Maxxanfame: 18.03.2020
7h wait at the nearly empty Vancouver airport, enough time to reflect on what I have done in the last 3.5 months and what comes next.
For the 3rd time I arrived at Birds of a Feather B&B, but this time with the intention to work. So, yes, I'm just a tourist who came to celebrate Christmas and do some skiing, which made me question what I'm doing here again. While the owners of the B&B are in Thailand, I am responsible for breakfast, all the rooms, and bookings. With very good reviews and high expectations from the guests, I felt a little pressure, but I managed it confidently (according to everyone involved). Most of the time it wasn't too much work, so I had enough time to enjoy and explore the surroundings. The weather was mostly gray and wet in December and January (the 3rd wettest January in the last century), but February and March were reconciling and felt like an early spring. Throughout the whole time, I was happy to have Kala's company whenever possible, and her family even included me in their Christmas celebrations. So, my statement at the border was not even a lie.
Although this time was a great experience and I almost replenished my travel funds to the level of last summer, I had to realize that I miss my life, or rather, I miss my environment. Therefore, with the current world events, the decision against learning Spanish and for returning was simply made. I believe it is definitely a time when one wants to be close (with the necessary distance, of course) to family and friends. Apart from the closed schools, Vancouver Island is still quite normal if you don't consume the news and just look around. I guess it will be like in Switzerland in 1-2 weeks. I wanted to temporarily work again at Helion on Monday, but let's see how it turns out. Since there are currently no other conversation topics (I miss sports), I would love to hear from you about my last few months, but of course I don't want to violate the guidelines of the government, so we have to postpone that. I wish everyone good health and take care.
-----english part-----
The winter started with a wet & gray December/January (the 3rd wettest January in a century), but was pleasantly sunny in February/March. Throughout the time, Kala spent as much time as possible with me, and whenever I had a day off from hosting guests, we explored the island. Now, after managing the beautiful Birds of a Feather B&B for the last 3.5 months on Vancouver Island, it's probably a good time to go home. My initial plan was to go South and learn Spanish somewhere, but with the current circumstances, I think it's the right choice to go back and stay with family. And yes, Switzerland is definitely worse at the moment, but it will affect us all...
I just want to thank Kala, her family & friends who made my Canadian winter special :) Stay healthy and be kind to each other.