One Year Report Card

6.16.06: one year report card

Who WOULDN'T want to live in a city where daily sightings of snow-capped mountains, eagles, blue herons, beautiful nature and the sea were part of life above the 49th Parallel?

The past year has seen Ad and I (aka Team Vancouver '05) complete our international move, set up shop after a two month container strike in the Vancouver port keeping us separated from our belongings, look for work and find work, make friends, pass tests (Ad: driver's licence road test, PMP certification; Ariane: kayaking flatwater certificate), see a tiny bit of this huge and amazing province (Okanagan wine-growing region, Bowen Island, Victoria on Vancouver Island, Sunshine Coast, local Northshore mountains), join a Dutch expat group that meets on Granville Island once monthly, try our hand at new sports (kayaking, showshoeing), and have an insanely merry year together!

We've confirmed another year at the Trafalgar Street house and are going to celebrate, with a little BBQ fest this Saturday to welcome the summer, Ad's belated 40th birthday, and our one year here.

There couldn't be a bigger change in culture, environment, surroundings, people, style and size of countries than moving from Amersfoort, The Netherlands, to Vancouver, BC. We constantly notice so many little things here, and discover new areas, restaurants, architecture, you name it, each and every day.

Here's to many more great years to come, to us and all our friends and family near and far!