Do you know what the best part about celebrating holidays/birthdays in Canada? Because we are so far behind (time wise) we generally get to celebrate twice. This works particularly well for birthdays, as you technically age the required number of years the day before your actual birth date. I worked it hard over those two days!
So on Friday in Canada, it was my birthday in Australia and my lovely colleagues bought me cake and sung to me. I also got a huge smiley balloon that is still sitting in my office.
So happy. My balloon and I match!
Unfortunately O'Hara had to work the weekend of my birthday (sometimes a 7/7 schedule blows!), but luckily for me Alexis and Hal invited me to Penticton for the weekend for Fest of Ale. They also took me out for brunch, bought me brilliant "birthday princess" attire and Alexis' parents cooked me an awesome BBQ for birthday dinner.
Now you're probably starting to judge me, as this is the third "alcohol tasting" event I've been to in 3 months, but don't. Fest of Ale is a beer tasting festival that is held every year. They include international beers but the majority are from breweries in BC. Tastings were $2 each, but tickets to the event were only $20. I think in the end I paid about the same as a wine festival. Apparently tastings used to be free, but it turned into such right off that they had to start charging.
There was a kilt... and a princess
Fest of Ale was a bunch of fun. I've decided it's much harder to drink beer for 6 hours than wine. I was suffering from a 6pm hangover for sure.
Again lucky me, I got a THIRD birthday celebration last weekend. We had chocolate raspberry cheesecake. I'm just going to let that one sink in... I really am so spoilt!
One hill that we'd heard so much about was Revelstoke. I know a lot of people who say it's their favourite ski hill. Something about having a lot of snow and awesome backcountry runs. They didn't lie.
Some Australian friends from Vancouver had organised a giant house, and invited us to stay for the weekend. Thanks guys! So nice :) I think we counted 17 people all up, with people from Australia (mostly), Canada, Wales, Persia (??) and Norway.
Snowman and sun, there's nothing better
Now Easter weather in Australia, could learn something from the weather in Canada. It was ridiculously nice. T-shirt and shorts in the sun good, though I know a lot of you won't believe me. This was only 2 weeks into Spring, so I am hanging out for an incredible summer. You guys in the southern hemisphere got one, it's now our turn. So some really fantastic weather over the previous few weeks meant there wasn't a huge amount of snow on the hill, luckily a fantastic season prior ensured there was good snow out there it was just a little harder to find.
It's snowing!
Our snowboarding skills seemed to experience exponential growth in the last few weeks of the season. I am hoping that it's like riding a bike, and the start of next season won't be like the start of this one. We went up for a day during the week before Easter with one of O'Hara's friends from work. He had us doing double black diamonds (steep as F), and showed us some amazing runs that we hadn't been able to take advantage of before then.
Standard jump shot
So when our new friends told us about an amazing run at the back of Revelstoke where you had to hike up a small hill and drop off a mini-cliff, we were slightly nervous (for me mostly about walking up a hill) but agreed. As you can probably tell, we survived and had a fabulous time. I fell over a stack, probably only managed about 5 turns, got ran into, experienced a deep burn in my thighs and failed significantly at a jump.
Your snowboard should be under your legs...
It was really nice hanging out with a big group of Australians again, it kinda made me homesick as there seems to be a certain vibe with a group like that. Our drive back was lovely and we found some cool places to enjoy the sun and Greg's birthday. I can't wait for summer!
This weekend marks 12 months since we first EVER arrived in Canada. It was our first time being in the Country and we had no idea what to expect. We were told we would be cold 24/7 (lies), that Canadians are just like Australians (lies) and that we would love it here (fact).
I'd like to think our first year has been a resounding success. Everybody loves us, the move was completely smooth and work has been just perfect. HA! I kid! However looking back nothing has been so difficult we've looked at jobs back home, there's been no (out of the normal) tears, and we've most definitely had a positive experience. We've met some incredible people, made friends that we will have for the rest of our lives, had new experiences with friends from home and managed to catch up with some of our friends in North America. A resounding success I think, though maybe not from the first reasons listed.
In honour of the country that's hosted us for the last 12 months, here's a list of 6 things I do NOT miss about Australia.
1. Bogans
Now Canada has rednecks, there is no denying this. However I am yet to see a "Fuck Off We're Full!" sticker on the back of anyone's car. The worst racist/ignorant comment I've heard was from a British cab driver who said he moved to Kamloops from the UK because there were too many coloured people in England. Lovely!
2. Always buying last seasons fruit
You would think since we have such a huge agricultural business that you'd be able to buy true fresh fruit and veg at the supermarket. I lived in Tasmania for 18 years, and could never work out why it's so hard to get a good apple. 3. The evil rich people and radio shock jocks
These people make me sad, and embarrassed to be Australian. Gina Rinehart in particular, who thinks poor people are all lazy drunks. I'm pretty sure you worked SUPER hard getting that inheritance. Eating most likely..... It's like their only focus in life is to become richer, no matter the cost to their families, friends or reputation.
The radio shock jocks have no place in an intelligent society. Laws, Sandilands and Jones I'm looking at you. You pander to stupid people and give them justification for their ridiculous views. GO AWAY! 4. Unexplainable high prices
This same thing happens in Canada, there was a Government inquiry and they found out one of the main reasons is that suppliers aren't negotiating better deals because "Canadians are used to paying more". I'm pretty sure the same thing happens in Australia. Why on earth is a jar of moisturiser in Canada $50 and in Australia $85? No legitimate reason I guarantee. 5. Politics
Our current government is a joke, the opposition is a joke. Every so often things that I'm actually proud of happens (carbon tax, NBN etc.), but I'm sure none of it will last. 6. The flies
This is a country thing. It's a bad country thing. It's almost like those bastards enjoy drinking insect repellent. If/when the drought kicks back in, the first things that will come back strong will be the flies.
We've been keeping a low profile recently, when O'Hara has had days off we've just been going up to Sun Peaks and chilling in Kamloops. We've been meaning to head to Banff for about 2 months but are terrible friends and haven't made it. The one positive, we've doubled the days needed to pay off our seasons pass. You'd think we'd be epic snowboarders by now, but sadly no.
One thing that has been nice about hanging around Kamloops has been the weather. I think I've acclimatised to some extent as I'm not nearly as cold as I was when I arrived last year. I haven't needed gloves or a beanie for at least a month. We've also seen double digits over the last few days which has been awesome. I'm starting to get super smug about the fact we're going into summer (suckers). While Australians were posting their wonderful sunshine photos, here it was cold and dark and I was homesick. Now that daylight savings has started, payback is about to commence. Be prepared southern hemisphere, it's going to be brutal!
Here comes Spring suckers!
Sadly, this means it's tax time here for us. As we only submitted our Australian one about a month ago I'm feeling a little ripped off. ALL tax returns are due here on the 30th of April, so no slacking off for us unfortunately.
Taxes here are confusing for us. As far as I can find on the internet, Canada and the US are the only countries that have completely separate taxes in each province/state. This also means (as far as I can find) these are the two countries where taxes aren't included in any sales prices. I think everyone has that awkward moment when they first travel to the US or Canada when they have the cash for their purchase, only to be told at the register they're 5-15% short. It's almost impossible to get rid of small change.
I've learnt to appreciate that paying Employee Insurance (in case you can't get a job or go on mat leave) and Canadian Pension Plan (forced payment but not like super) could benefit us. If I get pregnant here I can claim maternity leave even though I'm not a permanent resident or citizen. It's dead money for O'Hara and any expats on a work permit, as you are required to be working at the place specified on you visa. Luckily we opted for me to be a spouse visa rather than my own work permit, WIN!
While I find it pretty annoying that EI and CPP are separated out and Canada claims it has really low "taxes", in Australia you pay for the same things in the overall tax rate but expats on a 457 visa are not entitled to any of the same things you are here. Canada, you win this round. We've just got to get pregnant and have a baby while we're here and get our EI back!
One thing that is a total scam however, is the fact that everything that the company pays for as a "benefit" (gym, healthcare etc.) gets added to your taxable income. So you pay nearly 50% anyway. BUT when your claiming deductions, you only get 10% back.... shady!
This is not a pregnancy announcement. Repeat, this is NOT a pregnancy announcement!
Everyone is so convinced that Australia is a death trap. You've heard it before, "every living creature there wants to kill you". This is true to an extent. However, I am completely convinced that at least in Australia you can generally avoid such terrifying creatures if you wish.
In Canada near death experiences are at every turn. Whether you're crossing the road, camping, hiking, driving, doing snow sports, or crossing frozen lakes it's a matter of life and death half the time.
Deathly Weather
We've worked out Kamloops has a relatively mild winter, this can't be said for the rest of Canada however. Think you can survive outside for long when it's -30 degC? Unlikely! I hope you like frostbite, frozen lungs and hypothermia because that's what will happen. If the cold isn't enough, feel free to add some freezing rain or fog, wind chill or a blizzard. Check it out all the ways the weather wants to kill you at CBC, love!
Apparently avalanches are a thing here as well. This weekend there is an "Extreme Risk" or something because of the pineapple express (I'm just as confused as you are). The highways have to get closed every so often for avalanche control. Crazy!
Terrifying Creatures
How may you die by an animal in Canada? Let me count the ways.
Brown and Grizzly Bears
Wolverine
Cougars
Orca
Rattle Snake
Elk
Polar Bear
Moose
Recluse Spider
I can't really complain about snakes and spiders in Canada, Australia is obviously worse. However, I maintain I would much rather be bitten by a Brown Snake than a Rattle. I figure while the venom may be much more toxic, the fact that browns are Elapidaes and often do dummy bites totally works in my favour. I can control my lymphatic system much easier than my heart!
Elk are mean and will attack if you're not careful, Moose are generally just dangerous road blocks though I have heard stories of them going after you if you bug them too much.
The amount of camping and hiking stories that have given me chills, is a zillion times higher than the number of people I know who have been involved in a shark attack. This may be due to the fact that you usually don't get a lot of warning with shark attacks, or maybe there are just a lot more carnivores wandering the bush in Canada!
Lethal Driving
Since winter is on the way out, it seems like driving in the snow and ice was just a bad dream. Sadly I know this isn't the case, and really it's the most dangerous part of Canada. The roads and driving conditions are only made worse by the Canadian drivers. This isn't a grumpy expat comment, Canadians have told me on multiple occasions that Canadians suck at driving. I've never corrected them. I mean, would you correct a Victorian when they said people in Victoria couldn't drive?
Living on the edge everyday. It makes Canada such an exciting place to live!
So, you've heard about the start of their holiday while Kristen was here. Ice-skating, snowboarding and winter fun. The rest of their holiday was much of the same, but also included a weekend trip to a cabin at Red Lake.
The most exciting part? I was allowed to go on a boys weekend away!! It's a miracle, but in their defence they didn't have much of a choice. I had to work all week while the boys were having fun, they weren't allowed to desert me! So what happens on a boys weekend? Scotch, cigars, cards, fishing, sledding, paintball, campfires, ribs, sausages, burgers and farts. Standard.
We burned out to the lake on Friday night and managed to squeeze in a bit of ice fishing. While we didn't know it at the time, Jez got the only bite of the weekend that Friday night. Guess what? He blew it. I don't think it was his fault since he'd literally only been at it around 5min. We were super excited, if there was fish this late in the day imagine what we'd get at dawn!
After packing up, having dinner, playing some cards and testing out the paintball guns, I for some reason decided that I really wanted to shoot someone. I'd never been paintballing before and wanted to know what it felt like, luckily for me Luke was a willing target (I think this had something to do with him being 100% sure he'd hit me, and only 10% sure I'd return the favour). We decided this is the best way to blow office tension, screw yelling at someone or giving them a dirty task. Shoot them with a paintball gun and all will be forgiven. This video is bad quality because it's dark, but I think it's hilarious. In my defence it's hard to shoot straight when you're pissing yourself laughing.
On Saturday there were at least 30 people on the lake trying to catch fish. We were armed with the underwater camera and spent a lot of time saying "ooohhh loook, there's a bunch swimming straight past!". On the way home we got pulled over by one of the licence checkers, who said that a lot of the fish at Red Lake had been conditioned not to take bait.... perfect. We're using that as our excuse for the dismal failure. So this leave the score at: Fishes 7, O'Hara 0.
We did try hard before lighting a fire and giving up
So to burn off our sorrows, we had paintball fights at the top of the island in the middle of the lake. I think we were those bogans (rednecks) who ruin what is supposed to be a peaceful day on the lake. Our only saving grace was the fact we weren't drinking, but with the skidoo burning around, us yelling during a paintball fight, having a fire on the lake and generally being loud and obnoxious we were ruining the serenity. I would have hated us.
Ever wanted to know what happens when you put a hot grill in snow? Awesomeness!!
How's that serenity? Braaaawwwwppppp
Always safety first!
Our sweet snow fort and why you wear a mask!
The rest of our trip once Luke left was trying to kill each other playing pond hockey. I am the worst skater, you can see that for yourself. I put it in fast forward and cut out all the sections where people didn't fall over.
So much work.... to get this photo right!
Even though Sean and O'Hara were harassed by the licence dude for what seemed like an hour, we made it back in time to watch our first Super Bowl. As we'd only eaten protein all weekend (literally. Sausages, ribs, burgers, bacon and eggs) we were feeling a great need for fibre. Our Super Bowl snacks weren't very traditional with stuffed zucchinis and mushrooms, cheese, vegetables and dip, and some more ribs. Thanks Alexis and Hal for coming and showing us how it's supposed to be done!
For their final day I took them up to Sun Peaks while O'Hara was in a training course. Jez only had 3 days snowboarding all up, but he was probably better than me (devastated). Doing jumps and calling me a pussy for not going down Black Diamonds with him. I guess it's true. Sadly snowboarding mid-week has kinda ruined weekend time for me. What sort of chumps works full time and only go up the hill on the weekends. Epic fail O'Haras!!
This is how it should be done. Midweek snowboarding>>>weekend snowboarding
While Jeremy and Sean were visiting us, Kristen managed to make a quick trip up from her US tour.
The night before Kristen arrived, we took Jez and Sean to a Blazers game. It turns out when the Blazers play on Monday night, the have an awesome game. I think it needs to happen more regularly. We had poutine, beer, hotdogs, a win in overtime and tried to dance for our dinner. For some reason, the camera loves me when I'm just sitting in the crowd but will NEVER come by when I'm busting my moves. Shocking?! We convinced Jez and Sean that everryyyooone does it, I don't think they believed us but were good sports.
Ohh yea, bust a move
Love Monday hockey
As a mid-winter holiday, the options are not necessarily limited but are generally focused around snow or ice activities. While Kristen was here, we had a full day of snowboarding and O'Hara took them for a half day ice-skating/pond hockey while I was working.
O'Hara being the sports jerk that he is, has managed to pick up skating and pond hockey quite quickly. Video suggest that he's the only one who can actually skate, where as everyone else sort of shuffles around. Kristen picked up skating after about 15 minutes and clearly states (on video) that she's mastered it and starts skating in circles. O'Hara promptly calls half time and everyone leaves the makeshift rink. It didn't make a lot of sense since he was on her team!
Sun Peak snowboarding was obviously a win. We had an awesome powder day which was perfect for Kristen and Jez to test out their first time. It was also the first time I've snowboarded power and actually been able to snowboard. It. Was. AWESOME!
They had two lessons with an awesome instructor that meant they were set. Jez is also a sports jerk and was doing black diamonds by the second day and tree runs by the third. I also had a lesson (it was a Wednesday so I was the only one) which was the best idea I've had all season. I was able to go at my own pace and he taught me a lot. I was taught how to do tree runs properly in theory (in practice I was falling over constantly and running into trees). O'Hara was heaps jealous!
Kristen getting all strapped in
On the slopes, covered in powder from falling over constantly
