Acquaintances

So we all know how Vancouver buses during midnight come every few decades or so, which means a lot of waiting at the bus stop. Well, ever since I started working at Blenz, I've made a couple of random and very interesting acquaintances with people on the streets. (Just a few weeks ago I was talking to these two dudes, one from Scotland (drunk), and other one from India. According to them, Asian girls are the new trend right now, not European girls). Anyhow, so on my way back home tonight, I met this guy from Norway, and another girl from Montreal. At first I thought they were a couple traveling together, but later on I learned from them that they've only arrived in Vancouver less than 5 days ago, and judging from their not-so-subtle touching and flirting, I'm guessing they had just recently hooked up in some bar. On a Tuesday night. So Montreal, I was all adrenalized when this word came up.

Andrew: Oh! I lived in Montreal for 4 months last summer!

Girl: Ah! Where deed yu live?

Andrew: Des Pins and Sayin-Lo-houant (my attempted French pronunciation of the street names)

Girl: ..where?

Andrew: ..um, Saint-Laurent (reverts back to English pronunciation)

Girl: Oh! Saint-Laurent! (in the proper French accent)

Andrew: Yah! And you know what I miss the most about Montreal?

Girl: What do yu me-zz?

Andrew: Schwartz's!

Girl: Shhh...warz?

Guy sitting beside me: Schwartz's. Le restaurant de sandwiches à la viande fumée.

Girl: Ah Schwartz's! Very délicieux!

And I was almost about to whore out my vile Français to them. How humiliating that would've been. Even worse than some soon-to-retired prostitute trying to seduce customers with her wrinkly saggy skin. My 5 years of French immersion, gone to waste, just like that.

On a side note, the guy sitting beside me (he grew up in Montreal) who kindly translated my horrendous French to the girl tells me that the reason Quebec smoke meat is so uniquely different from the rest of Canada is because they use horse meat to make their wonderfully delicious sandwiches. Apparently, it's because horse meat is slimmer, which is what makes it so mouthwatering.

I do enjoy talking to strangers on the streets. Not only can I interchange my identity from acquaintances to acquaintances, (so far I've been Geoff, Jack, and many other names), I learn cool things from them. Most of the time I remember what our conversations are about, cause they have such fascinating and far-fetched stories to tell, whereas I can never think of any that can out-interest theirs, even if I had wanted to lie about one. So most of the time, I can merely nod my head like an idiot and reply "Oh! You're kidding!" or "No way! How did that happen?" (Any suggestions for newer and better responses will be greatly appreciated). What dumbfounds me even more is that having lived in Vancouver for almost 14 years, this is where I truly encounter the "western lifestyle". Is this what Westerners should be doing? Partying, drinking, going to pubs, not eating sushi and bubble tea, hooking up with girls/guys, having spontaneous talks to strangers on the streets? I really hope I won't misrepresent Vancouver in my future travels. "Oh yah, basically in Vancouver other than it being a sugar-coated haven for international students, you eat sushi, drink bubble tea, and possibly visit the aquarium. Yah. That's pretty much it!" But then again, I always think about how disappointed many tourists must be at the Vancouver night life. Comparing to cities like Montreal, Tokyo, and other European cities, Vancouver is barely dimming.

And on that bitter note, that ends my musing of the night. Goodnight Vancouver.