Day 47 - Damn it all

A tea shop I passed (I took this before speaking with Taryn)

May 25th, 2015

I wake up to find out that Liz doesn’t want to go to the zoo as we was planned for the following day, simply stating that she didn't want to anymore. How lame. She had printed off some resumes for me on the weekend and said she’d be dropping them off today around 4 when she got off school. The only thing I had to do was go to the Canadian Consulate to get a clearance check for my Chinese job. I shower and waited for Liz to show up with the things she printed. At 3:15, I get a text that they’re in the mail box. Strange. I call and leave a message.

Thor said he needed to go to the grocery store, and I still haven’t figured out where the free bus is, so I go with him. The consulate and grocery are both in the same general direction. We part ways while he was helping another backpacker with their banking info.

Funny that the tree of life is made of metal

At the Canadian Consulate, I was welcomed by some Australians who told me this was basically just a pseudo-consulate where they point people in the right direction. They gave me a form that tells me that the police check will take in excess of 4 months to actually get the form. What the flying fuck. I need this thing within the month, if possible, or else... I don’t even know. ffffuck! It was a day of hit after hit, though most of the smaller ones aren’t mentioned.

I walk back toward the grocery to meet up with Thor, but a tea shop catches my eye. A strange woman starts speaking to me, and I thought she was someone who worked there at first. She spoke slowly, and with relative whimsy. Her name was Taryn, she was from South Africa and had come here for a better life. We ended up grabbing a seat on a bench, chatting while I ate my half priced sushi (one of the wins for today, hoorah!) We grabbed a coffee and chatted a bit longer while waiting for the ferry she would take across the river. Her views on meditation, buddhism, and other such spiritual endeavours were insightful and differed slightly from my own. We’re both here for similar reasons, it would seem, and I enjoyed the grounded company.

I walked the half hour back to my place, ruminating over the things that have happened today. The calming effect of Taryn gradually dissipated and I became angrier with every step. Part of me wishes that someone would start something - get in my face, become an emotional lightning rod - so that I’d have an easy outlet, while the other parts fights to keep it contained. I really don’t want to see anyone, as I know right now would be a difficult time to hold back saying something dickish. Despite that, I eat something, play some games to cool off, and head to meet Thor and his housemates at “The Game.” I said I would try to do something social everyday, and I have to stick with it if the opportunity is there.

Sea Horse

French Marion, Italian Roberto, and French Antoine are drinking with Laurens when I arrive. I find it hard to tell how drunk other people are when I’m stone sober; we tend to assume people are closer to our state. They keep drinking, while we joke around and I get more social. Thor has a friend who works the security for the Hospitality section of the bar, which is the only place that’s actually happening tonight. We go there and I start talking to randoms, forgetting about the things that were making me angry a short while ago. We dance, and our group dwindles one-by-one until it’s only me and Laurens left. He’s hitting it off with some blonde chick and I’m tired from all the walking. I excuse myself around midnight.