I suck lol

so much for trying to do this regularly lmao - as if i didn’t know this was exactly what’s going to happen...

Anyways

DAY 150 (26 Feb 2020)

(according to an online calculator lmao)

Things that have happened in the past five months: 

First of all, holy shit it’s really been that long already eh? 

My boyfriend and I went to Whistler for a long weekend. It was amazing! It’s beautiful up there and we went on a little hike to see a trainwreck in the woods. The day before our trip, we had our first fight. Not so amazing. We’ve gotten better with communicating since then luckily. Not talking to each other lasted about half an hour but it was the most horrible thing ever.

We decided to go on more hiking trips together. I wanted to do that anyway and it turns out, my boyfriend is totally on board with the idea. On my birthday weekend, we went on a hike in Lynn Canyon Park. Unfortunately, the suspension bridge there was closed due to construction but it was so cool anyway. Tons of cool views and waterfalls. We got lost on the way back though so that was a bit annoying but before that, it was great.

Another hike we did was Deep Cove. Lots of stairs and tourists - it was beautiful but we totally could have done without the tourists.

I found some cool trails in Harrison Hot Springs so hopefully we can do some of those soon.

Christmas I spent at my boyfriend’s house with his family. Christmas Eve was kinda weird because it was so different to what I’m used to with my family but Christmas Day was great because I helped my bf’s mum with dinner stuff and even contributed my own recipes that are a family tradition. We also made mulled wine! In general, there was a lot of family time which got a bit much very easily and it definitely took a toll on my boyfriend. I didn’t mind it too much because Christmas at home is always busy but afterwards, it got a bit much for me as well and both him and I were just glad when we had some time to ourselves.

New Years Eve we spent at Noah’s. We considered different things we could do but ultimately, we both wanted to drink so we stayed home lmao. We also invited another aupair I had met which was pretty fun.

I met another aupair in January who I immediately clicked with. I didn’t think it was possible but we have a lot of things in common and the first time we met, we spent four hours talking non stop and it felt like no time had passed at all. That was pretty amazing. I’m currently waiting for her to come back from a trip to Arizona with her host family.

Work-wise it’s been a mixed bag. There were a lot of good days where my host kid was very sweet and time spent with him was pretty easy. He warmed up to me pretty quickly and he’s now frequently telling me he loves me. Unfortunately, for the past two weeks or so, he’s had a lot of meltdowns. Basically every day. It is exhausting. He doesn’t listen to me and he tends to hurt me when he loses me. I’ve been close to tears because of it several times. I’m trying to teach him that if he isn’t nice to me, it’s gonna have consequences. I stop playing with him which obviously is something he wants. He usually comes around pretty quickly then but it is tiring nevertheless. I really hope this is only a phase because if this is gonna continue for the rest of my stay here, I won’t be able to stay in this family even though I like them both a lot. But I have to think about myself and my mental health first.

Burger count: immeasurable lol

Let’s hope I can keep this updated more regularly again

Day 7 - 11

(Wed, 25 Sept - Sun, 29 Sept)

Slowly getting more and more used to my new surroundings, my new home away from home. Wednesday morning was spent driving around in my new car with my host mum, to get a feeling for the car and the roads. I feel quite safe but of course still very anxious because I generally just don’t like driving much. But as I was feeling comfortable enough, I drove out to see my boyfriend in the afternoon. It still feels so surreal that we can just do this now - just see each other in person. (We had A&W for dinner lol) It was also so incredibly nice to know my host mother cares about my safety and worries, this is so wildly different from my experience in the States that I’ll probably never get over it!

Thursday night my host mum, kid and I had a nice dinner together and watched - well, half watched - a movie together. It’s awesome to just spend time with them and feel welcome and in general, that I don’t have the feeling I need to tiptoe around the house.

On Friday, my host child took a mental health day from pre school so we used that time to visit Cascade Falls. It was a good way to tire my host kid out and for me to experience some of that BC beauty. It’s honestly so pretty there and I wasn’t even scared to go on the suspension bridge! Since we were all feeling quite tired and also a little sick, we took it slow for the rest of the afternoon. Later that night, we ordered pizza for dinner and then watched some TV together again. I really cherish these moments so much because it’s a great way to get to know my host mum better and to get more settled into my life here.

As my host mum didn’t have any specific plans for the weekend - her son had had a bit of a fever during the night - I visited my boyfriend and stayed there overnight. I met his best friend from high school that Saturday and she seems really cool, even though very crazy. I’m also not quite sure what to think of the things she gets him into but hopefully, I can make my peace with that eventually or just fucking talk to him about how it makes me feel.

Sunday was a bit of a lazy day, since we both were pretty tired. (I had barely slept all night so that was quite horrible.) But I always enjoy just spending time with him, even when we’re just watching The Walking Dead and hang out at Starbucks for him to get some studying done.

Burger Count: 4

DAY 1 - 6

(Thu, 19 Sept - Tue, 24 Sept)

After a long day of travelling (14 hours!!!), I finally made it to Vancouver at 09:45 pm - yay, 15 minutes early! I had a layover in Calgary so I already did Immigration there which was actually quite nice. I’ve been stressing out about actually getting my visa approved basically for the whole flight to Calgary and long before that but in the end, everything went down smoothly. Of course - in hindsight, I don’t know what bad thing should have happened. The time my flight got in probably played a big role in me getting through Immigration quickly. I was with the Border Control Officer for maybe 15 minutes if at all and he didn’t even want to see any proof of insurance or anything, just my POE Letter.

So after that, it was so much more stress-free to take the 1 and a half hour flight to Vancouver. And since it was a domestic flight and I was through Immigration already, I could just go to pick up my luggage. And I finally saw my boyfriend again. God, that was the best sight ever after such a long time. We were separated by a wall that we technically could have crossed but officially weren’t allowed to until I had my luggage and got out of that area. But we got to hug already and hold hands and I just really fucking missed him.

It’s really crazy how every time we’re reunited, it feels like no time has passed at all even though the actual time we were apart when we were going through it felt so horribly long. But now that we were reunited again, it felt just like it had to be exactly that way. After six months, it was so so good to be able to hug him and kiss him again, and to see all the changes that are a lot more apparent when I’m not looking at him through a screen. Of course, as promised, we headed to A&W immediately so I could have my beloved Beyond Meat Burger again (it was as good as I remembered!) Then we headed back to his place, I got to see and pet his cat again (damn, I missed that fluff ball so much) and after lots of cuddling, we went to bed.

Now, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t start my year abroad with a bang. Literally. My boyfriend had to go to uni so I accompanied him and as we were heading up the escalators at the train station, I somehow tripped (don’t ask me how, I’m still trying to figure it out myself) and fell. Fucking hell, I don’t think my knees have ever hurt this much. My boyfriend was laughing of course - he also did when I fell down the stairs in Oslo lmao - and I was too but mainly so I wasn’t crying instead. It really fucking hurt and I quickly realised I couldn’t really move my right leg properly. Unfortunately, it took a little while until I got an ice pack for my knee and by that time my legs were already black and blue all over - spoiler alert: it just got worse in the following days but at least I could move normally again the next day. So basically, I spent my first full day in Canada in agony. Honestly, I’m not too surprised.

I actually have to fight quite a bit with jetlag. I’m awake pretty early and then could fall asleep (and did fall asleep) at around 6 or 7 pm. Hopefully, that will be over soon.

Saturday, my boyfriend and I didn’t really do much. We mostly just hung out at home before we went to ICBC Driver Licensing in the afternoon to inquire about how I could get a BC licence. Turns out that was pretty easy luckily - honestly, I’ll probably have more troubles getting my German one back when I return. And we also went to A&W again! (Am I obsessed? Most definitely.)

And then Sunday was the day I finally met my host family. It was actually so nice to pack my bags at my boyfriend’s place but not feel sad because I was leaving indefinitely. Living just about half an hour away from each other is honestly the best thing ever. My boyfriend dropped me off at my new home - my host mum made a comment about how he could have helped me with the suitcases and how there were no gentlemen left these days, it was hilarious tbh. So I met my host mum and the family dog (little cutie!!) first while my host kid was still napping. I immediately felt welcome in the family, sitting down to chat a bit with my host mum while the kid was slowly waking up. He was a bit shy with me at first and putting on quite the show which quickly escalated and got a bit too much for everyone involved. I then had some time to unpack while my host mum rested and that was also when my host kid slowly warmed up to me and started talking to me. He helped me with unpacking (even though I later had to rearrange my drawers lmao because he does not know how to put clothes into drawers efficiently). For dinner, we went to a place I thought was quite fancy but very nice. Awesome view of the mountains and river - which, I was told, would have been even better if the weather had been nice. I also met a woman who is much like a grandma to my host kid and she was also very friendly and made me feel welcome. Even though at that point I was so exhausted from all the new impressions and travelling still that socialising was a bit much for me.

Monday was my first official day of work. But it started out easy enough. I came to pre school with my host mum and kid so I could be introduced to the teachers and see where the school was and everything and after that my host mum and I ran some errands. Most importantly, actually getting my German drivers licence exchanged for a BC one. After that we did some grocery shopping and then it was already time again to pick up my host child. When we returned home, he and I had some time alone together because the mother had an appointment. Naturally, I had a crying child on my hands right on my first day. At least, it wasn’t my fault. He got a little too excited playing that he hit himself in the back with a hard object. Interestingly enough, I felt less overwhelmed with the situation than when I had a crying child on my first day during my first aupair experience. Of course, I’m six years older now and back then, I had my two host children plus two of their friends on the first day. It’s much more easy going this time around - in all aspects. Besides that little incident, the first day went pretty good and I was just really exhausted by the end of it.

Today (Tuesday), my host kid and I spent even more time alone together. In the morning, we took a short trip to the park and when we returned back home, we were playing for a bit before I made lunch for him and then tried to get him to take a nap. It was quite the challenge! I think it took about an hour until he settled down enough to even attempt to fall asleep. But he eventually did. It was a little weird for me to have a sleeping child on the couch while I had no idea what to do because I was scared if I made the tiniest movement or noise, he’d wake up. Which of course wasn’t the case and I could easily just leave the room. Well, he’s not the only one who needs some getting used to to the new situation. But I think we’ll both handle it very well. My host mum bought a new car today since the old one that I was supposed to drive died shortly before I arrived. I haven’t driven the car yet (and I’m a little, let’s say intimidated by the prospect of doing so) but it’s a cool car and not too big so I should be okay. We’ll see how that goes tomorrow.

Burger Count: 2

things i wanna see and do in bc

Whistler

Capilano Suspension Bridge (again)

Whale watching

Discover more of the islands

Victoria (again), 

Sooke 

Pacific Rim National Park 

Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) 

Salt Spring Island

Squamish

Kelowna

Stanley Park

Whitewater Rafting (possibly on Elaho River, Squamish)

White Rock (again)

Vancouver

The Marine Building

Queen Elizabeth Park

Yoho National Park 

Takakkaw Falls, one of highest falls in North America

Lake O’Hara

Hell's Gate Airtram in the Fraser Canyon

Great Bear Rainforest

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park

Muncho Lake Provincial Park (best place to see northern lights in BC)