I’ve been in Vancouver for a few days. Today was day 2 of training. It’s a good time to give you a quick update of my life here. Of course, nothing super exciting has happened as I’m still on Canadian soil J If you are only interested in updates of my adventure in Beijing, wait a week and then read my emails...
I got to Vancouver on Tuesday; the weather was beautiful here. I didn’t have a room right away so I went for a long walk and ate at a restaurant Meera recommended, Tropika on Robson. It was really good and l liked the environment; love the fact it's on a shopping street :P I can’t remember how long it has been since the last time I enjoyed a leisure afternoon with a good book, having a quiet but delicious lunch. So, it was quite a treat. The walk and shopping after that was certainly a bonus as well.
The hotel I’m in is comfortable and very close to my training location. It’s only 2 blocks away, so it’s convenient even for a late riser like myself. Breakfast and lunch are provided at training. Love the fruit at breakfast; lunch is not as “wholesome” and healthy as I am used to but it’s not bad.
Day 1 of training was for general orientation and answering questions that the participants had; most pressing concerns such as accommodation/transportation in Beijing, uniform, job descriptions, etc. Of course, a lot of time to get to know one another better since we will be working/living together. There are about 55 of us in total. 3 of us are feds and most of them are from the provincial gov’t, with a few from the City of Vancouver. What surprised me was the large number of University students who work for a catering contractor as service staff. They, as well as their head chef, are taking the training with us so there is a really good mix of people. Everyone seem very nice and approachable. Quite a few of them have had previous work experience in Beijing, even a few natives.
For dinner I tried out Yamato Sushi which Sree strongly recommended. It’s small and one can easily miss it if not looking hard for it. Turned out it’s only a few blocks away from my hotel. It’s so cheap! A meal special with 18 pc of rolls, soup and salad is only $5.50 and it’s really good! Amazing. Thanks, Sree! Would not have been on my radar otherwise.
Day 2 was cultural training. Even I learned a lot of useful things. The instructor was very entertaining and made it really fun to learn the cultural differences. It was so much fun today it didn’t feel like we were on training J It certainly gave us a fresh perspective and will help immensely in our work. Can’t get into details but I’d be happy to discuss this once I get back. I hope I still remember all the hilarious examples the instructor used today…
I met up with Lena for dinner tonight. Although we’ve met a few times in Ottawa, it was always with a group and we never really had a long chat by ourselves. I felt we bonded really well tonight and had a super fun time, not to mention a WONDERFUL dinner. She took me to a Japanese Tapas place with awesome ambiance, great deco, interesting menu and delicious food. I LOVED every plate we ordered. It wasn’t heavy but was very satisfying. Some of the pickled stuff we tried really reminded me of some flavors I grew up with in Shanghai but have not had an opportunity to try again since I left; only the ones I ate tonight has a twist to them and has a subtle Japanese flavor. Every plate was beautifully presented, and delicious. I need to look up its name so I can recommend it to everyone heading this way.
Good food, good company, what more could I ask? J Well…. Maybe more stylish uniform… I won’t say more, but once you see me in them, you’ll understand. Perhaps the tailor in Beijing will do wonders, I sure hope so. I’m quite impressed with the organization of the training activities though. I was speaking to a career MCO on her final posting before retirement, she said DFAIT never offer nearly as much prep or training before sending officers on long term postings!! The truth is, it’s quite useful. Day 1 helped ease a lot of the anxiety about the unknown in a new place; Day 2 would make it easier to work in the new environment and help us avoid cultural faux-pas or misunderstanding resulting in damaged business relationships. Don’t know about the rest of the days yet, I’ll comment as I go.
All in all, I’m having a good time, and taking advantage of this time to get to know Vancouver a little better too. Getting a flavor of downtown already. Will venture a little further over the weekend. Have not found a good way to share pictures (having some issues with my laptop, will need to sort this out before I’ll be able to share photo). The good thing is, I haven’t taken any photo yet :P so you are not missing anything. Patience… J
Later on, I may set up a website where you can go to see my updates if you want to and just send a little note to let you know I added updates. That way I won’t have to flood your inbox with a long email; not everyone wants to read my long essays, especially not during working hours… Until then, please bear with me. I also hear access to google/Facebook etc are on and off in China; I can’t count on being able to access these sites, so I will need to be creative. I will also not be able to say directly what I think sometimes for various reasons; will have to save those more sensitive subjects to after my return! I’m sure you’ll all understand…
OK, enough rambling from me. Get back to work! Ha ha… I need to hit the pillows for my beauty sleep. Stay tuned for my next update :P
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