Today is my 19th day as a British Columbian. I haven't been around these parts for a while. It's not that I don't have anything to say. Quite the contrary - there's quite a lot to tell. I've just been caught up in the whirlwind of mental and physical stresses that comes with moving to a new city and starting a new job.

The first week of work was, needless to say, hectic. The company I now work for is one of the faster paced companies out here. I felt overwhelmed, struggling keep my head above the water and there were times I literally felt out of breath. There were a lot of new people to meet, trying to feel out the specifics of my new job, learning new aspects of the investment industry and learning new technologies.

The stress was wearing down my defenses as earlier this week, I was fighting off a weird kind of cold. It wasn't your usual nose or throat infection. It was more like an ear infection and the passageways from my nose/throat to my ears felt plugged up for a couple of days.

I miss the kids and sage_mum. A lot. Being separated from my family isn't easy. In fact, it can get downright depressing on some days.

The good news is that I am slowly starting to feel better with the move. I get to speak with the wife (and occasionally, the kids) on the phone almost every day so that helps a little. But there's no substitute for proximity.

Work-wise, I felt the second week at my new job went a lot better. I was actually able to accomplish a few things and I'm in the final stages of finishing one of my projects.

I am also learning to live with my in-laws. My original plan saw me staying with my in-laws for a couple of weeks max - just enough time to find my own place to live in while waiting for the family to join me here in Vancouver. One, it's definitely less expensive to stay with my in-laws. The other consideration is that I am hoping that the house sells quickly so the family can fly over here in short order. I wouldn't want to find my own place only to move out a month later.

The house has been up for sale for almost a week and a half. There seems to be a good amount of traffic. Last Monday, our agent held an open house that was exclusive for brokers. The house saw an average of two sets of house hunters every day. It has been a bit stressful for the wife and the kids to be out of the house a lot.

How is British Columbia? It rains a lot. I really ought not to be surprised.

More to follow.

I do have personal goals other than the big three of moving to BC, finding interesting work and spending more time with the family. I'll talk about them in the next set of entries.

Goal #4 Spend more time outdoors and stay healthy.
4.1 Get some exercise by biking outdoors

I don't have a bicycle right now and at the beginning of the year I intended to save up for a bike and buy one by the time my birthday rolls around (in the spring). I'm not so sure this is feasible now as I will likely end up at an apartment in downtown Vancouver (or as close to it as possible). I'll probably get most of my exercise walking to and from work. I'll keep this goal on the list as I may have an opportunity to go biking before the year is out (when the wife and kids join me in B.C.)