2022 Feb 14, meet with my manager and head to Kananaskis.
In late 2021, I still can’t make sure is it eligible for travelers to land in Canada without a job offer, the border restrictions vary almost every week. I don’t want trouble at customs so I decided to find a job online in case of the unpredictable landing rules. P.S. Job offer is not mandatory for people who hold a working holiday visa.
Find a Job
Job searching isn’t a big deal, Facebook, LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. But interview over the internet is obviously a big problem. Languages, time zone, working hours are different, a stable internet connection matters as well. We spent lots of time scheduling the appointment. I had two interviews, one golf course in Vancouver and one restaurant in Kananaskis.
The first one was hiring staff for spring peak season, the manager mailed further information to me and asked me if there are any questions about jobs? I listed about 10 questions with curiosity and a little bit of excitement, sent them to her. Then, till today, up to now, I haven’t gotten any response. No news is good news?
The second was hiring 2–3 people for working in kitchen or souvenir shop. I arranged an appointment at midnight, I thought that will be a formal interview, imagine the interviewer asking me to introduce myself, ask some behavioral questions, or ask basic knowledge about foods, something like that. I spent lots of time rehearsal the interview in my English class. But actually, it was like a conversation when two people meet for the first time. The manager introduces what they are doing, his wife, their partners, the weather, the recreations, the life here would be, and ask me if is there any questions about this job. He did even not ask me to introduce myself, just told me “If you are interested to come here, contact me by email”. So, basically, it was a pleasant talk.
The Decision
The key point is do I really want to go? Have I honestly well-prepared? Do I truly want to drop all I’ve built and start everything from zero? I am 29, I am not a person who just graduated. For young people, working abroad needs courage and brave. For me, working abroad needs the determination to put everything you owned down. As long as you go on a whole new road, it means you definitely can’t go back to the life you’ve gotten used to. I was a programmer, stopping coding and learning new skills could make me stay away from better jobs, I mean one year later. If I want to go back to be an engineer, it would take me some time to adjust it. The one blank year, I don’t know how to evaluate the value I might lose. Making decisions is so tough, isn’t it?
After long deliberation, it’s not tough to make the decision at all. I am serious, because…
Life is so short.
Yes, that’s it, very matter-of-fact. There are too many things I can take into consideration while making decisions, but I always try to keep it simple. Life is so short, don’t miss the chance that you’ll regret it.
I contacted the manager and said that I am looking forward to joining you, then required the employment agreement letter, which will be used at the customs and immigration office. The agreement letter is really formal, it contains the company name, mailing address, Alberta employer number, wages, duties, benefits, and of course, the physical signature of the manager. I spent one week reviewing it carefully and sent it back to him with the attached my physical signature. One week later, I got the job agreement letter.
Embrace Changes
As Tony Robbins said, “One of the things you have to understand about life is everything changes and everything ends”.
About a year ago, I proposed to my girlfriend and succeeded, we hosted an engagement dinner together, ready to jump into the next milestone of life, to get together forever. But, as you knew, everything changes all the time, she decided to leave me one week later. The only thing I can do is to embrace changes, respect the truth, keep the most memorable/valuable parts in my heart. You must realize that time still goes by, the sun still rises, Polaris still sparks, without you. As well as all the good things happening around you every single day.
How can you miss such a fabulous world and just waste time to have yourself isolated or live in the past?
The Changes Shape a Better of You
I literally hate changes in some cases, but if I chose to live in the past and hate/curse someone else or the god rather than embrace the change that happened to me, I probably don’t move to Canada, most likely miss the opportunity to learn new things such as Canadian slangs, customer services, cook skills, and disease about food. Something I’ve never known.
You will definitely learn from the changes, which always make you become better.
On the Way to Kananaskis
Get down to business, my manager pick me up on Feb 14. We went to the mall to restock everything for the business and randomly grabbed lunch in western Calgary. Then drive along the Trans-Canada Highway and transfer to Alberta Highway 40, to Kananaskis Village. BTW, Trans-Canada highway is a transcontinental federal-provincial highway system, the main route spans about 7,500 km, from the most easterly city St. John’s, Newfoundland, to the most western city Victoria, British Columbia.
You will easily see The Canadian Rockies on the way to Kananaskis, it is spectacular! I bet you won’t want to stop hitting the button of the camera and close your eyes either. You might even forget to breathe since everything is breathtaking!
Anyway, “Welcome to Kananaskis”, I told myself.
