#29 Half Time

Hey hey hey,

On Friday, it started snowing during the cabin cleaning, the first time in many weeks. Since I was in charge of cleaning the cabins and Jenny was cleaning the interiors, neither of us could shovel snow, but in our eyes, it wasn't necessary. Then our new customers arrived, and it only took a few tenths of a second to form a first impression of people. My first impression was: Oh shit! Brenda and Don looked like bitter Americans to me, and then Bob and Lori got out of the car, and oh man, Lori feels closer to death than to life. She is so old and frail that I had to drive her from her cabin to the main house. I already wondered how someone at this age could decide to attend such a workshop. She immediately got upset, wondering why the path wasn't cleared of snow, and that made an even worse impression. Jenny and I then discussed where to place each person in which tent, and I probably told her ten times that Bob and Lori couldn't be placed in the spot she wanted because it was too far away. But Jenny did what she does best... not listen to me, so I took Bob and Lori to the spot. It takes me ten minutes to get to the tent, but that day it took us over 30 minutes, and Lori felt like she was dying and complained the whole time. That day, we, like Brenda and Don, also saw the fisher marten. Somehow, everyone wants to photograph this animal, so it was a very good start to the workshop. On the third day, Jenny set up a new spot where Bob and Lori wouldn't have to walk as far (Lori still complained, of course), and then she picked up Brenda and Don. Just as she was on her way to the tent, Jenny startled a wolverine, and Don had exactly six seconds to photograph it. Brenda and Don were so happy because Brenda had been trying to photograph a wolverine for over five years. I had never seen one before, and after hearing how aggressive these animals are, I don't want to see one either. The problem is that Wolverines can also kill lynxes (and even young moose), and they most likely drove away our lynxes at this spot (as you will see later), but Brenda and Don were naturally extremely happy to get a wolverine in front of their cameras. That day, I was sitting in a tent myself, and just as I was about to leave, I wanted to go out quickly and find a tree. When I came back, I almost died. Somehow, my not completely closed tea bottle had tipped over, and what was on the chair? Right, the camera. I confessed to Jenny that evening, and it was a very, very difficult conversation for me. You can't imagine how bad I felt! First things first: I didn't get fired 😅 That was my biggest fear. The lens has been drying out for several days now, and if that's not enough, we'll send it in for repair, and if that's not enough, Jenny will take care of it. As it looks now, I (LUCKILY!) don't have to pay for it because, honestly, that would have ended my trip here in Canada. You can probably imagine that such professional photographers don't use run-of-the-mill lenses, but rather something "a little" more expensive. It was definitely a very expensive short trip to the toilet for me, and understandably, I don't currently have a camera anymore. That's why there are hardly any photos this week, firstly because there was nothing spectacular to see, except for the birds, and secondly because I don't experience much more either.

We've had another weather change now, and we've once again dropped below -30 °C. On such days, we start the day later and only sit outside for 3-4 hours, but it's still super cold, especially when you just don't see anything. I feel so sorry for this group, they've been waiting for something for seven days, and they've only had the fisher marten (+ wolverine for Brenda and Don) on the first day, and nothing else. I completely understand their frustration. The work continues to demand a lot from me, and when I come home and once again have to listen to Jenny complaining about her "hard" life in her massage chair and saying that she just can't anymore and is exhausted from her oh so hard work (cooking), that doesn't exactly cheer me up.

Insert regarding the lynx situation: I shouldn't start writing the post on Thursday already😅

Today, I sat with Bob in the tent where we have seen the only lynxes so far, and well, since we only sat there for three hours again today (which is definitely enough at -25 °C), I didn't have much hope. Ten minutes after I fought my way into my sleeping bag, I heard noises from the left, and sure enough, a lynx came out. The female then ate there for almost an hour, and I could watch her. Of course, I was frustrated that I couldn't take decent photos since I don't have a camera anymore, but after the lynx left, I also thought to myself: Samuel, just be grateful that you can observe such animals in the wild, not many people have this opportunity. And then, three coyotes even came by. I really had to consciously think that because I was very angry with myself for not having a camera anymore, but yes, it is truly a gift to be able to observe these animals in the untouched nature.

Tomorrow is the last day of this group, and then we will have completed two out of four groups and thus (unfortunately only 😁) reached half time. Oh, and before I forget: Brenda and Don's impression has changed significantly. The two of them are constantly hopeful, and if they are in a bad mood, they don't show it to us. I just feel sorry for Bob. I think he doesn't have an easy life with Lori. When he's alone, he's a completely different person and really funny. Lori is still the bitter woman who gets upset about everything and always has a nasty comment on her tongue, and once even so nasty that Jenny almost kicked her out and sent her home on the second day. She's really not an easy customer. Of course, I hope for the next two groups as well that I will see the wild animals and maybe even be able to use the camera again, but that's probably very unlikely 😁

But funny enough, today, on Friday, February 24th, 2023, I also reached another half time. Exactly six months ago today, I started my adventure. I have met so many different people, and not only have I met them, but I have also learned so much from them. Every day, I see an incredibly beautiful nature that always reminds me how important it is to critically question my own behavior regarding the environment and to remember that this world is too beautiful to be destroyed by humans and their actions. I am truly grateful for every farm I was able to visit, and I am also grateful to be able to work here, even if I am sometimes more in a bad mood than in a good one at the moment, but this phase will pass as well. I have absorbed so many impressions here that I'm surprised I don't look like Jimmy Neutron, with so many things bombarding my brain.

How is the English going, by the way?

To be honest, I actually expected more from myself. I thought that after six months, I would be able to speak English much better than I currently can. On the other hand, I also told myself several months ago that there is so much to experience and learn here that learning English is no longer my number one priority. I simply want to experience my adventure here in my own way, and learning English is a nice side effect. I still often have problems expressing myself, especially when it comes to grammar. But hey, people understand me, and considering that I almost failed my high school diploma because I almost screwed up the English exam (oops 😁), I have made a significant improvement, and I shouldn't forget that.

And thus, this post comes to an end, hoping that I have better news next time :D

Until then,

Samuel