Monday, June 20, 2011
As most of you know, my wife Lisa got a new job with Disney as their Director of Community Support for their online gaming division. Their office is located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. So not only were we leaving Portland, Oregon – we were leaving the United States. We finally made it up here on Saturday, June 18th, 2011, starting our new lives as Canucks.
This will be a chronicle of my experiences as an Ex-Pat living life as a newbie Canadian.
Though the US and Canada share a continent and the longest undefended border in the world, we are, indeed, very different (though, at the same time, very similar). I want to share with you all of those things I am discovering along the way, all the fun and unique colloquialisms, the cool European influences – both in story and picture form.
Two things first: I want to tell you about our journey up here, and then give you some basic information about (er, aboot) the town of Kelowna and the surrounding Okanagan valley.
And so the journey begins almost 2 months ago when Lisa got the job with Disney. We had decided prior to that that we really were tired of Portland and Oregon in general, and were fairly unhappy with where we were living. When we lived in Florida years ago, we had planned a move to Portland, thinking it was the exact type of town and culture that we would thrive in. A detour of a few years in Las Vegas didn’t keep us from trying to get here, and when I was offered a transfer with my job to Portland, we jumped at it. I think, had we lived in the city proper, we might have felt differently, but other factors were a larger influence on our decision to move. So when Lisa started looking, I told her she should look nationally, but only for those jobs that would pay for relocation. This job with Disney kept popping up, but looking on the map, we thought it was just too out of the way to consider seriously. But after some investigation, the job itself was looking better and better, and the economics of it led Lisa to apply for it. Around the beginning of April, she was offered the position and thus began our big adventure.
Originally, we were told our visas should take aboot 3-4 weeks, putting the move in the middle of May. But my Facebook friends know better, and the wait for the visas took much much longer. It was on the day were packing up for our move into temporary, corporate housing (a furnished apartment in Hillsboro) that we got the call – our visas had been approved and we were free to come north. Now, we already had a house (er, hoose). Lisa had already started working and was flying back and forth to Kelowna on a semi-regular basis. While there, she found our new hoose, a video of which we have circulated on Facebook (a new one will follow once we get the new place in order). Like the Jeffersons, we are moving on up! And like our hoose in Oregon, this one has an even more spectacular view (the surrounding mountains and valley). We had been paying rent on this new place while waiting for our visas, which is why we were getting angsty and anxious to move. So on Thursday, the 16th of June, we got word that our visas were approved and we would be leaving on Saturday morning at the crack of dawn. And thank you, Disney, for providing us professional packers and movers! They got the whole hoose packed up in a day. The moving truck will be up here on Tuesday (tomorrow – as of writing this, we only have what we brought with us in the car – but the new hoose is partially furnished, so we have a 6-seat dining table, a king bed, leather bar stools, and a living room set – so we have been able to live comfortably these past few days).
Ah, the move. 2 cars, 5 cats, and 535 miles of 2-lane highway (it was 535 miles exactly door to door). Armed with walkie talkies, we left at 6 am (having slept on an air mattress the night before) and didn’t look back. Lisa got to see the whole of the Columbia River Gorge on the way, which she hadn’t before. We did have some spotty rain along the way, reminding us why it was good to be leaving Oregon behind. The Wenatchee National Forest, just aboot an hour north of Yakima, Washington, is absolutely beautiful. The drive, for the most part, was pretty and trouble-free. When we arrived at the border, there were about 6 cars in line, otherwise, the place was nearly deserted. Of course, the town of Oroville, WA is only about 300 people big, so unless you knew the border crossing was there, you’d never end up there on purpose. The border people were super friendly and efficient. It took us aboot an hour and a half to get all of our paperwork in order. They only wanted to see our passports (to issue our visas), our truck manifest to know what we were bringing up with us, and Lisa’s letter of offer from Disney. They never looked in our cars, never interviewed us, didn’t inquire aboot the cats (we told them we had their vet papers and fella said “oh, okay, but I don’t need to see them”). As soon as we crossed the border, the whole atmosphere changed. You KNEW you were in another country altogether. It actually felt different. Almost immediately, it was vineyards as far as the eye could see. The landscape was just breath-taking, getting better and better the further north we traveled toward our new home. The road hugged the massive Lake Okanagan, framed by rolling green mountains. And I quickly learned that speed limits in Canada are merely suggestions. It is fun, though, to see speed limit signs of 100 – kilometer per hour, that is. Same with gas - $1.29! … a liter, making that almost $5 per gallon.
Eleven and a half hours after leaving home, we arrived home. The new hoose is atop a mountain, aboot 600 feet above the valley, maybe more, leaving us at around the 2000 feet above sea level mark. The pictures of the hoose do not do it justice – it is much bigger and grander. I feel like an interloper, a squatter – we’ve never had a place as nice as this. But then, I think, we really deserve this – we have gone through hell and back a thousand times, and Lisa works her ass off, so why not finally have something nice, something we can appreciate and enjoy? And even without our stuff in it, I am enjoying the hell out of this hoose! The kittens on the other hand… Elvis was the only one not freaked out by the journey or finding himself in a whole new universe. Think aboot that – hoose cats only know the hoose they live in as their whole universe. Now we have transplanted them to a whole new one –that’s gotta be scary for them. But Elvis, of the one brain cell, was completely nonplussed by the whole adventure. He’s been thumping around (as he is the loudest cat in the world) as if he has lived here his whole life. Grover (aka Chuffy) has been gradually peeking around, as has Tupac. But Stella and Chicken are holed-up under the bed and will not come out at all. And I’m sure when the movers arrive, it’ll scare them even more. We are hoping that once our stuff is here, and they can smell the familiar, they might come out and be social again. We’ll see.
I had to mow the lawn yesterday. There is a lawnmower here, so I cranked it up and realized that, though fairly small, the yard is also on a very steep incline. Like 45 degrees. Ever try to push a running lawnmower up a 45 degree angle before? Not once, but as many times as it takes to mow that patch of grass? Holy cow! Either I’m out of shape, or I’m out of shape. The landscaping is exquisite, but extensive. Without anyone living here, the weeds have gotten out of hand. So this afternoon might be weed-pulling day. I also have to edge the lawn once my garden tools arrive. Lisa wanted me to get the lawn mowed immediately because she said the neighbors were staring at us. It is true that every single hoose in our neighborhood has an immaculate lawn. At least we have an in-ground irrigation/sprinkler system to water the lawn and landscaping. But this will be a big chore to maintain – a good thing, though, as it will keep me active and outdoors. Plus the bird-watching is great here. We live in Quail Ridge, so named for the bird that we have seen all over, including our backyard – one coming up about 3 feet away from Lisa. Quails – think miniature pheasants.We went to the WalMart last night to get a few groceries. For one thing, I haven’t been in a WalMart since living in Vegas, aboot 6 years ago (simply b/c there weren’t any in Portland). For another, WalMarts are apparently ugly in every country. But the fun thing is finding all the labels on every product are written in both English and French. There are many European brands and foods here that you can’t find in the States, and some things that have different names, but carry the same package design as in the States (renamed for Canada). Potato chips are big here, especially ketchup-flavoured ones (and yes, they add the English “u” to many words, like flavour & colour) – I picked up a bag of dill pickle flavoured Lays. And the ice cream section is pretty awesome. They have maple-flavoured Drumsticks and Rolo ice cream bars. Instead of Little Debbie snack cakes, there are May Wests. Yes, they really do call it “Kraft Dinner” up here (instead of “Kraft Macaroni and Cheese) – as if anyone could doubt the Barenaked Ladies (you know what I’m referring to – “If I Had A Million Dollars” – ‘then we wouldn’t have to eat Kraft Dinner, but we would eat Kraft Dinner’…). I did have a small coronary when I saw the prices of just aboot everything. Almost $5 for a dozen eggs! Plus there are sales and value-added taxes on top of that. So from here on out (er, oot), I will be Captain Coupon!
Incidentally, I have been taught the formula for converting Celsius temps to Fahrenheit: take the Celsius temp, double it, and add 30. So 20 degrees here is 70 in the US. I didn’t realize being an expat had math involved.
Today we went down to the Social Insurance office to register. It may sound similar to Social Security, but it is very different. You need to be registered here to get a paycheck – it allows taxes to be taken oot of your paycheck. It cannot, however, be used as a form of identification, as it is in the US. You do not need it for any other reason, except to open a bank account. I do not have to register b/c I have a visitor visa which does not allow me to work in Canada. It may, however, cause a hiccup at the bank – we’ll see, once we go later this week to set up an account here.
Canadian money is so much prettier than American currency. I’m just sayin’.
Getting your car in order/insurance is different here, too. Their DMV is actually a National Insurance provider – you get your license there (you trade in your US one for a Canadian one) and get a basic liability for your car. Then they give you a list of insurance companies that you can by comprehensive coverage (plus other policies, like renter’s insurance) from, and those insurance companies issue you your license plate/tag. Weird, huh? (or should I say ‘weird, eh?’).
The town of Kelowna is the biggest between Vancouver and Calgary, both aboot 3-4 hours in either direction. Kelowna has aboot 130,000 people, is 1400 feet above sea level, and sits on Lake Okanagan, a lake so deep that the true bottom has never been found. It is rumored to be home to Ogopogo, a cousin of the Loch Ness Monster. The Okanagan Valley is called the Napa Valley of Canada, with hundreds of vineyards in the area and some of the nicest weather in all of Canada. It’s mainly a resort town, with countless marinas, min-golf courses, big-people golf courses, bistros, wine shops, spas, and ski resorts. Plenty of stuff to do around here to stave off boredom. Plus there is a zip-line course nearby and a series of hiking trails that were once railroad tracks and transoms. Banff National Park (the Canadian Yosemite) is aboot 3 hours east of here, and I cannot wait to make that trip. As you might expect, the town is virtually spotless. Lisa’s office is but a 10-15 minute drive from home, much better than her 1 ½ hour commute in Portland. All in all, first impression is a good impression. Just the surrounding scenery is enough to make me very happy. I think this is going to be a great decision.So tomorrow we get our stuff, and I will be spending the remainder of the week unpacking and setting up hoose. The cable guy comes Wednesday afternoon, so then I will have access to the internets (meaning this will be a back-posted entry), and can hopefully catch up on some Terrence & Phillip re-runs. I am interested to see what Canadian television holds in store. In the meantime, I hope to post regular entries letting you know all of my experiences settling into a new country and culture, along with many many pictures to enjoy. And thanks to the wonders of the internets, it’s like I have brought all my friends with me!
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