At first impression, Geoff is a reserved, polite and very nice Chinese guy. He wasn't obtrusive at all when I first moved in, but he did invite me to use anything in the kitchen (including spices and condiments) and introduced me to the neighbourhood. He is an electronics engineer. I didn't meet Yuma until later, as she had been quietly recovering from wisdom teeth surgery in her room. She is an accountant and recently switched to a new job in the government under the Finance department. She initially came across as quiet, very Asian (she has a Chinese accent and was raised in China) and also very nice. For example, I learned later that my room is actually the larger room in the apartment - I get the walk-in closet and the queen bed, while Geoff and Yuma are sharing only a double bed and a smaller room. They are both a couple of years older than me.
Geoff and Yuma are both fantastic conversationalists. Once I had things settled down and had some opportunities to chat with each of them, I found Geoff incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable about many things - kind of like a source of trivia, and Yuma very sociable and engaging. They both have interesting hobbies - they used to dance (that was how they met), Geoff plays guitar and works out, and Yuma goes to a photography class regularly at the local college. Over time, it was also fun for me to observe the little things that couples do; and because my type of humour is the sarcastic, one-liner type of humour, my ability to make jokes about those interactions improved significantly over time (it is rather dependent on having "material" to make jokes about).
As I alluded to before, it was very easy for me to slip into their routine and do my cooking between 6-8pm, and then hide in my room after that to do my SPEP-related work. However, they've been fantastic hosts. I've been going to work out with Geoff at Cedar Hill Rec Centre, which I feel is somewhat expensive ($5.25 drop-in for a student) for the last few Sunday afternoons. It's been important for me to get some physical activity in to relax; and I've been doing a mixture of weight-lifting, cardio, and yoga, but nothing very intensively or regimented. Geoff and Yuma also took me on a Friday night to a lindyhop dance exchange, which is when people from different cities converge on one (in this case, Victoria) and have a social dance. It was a lot of fun, as there was a live band playing jazz music (which I enjoyed) as well as a beginner's lesson in the beginning so that I could learn about 3 moves (with Yuma gracefully being my partner, to keep the numbers even). They've taken me grocery shopping at the Fairway Market on Quadra, which has the largest selection of Asian foods. We've also watched Terminator: Salvation, are about to watch another movie (an animation called Mr. Fox?) and just went to The Oyster Bar downtown for a dinner. And more importantly, I've found this setup more enjoyable than any other roommates I've had in the past, save perhaps for my year with Si Rim, Myles and Gary (Science One) at Gage Towers. It just makes a lot of difference to have someone to talk to at night, or to work out with.
Looking to the next few weeks - Stephanie is coming from Vancouver and I'm looking forward to seeing her, Connie and possibly Melanie soon. I've written up a lot of paperwork recently, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm in that mode where I'm still sufficiently motivated to tackle my other work, such as studying for my Ontario Jurisprudence exam, trying to find a place in Toronto, etc., because I'm quite behind on those counts.
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