You Are My Sunshine

Well, readers. It's official.

I am employed!

After a little over a week of nauseating impatience, Sunshine Mountain finally contacted me this morning to let me know the blessed news. I have been hired as a server by Mad Trappers, one of the top bar and restaurants on the mountain.

Hello, gratuities.

And if that's not enough good news, I have moved out of the Samesun Hostel and into my very own house. In a twist of absolute fate, myself and two New Zealand sisters I met at the Samesun managed to sweet-talk our way into a beautiful, two bedroom cabin/apartment a block away from Banff Ave, the main street of Banff. We are cramming five people into our little chalet - the two sisters and myself in one room and two male friends of the sisters in the other. Our landlord is providing us with five single beds, a couch and a coffee table and with the kitchen already decked out with a fridge, microwave, (self-cleaning) oven and dishwasher, not to mention a washer and dryer, all we are left to do is make a trip to the Calgary Walmart to collect kitchen equipment and bedding! I managed to pick up some sheets, blankets and a TV in Banff so we're half way there already.

We officially moved in this morning and had a joint welcome/21st Birthday celebration for Ciahn, which involved pancakes, berries, icecream and champagne. I spilt the champagne on the floor so the apartment is offically christened.

So after a few worrying weeks spent not knowing if everything was going to work out, if I was going to get a job, if I was going to find somewhere to live, if I was going to have to leave Banff, if I was going to have to go home to Australia with my tail between my legs, everything has worked out (like everyone I complained to promised me it would.)

But everyone who knew me before I started this journey also knew how much this all meant to me. How long I had waited to be here and how much frustration and disappointment after disappointment I had gone through before I finally boarded that plane bound for the USA. I spent a long time building this experience up in my head, hearing other people's stories and developing my own preconceptions for what living and working at the snow was going to be like. Sometimes this has been to my detriment, as when things haven't turned out the way I expected, I've discounted them. But I'm fast learning (and being reminded) that this is my time and it's not necessarily going to be like everybody else's experiences. That doesn't make it better or worse, just mine. I expected to be living in staff accommodation on the hill. Now, I'm living in a wicked house with two sisters whom I love and a kitchen which allows me to cook whatever and whenever I want.

And not only did I move in and get offered a job today, but it has started snowing.

And they say, it isn't going to stop.

Ciao for now. xo

(Not Quite) Walking on Sunshine

My apologies for the lack of blogging. It's been a tough ol' week and with all the stress of trying to find work, blogging about it has been the last thing I've felt like doing.

After travelling four hours to Banff and spending five days there, I did not return to Cranbrook a very happy camper. I attended the Sunshine Mountain job fair and interviewed for two positions - one as a liftie and one in hospitality. I felt pretty confident about how the interviews went and was told that I would hear back about the liftie position on Friday and the hospitality position on the 25th. After almost dying of anticipation, Friday came and went and I didn't recieve any exciting email in my inbox. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - still nothing. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed and kicking myself that I had put all my eggs in the one Sunshine Mountain basket. I now have one shot left to work on the mountain or start looking for a job in Banff itself and believe me, there are plenty of other people in that particular search party.

The real highlight of Banff - other than the breathe-taking views and the cool people I met - was for the first time in my life, I saw snow. Snow, actually coming out of the sky like confetti. Some girlfriends and myself had planned on doing a hike but on our way through town, the street suddenly clouded over and from out of nowhere, white fluffy flakes started falling from the sky. They danced their way down and dissolved as soon as they hit the pavement. It was pretty cool and I'm assured there is plenty more where they came from.

On a more upbeat note, it has been nice to return to Cranbrook for a few days. The hostel room I was staying in at the Samesun Hostel in Banff was a mixed-dorm in which I was the only girl and the snoring that issued from the other five beds could have moved mountains. Back at Steph's, I have the comfort of my own smooshy double bed, my own bathroom and the first two seasons of Laguna Beach.

Steph and her family and friends have been very attentive in ensuring I am having the ultimate Canadian experience. Steph's dad took me to an ice hockey game last night between the Kootenay Ice and the Edmonton Oil Kings, the junior league which is one level below professional. Thankfully, I had watched The Mighty Ducks (1, 2 and 3) enough times to understand most of what was going on and any of my questions were answered in detail by Steph's dad. The whole experience was very exciting, especially the parts where the 20 year-old boys smashed each other into the glass panels surrounding the rink and then got sin-binned for brawling. It's like rugby league but on ice with sticks and pucks and padding.

Okay, so nothing like rugby league but a good night out none the less.

I'm hanging out in Cranbrook for two more nights and then heading back to Banff on Friday with my can-do attitude a-blazing. There's a job out there in the snow with my name on it.

Ciao for now. xo