#43 Adventure in the Adventure

"It's a dangerous business [...] going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." (Bilbo Baggins)

It has been a full six months and four days since I arrived at this place, and now it's time to say goodbye and embark on my biggest adventure yet. But let's start from the beginning.

The work week was quite relaxed. I mostly worked alone as Jenny was busy cooking for the workshop participants or driving them to the airport. On Monday, I had to drive to a "neighbor" to pick up wood shavings. We got them for free .... under the condition that we load them ourselves. It was a good shoulder workout. 😅 We also attached yellow plastic panels to the floor from below. Since I didn't want Jenny to have to attach them in the tightest spaces, I did it in one day. It took forever, and it's a good thing that I didn't have claustrophobia. I couldn't even take a deep breath because my chest was pressing too hard against the "ceiling". There was only one moment when I felt a bit uneasy, when I wanted to turn my head to see where I could crawl, but couldn't and got stuck for a moment. Eventually, I made it out. 😁 It was also really cool when there were stones under the tarp that covered the grass, and I had to crawl over them because there was no other way. Besides that, Jenny finished the roof on Friday. Now it just needs to be covered with the tarp and metal plates. At least it's already waterproof! On Thursday, I was lucky enough to see a female moose or a young moose, I couldn't tell which, on the other side of the lake. At first, I thought a cow had been forgotten by the farmer. That sometimes happens, and then you see a single cow standing alone on these huge meadows (I drove past one that was almost three kilometers long and at least as wide). 😅🐮 It was cool to observe the animal before it disappeared into the forest.

And then it was Friday. That was the first day when I worked almost entirely with Jenny. Let's just say... the first few hours in the morning are the worst. 😂 Then it got later and later. I was supposed to finish my roof project, but then it was 4 p.m., and I was done for the day. Done for a long time, because that was my officially last day of work.

It may sound a bit negative, but I was so incredibly happy and relieved. I couldn't believe it. My work here was finally done. I felt like I had helped build a cathedral for Jenny. 😂 I cut almost every piece of wood in the area I was working in. I should have counted them, actually. I have a *cough cough* slightly more detailed house tour under this link (15 minutes 😅). There I show you what I have helped with. Unfortunately, I held my phone upright the whole time, so I'm a real pro. 😅

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho-eF05rTNo

On Friday, Glenn or Len (I don't know) also arrived. He is an employee of David & Jenny. For example, he gives workshops on how to care for a beard in the east of Canada, so David doesn't have to travel there. He will now live here for about two weeks, as Jenny and David will make a little road trip to the north of B.C.

On Saturday, I drove into town again and saw a black bear sitting on the road almost right in front of our front door and then running away. It's fascinating how quickly such massive animals can disappear in the forest. The only bad feeling is when the bear runs just a little way into the woods and then watches you, but you can't see it. That's always a bit strange. 😅🐻 With beer, chips, and other things, I returned home to welcome the guests Peter and Jordan. I invited them for a farewell evening. Unfortunately, I forgot their age, so both the beer and the chips were almost untouched, and we were done after two hours. Unfortunately, I don't have a group photo. I would have loved to show you Peter and Jordan. 😅

What comes next?

For me, last week meant converting the car the day after I arrived from Vancouver to have a place to sleep. Because now, on Tuesday afternoon, I'm starting a road trip and my adventure within an adventure. This plan has solidified since last year because this country is so incredibly beautiful that I want to see even more of its incredible nature. The original plan was to travel through all provinces and territories. This would mean going east, up north, and then back west. Let's just say: If I just kept driving, I would be in the north in about 5 days, or if I was very fast, I could also be in the east. This country is so huge! 😂 But of course, I want to see many things, so I will take much more time. My work and holiday visa is valid until August. But to make sure I have enough time, I gave myself a birthday present. I applied for a visitor record. This is a kind of visitor permit, in which your financial situation is a decisive factor. Due to my bank balance at the time, I received permission until November 30th, so theoretically I could stay much longer. However, this is, of course, a financial question.

I also deliberately decided to travel alone to learn what it's like to cope completely on my own. For example, here I had two hot meals every day, always had a warm place to sleep, and unlimited Wi-Fi. Starting tomorrow, I won't have any of that. The lack of Wi-Fi has two consequences.

1. My blog posts will now be irregular and probably have few pictures because the public Wi-Fi spots are definitely not the best. 😁

2. I will lose my hard-earned Duolingo streak of 1,067 days. 😭 The practice with this app has actually helped me, but nothing beats applying it in real life. But yes, congratulations to Ilo, you can now say that you have the longest streak. 😂

What am I looking forward to the most?

Nature. Clearly! When I drove from Vancouver and back, I was already incredibly amazed by these mountains. Glenn/Len told me that I should really look forward to the Rocky Mountains because these mountains here are a joke compared to the ones there. I'm really excited to explore all the landscapes that make this country so unique, and of course, I'm also excited about possible wildlife and, let's not forget, the starry sky and maybe someday the Northern Lights.

I'm also looking forward to not having dog hair all around me. In Canada, it seems like everyone has at least two dogs. And at every place I worked, there were at least two dogs. Trooper and Daisy shed so much hair, even now, and you find it everywhere: in your clothes, in your food, in your coffee,.... So I'm looking forward to living in a somewhat "hair-free" environment. 😂

I'm also looking forward to giving my hands a break. Since I work without gloves, I have quite a few splinters stuck in them. Flip-flops are not good work shoes either. Just so you know if you want to protect your feet from pain. 😅 But yes, my hands and feet definitely need some rest.

Am I afraid of anything?

Fear is, of course, a tricky thing. I have to say that I have the advantage of being male, so one major issue is already eliminated, because I also had a strange situation on the drive from Vancouver to Tatla Lake. A truck driver followed me the whole time, and when I stopped at a rest area so he could pass me, he also drove into the rest area and almost crawled into my trunk. I waited until he drove away, but he stopped at every possible spot, waited for me, then drove behind me, overtook me, and waited for me again at the next spot. It was so weird, and as a woman, I can imagine that such situations are even more uncomfortable.

But that's the problem with traveling alone. If something happens to me, it doesn't look good. Because there is hardly any reception here, and sometimes you may be in places where not many people pass by. So if no further blog post comes, you know that I'm currently being eaten by coyotes, bears, or cougars. 😂

My biggest concern is actually the car because if something breaks, it will be expensive. I want to travel around as long as financially possible and maybe even successfully implement my plan. That's why I'm always so nervous during my current drives, afraid of doing something wrong. 😅 Potholes are especially bad, the ones you see too late and have the image of a broken axle in mind while driving over them at a too high speed.

I don't really have much fear of wildlife (I say that until something happens 😅). I think the impressions here of the wildlife-heavy environment and David as a bear workshop leader have given me enough knowledge and impressions to know how to behave in certain situations. Plus, I have my bear bell, bear spray, and signal horn. When I go hiking in designated bear areas, I can also turn on my music box and listen to loud music. So I can make enough noise when I'm alone. Then it's just hoping not to surprise a mother bear with her cubs. 😁

I'm a little worried about boredom. It will definitely set in, and I'm curious how I will deal with it. Because what do young people usually do when they're bored? That's right, they usually get lost in the depths of social media. I also notice how I look at my phone in every free second just to do something. It's not like I spend hours on Instagram, for example. I actually always tried to limit myself to an average of only 30 minutes on Instagram. It's now at one hour. That may not sound like much to some, but I think to myself... one hour, during which I just mindlessly scrolled through random short videos without doing anything meaningful. I would recommend such a break from mobile phones to some of my students, especially when I hear how much time they spend on Instagram and Co. 😅 I have some ideas of what I could do when I'm bored. I'll see how it goes.

Lastly, there are the wildfires that worry me. Currently, B.C. has 84 wildfires (which is still relatively few), and a lot of them are out of control, and one area is close to evacuation. Unfortunately, these wildfires are also located on my possible routes, so I always have to be very spontaneous. Due to the lack of Wi-Fi, I can't just check in advance where each wildfire is, so spontaneity is required. However, the chances of driving directly into a wildfire are very unlikely. The police will block off the roads extensively, and there are also barriers that will be closed for the affected sections.

What will I miss?

Everything, except for one thing. I will miss everything, except for working with Jenny. A friend once told me that I'm probably always quickly annoyed because it's the same thing every day. I now think so too. I'm tired of "construction site Jenny." It was always really the same things, and bringing up the topic rarely made a difference, so I'm actually quite happy that this is over for now. Otherwise, I will really miss everything. This is the most beautiful place I have ever had the opportunity to live in. The combination of the mountains, the turquoise lake, and the wildlife here was simply paradise on earth for me. On Monday evening, I had another moment by the lake where I was just grateful. The sunset bathed everything in warm light, the waves splashed against the boat, and above me, two bald eagles circled towards the clouds, while in front of me, ducks and two coastal seagulls flew by. It was just pure nature and peace, and I was able to enjoy it here for a very long time.

Another moment I will miss: I almost always have a rabbit sitting in front of my door when I come out or come back, and the rabbits are not easily startled. They just sit in front of my cabin and eat grass there. Speaking of eating. You can't imagine how incredibly cute it looks when chipmunks eat dandelions. It's so adorable.

Will I come back?

My general plan is to visit every place where I have worked here before I go back. So I will definitely return here. However, buying the car and the insurance were a significant financial effort, so my planning is now more step by step, and I don't really look long-term. 😁 Jenny was very accommodating in this regard. She told me that I can come back anytime and could also help with various workshops. So I always have a financial safety net here if money gets tight.

My plan, which I throw overboard almost daily, is now to travel for about 30 days and then make a detour here and maybe earn some money for a week or so. I also think that working with Jenny would be much more pleasant then since taking a break from each other is good for us, I think.

And with that, I will now say goodbye.

I'm really excited about my adventure, and I hope I can tell you many exciting stories!

Wishing you a nice rest of the week and take care!

Samuel