Hard Work pays off & Namaskaram

Shortly after Julian's birthday, two weeks ago, we got new roommates. First, an Indian girl moved in. Her name is Khushbu. And two days later, three more Indians moved into our old room. Their names are Athul, Jithin, and Thomas. We moved into the smaller room. Now we don't have a balcony anymore, but we have a dressing room instead. After a few days, our long-term roommate Batu leaves because he's flying back to his home country.

On July 1st, Canada Day is celebrated. It commemorates July 1, 1867, when the three colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into a single dominion within the British Empire, which then became known as Canada. Usually, this day is celebrated big in Canada! There are parades and parties. But unfortunately, everything is canceled this year. Julian has to work on this day, even though it's a national holiday. So I visit him during his lunch break. Since the elevator attendant doesn't mind, he takes me to the roof and I can enjoy the view. Unfortunately, it's raining that day, so I can't see very far across Vancouver. But the view is still breathtaking! On that day, an accident happens right in Julian's favorite café. A car drives into the café.

The first action that Khushbu and I take: cleaning! We clean and tidy up everything. It was already quite run-down when we moved in and we didn't really take care of the mess. We did tidy up a bit and cleaned out the fridge, but with Khushbu, I'm organizing a proper spring cleaning! 💪😃

At first, I'm a bit hesitant because there are so many of us in the apartment now. But my doubts are completely unfounded. Now we're having a really fun, funny, and delicious time!

Khushbu tells me a lot about India, the traditions, the religions, the different people in the different regions of India, and she always cooks very delicious food. Most of the time, we get to try it, and I've never eaten so much spicy food in my life! 😄

Furthermore, I'm learning a few typical Indian hand gestures and expressions. So now I always greet the guys with 🙏 and the words 'Namaskaram'. If you curl your hand into a fist, only extend your little finger, and wave it in the air as if you want to shoo away a fly, that's an insult and means 'We are no longer friends!' If you raise your index finger and middle finger against it, kiss the inside of your fingers, and hold them out to your counterpart, who returns the gesture and presses their fingers against yours, then you have made up.

On our first weekend together, we have a housewarming party. Julian and I get beer and Palm Bay, and the others cook. Khushbu cooks pasta in Indian style, and the guys cook chicken. In the evening, we sit together, watch the others cook, drink, and wait for the food. Although we start cooking at five o'clock, it is not until late that we finally eat, and Julian and Thomas are so hungry that they start a little kitchen revolution! Or is it more of a kitchen mutiny...?

The pasta is especially delicious because the sauce is simmered with the noodles until the sauce has a creamy consistency. It's important to simmer the sauce until a skin forms on the surface. That's the sign that everything is cooked. Then the cooked noodles are added to the sauce for another 10 minutes.

With the chicken, we have homemade Roti. That's an Indian flatbread. I also get to try rolling out the Rotis. For that, you use a special rolling pin that is much thinner than what we are used to and is called Belan. And once you've mastered the technique, the dough turns on itself while it gets larger. After a few tries, I manage to turn it as well. But of course, they don't look perfectly round. In the end, the Rotis briefly go into a very flat pan to bake them. There is also a homemade ginger-garlic paste, which consists of ginger, garlic, onions, and chilies, prepared in a mortar. In the end, the food is a real dream! You tear off a piece of Roti and use it to tear off a piece of meat. Then you take a bit of the homemade paste and put this composition in your mouth! Very, very delicious!

During the night, we decide to clean up the kitchen the next day. I also got a homework assignment: I have to install Instagram and create a joint profile with Julian. I do that the next day. And so, on Sunday, Julian and I go out to find our first Insta picture. #firstposts 😄

In the following week, I have to work really long hours every day and I'm always so tired when I come home. Next Thursday and Friday, there's a final inspection at work. That's why everyone is stressed and still has 1000 things to do. I have to vacuum apartments more often and I'm really struggling with the vacuum cleaners. Each time, it takes forever for me to find a vacuum cleaner that hasn't died on me, only to get clogged after a short time due to the fine dust.

On Wednesday, we decide to go out to the Art Gallery in the evening. It's an art museum that has a large square where you can sit and watch people. Plus, it's only a few minutes from our apartment! After a few minutes in the last rays of the sun, the guys have an idea: 'Let's just go to a bar for a quick drink, each of us only one beer! Then we go home directly. After all, we have to work tomorrow!' Well, Julian takes us to a bar, and 14 beers and two cocktails later, the three of us, slightly tipsy, make our way back while the others go out to eat. The next morning, I am reminded of the downside of such small parties in the middle of the week... 😴😅 But it was fun!

Today, I finally Skyped with my friends after a long time. It was really fun to see and talk to everyone. After that, we went to the rooftop terrace to enjoy the sun and a coffee.

Our upcoming travel plan looks as follows: In the next few days, we want to rent a jeep for August to start a road trip. We want to leave in the second week of August. First to the north, to the Yukon and a few national parks, where we hopefully see some bears and maybe even the northern lights. Then on to Alaska, when the borders reopen and we have the opportunity to return to Canada. And then through the Yukon to Alberta and the Rocky Mountains, before we wrap up our road trip in Vancouver. If we can't travel to Alaska, we want to visit Vancouver Island.

We will keep you informed once the detailed plan is set! 🏕🚙🏞