Chapter 4 🕊️

I mentioned that I accidentally circled Stanley Park for three hours. After that, it took me another two hours to finally get back to the hostel. While I took a break at the beach where I had arrived, I noticed a pigeon that was severely limping and occasionally falling over. It looked like a female pigeon, and beside her was her partner. I recognized this by the fact that he didn't leave her side. It was touching to see how these two pigeons stuck together despite the challenges they faced.

I watched how they lived at the beach alongside the ducks, seagulls, and crows, without constantly being chased by people for fun. Except for a boy with his father, who found it amusing to kick at the pigeons. Since the aforementioned pigeon had only one leg and was already very weakened, she could barely fly away. Many people don't think about the fact that birds can also be exhausted. They are always searching for food, exposed to the heat, and then have to endure torment from people like that. Animals also have physical complaints. I dislike it when people walk through pigeons as if they aren't there. Just walk around them. It costs us nothing to be kind to other living beings.

And yes, I believe it is cruelty to hunt pigeons. They are not toys and are, above all, subject to a sad fate. They are pets, bred by humans. They are called 'rats of the air' because they do not receive proper food to produce firm droppings. They must constantly look for nesting places because their breeding instinct is cultivated. And we humans literally step on them, although the human species is responsible for their suffering. Don't get me wrong, I or you can't do anything directly about it. But we are responsible for giving the animals back their habitat, or creating one for them.

At home, I would get a box and take them to the vet. But here? What should I do? I tried to reach someone at the animal rescue, but unsuccessfully. No one got back to me. I discovered on a website that I could report injured animals, which I did. I received a confirmation email that my message was received. With a heavy heart, I left the place. I gave the pigeon and the other pigeons a few grains and poured water on the grass. Even here in Canada, you are not allowed to feed wild animals, but that pigeons are actually pets and rely on human care and proper grains is known by very few. Otherwise, they starve. It was a small act, but I knew it wasn't enough and still made my way back to the hostel with this world pain and retreated to my bed to sleep. Around 7 p.m., I thought about making myself something to eat. I had bread, spread, and tomatoes. After pushing myself to finally get up, I peeked into the communal kitchen. With one ear, I heard German chatter. Since I didn't want to just shout 'HELLO, HERE I AM', I passed quietly with a 'Caution' behind the boy at the refrigerator. Of course, it didn't go unnoticed for long, and I started talking with Noah and Gyde. Noah had just arrived, while Gyde had been there a bit longer. Gyde also found it difficult to connect here, and we exchanged stories about our experiences in the hostel.

We were glad to exchange numbers. And indeed, we sat across from each other in the communal room and talked for two hours about everything and nothing. What they didn't know at that moment was that they were sitting with a bluffer at the table, who is actually 28 years old and not as previously mentioned – 27. Later, they joked about the fact that I made myself only one year younger. That evening, we parted ways, but they would reunite the next day.

The next morning, I went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Not wanting to sit in the crowded room, I decided to have breakfast outside on the terrace. Until I heard a 'Hey ya, it's free?' I was deeply engrossed in my phone screen. Not wanting to seem unfriendly, even though I was simply insecure with the language, I asked her where she was from. To my surprise, I could then immediately converse with her in German. As it turned out, the hostel seemed to consist solely of German potatoes. After breakfast, I huddled with Jessy on the rooftop terrace and told her about the fears and worries that plagued me, even though I couldn't really grasp them. I was worried that I wouldn't make it with my limited budget, that I wouldn't find anyone to do something with, that I couldn't communicate properly. I shared with her that I felt lost for the first two days. She clearly told me: 'You've been here for two days, for the first time in a foreign country. And yes, that's jet lag. And no, you can't do something every minute of the day. Your body needs a break from the flight. Your mind has to settle in here first.' Jessy was two years older than I am and had more experience with traveling, which gave me a bit of comfort. This helped me so much in that moment. A stranger brought me back to reality and made me realize that what I felt was normal. I am generally a very critical and perfectionistic person. Even if I never seem that way in my private environment, I am quite uptight and can't easily relax.

Grounded in reality, I first relaxed on the rooftop terrace and then went to the beach. It was also nice to see that the ducks were swimming in the sea, relaxing in the sand, and people were sitting around them and leaving them space. Although it's summer, the water temperature is 16 °C, and I couldn't convince myself to go into the water. The Pacific is generally cooler, so I listened to the sound of the sea on my towel and read my book. I spent a whole four hours there, wandering a little further in between and enjoying the view at Sunset Beach.

On my way back home, I arranged to meet Noah and Gyde for sunset with pizza at the beach. But first, I got to know my new roommate. Kristin is here for two days, comes from Germany, and is a physiotherapist. I took the liberty of inviting her to the beach directly. Knowing how I felt, you can make an effort to be thoughtful and welcoming. I showed her everything in the hostel, and after sunset, Noah, Gyde, and I wrapped up the evening in the kitchen. Kristin was very tired from the flight and had a lot planned for sightseeing the next day.

So that we can talk in the next chapter about how suddenly I had four people around me with whom I could chat and spend time, I must tell you that someone else joined us that evening. Noah and I were in the kitchen while Güde was cooking her food, and then he appeared. Fresh from America, Rouven came along. And by 'came along', I really mean he joined us. We sat together in the communal room and talked as if we had known each other forever. Rouven talked about the start of his world trip from Guatemala, Güde said she was tired, and Noah added his sarcastic comments. One only needs three (later it became four) pairs of underwear for a world trip. With this new knowledge, I could then fall asleep in peace.