Yesterday marked six months in Canada, half of my yearlong work visa. I can't believe how fast this has gone by, how many fantastic people I have met and how many exciting things I have crammed into this time. Before coming out here I was a little worried that I would get lonely or homesick and kept in the back of my mind that I could always return to the UK early. I am happy to report that none of these things have happened yet and while there has been the normal ups and downs, overall I am having a blast! Toy bears being thrown into the ice during a hockey game. Donations for underprivileged

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This last week I have been working on a smallholding on Denman Island, which is a small island just off Vancouver Island. The work was unpaid but in exchange I received food and accommodation. I found out about the work through a website called HelpX (Help Exchange) which links together people looking for help with travellers, who like me are moving around on a budget looking for new opportunities. HelpX is very similar to another scheme called WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) which I first heard about when travelling in Australia in 2009. It sounded like a great way to experience

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A while back I wrote about The practicalities of leaving the UK for Canada which detailed some of the things I had to sort out in order to come over to Canada. This post will go over some of the things I had to sort out since arriving and also some of the things I have learned and experienced since coming here 5 months ago. I hope that anyone in a similar position or considering such a move finds this information helpful, as I know sometimes it can take alot of searching to find answers to practical questions. Disclaimer! Anyone reading this should understand that this is a mixture of things

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Working up at the mountain for the last month has been lots of hard work with some good fun mixed in. There are some quite good things about working up at the mountain like the amazing view, learning to snowboard for free and working with some really cool people from all over the world. Unfortuntaly the work itself, the long hours and the pay can't be added to this list! So when I found out that I was working every day from my birthday right through the Christmas period I decided, well I decided not to! As a present to myself. I don't like quitting anything and over the last year I have quit

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Time for a little update. For the last three weeks I have been working at the Mount Washington Alpine Resort (ski resort) not too far from where I live in Comox. After two weeks of training the mountain opened a week early because of the early snowfall. Driving up to the mountain is like entering another world - starting at the base where there is no snow and as you go higher the snow starts and gets deeper and deeper. When you get off the bus at the top it couldn't be more different than the base of the mountain. This effect is enhanced by the fact that the sun is also rising as the bus takes

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This is a two parter (leaving and arriving) about the process of leaving the UK and entering Canada on the Iternational Experience Canada (working holiday) scheme. When I was applying, waiting and planning for my trip to Canada I had alot of questions. Some of these questions were harder to find answers for than others so I have been meaning to compile them into a post so that it may help others in a similar situation. Those of you who know me will know that I don't much like to plan out my trips in advance, apart from a little research into the main sights to wet my appetite. A big part of

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