A new home

What a difference a few days can make.

Whilst checking my ever decreasing bank account balance, Laurel's parents gave me the ridiculously kind offer of staying with them once my accommodation runs out at the hotel I'm staying. Oh thank goodness. I am staying at a pretty cheap hotel ($60 a night) but it's just way too expensive to stay at indefinitely. Their (more than) kind offer took a massive weight off my shoulders. And of couse being so close to christmas, I knew it would be heard to find a place straight away, particularly without a job. They are just awesome people. They have opened up their house (and family) to me with some such warmth it is simply amazing. I am blessed.

The best news was that of a job offer. Laurel's sister's boyfriend Clint, knows the manager at a bar they frequent and noted to the manager that I was looking for work. His exact words to me where "I'm sure we can find something for you". Bloody awesome. After some corresponding over email, he said he would talk to his exectuve chef about a kitchen position - basically ensuring food orders left the kitchen in a timely matter and go to where they are supposed to. So Paul, the executive chef said to me on thursday to "come in between 2 and 4 over the next couple of days".

I went in for a "chat" yesterday. It was very quick. I was feeling surprisingly confident. Paul asked me about my restaurant experience, of course I have zero, but I joked that I've spent a fair amount of time drinking in them! Anyway, he said yes, we do have a position vacant, come in next tuesday and we'll wee how we go. Bloody fantastic! Such relief. Such bloody relief. I can now start looking for a place to live and can start saving some money and of course, meet more people. Bloody awesome!

I may have remarked in an earlier post how welcoming and warm Laurel's family are. Tonight (christmas eve) I'm joining them for dinner. Tomorrow, I join them for Christmas day festivities. I'm oh so bloody lucky. It's been a tough couple of weeks with all the uncertainty, but now I can call Calgary, home. Ah what a great feeling this is. Home. And with such fantastic people.

The plan now is to stay here until about July, when the Calgary stampede is on. The stampede is like Calgary's version of Oktoberfest. After that, I'll head off for some travel around Canada and then head down to Nevada in thw States for Burning Man (google it).

By the way, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, dear reader.

Brass Monkeys & Lucky Lager

Everyone told me "Oh it's much colder in Calgary", and I thought, oh yeah, they say that about Toronto - and I spent a week there! I can cop it! (Yeah right).

My friend, Laurel, who lives in Calgary said "It's been snowing and it's SO beautiful!". Yeah, it is beautiful to watch, but it's also a godamn hazard! I got off the plane, got into a taxi to take me to my hostel and it was still snowing. As you may or may not have seen on my facebook page, it reminded me of the simpsons episode "Mr Plow" and the planet Hoth from the Star Wars movie "The Empire Strikes Back". Everything was covered in snow; the roads (and main highways out of the airport) were barely clean of snow enough to fit 2 lanes on the highway. We passed a slight dingle, and then what the taxi driver guessed was a car that had spun-out due to the road conditions. Welcome to Calgary!

When I got out of the taxi, I was so very glad I bought what I call boots, to be able to walk through the snow. Oh and it was cold. Very cold. Did I mention it was cold?! A few degrees below zero in fact.
When Laurel kindly picked me up to take me for lunch, I remarked how bloody cold it was and how the person I just saw walking her dog, managed to cope. Her response then was "Oh this is nothing" later followed by "Once your legs go numb, you don't notice it" after my continual surprise at how life goes on in such conditions, remembering that everyone back home would be in shorts and watching the cricket. Oh I miss the cricket. And the heat. And my friends & family.

It was great to catch up with her, after we farewelled each other in Lagos, Portugal, in November 2010. She is the 4th Canadian friend I have seen since arriving. Pretty awesome really. She suggested a Beer House (she knows me well) for lunch and noted that her brother suggested I try an exotic, imported beer - Fosters! As we chatted over lunch, Laurel remarked about some rude people she encountered in Europe last year. My retort was predictable in my mind - Canadians are just friendly, nice people. It really is a Canadian thing to be kind to strangers. I think Australians at home are generally pretty good, but Canadians take the cake.
We later met up with her sister and her sister's boyfriend who are incredibly friendly, and kindly offered to take me grocery shopping the following evening. They were all keen to enhance my experience in Calgary - such warmth is exactly what I need/needed after being homesick and having issues with the job agency.

That was sunday, and I haven't got a whole lot done since then. I flew to Calgary about possible job opporunities in an office environment. Those specific opportunities have since fallen through (and the fucking job agency didn't follow up why until I chased them up. Arseholes.) I've subsequently found out I've been referred to a number of front desk/office positions. I was even referred to the position of Front Desk Supervisor (!) at the Fairmont Hotel. Of course the job agency didn't tell me this until I was told I would be emailed about an interview. Professional lot, aren't they?! Anyway, I had an online interview - a bloody huge questionnaire with what I saw as predictable responses they would appreciate. Fingers crossed. Laurel had suggested I simply walk in to a few bars and ask about employment; I haven't done that. I'm confident enough to do it, but have been procrastinating. I'll be doing that tomorrow - I'm booked into a cheap hotel for 6 nights as of tomorrow because I just can't handle hostels anymore - drunk dickheads are really pissing me off, to the point where I'm worried it will get physical. Best to get out of that environment full stop.

On the tourist front, I spent 5 hours at the Calgary's Glenbow Museum. It is quite simply, the best museum I've ever been to, and I've been to a few. It had a great (and lengthy) display on the history of Alberta, and how the west was opened up by the creation of the Canadian railway right across to the West Coast (linking up the western cities such as Alberta to the east). It also had both political and social history of the area and how Alberta had an 8 year run in with socialism, and the inevitable economic collapse that followed.
Otherwise I've been wandering around, trying to keep out of the cold, and applying for jobs. Due to the fact that I moved to a single room and out of a dorm at the Hostel, I haven't met anyone. I'm not sure I'd be great company anyway - I'm sticking with this adventure but a lack of certainty is something I've never dealt well with. Much, much worse is the thought of what on earth I'll do for christmas. I'd like to be here, but what if I don't get a job? Fly to London? There will be bugger all seats, and they'll be expensive. I'm left with few options - everything hinges on getting a job and a place to live.

There were a few admin jobs with the City of Calgary which I have applied for - they're right up my alley, but of course I'm not limiting myself to that. Hell, I'm just about ready to be dishwasher; I just need a bloody job. I want some stability and normality - and to give my Australian bank account a break!

Moving forward

I reserve the right to use that title for the blog because I'm actually moving forward physically and geographically - to Calgary, Alberta (I'm looking at you Dave!).

Ups and downs aside, this has been a better week. I've moved out of a crap hostel full of macho Australian wankers who drink too much and wrestle in the hallway, and I've got a firmer direction of where I'm heading (of sorts).

The job agency are still a mob of arseholes though. Of the worst kind.

At my orientation I was told to ring the HR director of "Mountain Park Lodges" who own and run about 5 or 6 different hotels up in the Jasper area, about a front desk position. This was after hourslast friday, so I rang and left a message on saturday and then rang again first thing on monday morning. Sadly when I rang, the position was already filled. So why i was told to ring is beyond me, but nevertheless these things happen.
My spirits were subsequently lifted on tuesday when an email was sent around stating that their were 4 different types of office work positions available in Calgary, where I have a friend with whom I travelled around parts of Europe last year. So I enthusiastically put my name up for that.

On wednesday I got a call from the job agency that I now have an interview for the position at Jasper which I was told was filled. No worries, the more opportunities the better, right?

I was completely honest with the interviewer in that there is possibly an opportunity for me in Calgary and that is my preference. That cut everything short. (After I explained who I am and what I'm doing in Canada etc etc). My actual question was about the timeframe of accepting or declining positions. I thought this was a fair question being that it would be wrong to accept the position (if indeed this was a job offer) and then renege if I got a position in Calgary.

 

She said she was "discouraged" by the fact that I wasn't 100% in favour of the idea of going to Jasper. I reiterated that my committment to customer service & professionalism is that I give everything 100% but she couldn't even answer whether I was close to getting the job or not. So why would I lie if I don't even know if I have a shot?

 

So essentially I've risked not getting a job because I want to get one in Calgary. And the job agency have just told me over the phone that it was essentially a job offer. Thanks for telling me that beforehand, dickheads. In fact, thanks for giving me very little detail about the position or area before hand. Google can only help me so much.

 

So, the agency weren't happy with me in the aftermath as I had not informed them of my preference of Calgary. I had initally said I don't care where I work (and to some degree still don't) but I have a friend in Calgary. And as noted above, it would be wrong to lie to one company and take a job elsewhere. That's not how I operate. In any case, the job agency tells me I must appear in person for any interviews in Calgary.


So, I'm throwing caution into the wind and flying out to Calgary. I'm going to apply for jobs there regardless of what the job agency can or can't do for me. I'm not real fond of Vancouver, and am sick of just waiting around to see what will happen.


If I can't get anything Calgary or my plans change for whatever reason, I think I will fly down to southern U.SA and be a tourist for a few months and then come home. The other option is to fly to London to see my dear brother and perhaps work there - but London is a grey, ugly place, and so are Londoners themselves.


On a more simple level, I'm eating ok due to the fact that both hostels I've stayed at have kitchens, so I've been able to buy vegetables and make lunches. And there are a couple of absurdly cheap restaurants not from me where every item on the menu is $5.95. And I've met more people and am socialising. The trick is to drink much less; of course that will have to happen in Calgary because I can't exactly sit around hungover all day when I need a job.


One last detail of note - I am off to see my first Hockey Game tonight. Really looking forward to it. I hope Dean doesn't hate me too much for it but I'm going to see Vancouver play Nashville, and obviously I'll be supporting Vancouver. It's such a unique sport; once the violence ends!