I can’t believe today is March 1st. To me, it means it has been almost 2 months since we had returned to the Bay Area. Times flies when you are back to the grind. Well, actually only Min is back to work, while I am taking a class at a local community college, job searching, blogging and just chilling. On top of all of that, we continued to live out of our little minivan right in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Friends and family around us have been so gracious and offer their home to let us stay and always ask if we need any help all the time. I guess people perceive that we are struggling life because we are living out of a car. But in all honesty, we are not, and life has been great. Like how I’ve shared about life on the road, I want to also share about our daily van life, things we appreciate about this life style and the challenge that comes with it.

Our “Home”

“Home” is our gym now! Our daily routines surround around the operating hours of our local gym. We visit the gym almost every day for the showers, bathroom and of course we also work out and climb there too! We are more active now than we were living in an apartment because of the fact that we basically live “at” the gym. Min started waking up earlier every morning for some light exercise and even yoga at 6 am. Crazy! But that’s too early for me.

Our “Work”

So what do we do all day long? Min goes to work like any other hardworking Silicon Valley people from 8 am to 6 pm. He is enjoying his “old” job very much. His teammates are all into rock climbing now, and that’s apparently all they talk about at work.

Although I am jobless and currently in this life crossroad figuring what I am going to do with my life, I found myself quite occupied. I have been going to some in-and-out job interviews in search for the next desirable open door. Some of you know that I am interested in healthcare, so I am taking a class on human anatomy at a local college. I honestly never thought I would enjoy school this much. 🙂 On the days that I am not in school, I hang out at coffee shops, sometimes McDonald’s for their cheap coffee, to study for exams, blog about travel (like now!) or go through interesting Coursera courses to learn something new. I often find myself hanging out at my friend’s community gym at their apartment complex. There’s rarely people there during weekdays, so I love the quietness and peace to work on stuff.

Maker:L,Date:2017-8-16,Ver:5,Lens:Kan03,Act:Kan02,E-ve

Our Meals

This is by far the least of our concerns. I mean, we are in the Bay Area where there are all kinds of cuisines and grocery stores within a 20-mile radius. We cook only two days a week now. We make simple meals, buy fresh grocery and cook in a local park. If we are not cooking or eating out, we have regular gathering at friend’s places for church activities where we eat together ad share lives. Sometimes, I would bring groceries with me to cook with a real kitchen! It all works out.

Cooking at a park

Beef Noodle Soup

Our Weekends

This is the best part! This van life is so mobile that going on a short weekend trip feels so easy. We can drive to wherever after work on Friday and wake up at the location. We were just at Davenport, CA and Muir Wood National Monument just a few weeks ago. It’s also very relaxing to stay local and just hang out with people, watch movies and sleep in, too!

Davenport, CA

Shark Fin Cove

What we like about our lives now

• We keep a regular sleeping schedule. We sleep around 11pm every night, there is no TV, no internet to distract us or keep us up. Otherwise, I know I would be up til midnight or later if I have wifi on my phone.
• We are more active! A sedentary lifestyle is prone to many physical ailments. When we don’t want to stay in the van, we would just go to the gym or go to a yoga class.
• I love my free time now to connect with friends. There is nothing better to grow a relationship than spending quality time together.

What we wish we could have

• I miss cooking, and I miss having an oven and an electric kettle.
• ……that’s all. Can’t think of another one yet.

How long are we going to live in a van for?
I don’t know, but for sure we know it is not a permanent living situation for us. (Min would say only if we have a bigger van…) Well, for the time being, we think this is the best solution for us while we are figuring out the next step in life.