Deciding to move to Vancouver was not easy. In fact, it was one of the hardest decisions that either one of us has ever had to make. We were shell-shocked by the introduction of Canada as a salt life replacement for the Bahamas. Still, we had to weigh all of the pros and cons of this newly presented opportunity. From the moment the offer letter came in, until "Decision Day" four days later, all we did was talk about Vancouver.
There was no doubt that Vancouver was one of the most unexpectedly beautiful places we had ever been. It was entirely different from what we had been seeking in Florida. Yet, the mountains, the forest, and the ocean surrounding the city left us wanting more. The high prices were daunting and we felt we were going to have to concede our plans of living larger than we had been living in New York. While in the Bahamas, we would be able to save for our future with a yard and picket fence. In Vancouver, we were investing in a future with one of the best hotel brands in the world. Maybe Vancouver was just a place to get our feet wet, who knows? Something kept telling me it was worth finding out.
We had returned from Vancouver in time for Labor Day weekend and headed straight to the beach on Saturday morning. Notoriously not a weekend of rest for us, we remembered how just three years ago Hurricane Irene had flooded our basement apartment in Hoboken, forcing the three of us to live out the end of August in a midtown Manhattan hotel. A friend had told us about Long Beach New York. It was Saturday of Labor Day weekend 2011 when we saw Long Beach for the first time. As we drove over the bridge to the cutest island I had seen, I knew we were home. I could feel it in my gut. There was something in my gut that was now telling us to go to Vancouver.
I started trying to find red flags. We were searching for endless summers and Vancouver's summers definitely end. However, because Vancouver has a moderate oceanic climate, it doesn't see the snows of winter that I had defiantly refused to return to. Due to the mountains, the city sees little if no snow, but surely sees its fair share of grey and gloomy days. This is not our cup of tea. But even as I saw our beach days limited and less days swimming in the surf, Vancouver seemed to offer so much more. Yes, I will always be an eternal beach bum, but I'm also an explorer and a lover of change and new things. This opened the doors to an entire country that we had previously neglected to investigate. The more we talked and talked, the only flag I was seeing had a red maple leaf.
Travis wasn't so sure. He wasn't against Canada, but he too had no idea how we had wound up in this predicament. He was excited for the opportunity but also unsure of such a big change. We knew so little of what our life would be like in Canada. It was the largest leap of blind faith we'd ever been asked to make. And how do you pull that trigger?
It was Monday and our minds were still laboring heavily on the decision to accept or deny the offer. We had spent days researching and constantly conversing every time we left the house. Craigslist ads were haunting my nightmares and I was waking up at 2am in cold sweats. We needed this to end. Exhausted, we decided that we needed time to put our affairs in order in Florida (aka: get as much sun as possible before we left!) We also needed other items clarified in the offer letter before we could accept. We knew that in asking for the above, if they accepted, we needed to be ready to move to Vancouver. Trav sent his requests, thanking the hotel in Vancouver for the opportunity.
As we waited for their response, the skies grew grey in Florida. The waves got rough and the breeze eerily moved in. I guess there really is no such thing as an endless summer afterall.
We heard back from the hotel brand accepting all requests that were made, welcoming Travis to their Vancouver family. And just like that, we became Vancouverites.
Read Next: #25- Farewell America (Part Deux)- October 15th
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