Hello again, Vancouver! 😀

Since April 30th, we are back in Vancouver again. After the application in Pemberton didn't work out, we decided to go back to Vancouver. We booked the bus online in the morning. Since no one wants to go to Whistler anymore, the bus ticket is almost double the price compared to a few months ago when we booked the ride there.

The bus is much smaller and we have to take the backpacks with us and put them on the seats. The bus driver definitely has a hot tire, so we arrive in Vancouver on time after two hours. 

With the backpacks and a package for the post office, we make our way to the post office. We're lucky because we're the last customers before the post office closes for the day. The package is going to Germany and contains our ski pants, more clothes, and some souvenirs from our time in Hawaii and the USA. The post office tells us that the package will take at least six weeks to reach Germany as it is being shipped by boat. But it actually arrives after nine days. 😀

Vancouver is really deserted. Most stores are closed and the shop windows are mostly boarded up with plywood. But many artists take advantage of the opportunity to create real works of art on the plywood! Most of them are related to the current situation.

This time we booked a different hostel that we really like. There is a bar on the ground floor, just like in the other hostel, but it is currently closed due to Corona. The special thing about the hostel is that the rooms are only half occupied at the moment. And since we booked a 4-bed room, we are now in a private room. 😁 So Julian and I each have our own double bed. Pigeons always land on our windowsill, so we can only open the windows a little bit. The doors of the rooms are creatively designed: each door is painted with a different flag. We are staying in the Philippines room.🇵🇭 

During the week, we apply online to Pristine Labour. Pristine is a temp agency that provides workers to various construction sites. But after all the applications, we don't have much hope for a quick response. But the opposite is true! We receive a direct email with information that we need to fill out documents, send them back by email, and have a phone call on Monday. 

On the weekend, we take a walk to the beach with the impressive name Sunset Beach. It has become really warm, so there are many people out and about.

On Monday, we have a video call with a very friendly employee from Pristine and another applicant. They explain our tasks, the clothing we need, and we watch safety videos. Since we still have to buy all the safety gear (steel-toe boots, safety vests, and helmets), we discuss with them that we will start at the end of the week. We also take a safety test at noon. A few hours after the phone call, Julian receives a call. There is a job starting tomorrow. But unfortunately, we still need the gear. No problem! They provide it to us directly from Pristine. 😄 So we really didn't expect to find work that quickly. And so the first day of work comes the next morning: the construction site where we work is only a 30-minute walk from the hostel. Sam, an employee of Pristine, brings us the gear to the construction site. After a safety briefing on the construction site, we can start. The first day is incredibly exhausting! My shoes are too small, so my toes hurt. I also lose my sole while walking. Wherever I stand, a small piece of my sole crumbles off and stays on the ground. Thank goodness Sam brings me larger shoes the next morning. I'm so tired after the first day that I just trudge home and go to sleep. But I also have a good laugh because Julian tells me that I initially put on my helmet crooked and looked completely out of place. 😅👷🏼‍♀️

There is a steam clock on the corner in front of the construction site. It is a clock powered by steam. Every 15 minutes, it plays a melody, and every hour, it whistles the time. A lot of steam comes out from the top, like a locomotive.

When Friday comes, I'm really glad! Thank god it's Friday! We don't do much on the weekend. I have to rest my feet and Julian's feet hurt too. 

Now the second week is almost over. The work is a little different every day. We have to clean and sweep the eight floors and two parking decks every day, but we also have different additional tasks every day. For example, one day windows are delivered, so we have to partially clear a floor. At the beginning of the week, the crane is dismantled, which stood in the building - or rather, the building was built around the crane because there is not enough space outside. And today, the holes on the floors are being filled. In the next few days, an elevator will be installed so that materials can be brought to the respective floors. Since the fine construction dust is really dangerous, we often work with masks. The other construction workers are slowly recognizing us and chatting with us. But sweeping and cleaning gets really boring in the long run, and I find it really exhausting when we have to carry materials up and down the floors. Well, in the end, we can say, we helped build Microsoft! 😂😎💪🏻

We definitely want to continue working for a few more weeks until we may find a farm job.

Update: Friday was our last day of work on the construction site. But we have already been assigned to new construction sites. Unfortunately, Julian and I will be separated. Our last day of work is really relaxed. After lunch, I get to stop pedestrians on the sidewalk when the crane truck, which is on the street, is transporting materials. Unfortunately, the crane driver takes three hours to get the truck in the right position, so Sarah and I sit in the sun for three hours, chat, and wait to get to work. In the end, I only block the road once because then I finish work! 😎☀ 

Our future plan is to save money for a road trip. When the parks reopen, we want to rent a car in early August or early September and start our trip. You may be wondering why I'm talking about a car instead of a camper. A camper or campervan is unfortunately too expensive! A larger car is much cheaper and since we are only traveling as a couple, a car will be sufficient.

An alternative would be to buy a converted bus or van. But we are a bit deterred by the effort of searching and insuring. However, the idea is not completely off the table and we occasionally look at some ads.

I have already planned a rough route. But we still need to refine it. Since we start in British Columbia - in the west, we want to head north towards Alaska and then go east. It's not yet certain if we will drive all the way to Montreal. We probably don't have enough time for that. But I have already researched many interesting cities and national parks.

I'm really looking forward to our road trip, even though it will be at least another 2 and a half months before we start! 🏕🚗

And then I hope to finally see a bear or moose! 🐻🦌