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Published: December 12th 2006
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We pulled into the bus stop at Creekside around 5 in the afternoon after the scenic drive from Vancouver to Whistler. Jim's friend Jeff met us and helped haul our bags up the hill to his place. We'd planned to stay with him and Shannon until we found a place but Jeff gave us the news that his friend Rosie had told him the day before that she was looking for someone to rent her one bedroom apartment. Word of mouth is a powerful tool in such a small community and over the months here I have come to realise getting good stuff here at good prices often comes down to who you know.
We dropped off our luggage and made our way on foot on a nice little trail past a pond, over some rocks and by a small water way to Rosie's place in Eva Lake Village. After looking at the place we deemed it to be small but perfect for our needs and said we'd take it. To our surprise she told us we could go get our bags while she packed and she would vacate it for us on the spot. So it was that the
first step in settling down was a quick and easy one and we had a home after less than an hour in town. It's always nice to have things fall into place so neatly. it makes you feel supported and encouraged by the universe, reassured that you are moving in the right direction.
We spent the first week getting organised and oriented to Whistler, taking plenty of time to get to know the nearby lakes for some sunny reading sessions. There are a number of nice little lake spots, connected by a web of valley trails but my favourite quickly became Lakeside due to its proximity to our new home and to being a quiet nook a little further from the main village than the others. The lakes, being fed by the melted snow and mountain springs are cool, frigid some might say, but I have become accustomed to it and find it supremely refreshing on these balmy summer days.
After a week of bumming around and taking a peek at my bank balance I decided it would be prudent to begin embarking on a job hunt. I spent quite a bit of time utilising the Job Centre
for it's job board and free computer access for resumes etc. and pulled out the job section of the local paper, The Pique. I was cheered to see many more pages of jobs than I had expected for such a small town and such a popular destination for the working holiday population. I realised then after talking to others that Whistler was suffering a worker shortage, usual at this time of year since most travelers come to work through the ski season and leave shortly after. I'm surprised because there is so much to do here in the summer. Apart from the wonderful weather, the lakes and the valley trails there are many amazing hikes ranging from the sedate to the punishing as well as one of the largest networks of mountain biking trails and a bike park for those who a brave enough and who don't have dodgy spines such as I.
I spied an ad in the pique wanting the services of a part time nanny and while I had no nannying experience I hoped that my experience with child photography, teaching kids to snorkel and a little embellishment of my babysitting experience back home might hold
me in good stead. As luck would have it, it did and within a couple of days a was a (part time) employed nanny with a nice hourly rate and a free ski pass (value $1600) thrown in to sweeten the deal. I had some full days with the girls Kamryn aged 6 and Mackenzie aged 10 but knew that they would very shortly be returning to school, where upon I would be needed only for after school care 3 afternoon a week. I'd be needing another job to flesh out my hours and bank balance. A wander around the village showed that every other shop had help wanted signs in the window. I quickly teed up 5 interviews for the next couple of days and was surprised to be offered each job on the spot. I'd like to think it was because I am such a dazzling prospect but suspect it has more to do with the desperation of the employers here.
I chose the Body Shop, offering 15 - 20hrs and a third job doing surveying for Tourism Whistler. It seemed like a good balance, having some time with the kids, some in an indoor team environment
Lakeside
Closest to our place, it's a nice spot to read and swim. and some outdoors working solo. However I quickly tired of juggling three jobs and as the surveying was only seasonal let it go. The thing with summer work in Whistler is there are many jobs available and little competition with other job seekers but there are only a few full time positions and the over whelming majority involve casual hours with low pay (as in $8 - $10hr) so most people have to juggle at least two jobs. Takes me back to my younger years and the refreshing lack of responsibility and pressure in my employment is equally tempered by a lack of stability and suitable remuneration.
Apart from all that, Jim and I have been able to catch up with mutual friends from the teaching program back in Oz, Liz and Melissa, and we enjoyed a delicious though pricey meal at Sushi Village. I have since found that Samarai Sushi is just as tasty and more affordable though not much is affordable here.
Being a tourist town everything is expensive. Rent is high and we lucked out with Rosie's place. For a nice but tiny one bedroom place we are paying $900 a month, considerably less than
Lakeside
Closest to our place, it\'s a nice spot to read and swim. others we've seen advertised and rent skyrockets for the ski season as well. Groceries are 30% more costly here than their Vancouver counterparts and it is virtually impossible to find a cheap restaurant without some serious investigations into who has what specials on what days and at what times. Still, after one look at the magnificent mountains and the scenery it seems a small price to pay to experience life here for a while.
Jim and I took the gondola up the mountain to go for a hike and it was nothing short of spectacular. I am looking forward to taking a lot of hikes, but we are going to have to look for some options not requiring a car or a gondola ride, since we don't have a car and the cost of going up on the gondola on a regular basis is prohibitive. I doubt we'll have to much trouble finding alternatives in this mountain paradise.
Til next time, enjoy life where ever you are.
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Beck n Ben
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Ahh takes us back
Why oh why did we ever leave Whistler ... oh yeah, cos our work permit ran out :-) And now they have 4 mtrs of snow - we are sooooo jealous!!!