#11 Frustration instead of Vacation?!

Vancouver

After surviving the absurdly long bus ride, the stress continued as I had very little time left to check into my first hostel. But once I got through that, I was able to sleep in a cozy 18-person dorm room. The next morning, after packing my stuff, I went straight to the beach and saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Then I moved on to the next hostel, where I dropped off my things and explored Vancouver. First stop was Stanley Park, the largest park in Vancouver, and boy was it huge.... I must have spent over four hours there. As I continued on, completely exhausted, I suddenly saw a little head pop up in the water and witnessed my first wild seal. They are such cute animals. After conquering the park, I briefly went back to the hostel and then headed to the river, where I bought a ferry ticket and saw Vancouver at night. It's truly beautiful to see this huge metropolis at night, with all its millions of lights. But on my way back to the hostel, I had to pass through Hastings Street and I have never, I mean never, seen so many homeless people. It was shocking! I had to walk through a sea of people smoking crack, blowing the smoke not away from others, but right at you. Tents upon tents and people in between who may not survive the next few nights. And the worst part was that there were young people too, maybe even younger than me, and alongside the deep sadness I felt for this darker side of such a metropolis, I also felt gratitude because I could go to a hostel where a warm bed and a roof over my head were waiting. It's the little things that we sometimes take for granted.

The next day, I visited a few other parks before heading to the harbor, as it was time to go to Vancouver Island.

Victoria

And it's so strange, I don't know what the people were thinking when they drew the border, but if you stand at the harbor and look to the left, you see the USA. So this little piece of land is divided into two states, and even when you travel to Vancouver Island, you briefly (10 minutes) pass through the US waters. Once on the island, a friend picked me up because it was time for a few days of vacation with friends from my first farm. First, we spent two days in Victoria in a suite! I had never been on vacation (excluding family vacations), let alone in such an apartment.... Pure luxury. But even during those first days, a feeling of frustration crept in. Because I realized that my English wasn't really improving, and I noticed that the conversations were very slow because of that. And when you also realize that some people deliberately give you short answers or don't listen when you try to speak English, it adds to your frustration. Nevertheless, we had a great time in Victoria, where we visited the museum. They talked about the history of the Japanese population and their experiences with racism, as well as how British Columbia has changed since the Ice Age and what significance this province has for the country.

We also went on various hikes. Here on Vancouver Island, one of the last functioning coastal rainforests in the world, everything is so wet and green... It's how I imagine a tropical rainforest, just much cooler. And it's amazing how loud the ocean is and how far you can hear it in the forest. It's impressive to see the power of nature. And after observing a couple of seals and listening to the waves of the ocean, we drove back and suddenly an orca appeared to the right of the road. Incredible! My first whale!

Somewhere in the Forest

After the first few days in Victoria, we drove to the next accommodation. It was really remote and very peaceful there. And funny story: One evening while we were making dinner and talking about where our hometowns and villages were, it turned out that one person knows my sister. Really.... here I am in Canada, where you're more likely to encounter a bear than a person, and I meet someone who knows my sister.... how small is the world?!?!

Anyway, we definitely went to Tofino, the city of totems. We spent the day there and it's a very popular surfing area. The beaches are truly beautiful and vast. You could see the power of the water by looking at the rocks and stones.

Nanaimo

Our last stop was Nanaimo, the second largest city on Vancouver Island. That's where we celebrated Halloween. It's one of the biggest days here in North America. It was so much fun, we could dance without a care in the world! The next day was more suited to the rainy weather, a day to stay in bed. In the following days, we walked through various parks. One of them had huge trees, and you feel like you're in a massive jungle in the middle of nowhere.

Throughout all this time, I always had that frustration in the back of my mind, and eventually I just told myself to enjoy the vacation in my own way. This sometimes affected the group dynamic, and I think it was evident that I was sometimes dissatisfied. But yes, in this case, that was my solution to avoid those uncomfortable remarks. You also constantly think: What are the others thinking when I speak English and misuse obvious things - after two months now. Then I remembered a conversation I had with a student at the end of the school year, where I told her that it doesn't matter if you fail at tasks, as long as you can take positive things from it and find another solution if necessary. So why should I worry about what other people think? During my vacation, I had a conversation with someone who told me a fact, and that is that everyone here is fluent in English, and when you compare yourself to these people, of course, the difference is infinitely large. So you just have to always tell yourself: I am further today than I was yesterday, and tomorrow I will be further than I am today!

Nevertheless, as I said before, I enjoyed the vacation, and I think next year I will look back on it and laugh off the uncomfortable situations, hoping that my English will really be better by then! :D

And before some people start thinking that I spent this week like an emotional wreck. No! It was a beautiful vacation with great experiences, and I'm doing well!

The adventure continues, as I have now arrived at a new farm. But for now, enough - the fireplace needs more wood.

Until then.

Samuel

Fun Fact: In Germany, there was the time change this weekend. It's a bit different here in Canada. The clocks are set back in November, and not everywhere. There are even places in British Columbia that don't have a time change. It's like having a different time zone in Magdeburg and Halle... really strange