Expectations, plans and the absence of the above

It's not easy to make plans and have expectations when all you have done is sitting in the comfort of your chair, reading things online and imagining how things could turn out. At least it's not easy if you want them to become reality. But however unlikely they are, man has to have them. He needs to have something to strive to.

There is a famous movie based on almost as famous book based on a real life events. Name of the movie is Into the Wild, same as a name of the book written by Jon Krakauer. Inspiration for both is a true wanderer named Christopher McCandless aka. Alexander Supertramp as he called himself. 

Last photo of Christopher McCandless, Alaska
Photo: Internet

Some call him a selfish idiot, some call him a hero and a inspiration but whatever you think of him, you must admit that he has a story to tell. A story about a man who gave up on everything, turned his life upside down and went to Alaska, alone.

“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” - Christopher McCandless

It opens up many questions and closes almost none. I strongly suggest to either to read the book or to watch the movie and make your own conclusion. And not to forget the brilliant movie soundtrack made by Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder.

My plans are little bit less adventurous than Christopher's so I hope I'll end up in a bit of a lighter mood. When it comes to Canada as a 1st stage (or maybe the last) of my journey I choose western part solely because of the mountains. It is hard to argue that...that they're mesmerizing. 

Moraine Lake
Photo: Internet

Then there where only two options. Calgary or Vancouver. Vancouver looks like a much more comfortable place to live, with milder climate, islands, concerts, ocean, culture, mountains and on top of it all much lower unemployment rate. But Calgary (Alberta) won because it offers more engineering jobs and is cheaper, although it has significantly higher unemployment rate. In first couple of months I'll see if the choice was right or not. If not I'll be moving either west to BC or with a proper job offer east from SK to QC.

For first couple of days in Calgary I'll settle either on somebody's couch via couchsurfing or in some hostel. After I find my way around the town (cheap Chinese cuisine :D ) I'll start searching for rooms to rent. Get my Social Insurance Number (Canadian version of OIB), bank account, mobile phone card and a laptop. Prices of used laptops are ridiculously cheaper than in Croatia.

After couple of days of sending resumes for skilled jobs and finding good places to eat, I'll start delivering resumes from door to door in a search for low paid job. Usually I'm not that type of a guy but I've been told this is how things work out in Canada. I'll try to introduce myself to the local cavers and mountain rescuers and as many people as possible. I hope that that will make me forget that I'm 8.463 km from home.

Hvar island, Croatia
Photo: F. Kozemelj

Maybe I'll be disappointed with people, jobs, opportunities, expenses, colleagues but I'm prepared to come back home after two months and quit pursuing what I pursue due to lack of money. I learned from a young age that the best way to not get disappointed is to not to expect anything from anyone. So only things I except are some part time low paid jobs to not deplete my bank account too fast (to be able to try skiing at Kicking Horse) and random smiling people in a civilized country. 

Job offers for permanent positions, Labor Market Impact Assessment, Young Professionals, Open working permit, NOC 0, A, B, provincial nominations, citizenship, Permanent residence, waiting times, Implied status, Working holiday and every other resource on a way for Permanent residence I'll leave for another post. My plan is to make a short and informative guide regarding permits after my first couple of months there. Of course holy book for permits and immigration to Canada is http://cic.gc.ca/.