Someone once said to me, "To travel is the only thing you can buy and you become richer". I always thought it was a very wise statement, but now that I'm actually living it, I can say it is totally true. Visiting other countries, other cultures, other ways of life opens your eyes. It makes you more perceptive because while you learn from it, you also become more aware of your roots. I'm now in Canada surviving in the cold weather and I am learning about different cultures. I'm getting to know new people, gaining experience, growing up, and finally finding my true personality because of it all.
After so much time spent planning this trip, it finally came time to live it. The truth is that minutes before getting on the plane I wasn't that sure about it. Goodbyes are not my thing, and I thought it was going to be really tough. But just minutes later, and even more when I arrived in Canada, I realized what I could not have done better. The possibility of studying and living abroad is unique and, therefore, I decided to enjoy all of this from the beginning, right from the airport.
My plane left El Salvador at 2:00 pm and the trip lasted 5 hours which at many times became uncomfortable. But because I became flooded with euphoria to finally reach my destination, and the fact that it was night time, made everything a little easier. So, at 9:00 pm local time the plane landed as I peeked out the window to my new found home. Everything looked amazing and experiencing the unknown is always fascinating. Traveling somewhere new is up to amaze you everyday.
Finally, the journey had ended and reached its destination, we were at home and about to go to sleep. The next day was devoted exclusively to knowing the city and the place where I was to study in the center of Toronto. The first place I was about to experience here in a foreign land was the subway. On the way there I noticed all the lights, the open shops, many cars, and people very concentrated on getting to where they were going. Like any major city, Toronto has it all but what was different was from home that I seemed to notice most was there is so much less crime compared to El Salvador, and the people here are very friendly. The coexistence of styles is what strikes me about this place and what truly makes it different. It has the accessibility of any city: being close to everything and having such safe transportation systems. The people here tend to be full of kindness and now nearly two years of living in Toronto whenever I go downtown it fascinates me and surprises me every time.
