Vancouver - The Leaving Notes

In April 2014 I started the Vancouver - Just Got Here thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057194035

And now I'm leaving. Just because I'm leaving, I won't burn bridges and sink boats. Here are my notes.

In a few words - it's an incredibly green, clean and civil society city with plenty of investment in public services. In many ways, it's actually bliss. The local government protects 'view corridor' in the city, meaning that from 2/3 points anywhere in the city, you should enjoy a view of the ocean, the forest, or both. I think that's true. Canada in general seems very tolerant of immigrants and as a gay guy, Vancouver is unbelievably comfortable. This kind of city is the future in many ways.

Social Life
I used www.meetup.com plenty. I joined lots of groups and made lots of friends. I also tried classes and sports. I met lots of people and never had issues. I don't rush to say this, but I've developed the best friendships of my life here. The vast majority of my friends are international, only a few Canadian and couple of Irish. I have to say before I left Ireland I got sick and tired of the heavily drenched alcohol social life. I did my heavier drinking days and I'm long past them. Vancouver offers a social calendar that doesn't depend on pubs, likeminds will be glad to hear. Ballet, theatre, culture and music festivals, arcades, cinema etc. plenty to do.

Culturally, this is not a major culture hotspot. The arts aren't a big deal here. The art scene/ballet/theatre is tiny compared to Toronto. About 51% of the Vancouver area doesn't speak English as their first language. You'll see why. First and foremost, there are Chinese people everywhere. The locals have much to say about that. You'll get used to a completely different diversification after a while. I've always lived in European countries and the mix is different. Besides Chinese people, there are many Japanese, south-east Asians (Indian, Pakisani, Korean) and Latinos, especially Mexicans and Brazilians. But every second person I see on the street downtown is Chinese.

Gay Life
Canada in general seems very tolerant of immigrants and as a gay guy, Vancouver is unbelievably comfortable. It really is extremely rare to find homophobia and you will get plenty of smiles and flirts - not just in the gay areas. Interestingly, straight guys aren't offended by a glance. In Dublin they look at you like they'll stab you in the face for glancing for 1 millisecond long. So it's been very slow for me to adapt to being relaxed about glancing here. It's so casual here that in fact, local gay guys I've seen hit on guys randomly, and to my complete surprise the guys here seem to appreciate the attention, like they aren't offended or angry and take it as a genuine compliment. It's actual harmony. This kind of city is the future in many ways.

Public Services
Transport to me is way better than anywhere else I've seen it. The world rankings of these mid-size cities is correct. They're large enough to warrant the government investment in modern systems but not so overly populated that they don't function. I'm very impressed with public transport. If you're here a while, it's easy to start nit-picking, forgetting the commuter belt cr**load in Ireland. Busses and Skytrains plentiful and far more reliable than in Ireland. If you like renting cars, there are a variety of these car services and they seem to be very popular and generally useful. I don't drive so can't comment.

Healthcare. I will miss this. New imigrants are obliged to pay the maximum monthly contribution for what is the BC equivalent of the Irish Medical Card. So, $72 a month. In general, I think that's a steal. And when you have chronic sickness, being able to go back to the doctor repeatedly and not pay a cent more is great. I had to go get all sorts of exams done, checking my body for various things and I paid nothing more than that $72 a month. A MSP personnel told me that in Canada, you will never be left with a bombshell of a medical bill like the States (and Ireland). If any hospital tries that, tell them to bill the government (who have the necessary agreements). How refreshing. I'll miss that.

Groceries
Well generally the priciest places are Urban Fare, IGA, Safeway, Save on Foods. The cheapest I know of are No Frills, Costco. Fruit and veg stores generally offer great prices. Downtown, you'll want to pick and choose. Some of them will rob you blind if you're not paying attention. But in other neighbourhoods, actually, you feel like you're robbing THEM blind the prices are that good for very good quality food. Be prepared to be stunned with the price of dairy, especially cheese. I love cheese. I do. But it would be cheaper to have your own cow and field operation. Asian stores generally offer really good prices too. But some of them are filled with stuff I've never seen in my life or don't understand. If you REALLY like Asian food, boom.

Employment
Well, I'll try be tame here. Canada as I'm writing this is officially in recession. One of the major holes in the economy is the collapse of commodity prices. The province of Alberta is far more dependent on this but Vancouver is the HQ of many of these companies, check out Howe and Granville streets.

I know plenty of people whose hours have been cut, contracts not renewed and like me - have been let go. Now, plenty of people won't be affected by this. Don't think Irish economic-style collapse. But, when you're not working, you really see how undiversified the Vancouver economy is. It only has a few strings to it's bow. My discipline and my work experience doesn't seem to mean much here. I knew beforehand, admittedly that Toronto would offer more opportunities. But you have to weigh that up with living in a city you do/don't like/want to live in.

What troubles me is how many over-25 year olds in this city, with degrees and life experience are earning the minimum wage. Make no mistake, this is a very high cost of living city. In general, everyone says Toronto and Montreal are cheaper. That leaves Vancouver as the highest cost major city in the country.

I could write a book with the amount of stories I've been told by Canadians/Irish/foreigners that 4-5 months AFTER applying for jobs, you get calls. 4-5 months. OMG. This pi**es me off royally. I didn't come here to get by on low salary or waste time. Europe is now growing, least of all Ireland. This is a very different situation than when I left. It really depends on your own situation and what you need and want, but for me, I'm at the prime of my working life and I want to work. I genuinely believe Vancouver no longer offers me the better deal. Toronto, good for work but I'd rather work in London than Toronto. That's just me.

I got let go from my full-time job in August. Having paid taxes I am eligible for their 'unemployment benefit' called Employment Insurance (EI as is commonly known). They calculate *roughly* 55% of your salary and pay you that bi-weekly. They say fill this out the day you lose your job. I did and it took 6 weeks to get a f**king dime. If you have little savings or not much severance, take care. They don't care if you're eating the carpet at home, you'll have to wait with little information.

I just want to make an observation. The couples I know here seem to survive employment changes very well. Generally, one person leans temporarily on the partner. If I ask any of my couple friends, they say it's bliss. I'm single. If you ask any of my single friends, when the sh*t hits the fan, you're on your own. That makes a huge difference in the story you'll create here.

Accomodation and Neighbourhoods
So...I've lived in various neighbourhoods while here for the past 18 months. Kitsilano, just south of the city is a bit 'upper crust' but not all of it, or overly so. Beautiful neighbourhood and with great coastline, including the very popular Kits beach. Lots of grocery stores for variety too. Well-served by public transport. A good variety of types of accommodation.

North Vancouver is peaceful, serene but that can be too quiet if you're not used to the quiet! It's a bit more remote too. Transport options are far more limited. The bridge is a nightmare during the wet season, passing by on the bus last Autumn seeing how many car crashes was like a Hollywood tour of a film set with regular car crashes. (If anyone crossed that bridge daily, not occasionally, you'll have seen it too, it's not an exaggeration). Grocery options are more limited too, Lonsdale Quay is probably the only area with real options in all of these areas. I thought it was just my house, but others noticed how many bugs you get in your house up here! Nestled close to the mountains surrounded by forest - bugs everywhere!

UBC/Point Grey, I think few people will live out there unless studying, and few people here will be coming for that I think so I'll skip that area.

Downtown. Well, some months are FAR harder to get decent accom. We all have our preferences for what we like and what we're willing to compromise on. I wanted a modern, all the facilities, central apartment close to everything and I got it. If you are patient, you don't have to pay a fortune for that either. The convenience of everything so close is really great. For so long I said I'd never live here, it seemed too noisy. But actually it's fine. To get the best taste of what this city has to offer, I'd argue that living downtown for at least a little while is a great experience.

I'll likely update this if I remember other important things to list.