Posts tagged vancouver
The End Is Not Near. It Is Here.
Thank you to each and every person that has made this study abroad an unforgettable experience. You know who you are. Hoping our roads will cross again, I prefer to go with a temporary Good-Bye.
This thing still on?
*sob, sob, sob*
Listen to this. Thanks to Pippa. The Ends Not Near by Band of Horses.
BC. It’s that beautiful. English Bay Beach on Nov 10.
As a quick update on my immigration papers I am happy to report that the events of last night will certainly look good on my file.
Yesterday, I went out with my BUS 303 buddy Justin who happens to have season tickets for the Canucks. Before the game we grabbed some beers in Yaletown and since that was not at all Canadian enough for me, I decided to have some Poutine (Hello, Montréal!). The game itself was quite adrenaline-laden matter for me. To calm down I had, no kidding, Molson Canadian beer. Apparently, I got really lucky as people kept telling me that not every game is that captivating.
One tiny little faux-pas: I was wearing my red Canadian Olympic sweater and thought that was perfectly OK. Well, actually, the Canucks were playing the Detroit Red Wings - Guess what’s the team’s color? - so this probably was not the best choice.
After a 6:4 victory - Go Canucks Go! -, we took a “tiny” detour on our way home over the Lions Gate Bridge to North Van and headed back to SFU.
Thank you so much Justin for making my first live hockey experience so monumental.
And off I go to Vancouver. (Typing this out is quite the experience already…)
Vancouver - also known as Hollywood North, Terminal City, City of Glass, Hongcouver or Vansterdam - is where I will be at home for the next couple of months. (Read here why the city earned those nicknames)
The first days will be mostly packed with orientation activities and formalities. As I’m flying in a little late (layover in over-mormonized Salt Lake City), I hope to catch the bus to the infamous IKEA excursion (since our rooms come unfurnished and hardly equipped).
This shot is taken from Stanley Park near Downtown Vancouver. Dispite this photo’s standards set so high, I challenge myself to get the exact same shot. Clear skies, perfect reflections and all. Wish me luck.
Here some of my ever so intriguing travel statistics that everyone is craving for.
My flight itinerary: ORD - SLC, SLC - YVR.
Expected travel duration: 4 hours and 50 minutes.
Time zone difference: 2 hours.
Anticipated cab fare: CAD 60.00 (That burns - tell me about it -, but I really want to make that organized IKEA bus).
Fun facts presented this time: 0.
(photo via Road Fun)
The many ways to travel between Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver, B.C.
For a close-to-home urban vacation, it’s hard to beat the Northwest’s golden triangle of Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., and Victoria. All three cities have excellent museums and other sightseeing, and a wide choice of hotels, restaurants and nightlife.
Bus, ferry, plane or helicopter? What’s it gonna be?
One thing that was pointed out to us in our “cross-cultural training” was not to be “Jonny Raincloud from Austria.”
Get excited, participate actively! To everyone leaving for some international adventure: Don’t be Johnny Raincloud and enjoy!
(via zambombazo)
Opening A New Chapter
With the summer ringing in in Vienna and all of Austria, this means several things to me. First, I finished yet another semester at WU Wien. And quite successfully at that. I am particularly happy to have managed to get into my major of International Marketing and to do well in my second language, which is French. In general, this semester was heaps of work compared to what I was used to from before, but it was well worthwhile. Also, I can not believe my third year of university is starting next fall.
Second - enough with academics, already - the end of a semester also means that people take off for some sort of (international) summer adventure or head back home after spending some time abroad. What’s on the menu for some of us? Madrid, Cadiz, South America, California, China, Taiwan, London or more exotically, some western part of Austria. The waving goodbye of those leaving earlier only reminded me that eventually it would be my turn to take off. Taking the leap across the big pond to go live in different country. Canada, that is. A country that is relatively new to me. This sensation is totally overwhelming for me, knowing with great certainty that it is going to happen. This first hit me upon being asked by the officer in the US Consulate when I was going to leave.
So third comes the fact that my upcoming exchange semester in Vancouver still needs some more planning and “a financial safety pillow for recreational activities.” Health insurance, possible trips, and finally some red-tape that require my undivided attention. Next to that, I am applying for a job as a marketing pollster to make some dough I get to spend at some point abroad - trying to stimulate the shaky economies of my favorite North American countries.
And finally, I want to tell everyone thank you for this great semester. For those leaving for an adventure of their own, have fun, take it all in and bring back great anecdotes. The summer is not near, it is here.
Will keep you posted on this blog exclusively of how things progress and what life has in store for me these days. I hope you are stoked, because I know I am.
Get the bigger picture of the Opening Ceremonies for Vancouver 2010
