If there’s something I’ve learnt from my previous travels, and this month in Canada, it’s that you never know what will happen and where you’ll end up. As long as you’re open to see new places and to get to know new people, basically anything could happen.
When I think of it, these last two weeks have been rather extraordinary. Somehow I ended up with a lot of fluffy animals (and the snake I told you about here) alone in a house in Cape Breton for the whole weekend. When the hosts came back home we went oyster fishing and, yes – I tasted a raw oyster!
After my ten days there I went on another long bus ride. And another one. And another one. I finally ended up in a small town in Québec. It was in the middle of the night and my friend, who I met while volunteering in Copenhagen four months ago, picked me up at the station. The day after I had hot dogs with her and her classmates at their school and in the evening we drove to her parents’ house.
The first thing I heard when we stepped into the kitchen was “mer musik, mindre prat” which is Swedish for “more music, less talking”. Apparently I looked surprised because everyone laughed and said “is that Swedish? We’ve been listening to this channel for years but didn’t know what language it was”. So here I am, out in the countryside in the French-speaking part of Canada, in a family that listens to Swedish music. Rather random, don’t you think? A very weird, but for me welcoming, coincidence.
On the first day here my friend drove us, spontaneously, to a corn maze where we actually managed to find our way out in the end. Later, we ended up at an alpaca farm – a great, quite different, experience! I can guarantee you that this wouldn’t have happened if I would have been staying here alone. I wouldn’t even have known about these local happenings.
My friend went back to school yesterday but I’m still with her family – this is one of my favorite parts with travelling! To be able to meet and live with friendly people who insists that you stay with them instead of paying for a hostel. There’s a genuine kindness and they’re so nice and accommodating. My friend’s sister even brought me to a nearby town to get ice cream!