It's the beginning of a new year and I've already embarked on a new experience. After living in Gibsons for the past five months, I moved to Roberts Creek this week. Gibsons is an amazing community full of scenic views and friendly people. I never considered moving to another area of the Sunshine Coast until recently, when I was given the opportunity to share a house with a roommate. My moving to the Coast in August was part of a significant change in my life, which saw me leaving home for the first time. During my stay in Gibsons I lived by myself and often missed being able to share a dinner conversation with someone. I thought about getting a pet, but then realized it would be spending a lot of time by itself while I was at work or in the Lower Mainland. Speaking of animals, during my last month in Gibsons, I had a rather large visitor drop by my place. After writing a story about a conservation officer's grief in having to destroy problem bears on the Sunshine Coast, you would think I would have followed some of the bear advice in the story. I made the mistake of leaving my garbage can on my front porch one night. I was awakened at 3 a.m. to the sounds of loud crashing and what I thought was muffled voices. My first thought was there was an intruder on my property; however, I couldn't see anything because there were no windows on the side of my place where the noise was coming from. After the noises continued for 20 minutes, I was convinced there was someone on my property and decided to call 911. Having never called 911 before, I have to say I was impressed with the quick response time. I was told by the 911 dispatcher that an officer had positively identified my intruder as "one big bear." The officer returned to the safety of her vehicle, while the bear proceeded to jump about on my porch. Because the suite does not sit at ground level and is structured by supports, any movement the bear made caused my whole place to shake. It was quite the terrifying experience. During the following couple of days the bear came back a few times so I began calling out to it as I walked to my front door, just to make my presence known. I am no longer ignorant when it comes to living in bear county areas such as the Sunshine Coast. It's unfortunate that some of these bears have to be destroyed because they wander into a residential area after being lured by garbage that was stored improperly. I'm looking forward to living in Roberts Creek. I've visited the area many times since my arrival on the Coast. The Gumboot Café is my personal favorite spot in the Creek. They make some delicious food there. Having a roommate will be another new experience in itself. I've never lived with anyone other than a family member before. I'm trying to recall if I have any bad habits that might have annoyed my family. The only thing that comes to mind is my eating habits. I can't remember the last time I ate a vegetable. Hopefully my keen interest in greasy food will not rub off on my roommate. In fact, this year I am going to resolve to eat healthier. Hopefully the Gibsons bear will too.