The Whales of Washington - Transitioning

Way too hot under this thick blanket, and it smells funny, wait, where am I? Waking up in a different house for the first night is always a bit weird. Looking outside my window all I see is lots of fog. A bit like my head is feeling today.

After the flight yesterday I am picked up by a van to give me a ride to my new home. The trees are the first thing that stand out to me, they have amazing colours! Red, yellow, orange, purplish, dark green, light green and all that is in between. I feel like I ended up in one of the Canada-calendars that we used to have at home. The area is definitely in transition from summer to autumn, so I am not the only one that is going through changes. I have very nice people with me in the car; an older lady who goes by the name of Sunny even gives me a hug when we stop at her home and ensures me to call her if I need anything ‘don’t hesitate honey, I can drive you somewhere or if you need anything else, just call dear!’.

I am the last to be dropped off, at a small yellow house with pumpkins at the front door. After I knock on the door I can hear the dogs barking and a women’s voice telling them to be quiet. Gabrielle opens the door and I am relieved she really exists, because we only had contact through the internet. She welcomes me in her home and we have a small chat before she has to go to work. I decide to resist the urge to go to sleep and instead take a walk downtown. I am not even two blocks on my way when I see a blue-jay and a few steps after that a grey squirrel (cute!!). These are the things that cause instant happiness and I make a mental note to buy a bird book today.  ​

Downtown Olympia is about a 30-40 minute walk (downhill on the way there and uphill to get back) and it is a lovely little town. I walk past the marina all the way up to the end of the peninsula, unfortunately due to the fog I cannot see far. It is nice to see that native elements are very present here. The Native-American community is strong in this part of the USA and I hope to learn more about it during my time here.

Today is my third day here and it is a rainy day. Because I am still jet-legged I woke up early and went for a run. Running in the rain is normally something I really enjoy, but this lovely rain turned into a real downpour rather quickly. Completely soaked, cold and with sopping shoes I continued anyway because I was sort of lost.

 Luckily the main road appeared again, and then it happened. A real-life movie-like scene. Visualize an already soaked Elske, heavy rains, a bus at high speed and a sidewalk very close to the road. Can you guess what is about to happen? Yep, I got a bus shower.. I could see it coming *slow motion affect can be inserted here* but wasn’t fast enough. It was cold, disgusting and really funny at the same time. Nothing a shower can’t fix. I think I will enjoy it here!

Whales are coming up after the weekend, I’ve been told…. Stay tuned :)