One Year in Vancouver.
I left Ireland on May 9th, 2023. I'd known for a few years that I wanted to explore more of the world. I'd been saving for this big change for a while, but the rising cost of living and housing crisis in Ireland accelerated my desire to leave.
Why Vancouver? I mean, why not? If you haven't been, I'm sure you've seen images of the diverse landscape and geography, which is as accessible as you want it to be. I did little research beyond costs, visa requirements, and job hunting. What attracted me to Vancouver was the immediate access to the wilderness of British Columbia within 40 minutes of a city with so much going on. City life with plenty of opportunity, combined with the touch of nature. I'd seen the creative industries that had developed in Vancouver, and it seemed like the Galway of Canada. I loved living in Galway, so with all that in mind, if there was anywhere in Canada I was going to move, it was always going to be Vancouver.
I got my work permit approved in February 2023 and was booked to fly by the end of March. I got everything prepared, sold my car, spent my last two weeks visiting friends, hiking some places I'd wanted to do for years, and spent my last night living in Ireland with some of my closest friends, playing board games and eating cake. It almost made you want to stay.
My arrival in Canada wasn't perfect. My Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to Toronto was delayed by four hours. Conveniently, that was exactly the amount of time I'd set aside to get through immigration in Toronto for my connecting flight. I missed my original connection, which had also been delayed with Air Canada. Luckily, I had a smooth transition through immigration, and with my visa approved, I ended up spending a few hours in a Toronto hotel before finally making it to YVR the following morning. And so began my first year in Canada.
The first couple of weeks were spent as a tourist, seeing what Vancouver had to offer, but I had the nagging feeling that I didn't really have a permanent living situation or a job. So after days of exploring, the evenings were spent on Indeed, Facebook housing groups, and Craigslist hunting for jobs and rooms to rent. It took a couple of weeks, but I found a place to live on the edge of East Vancouver and shortly afterward found a Monday-to-Friday job working with film and camera equipment.
The rental market is tough here in Vancouver, thanks to investors and Airbnb. Although a struggle, there are properties and rooms showing up daily, it just takes some hunting to get into one. I would argue that the same reasons people in my age group are leaving Ireland in great numbers are at play here. Rent prices are sky-high for the very few properties that are available, and with the smaller population, turnover on rentals isn't the same. Also, people using Airbnb are turning perfectly good homes for people into properties that lie vacant most of the year but fill up with short-term visitors. I've seen this in Galway and to some extent in my home village, where I've heard people complaining about young locals leaving while at the same time bragging about how much they've made on their second or third property on short-term holiday lets.
Coming to Canada for me was about exploring a part of the world I've never seen, while trying to thrive rather than barely surviving in Ireland. Within a few weeks, I'd gotten on some hikes in terrains I'd never even dreamt about, as well as photographed some amazing scenery. I tackled the Baden Powell, Grouse Grind, and on my first camping trip to Chilliwack, I completed the Flora Lakes Loop and got a taste of the backcountry routes on offer in Canada. Many more of the iconic British Columbia hikes have been done since, including spending five days on the West Coast Trail and experiencing the extremes of winter hiking. I feel like I've only just begun to scratch the surface of the outdoors here and look forward to another year at a minimum.
5 things that did catch me off guard on my first year in Canada are:
Mobile Phone plans are stupidly expensive for very little in comparison to Ireland
Seasons Existing. Ireland is a 4 seasons in 1 day kind of country and it was a pleasant surprise for summer to be like summer as it was in my school books in primary school.
I wasn’t prepared for how close the wildlife are to the cities. Coyotes do roam the streets, Racoons are everywhere and its not uncommon for Blackbears to visit the streets of North Vancouver.
How familiar everything seems. Being english speaking is obviously a common connection but its easy to see the connections to Europe all over which certainly brings a sense of familiarity whether that be social/political structure or the fact no matter where you go you’ll run into some people from home
Canada is huge. I mean HUGE. Like you can drive for a solid 24 hours North and still be in British Columbia. Speaking to locals distances outside of Vancouver is talked about in hours which was something to wrap my brain around.
Having met a partner over here now and made friends from Canada and all over the world I’m settling into life over here and I’m looking forward to another couple of years in Canada if I can.
Staying as long as I can is my goal, whether that means seeking sponsorship or going down the PR route to Citizenship. I do see myself going back to Ireland at some stage. Seeing how many people have taken the same steps I did is kind of sad that a whole generation of Irish people from their 20’s to late 30’s have left not knowing when or if they will return. I guess we’ll see how things will change in the coming years.
Check out more of my pieces by clicking here or if you want to watch some of the things I’ve done and seen here in Canada on my Youtube.
