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Hello to all !

Orlok's picture
Submitted by Orlok on

Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening to you all!

The name's Matt.

I'm a small-town corporate/Victorian/vampyre/romantic goth that currently lives in Courtenay, BC on Vancouver Island. I've always loved Vancouver, and always wanted to scope out the Vancouver goth scene. I most likely won't be getting to the big city until either I win the lottery or more realistically - secure a job on the mainland. The latter would probably require me to return to school, for a quick business or marketing diploma of some kind. My B.A. in Greek and Roman Studies just doesn't cut the mustard it seems :P

I'm interested in DJ'ing, a bit of fashion, and hanging out.

Anyways, this is me waving "Hello!" from the island. I look forward to one day, hopefully meeting some of you.

~ Orlok aka Matt.

Matt- have you checked out GothVic for events and gatherings? Its a little closer to home and though our goth scene is not exactly that of Vancouvers, its nice to hear some decent music outside your headphones once in a while.

As for the Vancouver scene, weve been talking about a regular coffee type meet up. The more the merrier, if you can coordinate. As for a place to crash, there are some affordable hostels downtown, you just need to do a little research. They are not *all* bad.

As for moving... Coming from someone who has a mean habit of jumping cities without a plan or much savings, my advice is just go. If thats where you want to be, then be there. You may have to take a less than desirable job short term or live in a less than desirable place (i usually book a hostel for a month and figure it out from there) but youll have a hard time finding a job when you are a full days commute away.

The older you get, the more stuff you will acquire, the more you will settle, the more challenging and expensive it will be to move.

I think that deep down, I have the drive and the guts to just go to Van and let the chips fall where the may - but my mind isn't used to doing things that way.

I like how you said how the older I get... the more I will settle. I find that to be an all too-true statement. I've already compromised some things already in my life. My biggest problem is that I don't have a lot of job experience and being only able to lift 20-25 pounds at a maximum and having terrible balance due to a disability sometimes makes getting jobs difficult.

I'm working with a local job developer to help :

a) Find out what I want to in life for a career, since my B.A. was in part, just something that I started, but by the time I got about halfway through or so, I had to finish because I didn't pay for it- my parents did. I also needed a degree because trying to get a job without one these days is harder. I also liked what I was learning about - ever since I saw the movie '300', I wanted to make the Classics my major. If anyone is at all curious, ask me about why I didn't do medieval studies and the early modern period and chose the ancient world some other time. ;)

b) Have the job developer vouch for me when I want to apply to places for work as additional "OK" for the employer to hire me.

I think that in the Year of the Dragon (2012) I predict that I'm going to take more risks - moving to Van is definitely one of them. It's also my zodiac animal, and lately, I've been feeling particularly inspired by it.

You have a BA and can lift 20 lbs - that's more than enough to work in an office or call center. Vancouver only has a million or so offices to work in but you might luck out and find one that could use some extra help, if not a regular employee.
Lots of places need drivers - go get your learners, driving enables you to work in lots of places in a pinch.
You may also be able to snatch up some tutoring with that BA. There are lots of schools and students - ESL or otherwise - wanting teachers/tutors with a BA (tutoring is fun).
Other than that, lots of places will hire someone with a disability and work with them around any limitations. Libraries - they have carts so you're not lifting, just pushing (I worked in one), bookstores, music or other specialty-of-interest shops. They all need people to hang out and smile at people who come in and answer all their questions, then fix everything they messed up after they go.

While these suggestions may not be ideal for the amount you've just finished paying in tuition, for a few months while you look for something that *does* fulfill all your needs and requirements, it won't be a living hell.

I'll be job searching as of mid January/February..! I'd be more than happy to have someone to plaster resumes around with. You're a dragon with a disability - that doesn't mean you have a disability, that means you faced a whole different learning curve that has made you a force to be reckoned with.

After seeing in general, a lot of employers wanting a candidate to have a driver's license.... I'm motivated to get one.

I'm looking at sites like BCJobs.ca, seems to be a lot of legal work.

What's your name by the way, mfaithe?

You could always do what I used to do when I lived on the island:

- Park in Nanaimo,
- ferry over in the afternoon,
- hit the club from the moment it opens until you get shooed out at the end,
- hang at a 24-hour restaurant or exercise other late-night options like an after-party, and then
- catch the ferry home when they start running again. ;-)

I don't drive quite yet, and where did you used to stay? I don't know a lot of people on the mainland.

Speaking of restaurants, *when* I'm over there, I just might have to peruse the various Asian restaurants. I have a not-so secret adoration for Chinese buffet. I used to hit up the local all-you-can-eat places in Victoria with friends.

Who knows, may be I could bond with some of you over *hopefully* one hell of a plate of chow mein, chicken balls, and egg fu yung. We'd all be polluting our bodies with MSG, but we'd be doing it *together*. :P

Really? You live on the island, have a B.A., but no driver's license? I though I procrastinated by not getting mine until I was 17. I get on just fine in Vancouver without a car, I gave mine up for good about nine years ago (although I occasionally rent one when I need to) but I can't imagine getting by as an adult on Vancouver Island, or anywhere outside of Vancouver and Victoria, without a car.

Regardless (or as they say on the island, irregardless,) the point was I *didn't* stay anywhere. I'd club until last call and then go somewhere I could kill time until I could get a ferry back to Nanaimo. That was a long time ago, so the places that I used to fill the hours of 2 am to 6 am on a Sunday morning are all gone. One of them used to be an after-hours club called "The World" and later "The Eclipse." If I was with a group of friends sometimes we'd just loiter downtown (I wouldn't really recommend doing that anymore) until the buses started running and then catch an hour's nap in the waiting room at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. The woman that worked Sunday mornings got used to having a bunch of dead-tired, white-faced, big-haired goths and punks (this was the 80's, so when I say big hair, I mean it) strewn about the waiting room when she opened the ticket wicket. One place that *is* still around is the Naam on 4th Ave. near MacDonald Steet, open 24 hours, all vegitarian--a remnant of when 4th Ave. was Hippie central in the 1960's.

Yup. I have a B.A., am living on the island . . . but no driver's license. To be fair, I spent the last 5 years in Victoria earning my degree, and the bus was covered by my UVic student fees. It wasn't until my last year or so that the UVic Student Society finally got late night buses (up to 1:30 at night on Fridays and Saturdays). Before, I'd have to leave earlier from various excursions so I didn't have to pay $25 to get back to my dorm via cab.

One thing I miss about Victoria is how safe it is at night. Granted, I never took any unnecessary detours or spent much time lolly-gagging either. Unfortunately, I've heard the mainland can be not as pleasant. Since growing up with a medical condition had me coming to the big city of Vancouver every year, I know a *bit* about the place. Most of this is common knowledge, really. What I'd love to learn about the city is the little stuff like the 24 hour vegetarian place you mentioned, or the after-hours clubs.

It's only really been during the last 8 or so months since I had to move back home that I've found a need to drive.