is only part time like 15-20 hrs a week. i had a trial there this morning, the girl was lovely, showed me how to scoop icecream correctly etc! coz aparently thats possible - i now know! got to serve customers etc so that was fun and she gave me my first paid shift for friday afternoon. I then had a job interview at a "burger shack" called vera's, its apparently amazing according to my friend grant! he described it as better than tonic and that is something! so yea, it went really well, its a family run business and the whole family have met/had a chat with me! they were soo nice and the daughter who is the manager seems really really nice, shes about 25ish i think too so thats cool. hopefully a new friend too! so yea, they had a chat and said to come in for a trial on friday, its for full time hours and so would be better than the icecream place, its also better pay too! they upped the average wage for me coz i have experience - whoopa! so yea, just hoping friday goes well there and il be sorted! :) i have an orientation thing tonight thats for flexible work in hotels/banquets etc so if thats successful and sounds good tonight, il be able to do it on the side if i need more money/there isnt many hours going in veras some night or something! so yea, after a pretty shakey start this week im feeling a lot better now! just hoping that everything works out and il be a happy lady! thanks for everyones support and encouragement the last wee while, its been great to get a wee "everything will be fine!" note!
but yea, apart from that i havent been at much, think ive had a pretty productive day today so far! canada day is on thursday, its a masssssive event here so well excited for that. il take lots of pictures and no doubt have a super exciting blog about it, so watch out! xxx

rain rain go away...

so they rain is on, an umbrella has been bought and the feet are wet. but the job hunt is underway. with frizzy hair and a damp smell ive been popping in and out of any kind of restaurant/bar i think looks semi decent. i had an interview for an ice cream place yesterday, but its only for 15-20 hrs a week which isnt much/enough to keep me alive so keeping looking. the problem seems to be that everyone has already hired summer staff or they want to know the place you have worked in before. ie. somewhere in vancouver! not the easiest thing when im from the other side of the world! but hey ho, just gonna get the brolly out and the smile on and continue my hunt this afternoon!

the weekend was pretty fun, theres a jazz festival on at the minute so been catching a few shows with that, my flatmate is a jazz singer so went to see her for a little bit yesterday before my interview. went out for brunch with my freind penni which was really tasty and in a really nice place - resume is going to be handed in there this afternoon! went over to kitsalino last night for a bit of a dander, its a beach just outside downtown, thankfully the sun came out then so it was lovely to just sit at the beach watching the world go by and getting the head cleared a little. had been a bit of a stressy day realising how i really need to get a job asap or il be home sooner than i think. but it will all be fine, just gotta keep smiling!

theres so many nice places to just go and sit and enjoy watching the world go buy, i think ive turned into a bit of a pensioner here, lots of people watching and discussing life etc. its rather amusing but still very fun! especially when the sun is shining and everyone is out and about! anyway thats all my news for now, il hopefully have some exciting news for you soon when i get myself a job! fingers crossed, until then, keep popping me little fb mails etc, they are much appreciated!
hugs
karen xxx

thank goodness im irish

hello again, i know its been a few days - i do apologise! but havent really been up to an awful lot the past couple of days. the sun has been out so the beach has been veyr tempting! its beautiful, its not too hot, but just a really nice temperature to be out about about/lying on the beach and not totally sweating! ive found a nice wee running route so been trying to do that a bit in the mornings. it amazing how many people go running here, and how everyone looks like its no bother to them at all. i must admit im rather jealous and probably dont look like such a pro running along puffing and panting, thank goodness for some lady gaga and rihanna to keep me going thats all im saying!
the job hunt is going a little bit annoyingly, waiting on hearing back from a few places so its a bit annoying but im gonna call back into a few places on monday and hopefully something will come up really soon! until then im kind of using this as my holiday as i know once work starts im gonna be gutted if i dont keep busy/enjoy the sun now! I had a rather funny experience when i went to hand in a cv to a place which is a bit of a walk away, by the time id got there i was probably looking rather hot and flushed. i think this was maybe pretty obvious as the girl offered me some water while i was filling in my application!
today i went for a wander in and around stanley park too which was really nice, its soo strange being there, it feels like im no where near a city, its really beautiful too! so yea, think there will be lots more adventures there!we then set up camp on the beach for the evening after going to the "liquor store" aka the offy, for some beer - its soooo expensive here this was a luxury but i reckoned friday night, i think i can treat myself to two. so i was all nicely settled on the beach, waiting for the sun to go down, one beer nearly finished when i felt that there was someone walking towards us, but behind us - a nice cop! uh ohhhh! so yea, aparently its pretty illegal to drink on the beach in vancouver and i should have got a $250 fine, thankfully the irish charm worked a treat and i played the innocent eyes and got away with it. i think he just loved the fact that i live near the giants causeway!! so yea, lets just say i think il save my other beer for inside from now on!
so yea, not too much else happening here really, think im meeting up with some canadians tomorrow - all i seem to have met is people from ireland, scotland and england so far, not that there is anything wrong with that of course!

hello sunshine

yesterday the sun came out - woohooo! it was a pretty lazy day all in all! i had a job interview in the morning which went pretty well so that was good! the guy pretty much wanted to work out if he can get me a better paid job - they are looking for hosts (the people that smile and look happy and cheery, say hello, "have a nice nice" etc at the front of the restaurant) but because i have quite a lot of experience in serving he wants to try and get me a service job as they get a lot better pay - can get $30/hr tips! AMAZING! so yea, he said he would speak to the supervisor i met with the day before and see what they can come up with. so waiting to hear back from them! im dying to just get something sorted now, would be a nice to just know what im doing etc but until then im gonna enjoy the sun while i can and wait to hear from other places!

after the interview i headed back home, had a bit of a chat with the family and then went to the beach. book out, sun out - sorted. then the tummy started rumbling to headed home for some food and went for a bit of a wander down around the lost lagoon - its a big lake in the middle of the park close by me.

it was really gorgeous, so many animals running about and just really peaceful and full of nature - and lots of runners!

i passed by the boat club and got rather jealous watching some scullers out, water was perfect and sun was shining and my eyes were green with envy! but it looked like fun all the same. headed back home and met up with grant and kerry. got some food and then went to watch the sun set at english bay - the beach 5 mins from my house. it had kind of gone down already but the atmosphere was really nice! lots of people about, lots of people eating icecream (we joined in on that one with a tasty marble slab) and lots of midgies but it was fun all around!