July 2013

This happened the other day...

Scene: sitting on the deck about to share some pasta for dinner, and we had just baked some muffins.

Pietro: "What's a cup?"
Paul: "You mean where's a cup? Over there"
Pietro: "No what is a cup?"
Paul: "This" (holding one)
Pietro: "Yes but what is it?"
Paul: "A cup?"
Pietro: "How much is it?"
Paul: "A few dollars...why?"
Pietro: "No how much is it? Is it different to a bowl?"
Paul: "I've no idea what you mean, probably the same price"
Pietro: "We don't have cups in Italy"
Paul: "Yeah you do, maybe you just call them glasses or mugs?"
Pietro: "No, we only use grams"
Paul: "Grams? What do you mean??"

Pietro was actually wanting to know how many milliliters a cup is, for cooking! Just one example of many that always lead to a laugh.

What is one of the great things about travelling and living in a foreign country? The people you meet. Vancouver'ites are great and a very international bunch and the share-house we've landed in has been full of people from across the globe. We've had a great few months with housemates from Colombia, Italy, India Canada and Korea. We'd all have a conversation in English yet due to the varied accents (and varied levels of knowledge of the language) we'd often come to a completely different conclusion as to what the conversation was actually about!

It's amazing how you can spend years at home, have pals and meet people yet it's not that often you 'click' with people who become long-term friends. Travellers who meet other travellers generally seem to click and you can make life long friends over the space of a few weeks or even a few days.

Our varied background and thirst for exploration fueled our passion for exploring. We had a great time visiting the local watering holes, climbing mountains, cycling, kayaking and becoming 'pro's' at ultimate Frisbee. With different eating habits, we also experienced new ways of cooking and sampled food you just don't get everyday.

We've settled into the Vancouver life pretty nicely. Summer is here - long warm sunny days and there seems to be so much going on in the city. Canada Day, Gastown Bike Grand Prix, Latin America festival, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Italian Day - the list goes on. The city has come to life and the Canadian's just love getting out and exercising however they can, biking, long boarding, jogging.

It's rewarding to share time with people from a completely different background which has given us a refreshed perspective on life. You learn first hand about other cultures, their history, up-bringing, their passions and sports.

Travelling to a new country, greeting tourist information, a hostel receptionist, meeting a few other western travellers and sightseeing just scrapes the surface of how rewarding travelling can be. So get in amongst it where you can! Look up Couchsurfing and Airbnb to have a surefire way into meeting locals!

And to our house buddies, thanks Peitro, Adeeb & Byeongsu! Live life The Nomad Way.