Traveling can be hard when you're doing it solo but is never lonely when you travel as a couple right? Well not exactly, while your not alone when you travel in a couple you likely still have some independent interests and if you are traveling for an extended period of time then having some friends really helps.
In Vancouver we built an enormous group of friends from the places we worked and this allowed us to have many wonderful new adventures and also gave us varied people to chat an interact with. Calgary on the other hand has been much harder to make friends as we have found finding work much more of a challenge. Thankfully though we opted to stay in an Airbnb share house for our first two months and this has given us the opening to meet new people from all around the world. We meet some for a day or two and then some who have been here for many weeks with us, helping build that much needed social interaction that isn't just Brendan and I.
These wonderful new friends have really helped us to enjoy Calgary while we madly apply for jobs and give us a nice way of enjoying ourselves after all the big events of the summer have finished (Stampede, Canada Day etc). Its because of these people that we are able to keep positive and enjoy our stay over the summer and so I'd like to introduce you to them below so you can see how much they have impacted us.
Our first really solid temporary friendship came from an awesome Spanish guy and his Slovenian girlfriend. We spent many evenings chatting together and often ended up at the same little Italian coffee shop at the same time and continued our conversations there. I'm sad to say we didn't exchange details at the time and will probably never see them again. They bought such light and laughter to our lives and helped us enjoy our first weeks in Calgary.
Next on the friendship list is the beautiful Sam. Sam is from the UK and had been traveling around the USA and Canada when we met her early to mid July in Calgary. We had some great conversations over coffees in the kitchen and she gave us some awesome tips about the US as well as told some fascinating stories about he life in the UK. When Sam left she left us her extra food (YAY) and more importantly her contact details. Sam writes her own blog (http://www.atravelleraftergodsownheart.com/ ) and its been great to follow her trip from afar.
Rhi, what can I say about Rhi. Rhi was our first almost Canadian that we met. I say that because she is a Canadian but she was originally from the UK. Rhi only stayed a week but in that week (when she was home from school) we were able to have some drinks and hang outs which ended up being just what we all needed. Having someone else to talk to when you miss home was so nice, especially when she was having the same homesickness that we were. We even ventured to the cute little pub Cibo which is just down the road to have dinner one night together. It turned out to be a rather interesting decision as gale-force winds took over the patio (beer garden for all you Aussies back home) and sent dirt from the planters everywhere. We also almost got knocked out by a giant umbrella which was swaying dangerously in the wind. Thankfully Rhi and her quick thinking managed to secure the umbrella and then the staff moved it so we were safe. The food and drinks were excellent and so was the company so after we finished dinner we grabbed a few more drinks from the liquor store and headed home to keep the fun going. Walking home (5 or so blocks) in gale-force winds was definitely an experience I will not forget quickly.
After all the fun with Rhi it was sad to see her complete her course and head home. The bright side was her chef partner had cooked her some awesome bolognaise which she hadn't been able to finish and we were gifted the tasty leftovers as well as some nice fresh vegies. YUMMO
Feeling like we have been blessed to have some awesome new friends in our lives we were very VERY pleasantly surprised to meet the last couple who have been with us here for a month. You know when you meet someone and it just works, it feels like you have been friends for decades, that's what Richi and Christina have been to us. Finding another couple traveling on the same visas and spending a lot of time in Calgary has been an enormous source of joy for both Brendan and I. Richi and Christina are from France, although they both originally lived in Spain and Columbia respectively. They are newly married (kind of like us) and a similar age and have both previously worked as engineers so understand how refreshing this break away from corporate life is. Its like we just fit perfectly together.
Being from Europe their sense of hospitality is lovely, with them cooking us a traditional Columbian and Spanish meal of mango chicken and gazpacho (a cold Spanish soup). We returned the favour by cooking them a traditional Aussie meal of fairy bread and chicken parmigiana. They were delighted by the fairy bread and enjoyed the parma as well.
On top of the food offerings we have also shared tips with each other about how to catch buses, a job opportunity at a temping agency, recommendations to visit the Taste of Calgary and sharing our annual park pass with them when they did short trips to Lake Louise and Jasper. The joy that this friendship has bought to our lives is hard to describe. Thank you Christina and Richi for making us feel like we are home!
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