Reaching My Dream: A Travel Story
My heart swelled with joy as the charter bus drove closer to Vancouver. I was ready to start my new life in the city of my dreams. Unlike the previous bus trip where I was grieving a lost relationship, this one was taking me to my dream come true. I sighed happily as the bus entered the city; I took in all the new sights of tall buildings, the sky train, and the coastal mountains in the distance. I was finally there! The fact that it took me over a year to reach Vancouver made it more satisfying to be there. I swear to you I never felt more at ease than I did arriving in Vancouver with savings and a plan to live there.
I’ll never forget how refreshed I felt as I stepped off the bus at Pacific Central Station. After a quick sushi meal, I walked out into the bright, warm day and grabbed a cab. I checked into my hotel room at the Holiday Inn in Richmond, BC, put my bags down, then took a cab straight to the seawall so I could visit English Bay.
It was great seeing so many fit people jogging, walking, and biking everywhere. I walked along the path and breathed in the salty, fresh air, realizing there are actually two lanes — a bike path and walking path. A woman on roller blades nearly ran into me and she warned me to stay on the walker’s path. That was my newbie mistake. When you’re in Stanley Park in Vancouver, please be aware of the lanes. I had a little laugh at myself and continued around the seawall.
There’s nothing quite like west coast energy. Blinking back happy tears, I took in the view of English Bay once I rounded the trail and saw it in full view. I never felt so happy and purposeful in all my life. I sat there in awe of the sea and mountains.
“I’m really here!” I cried.
I made it. After enjoying some time by the sea, I remember trying to find my way to the sky train station so I could grab some dinner on the way back to the hotel. I decided I’d take transit back so I could get to know the city a little better. Cabs are much more expensive, too, and I wanted to watch the money I saved.
I stopped and asked a girl for directions and she not only showed me the way to the sky train station, she told me all about the close nature trails and how the transit was so good you could get to the forests by bus. It made me fall for the city even more. She was one of many kind people who helped me find my way around in those early days.
Since my friend Tee lived in Victoria, BC and was a student at UVic, I thought it would be nice to take a trip over there and visit him. With a few thousand dollars saved, I was free to travel and stay wherever I wanted before settling in Vancouver. He kindly offered a room for me since one of his roommates was away. It was a lot better than couch surfing! It was free of charge so that was a nice bonus. The next day, I took a ferry to Vancouver Island then hopped on a bus that took me into Victoria. The view of the gulf islands was spectacular as the ferry sailed toward the island. I almost couldn’t believe I was there.
When I reached my friend’s house, he was standing outside waiting for me. It was so cool seeing him out west after all the times I’d seen him in Ontario years ago. I crossed the road and we hugged. One evening, we biked around the seawall at sunset, which was a lovely view. Victoria was nice, but I didn’t like it as much as Vancouver.
There’s an energy in Vancity that you will not find anywhere else. After being out in the wilderness for a few months, I was ready to experience the true city life and become a Vancouver yuppy. When my nice visit with Tee and his roommates was over, I took the ferry back to Vancouver and flew to Ontario to visit my parents and sister for a few weeks before fully settling into Vancouver.
I felt it was a good idea to spend some time with them after my experiences in Banff and at the lodge. I wasn’t planning to ever live in Ontario again, so a long visit would be a happy medium. What was sad was that they seemed to think my life out west was over. I did mention that it would just be a visit before going back to Vancouver, but maybe they didn’t realize how serious I was.
“It’s good to have you back,” said my Dad.
Once we got inside, they showed me the new TV setup which was top notch. I was happy for them, but hoped they weren’t trying to give me reasons to stay. Their home is nice; I once enjoyed the ambiance of that area, but once you’ve been out west nothing really compares.
I think when you travel, it’s hard to go back home. You left for a reason and not all those reasons are bad. You felt a need for change and something else out there was calling for your heart and you listened. Vancouver was my dream; I was not going to let that pass me by.
The visit was nice and we got to do some nice day trips around as well as just relax. I gently told them that I was going to move to Vancouver after staying about a month and they began to accept that was what I really wanted to do. I wasn’t sure how long I should stay — I figured about a month.
After about ten days in Ontario, I was already starting to feel anxious and restless. While the visit was nice, I wasn’t in the mode to relax — it was on my heart to explore the big city and settle into the new life I worked so hard for. I stayed another couple of weeks for good measure and visited a few friends and my cousins.
As we grow up, we find our own rhythm and pace. Our values and priorities can shift and change. That can be hard for some parents to accept, especially when they are used to their kid living close to home for decades before they leave. I’m so grateful to have parents who love me — some people don’t have a home to return to. I do. I appreciate my family for supporting my journey out west.
The amazing thing about my visit was that our family cat had fallen ill, but she caught her second wind when I visited. Mom thought she was waiting for me. I think she is right. Before I left, our beautiful tabby cat succumbed to her illness. I’m so glad I got to see her one more time. She was our longest living family cat. The morning I left, my mom and sister were up to say good-bye. My sister stood on the doorstep holding Kiki in her arms. I waved good-bye to then. It was time to leave again, but we had a good long visit.
When the plane took off from Ontario this time, I wasn’t nervous about the unknown. Instead, I was excited to return to my final destination — Vancouver. This was what I worked so hard to finally experience and enjoy. I couldn’t wait to find a place to live and start a new job.
Most of all, I couldn’t wait to write stories at all the amazing indie cafes around the city. I could feel my wings spread when I walked off the plane and was back on the west coast. I took a cab to the Holiday Inn across from Metrotown and started looking for places. It turns out I was in a great location — there were a lot of rooms for rent in the Metrotown area at that time.
While I was a little surprised at the renting prices in the area, there were some cheap rooms available that weren’t far from the sky train station. I ended up finding a lovely little bedroom with my own kitchen and living room area for $450/month. The other room was for the family’s guests, so I got an amazing deal. Metrotown Station was just up the hill and normally I would walk up for the exercise.
I’ll never forget how happy I was the first morning I woke up in my new room. It’s so hard to describe, but it’s that feeling where everything is right and you are finally getting the life you deserve. I got dressed, headed for the sky train, and explored the beautiful city.
That evening, I watched the striking sunset at English Bay. It was so beautiful. A literal dream come true. As I walked down Robson Street toward the Burrard sky train station, my heart swelled with happiness. The lights strewn through the trees looked classy as people walked in and out of the shops. This is my kind of area.
One of my favourite things to do when I first moved there was take a train from Burnaby to watch the sunset at English Bay then take the dreamy commute back. The pastel skies hovering over the city was a wonderful sight as well. Just thinking about it now as I write it, I can remember the amazing feeing of being somewhere so beautiful and new. I was happier then than I’ve ever been in my life.
I’m writing this, because when you feel a “this is it” moment, listen to that feeling. Don’t ignore it. Life is short and you deserve to live your best life.
What amazed me is how sunny Vancouver is in September. You always hear about how rainy it is, but the summers are bright and dry. I couldn’t wait for the rains to come.
Would you like to read how it all began?