home is where the heart is

Hallo allerseits!
Nach langem Warten konnte ich vor einer Woche eeeeeeendlich Sverre am Flughafen von Vancouver in Empfang nehmen. Die ganzen gut gemeinten Zitate ála "distance means so little when someone means so much" sind ja schön und gut, aber zusammen ist es dann doch schöner. Und so hat Sverre kurzerhand entschieden aus "meinem" Kanada-Abenteuer zeitweise "unser" Abenteuer zu machen und wenn Larsi dann am 02. März ankommt und seinen Jetlag erstmal ausgeschlafen hat machen wir uns gemeinsam auf die weitere Reise. Wohin wissen wir noch nicht genau, aber das wird sicher noch. An dieser Stelle muss ich auch eben anführen, dass ich nun endlich wieder in Besitz von sowohl Reisepass als auch Arbeitsvisum bin, juhu! Es kann nun also wieder losgehen.

Begeistert habe ich mich dann daran gemacht, Sverre von Vancouver zu begeistern (was nicht schwer ist, denn natürlich zeigt sich das Wetter seit seiner Ankunft von der besten Seite) und mir ist sofort aufgefallen, was für einen Unterschied es macht, nicht mehr alleine unterwegs zu sein. Wenn ich mich hier auf Erkundungstour gemacht habe, habe ich mich mittlerweile nicht mehr wie ein Tourist gefühlt - zwei deutsche, die sich Touristenattraktionen ansehen und dabei miteinander deutsch sprechen gehen aber selbstverständlich eindeutig als Touristen durch und zu zweit ist man eben auch kaum darauf angewiesen neue Leute kennenzulernen und sich auf englisch zu verständigen. Ich bin also sehr froh, dass ich die ersten drei Monate alleine unterwegs war und die Erfahrung des spontan und täglich Leute-Kennenlernens und der Verständigung auf reinem Englisch machen konnte.
Während unserer Touri-Tour gings in diesem Schmuckstück von "aqua boat"

nach Granville-Island, wo ein riesiger "public market" tausende von Touristen anlockt (klickt hier für mehr Infos). Eigentlich wird dort, kurz gesagt, alles verkauft, was man essen kann.

Ein weiterer Touri-Magnet war die legendäre Neujahrs-Parade in Chinatown (welches hier in Vancouver verdaaaaaaaaaaammt groß ist) zum Beginns des chinesischen Neujahres. Merkwürdigerweise schienen sie sich nicht entscheiden zu können, ob nun das Jahr der Ziege oder des Schafes gefeiert werden soll und somit wurde scheinbar einfach beides zusammen gefeiert. So oder so - farbenprächtig, aufwändig und sehenswert war die Parade allemal.

Auch sonst schafft Vancouver es noch immer Tag für Tag mich zu begeistern. In dieser Stadt tobt einfach das Leben. Man schafft es kaum einen Schritt vor die Tür zu setzen ohne in irgendwelche Aktionen/Flashmobs/Auftritte reinzulaufen.

Zum Schluss gibt's mal wieder einen kleinen Einblick in unseren Ausblick - ich hoffe euch geht es allen gut! Obwohl es mir hier nicht besser gehen könnte vermisse ich unser kleines Oldendorf, sowie insbesondere meine ganzen Lieben zuhause/oder in der Welt verteilt, ganz schrecklich und freue mich schon darauf, euch wieder in die Arme zu schließen. Haltet die Ohren steif! Svenja

the best things in life happen unexpectedly

So, here’s the story about this year’s Valentine’s Day. It is February the 14th, the day that most oft the singles (or people in long-distance relationships like me) fear. As I knew that Canada makes this day a far, faaaar bigger deal than Germany does, my plan was to spend the day watching "How I Met Your Mother“ and, most importantly, not to leave the house.

February the 14th, 2015 so began with a hangover and my boyfriend forgetting it was Valentine’s day. So far so good. Hangover and my boyfriend forgetting Valentine’s Day was something I was able to cope with.

And then it happened - I ran out of oranges. This definitely meant I acutally had to leave the house. A Valentine’s Day with a hangover and my boyfriend not being around AND forgetting it was Valentine’s Day WITHOUT eating oranges was something I could not cope with.
On my way to the supermarket downtown I observed everything I wanted to avoid that day: Ridiculously cute and romantic, on- the- cheek kissing-, couples holding hands. In a sudden impulse of masochism, I decided to go tot he Robson Square to watch all these ridiculously cute couples going ice-skating. (I have to admit that I kind of hoped some of them would slip arse-over-tit).
And then one of the most epic Valentine’s Days of my life began:
First thing I saw was a young woman in a wedding dress in the middle of shy, cute teenager-couples trying not to fall on the ice. So when she and her husband-to-be started walking I thought "well, I might as well follow them before returning to watch "How I Met Your Mother“ while eating tons of ice-cream“.
I ended up sitting on the stairs at Robson Square watching more than 40 couples getting married in the next two hours. The company „Young, Hip and Married“  (click here for their website) started a possibility for couples to get married for free. At the Robson Square. On Valentine’s Day. Right in front of my eyes.

Normally this would have been far to romantic for me to stand. Still, I ended up watching tall and small, young and old, male and female, black and white, fat and thin, gay and straight people getting married to (hopefully) the love of their lifes. People in sweatpants, people in weddingdresses. People in jeans and T-Shirt, people in high heels and people in Nikes that they’ve obviously been wearing for more than a century.
The marriage vows of the two 40-years old men in suits, each of them having one of their kids on their arms, made me cry. Same with the 70-years old couple looking into each others eyes as if nothing else matters, ever mattered or will ever matter. And when one of the toughest looking guy I’ve ever seen almost drowned in his own tears while saying his marriage vow, I thought I could never stop cying (or smiling) again.

Some of the people that married today have been together for 30 years, others for two; some might be together until death does them part, others might even split up tonight. We never know where life takes us – but what we know is that sometimes it’s just the moment that counts. Moments of pure happiness that we share with hundreds of strangers unable to stop smiling (or crying) while you and your fiance say „yes, I do“. Unique moments that „Young, Hip and Married“ made possible today. Not just for the young, and not just for the hip people.
By marrying these people lined up today "Young, Hip and Married“ brought back the origin of Valentine’s Day and remembered all of us how blessed we are to live in today’s society: When Saint Valentine of Rome performed weddings for couples who by church were forbidden to marry during the Roman Empire he got imprisoned. When "Young, Hip and Married“ performed weddings for tall and small, young and old, male and female, black and white, fat and thin, gay and straight people they were able and allowed to make a big event out of it, making so many people happy, starting a completely new future for not just only the people they married that day, but also all the people watching.

I overheard a conversation of a British guy and a Chinese girl. They were both in their thirty-somethings and she asked him what this crowd of people in wedding dresses, jeans or sweatpants was all about. He explained the whole idea to her. Both declared how cute they thought  the whole thing was and sat there for half an hour chatting. They ended up going out for coffee. Who knows – considering that "Hip, Young and Married“ is awesome enough to keep on doing this - they might be one of the couples in line next year.
This event made everyone’s day better. One just has to smile while watching people confessing their true love to each other – especially when the bride whispers: „you have something stuck between your teeth, just saying… But I still love you“ while doing so.

What this company started was not just about getting people married. It was a statement about equality, that everybody has the right and needs to have the right to marry who ever the fuck they want to marry and about people connecting, sharing life experiences, trust and love. And  by saying so, again, I’m not just talking about the people they married today. I talked to a lot of people while watching this event - people from all over the world. Some were’nt even able to express their feelings in English, but the old, Chinese lady with tears in her eyes sitting next to me, grabbing my hand when the first gay couple that married was declared husband and husband, did’nt need any words to explain what she felt. And, honestly, for some things in life there’s just not enough words – no matter how many languages you speak.

public library, Vancouver

What they started was unique and heart melting. It made Valentine’s Day more than just an occasion for companies to make money with ridiculously expensive postcards or roses or Victoria’s Secret Underwear. It brought back the whole idea behind Valentine’s Day – giving people who love each other a certain day to clarify their love again. And these people does’nt neccesarily have to be couples: The Mexican guy next to me (who burst out in tears when two people in sweatpants and oily hair were declared husband and wife) mentioned that Valentine’s Day in Mexico is a day to show your love to all the people who simply make your life better – your mother, your sister, your friends or even the pizza delivery boy.  
I strongly thank "Young, Hip and Married“ for an awesome Valentine’s Day and for their urge to celebrate love in an appropriate way for the 21st century. It was a Valentine’s Day of big emotions for a lot of people at Robson Square, Vancouver. Finally, there’s just one last thing to say:

And last but not least: One random awesome person wearing a "loser"-toque while watching strangers getting married on Valentine's Day at Robson Square: You are awesome!