Vancouver - now I'll take a closer look

On December 9th - Shortly before the 2nd Advent we head to the mainland. After 35! After writing to workaway contacts and about 10 (rather negative answers), I looked around on Booking and finally ended up in a villa worth 8 million CAD (also just because we are in Vancouver). Spiral staircase, fancy crystal lamps, not necessarily a key to the house, but a numerical code (that's really a change worth considering for your home).

What I've been looking forward to is city life - so the first thing I'll do is go dancing - it's Saturday after all. So off to salsa night. Dancing Salsa/Bachata for 2.5 hours as a beginner with all sorts of different dance partners - is recommended and takes some getting used to at the same time. Sunday was a bit uncomfortable outside, but no matter - I want to see Vancouver - or should I say Raincouver. In the morning we made a cautious attempt to play basketball outside - that just fell through because of the rain - but instead we came across a community center - there is everything from an ice skating rink to a fitness center, swimming pool, TT plates, Squash, baseball field and a knitting course all under one roof. I've never seen that before. Hillcrest Center | City of Vancouver . In the afternoon we head downtown and along the shore towards Granville Island. Arrived at the food market and ate poutine for the first time. Not only is the name uncool, but the whole meal isn't a particularly high experience for me either.

So what is poutine?

Crispy potato wedges or fries smothered in gravy (a brown sauce stirred in) and melted cheese. I think this is a dish that definitely must have been made with the leftovers on a Sunday. The germ of the family left me in bed again, completely tired and exhausted. In order to be able to work in Canada, you need a SIN number and a bank account - the second is also possible via Wise and this is super practical for people who sometimes leave their wallet at home, because it's easy to do so via their cell phone pay. If the weather forecast shows sunshine - then get out there - Stanley Park is so big, you can easily get lost there for a day! Relaxed! What is also surprising is how relaxed this city is. Everything seems so peaceful and quiet here (the electric buses, which are powered by overhead lines, definitely help prevent too much noise) and I really enjoy that.

But there is also a bigger culinary highlight - my first pancakes with butter (salted butter) and maple syrup - I still can't distinguish the different qualities here!

In terms of accounts, I would of course also like to get into Canada a bit. Money is transferred to a Canadian account by potential employers (who don't know me yet and I don't know them yet).

There are 5 major banks here.

TD

CIBC

RBC Royal Bank

HSBC Bank

BMO

There are different conditions - how often you use the cards to pay and so much more and since I don't have an employer yet, I decided to use the WISE account that I had already set up at home (it's best to take the cards with you before you leave). order enough lead time! – I didn’t do that 😉)

The WISE account can also be used digitally and paid with different currencies.

It's definitely worth trying out, even if you're not into world history, because if you're in the store and you've forgotten your wallet, you can definitely pay with Wise (it definitely saved me a trip) and most of the time you have it the cell phone with you.

I soon notice that life in Vancouver is rather more expensive.

I'll put together a shopping cart soon (I should have done that in the other countries too).

Things that usually end up in my shopping basket, no matter which country I'm in:

Bananas

Apples

carrot

Cucumbers

Flour

Tim Tams

Rent: in Van(couver) – at least 1000 CAD per month and you might have a storage room, but maybe also a shared house with other travelers.

I spent 6 nights in a hotel - the pictures are great but unfortunately I haven't figured out how to share videos here yet.

Cost for this – 450 CAD. - Yes, that was also a villa next to Oakridge Park - which is currently being rebuilt (finally highrising buildings!).

Even in a hotel it's nice to meet other travelers and Persians are known for their hospitality - and so I found all sorts of medication and a kindly written letter to get back on my feet quickly, because the family buds have me during the week too I'm still firmly in control in the hotel and I'm sleeping more than wandering around outside.

During this time I was also greeted by a job offer - online in the USA and it smells suspiciously like a scam. WARNING: toxic positivity. For me, this paved the way to a new crytoworld and I am happy about this perhaps rather unnecessary experience.

While shopping I discovered really exciting things like chips with pickled cucumber and super delicious sushi and donuts, which I'll probably end up on the table more often in the coming weeks.

On December 15th Then we head to Kerrisdale – a rather sleepy but well-connected neighborhood. My first catsitting is on the agenda. à Feel free to check out https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/ - you can do this anywhere in the world.

George the cat and Maribeth, who just turned 80 and shortly before her trip to Italy, welcomed me into their spacious apartment. With a view of the pool and only a 2-hour walk from UBC, the apartment is a collection of antique furniture and a variety of comfortable chairs on which George likes to make himself comfortable on the user's lap.

In the evening I went straight to salsa - that's supposed to be my new hobby - so let's go and head out into nature the next day - Lynn Creek in the north of Vancouver is supposed to be great and of course this Saturday night won't be a party night.

But on Sunday we went to Stanley Park with the overpriced rental bike (everything can be done via the mobi app) and in the evening we went to a “Legion” (https://heros-welcome.com) via the Couchsurfers in the city to drink beer, chat and chat Dancing and making first contacts.

The future also needs to be planned a bit, which is why I wrote to countless people at workaway (you can also experience this all over the world - https://www.workaway.info/ ), because from January 5th. Should I go to an island or to the snow-capped mountains to work (after all, I have a work visa!).

With so many requests there are of course a corresponding number of rejections and so I can once again experience what rejections feel like and question why I actually find it so bad. Probably my last trip, with its very little organization in advance, scared me a bit? During the last long trip, I didn't know where I would sleep in the evening when I checked out in the morning.

Subconsciously, this may have led me to now seek more security.

It's also exciting how my brain deals with the rejections and I immediately look for at least three more options.

The most beautiful parties always take place before Christmas. At the summer solstice there are parades and meetings in the city's community centers.

This was also the case on December 21, 2023 at the False Creek Community Center. Including the idea of dances from some First Nations and the reality blows up in my face. What and how was it again with colonization - it's obviously the French (French is the second official language after all) and the British (that's obvious in the cityscape and Queen Elizabeth is currently still on the coins). An overview of the history of Canada is available in poster form on Commercial Drive.

At Christmas we usually have Egg Nog to drink, so I bring this sweet drink home and then I go and do some exercise! Yeah.

Zumba in the community center taught by a very old lady who exercises every day and (and this is no surprise) keeps her healthy.

More pre-Christmas delicacies – Nanaimo Bars and Montreal Meat Burgers in the classic Tourifall on Granville Island.

A little hiking is also a must. We grabbed the car and off we went to Whytelake, north of Vancouver. Of course, the party shouldn't be neglected and that's why we're heading to the Red Room - Downtown before Christmas.

Crokinole – Invented in Ontario in 1876, is a board game in which chips are flicked into the center of the board. So you need some feeling for it.

There was a little pre-Christmas present - I have a couch surfing spot. Yeah. Gabriola Island and taking care of a child and helping out in the yoga studio. I like the idea and am satisfied, because already on January 5th. it should start.

At another salsa evening in Vancouver there weren't enough leading people on the floor, so I took over straight away. The difference between leading and following roles is really huge - just try it out.

Since 2023, there has also been a new culinary tradition - sushi and tacos as a feast.

After Christmas I dared to do my first comedy show - if you understand the jokes, then you can live in Canada. That's the theory and I'll definitely give myself some time to understand all the jokes.

On December 28th it says - now I'm redeeming my birthday present - Cirque de Soleil - Kooza amazed me and my hands got very sweaty! Nico and Sina, the German couple that I met on the flight from FaM to Toronto, are celebrating their 2nd anniversary at the same time.

New Year's Eve is quite quiet and the new year starts with a cold plunge in one of the fancy coastal regions "Deep Cove".

On January 3rd (Bitcoin's 15th birthday) I decided to go into the city again to buy cryptocurrency (for my scam job in the USA) and there is an ice skating rink in Robsen Square downtown.

Rent shoes and get on the ice. Forward and reverse driving skills come to light again from obscurity and my confidence grows and grows and I start to lurch and I land on my butt - I support myself with my hands first, as one does, and I hear a crack . The first thought: That probably wasn't the ice cream ;-(.

There's already something going on in the "first aid room" - a woman who I'll see again later in the hospital is currently being treated there.

With an ice pack on our arm we go to the supermarket - get emergency bananas - and then off to the “St. Paul's Hospital. Access to the Emergency Room is currently permitted with a mask and there is a notice in the entrance that weapons are prohibited. After all my personal details were recorded and I was informed that the invoice would later be sent to my email address, I went to the waiting room along a colored adhesive strip on the floor. I encountered an above-average number of drug victims.

Short excursion into the North American fentanyl crisis, which can be seen on every corner in Vancouver - especially on Hastings Street and leads to 6 to 7 drug deaths every day.

Sad to see and exciting at the same time that the possession of various drugs has been legalized since February 2023.

Interesting documentary by strg+f à (587) Fentanyl crisis: How could it escalate so much in the USA? | CTRL_F - YouTube

Drugs, for me as a person who grew up in the village, who came into contact with alcohol, probably the most socially accepted drug, at an early age and, alongside smoking, really grew up in a kind of “pink bubble”, are always a mystery to me .

Fetanyl - a painkiller that is considered a narcotic in Germany and is locked away in pharmacies in the Save - is an opioid and around 3 mg is already fatal. So be careful when consuming powder of any kind. Now I'm starting to understand the always very worried and sometimes annoying advice from former guardians 😉 (kiss goes out to you!) that you never accept other people's drinks, that you always cover your glasses and never take them out leaves your eyes open.

In addition to the drug victims, many obvious homeless people and security staff, the waiting room was well filled but the waiting time went by quite quickly and I was asked into a room - off to an X-ray (I was taken there by the doctor as it is very poorly signposted) and Then we looked at the x-rays together without any evaluation by the radiologist but with a nice story. Result: Wrist can grow together in the next 6 weeks! The spoke has a small break. Once a splint and off with painkillers and still in the shock bubble to the Bitcoinfest.

On the subject of hygiene, it is striking that jewelry of any kind and fingernail polish on very long fingernails are permitted by hospital staff - unimaginable - when I compare that with German experiences.

The plans for the next few weeks are completely open again and the uncertainty with simultaneous dependency and partial helplessness is greater than ever. Since I can already unfortunately look back on a few accidents and broken bones (and would like to find out exactly why that happens) and have already mastered many situations outside of my comfort zone, I know this time too that there is a way through this time and with my mindset I can do it Make time as valuable as possible.

So I rushed to live with a friend and immersed myself in the Bitcoin world.

KH Cost: 1700 CAD. Can I pay with a credit card when I call the hospital (payment term: 90 days) and since credit card number 1 doesn't work, I have to take out credit card 2. The whole process is not yet complete even after 6 weeks. The reason for this is exciting: If you pay with the VISA card and it is nighttime in Germany, the transaction will not necessarily work and what is also important is how high the cash withdrawal limit is!

Furthermore, in mid-January - on the snowiest day in probably 2 years - we go to the private orthopedic clinic in Keefer Square. I didn't look for the clinic myself, the hospital sent my case to the clinic and I was called for an appointment (that's also unimaginable in Germany).

There was nice background music and Japanese wisdom hanging on the walls. The treatment room consists of 6 loungers separated by curtains and there is no trace of privacy. Cost: 750 CAD + 44 CAD for a bandage that now replaces the splint.

On the way home in the T&T supermarket - an Asian supermarket with a really big selection - I stumbled across some culinary highlights. Last but not least, cucumber flavored chips, bao buns and sesame sticks.

The situation with my arm requires creativity in everyday life and fortunately I am right-handed.

In the ScienceWorld - a try-out paradise for young and old - you can even toboggan down the slopes on a ski simulator and understand science in a playful way - definitely worth a trip if you have another rainy day.

Then there are some concerts, live music, MeetUps (take a look at the app) on topics like AI or AI and Bitcoin, a Saturday as a volunteer at the Foodbank Greater Vancouver Food Bank | Providing fresh food to those in need and conferences like the VRIC (Vancouver Resource Investment Conference), where gold mines look for investors and house concerts by Nico, a genius who listens to a song briefly and can then play it on his keyboard.

On the topic of Bitcoin - it's complicated but at the moment I really think it has a future and taking personal responsibility for your money matters is always good. (although this also requires some research)

In addition to one or two local tea ceremonies, there are also dosas on Monday evenings in the trusted Indian restaurant, pizza in a playhouse and home-cooked Pad Thai (Canadian/German style).

Research into coworking spaces here in Vancouver Mt. Pleasent shows that there are at least 5 different but rather expensive options within a 15-minute walking distance.

What's actually great is working in an office (with teaching at night). Do you need a "telephone box", a soundproof meeting room for your open-plan office, where it can be a bit loud and busy at one point or another --- Here's the solution! Soundproof Phone Booths & Modular Meeting Rooms | Inbox Booths . Just write to me. I'll make contact.

Great people cross my path here and so I meet the founder of resuables.com ( reusable.com Reusables.com | Zero Waste Packaging Platform ) My heart immediately opens and I question my plastic consumption when traveling again. There is contact with the German Vytal (you can also take a look at the website Vytal - The sustainable reusable system ) and install the app and make the world a little better if you use reusable dishes.

In addition to so many highlights, reality hit me harder. The part of my personality, which is sometimes very impatient, had to struggle sometimes more and sometimes less with this dependency and the limitations that such an inactive left arm brings with it.

Opening cans, zipping up my jacket on my own, typing with my right hand on the keyboard and doing work and pretty much all activities just take a lot longer and are cumbersome and if I leave my toxic positivity (or sunny disposition) aside, that's the situation Sometimes it just makes you despair and is not least exacerbated by a fluctuating hormone balance.

But hey, I know that I've already mastered completely different things abroad and that's why the absolute low points only last for a short time.

The fact that winter in Vancouver is part of the off-season, and that the snow here doesn't last as much or has been washed away by the rain, is noticed not only by the backpackers who have been looking for work for a long time, but also by the restaurants, which are rarely visited. after everyone has used up their Christmas money on Boxing Day (December 26th, when sales are open).

Nevertheless, there are a lot of events taking place in Vancouver - such as the "Creative Mornings" ( CreativeMornings | Breakfast lecture series for the creative community - by the way, they exist all over the world) and that's how Joleen Mitton introduced herself.

She is the creator of Indigenous Vancouver Fashion Week and a passionate basketball player with her own team!

So the topic of indigenous people/colonization comes up again here and that requires additional research.

A visit to Finn Slough in the south of Richmond also provides an insight into times long past. The settlement is semi-official and tolerated by British Columbia. Finnish settlers originally built wooden houses here on the Fraser River, which are passed on from generation to generation and the people like to live in peace and are not too happy about visitors.

On the first Friday of the month there is free entry to the Vancouver Art Gallery (which is definitely worth a visit). This attracted a lot of people and it sometimes takes about 2 hours. We only had one.

To do another good, I donated blood, although perhaps I should concentrate on my arm first? Fun fact - I had to take my bandage off and was checked for syringe punctures. One of many indications that there really is a drug problem in North America/Canada.

As we learned again and again last year, January 1st. not the start of the new year for everyone and so on February 10th there was. In rainy weather in Chinatown in Vancouver there was a super long New Year's parade for the "Lunar New Year". At New Year's Day, red envelopes with New Year's greetings are handed out and these should always be removed with two hands. The politicians of the city, province or even the country use the opportunity to distribute envelopes. Conservatives in a country full of immigrants are also diligently distributing their envelopes. You don't have to accept everything ;-)

In order not to exceed the weight limit in addition to this seductively delicious crunchy peanut butter, I went straight to the hairdresser and snap, I have a bob and easily kilos less :-)

Have I already mentioned the idea of picking up my hair and filling a pillow with it? Chairs used to be upholstered with horse hair and if I collect all my life, I'm sure I can make a cushion out of it.

There are a few excursion destinations in the immediate vicinity of Vancouver: Squamish and Whistler lie to the north between and in the mountains. Definitely a destination and worth a trip when the weather is good. Skiing in Whistler basically works, is really expensive and unfortunately not possible for me this season due to my bad arm. I can clip ski boots to my shoes, but there isn't enough snow for that. So I keep it simple and just hike around on the cross-country ski trails/snowshoe trails.

I've already raved about MeetUp, there's also a "Likeminded" event on Friday mornings in a cafe and here you meet people and can just start a conversation. This is exactly the right thing for me and at this event I met a woman who is sensitive, if not allergic, to perfume. This means you have a good place to stay in Canada - the majority of the buildings here are actually "frangrance free". At UBC, employees even receive regular reminder emails on this topic.

But please imagine how this affects life. Public transport, meetings or public events can get really complicated.

Then my last two weeks in February began. - Night shift in a fancy inbox with a huge screen, super comfortable office chair. Direct hit! The working hours still take some getting used to. Shout out to Ellen and all the other night shift workers in the world. The transition phase is not without its problems.

On the subject of physiotherapy - I was provided with an overview of all the exercises including videos on an online portal. Very progressive and here too, personal responsibility is required when implementing the exercises.

In terms of landscape, Vancouver is right on the water and next to the university (UBC) with an immensely large area are the various beaches. The Wreck Beach is super well-known and definitely worth a visit and, by the way, one of the most famous nudist beaches in the world :-)

Basically, Canadian food here is not very nutritious - such as poutine or burgers or chicken wings and all sorts of other convenience products.

So it was a treat to try out the indigenous cuisine. In the restaurant Salmon n' Bannock on the boulevard there was for the first time in my life - salmon mouse, bannock and bannock crackers, salmon savage ( Savage Lemon, Smoked Salmon And Basil Pasta | LovinDublin ), candied salmon (tastes rather hard like meat) and sausage with blueberries.

Small question on the side:

Who invented the toilets whose toilet seats are not closed in the middle and what exactly does that do?

What's great, however, is that the toilets are always filled with water, which minimizes the smell!