It took me 39 hours to make my way from Cheonan, South Korea to Whitby, Canada. Thirty nine hours spread out between two planes, three trains, a bus, and one car ride. It took me three strong cups of coffee to get me through it and a packed of wet naps to make sure I didn't stink through it but low and behold I had arrived. I had arrived at the doorstep of my father's house and my friend rang the doorbell, waiting for him to answer.
He answered.
I stepped away from my hiding spot and then he smiled. He smiled so big and then grabbed me to hug me. The shock value was through the roof. Mission completed, mission a success.
First on my list of things to do was to buy groceries. I knew I'd stare if I stuck to only eating what he had bought. He is the condiment king, I'm convinced of it, so we headed out to get some real food... real healthy food. One shopping cart packed to the brim and a hundred bucks later and shopping was completed. Next was getting in a solid meal. I felt rather punch drunk from the lack of sleep on the plane so cooking was not what I was after. I wanted to have someone cook for me so off to the Swiss we headed for some super delish rotisserie chicken.
Things I noticed right away...
Canada is supersized. Everything is supersized here, the people, the meals at the restaurant, the prices of things, the trucks, the roads, etc., etc. I miss the supersized trucks, they're awesome, but I can't believe just how supersized the vast majority is. Surely it doesn't help that you can supersize your meals and whatnot, yikes. I think Canadians are much more health-aware compared to Koreans but I also think they're so much unhealthier than Asians which makes for an odd twist in the story because it doesn't really make sense. And as for the trucks, wow, so very cool. It seems like everyone in Canada either has a massive truck or a big dog.
Canada is so cold. I had told Snickers I wanted to bring sweaters with me and had reminded him of last time when I had to buy some. He insisted I didn't need them. He couldn't have been more wrong even if he tried. First thing I have to do tomorrow is buy some sweaters. I should have remembered that in a country where most years my brother has snow on his birthday (April 4th) that summer wouldn't really be summer in comparison to Korea's.
Canadians are so friendly. When I got off the plane in Toronto I then had to take two trains out to my parents hometown but it totally didn't feel as if I was traveling alone because so many people talked to me. On my plane from Hong Kong to Toronto, I had sat beside a Chinese kid with the worst breath possible so I tried to ignore any kind of socializing with him but being a mute for the crazy length of that plane ride was brutal and it left me itching to talk to anyone. Once I reached Canada however, it seemed like I couldn't stop people from talking to me. I didn't remember just how social strangers are. I wish Korea was like that in that aspect. Whether it was the Go Train lady asking me about carrying a suitcase, an older couple talking to me about my hometown, or the girl in the elevator chatting to me about traveling, it was like a non-stop conversation fest once I touched down in Toronto.
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