Irish girl in Canada

***Guest Post by Siobhan Devitt***

I moved to Vancouver in June 2013, I’d travelled before in Europe and the US but really wanted to see how I’d get on living in a different country & setting up a life somewhere new.

Before I moved to Vancouver I didn’t really know a lot about Canada…basically just that it was cold & far away! I soon found out that there’s a lot more to it than that and love living over here!

The first, and hardest part, of moving is getting the visa sorted! Getting the visa was easily one of the most stressful things I've done, just waiting to be accepted and filling out the mountains of paperwork can be very confusing but there’s a lot of support out there for anyone thinking of applying. The moving2canada website and IEC Facebook page are a great resource for anyone currently going through the process. Once you get through that and have settled on a date to move it’s a blur of booking flights, planning, packing and saying your goodbyes before you get on a plane and land here.

 I was lucky enough that one of my oldest childhood friends had been living here for a few years so that when I came over I wasn’t completely alone. That really is one of the best things about coming to Vancouver from Ireland, there’s such a big community of Irish people here and everyone was in the same boat starting out so there’s always someone willing to help you out. I’m really lucky to have met so many nice people over here and it’s been a big part of why I've enjoyed my time here and stayed for so long. It can be hard to settle in a new city so it’s always nice to have people who have the same background and sense of humour as you to be there for you when you’re feeling homesick.

But enough about that and more about the positives – why do I like Vancouver?

First of all the weather - Vancouver has a reputation of being a rainy city but it’s nothing compared to Ireland! The weather here is pretty mild, we don’t get major extremes like the east coast, which is great because I would not be able to cope in -20 degree weather! The best thing by far is the summers, you’re pretty much guaranteed two to three months of hot weather, about 25 degrees, and you can really make the most of it over here – there are so many beaches around, hikes to do, patios to drink on and adventures to have.

 Vancouver is one of the most active cities in the world and it’s no surprise. Literally everything you can think of is on your doorstep - hiking, paddle boarding, kayaking during the summer…skiing & snowboarding at the local mountains during the winter.

Secondly you are there are so many places to see and visit with Vancouver as your base. You’re right on the border to the US and cities like Portland and Seattle are only a few hours’ drive away and then Vegas is just a quick (cheap) flight away! But even better is that there is so much to see right in BC itself – Whistler is amazing during winter or summer, it’s a proper party town and is only two hours away from the city, take the ferry over to Vancouver Island to visit the capital Victoria or Tofino, one of best surf spots in the world with amazing scenery, wine tours in the Okanagan, or go further north up to the Canadian Rockies.

 And that’s not even mentioning Vancouver city itself.  For a major city Vancouver is actually quite small making it really easy to navigate and it’s not too over whelming when you’re first starting out. There’s always something happening over here so you’ll never be bored and though the nightlife is quite different to back home (I literally never wear heels over here and the whole place shuts down at about 2am) there’s plenty of fun to be had. Breweries, food cart festivals, night markets and street parties are always popping up so there is plenty of options for entertainment in the downtown core and always something to do.

But I guess I can’t go on about all the fun things to do without mentioning the serious stuff – finding somewhere to live and getting a job. They say BC means Bring Cash and they’re not wrong. It can be expensive starting out here so once you get here these are the two big things you need to get sorted.

Apartments are in high demand over here and the first of the month is when the majority of rents start so my advice is to get looking a few days before hand and be ready to view a lot of them! Pretty much all apartments come unfurnished which can be a bit of a pain at first as you need to get all the basics in but by checking out Craigslist and the likes of Army&Navy and Walmart you can get most of what you need. I’ve lived in a few different areas while being here and would definitely recommend trying to live in downtown Vancouver even for the first year to really get the feel of the city.

And finally work – like most Irish people who migrated recently we left, in part, because my boyfriend found it difficult to get work at home. He’s in construction and as those jobs are in high demand here he found it quite easy to get steady work straight away. Office jobs are a bit harder to come by, I worked in retail for a couple of months while still applying for the jobs I wanted but my persistence paid off and after a couple of months I was in the position I wanted.

Of course it’s hard being away from home and your family, especially at Christmas but for me anyway the experience is well worth it. And all the packages of tea and chocolate that the family sends really make up for it :)