Nearly Settled In

I'm nearly settled in here! It's been a hectic week, and I'm still not done getting everything rolling smoothly, but it's coming along. Most things have been ticked off my list of 'things to do'. My apartment is still quite a mess, with a few unpacked boxes, displaced plants, and other odds and ends that haven't found a place yet, sitting in the middle of the floor. I have flattened cardboard boxes leaning against the walls, waiting to be taken out the back. I have lawn furniture and wire baskets and all the stuff, including outdoor plants (geraniums, fuschias, coleus...) that was on my balcony over on the Island. I have no balcony here, so all of those things are sitting here, waiting to be taken to their new home with my sister. I have very little space here, so I'm trying to decide what should be thrown away, what should go into my little storage locker (I scored the last one!), what should be given to my family, and what should go to the second hand store. All the stuff that isn't going to stay here with me, goes into my little hallway. I have to climb over all of it to get to my bathroom, and the bathroom itself is crowded with stuff. Boy, a person doesn't know how much stuff they have until they try to live in one room! haha!

It's going to look nice and cosy here though, once I have it all arranged. I'm creating little seperate areas, by placing my furniture at angles from the wall. I have a wonderful view of trees. My building is right in the city, but it's at the bottom of a short road with a treed ravine on either side. I'm on the fifth floor, so when I stand back a bit from the window and look out, it's as though I'm living in a treehouse! There is no balcony, but there's a railing that sticks out from the building wall about six/eight inches. I can open the long sliding glass door and lean against that railing. I've created a little window seat with one of my window boxes and a blanket for padding. I like to sit there and watch the squirrels down below - they're all over the place! I accidentally burned some raisin toast yesterday, so I've saved it for them. My building manager is much nicer in person, than he was on the phone. He's a gruff sort of guy who won't take any nonsense, but now that I've met him he seems to really like me. He seems to be sortof amused with me. I'm no longer worried about him.

This building used to be an old age home! The walls are all made from cement blocks (in the suites, the cement is covered with some sort of sheeting, so it looks nice). If I want to hang anything from the walls I'll have to drill (I'll make sure it's okay with the building manager before I make any holes, lol). There are still a lot of very old people living here, I've already met a handful of them. They seem quite thrilled that I'm living here! There are a few other younger people, but they're all surly to the old folks. I guess the old ladies and men are happy to see a younger person who is friendly - they beam at me everytime our paths cross. The neighbourhood is a bit scary, so I'll avoid being out after dark. One of the houses up the road is probably a crack house, I see junkies sneaking in and out. There's a park at the top of my road, where a lot of junkies hang out. They ask me for money. I don't give them any, because I remember my own attitude when I was out on the streets - once a person gives money, they're considered an easy mark, and never let alone. Sad, but true. All I can offer them is my smile, and lack of judgement. From my own memories, things like that go a long way too.

My moving day was very long! I took a big travelling bus to the ferry terminal on the Island, and it took me right onto the ferry. I sat upstairs on the ferry, with the other passengers. I grabbed a seat right away, because they tend to go fast. I was able to sleep a bit as we crossed the sea to the mainland, and woke up when the announcement came for passengers to go back to their vehicles. Once on the mainland, the bus took me to the terminal in the city of Vancouver. I had a huge, heavy suitcase, plus a big box with my computer tower, monitor, mouse, keyboard, webcam, microphone, etc etc etc., all packed inside, and I had two smaller boxes. The bus driver unloaded all my stuff onto the ground, and I was left to figure out a way to get it all to the other end of the long corridor to my next bus. Luckily I'd bought my ticket beforehand, at the bus terminal on the Island, so I didn't have to leave my things unattended. There were no carts though, so I piled the boxes all up, heaved my suitcase a few yards forward, came back, leaned down to grip the boxes and dragged them forward, walking backward and looking back over my shoulder so I wouldn't crash into anyone. When I got the boxes to my suitcase, I would carry the suitcase another few yards, then go back and drag the boxes to the suitcase again ... moving gradually closer to my goal. It was exhausting! No one helped me, they all just watched! Finally when I was nearly there, a Chinese man noticed, and ran up to help.

I left my stuff beside the bus, and went to stand in line with the other passengers - the bus was leaving in five minutes. Suddenly one of the bus workers came storming up, very angry. He'd seen my computer monitor in the box (the top of the box had a little opening). He barked at me for trying to put a monitor on the bus. I would have to ship it, he said. Then he rushed away. I didn't know what to do! There was no time to arrange for shipping, and I couldn't afford it anyway, I didn't know what to do! I went up to a woman bus worker, and started to explain my problem. The original man came up and whispered in her ear "anything this woman just told you - you didn't hear a word of it!" I thought he was a wierdo who was trying to harrass me! Then he smiled at me, and explained that he was going to give me a break. He'd simply been instructing the woman that she was to pretend she didn't know there was a computer monitor in my box. He told me the reason there's a ban on monitors being carried in the hold of busses, is because, being near the gas tank, they could explode! Anyway, everything was straightened out, and I climbed gratefully onto the bus and settled in for the final leg of my journey. My mom, sister and niece were at the terminal here to pick me up.

I've been enjoying myself here. My family had a little birthday party for me the evening I arrived. On the weekend, I helped my mom and sisters at a big Mennonite sale that is held every year. We had tables all arranged with second hand, and homemade things from the M.C.C. store where my mom works. We wore aprons to keep our change, and sold tons of stuff! There were many other people with tables offering things for sale, and a big food fair with traditional Mennonite food. All the proceeds from this big sale go to missions things around the world. There was music being played under a tent outside, it was all very nostalgic for me, and brought me right back to my childhood. A lot of my relatives were there, along with other familiar faces from my childhood - former sunday school teachers, and members of the church I went to with my family when I was young. It was all a big reunion! My family is being great! They come here to visit me at my apartment, and invite me to lunch at their homes. I feel very warmly accepted here. I had wondered if I would feel overwhelmed, because it's all so different from the life I've been leading. It's all familiar from my childhood, but I was never comfortable among all the Mennonites before. I never felt part of it. Now I understand that I can take what I want from it, and leave the rest - I don't have to subscribe to the entire thing in order to fit in. I can be myself, and as long as I respect others, they will respect me in return. It's going to work out very well!

My sister had offered to let me stay with her at her family home, during the time I had no furniture here, but I was too excited about my suite, and wanted to stay here. My belongings arrived nearly a week after I'd moved in. Until then, I slept on bedding on the floor of my apartment, and had my computer arranged on the boxes it had come in, against the wall. I sat on a pillow to type. There was a little problem getting my internet going again, so I had to wait a bit longer than planned. Finally it was fixed on monday - the same day the moving van arrived with my belongings. Now my home is crowded with stuff, and I'm spending all my time getting it in place. The piano arrived without incident, at my sister's house. I'm looking forward to going over there to play it again, I haven't played it for a full year, because I'd had to leave it behind at x's place, when I moved out of that house. I'm getting to know my neighbourhood as I blunder around, looking for addresses of places where I need to set things up (banking, etc). This is the way I've always gotten to know a new neighbourhood - by looking for an address, getting a bit lost, making a new discovery when I end up on the wrong street, figuring out the shortest route back to the right track, etc.

Well, I'd better get back to unpacking! I hope to have it all nice here by the end of the week.