為什麼加拿大？啟程的原因？ Why Canada?

在溫哥華遇到的人都很健談，等公車可以聊一下，餐廳坐下來也可以閒聊。

每每遇到新朋友，大家都會問「為什麼溫哥華？」

Netflix有一部影集叫做「維琴河」，劇情雖然算不上特別精彩，但風景卻引人入勝。每次觀看的時候，都很喜歡欣賞裡面的風景。

希望自己可以像女主角一樣，放下身邊的東西，然後到一個偏僻溫情的小鎮，生活在美麗的地方。

「真希望我也可以生活在那樣的地方」

「真希望我也可以這樣每天在森林裡慢跑」

在看完第一季之後，我忍不住google了一下拍攝的場地，結果不是在美國拍的，是在加拿大拍的呢？！

原來做夢一樣的地方在加拿大呀！

一直有計劃在30歲以前想要去打工度假，澳洲也好、日本也好。

在我把整個台灣圖書館關於打工度假的書，都搬回家做功課的時候。某天晚上我媽打電話給我，「寶貝，你有沒有考慮去加拿大呀？你可以研究看看。」直到這個時候我才把加拿大放進我的考慮清單。

在把日本跟澳洲的書嗑完之後，就去圖書館改借了加拿大的書籍回家準備。

才發現多倫多、渥太華、魁北克、溫哥華、黃刀鎮、班芙、五大湖、卡加利⋯⋯加拿「大」真是很大，我要去哪呢？

加拿大好像很棒，但好像很難抽耶，那就先抽籤抽起來好了。

在抽籤的路上其實過分幸運，等待抽籤的過程很短暫，一下就抽到了。

於是我花了一整年的時間在思考，為什麼要去？什麼時候去？去了要幹嘛？我想要的是什麼？

有了去四川交換學生的經驗，知道一年的時間很短暫，要如何好好善用時間很重要。

吾日三省吾身，每天問自己三次，我要幹嘛？

默默放出要去加拿大的訊息之後，身邊出現很多貴人，提供了很多幫助跟建議。而有些緣分來的非常意外。

以我對自己的了解，我想要去自然裡面，我不要去另一個台北或上海。

文化跟自然終極二選一。

最後我選擇了北面有山，依靠著海岸的溫哥華。

因為我確信自己是生於山林，活於海洋的自然女孩。

這才是我的心之歸屬。

在這裡每天打開窗，漫步在城市中的森林裡時，我都一再的感謝自己做了正確的決定。

謝謝生命的美好，讓我站在這裡。

Fun story：

到這裡之後，我去過Deer Lake Park之後就覺得「天呀！我要住在這裡」

就在這附近租了房子住下來了。

某天好奇心去查詢一下維琴河到底是在哪裡拍的。才發現原來有部分就是在Deer Lake 拍的！

緣分呀～雖然我本來不知道，但沒想到居然就讓我遇到了。

English version

Everyone I met in Vancouver was very talkative, you could chat while waiting for the bus, or have a casual conversation when sitting down at a restaurant.

Whenever I meet new friends, they always ask "Why Vancouver?"

There's a Netflix series called "Virgin River". Although the plot isn't particularly exciting, the scenery is captivating. Every time I watch it, I love admiring the landscapes.

I hope that I can be like the female lead, letting go of everything around me, and moving to a remote, warm-hearted town, living in a beautiful place.

"I really wish I could live in a place like that"

"I really wish I could jog in the forest every day"

After finishing the first season, I couldn't help but google the filming location, turns out it wasn't filmed in the United States, but in Canada?!

So, the dreamlike place is in Canada!

I had always planned to work and holiday before turning 30, be it in Australia or Japan.

When I brought home all the books from the Taiwan library about working holidays to do my research. One night my mom called me, "Honey, have you considered going to Canada? You can look into it." It was only then that I added Canada to my list of considerations.

After finishing the books about Japan and Australia, I went to the library to borrow books about Canada to prepare at home.

Then I realized that Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, Vancouver, Yellowknife, Banff, the Great Lakes, Calgary... Canada is really "big", where should I go?

Canada seems great, but it seems hard to get a spot, so let's start with put myself in waiting pool.

On the waiting journey, I was actually overly lucky, the waiting process for the draw was very short, and I got it right away.

So I spent a whole year thinking, why go? When to go? What to do when I get there? What do I want?

Having had the experience of being an exchange student in Sichuan, I know that a year's time is very short, it's important to make good use of the time.

I reflect on myself three times a day, asking myself three times, what do I want to do?

After quietly releasing the news that I was going to Canada, many benefactors appeared around me, offering a lot of help and advice. And some of the encounters were very unexpected.

Knowing myself, I want to go into nature, I don't want to go to another Taipei or Shanghai.

Make the ultimate choice between culture and nature.

In the end I chose Vancouver, with mountains to the north and the coast to rely on.

Because I firmly believe that I am a natural girl, born in the mountains and living in the ocean.

This is where my heart belongs.

Here, every day when I open the window and stroll in the city's forest, I thank myself over and over again for making the right decision.

Thank you for the beauty of life, that lets me stand here.

Fun story:

After arriving here, when I visited Deer Lake Park, I felt "Oh my goodness! I want to live here"

So I rented a house nearby and moved in.

One day out of curiosity, I looked up where Virgin River was filmed. Turns out some parts were filmed at Deer Lake!

What a coincidence~ Although I didn't know it at first, I didn't expect to encounter it.