I Don't Know

Each time I think about this topic it seems millions of light-years away. But now, the the time for me to pick a career has finally come. Unfortunately, I'm still as clueless as I was before.

With my one-month experience in Canada and my many appraisals for that country, I was really convinced to go there and settle down. You know... Nice country, nice people... (I'm not very sure I can say the same about winter once I've experienced it... You see, I hate the cold.) But, recently, I've really considered taking the harsh path of medicine.

If I really choose this career, then I'll have to stay in Panama for good. You see, my own country has a very good Medicine Faculty in the National University. But others have advised me to go to either Mexico or Cuba. The latter is the best in the career, and the first, well, it's the fastest.

But, I have my own thoughts. Medicine is hard. Before entering the Faculty, there's this exam and, frankly, it's a great filter. Then, I still have to endure the years. It's six years plus two from training. Can I take on the burden of many, many lives? Can I live without a "life"? I don't know.

I'm Returning...

July 31st

Today's my last day in ESL classes... Tomorrow will be packing day... I'm missing all this month... Why do I feel that this month pass so quickly?

Eventhough I miss my beloved Panama, this month has been very interesting, and I've already developed feelings for this beautiful country. I really will miss this place once I'm gone...

"It takes a second to like, a minute to fall in love with, and an eternity to forget." This expression isn't suitable for this situation, but still, I feel the same way. The first time I saw Canada, I was in the airplane. Seeing the charming nightview through the window, I already like Canada.

I will really miss all the people I've met in this trip, especially our dear Maggie. I fel like crying while writing this... Today is the last day I'll be seeing Maggie. Maggie... Maggie...

Today in the morning, we were acting out the plays we created and directed on our own. At the end, Maggie wanted to cry because she was proud of us.

I'll be taking the plane the day after tomorrow...

Improve your English!

Nowadays, English is very important if you want to have a well-paying job. If you want to upgrade yourself, you should also improve your English. Luckily, there are a lot of sites in the Internet that is created for ESL learners! ESL stands for English as a Second Language.

So, here is a link of a site, that I think it's very useful for ESL learners, since you can improve your English through games! It's rather fun! So, here it is:

http://www.esl-games.net/

Have fun!

An Unforgettable Friend

When we first came to Canada, she was the one who welcomed us, and greet us with a warm hug. She was the one that made us feel at home, even though we were really hundred miles from there. She fed us, she care for us, and she planned our stay in Canada. She was like our second mother in a foreign country.

That person is our dear Maggie... Although I don't know her birthday, or how old is she, she's the first Canadian friend I met. She's taller than me (I'm 1.64m)!

The day I got lost, I could see that she really cared for me when I saw her face in the Residence. And on that day that my friend got lost in Marineland, she cared. She's indeed a true friend.

I will miss her so much when I go back to Panama... I love you, Maggie!

Toronto VS Panama

Marineland and Game Farm

July 27th

After we ate breakfast, we left with our luggage to Marineland and Game Farm. When we reached Marineland, we saw a dolphins and sealions show at King Waldorf Stadium! The dolphins and the sealions were amazing! The way in which the sealions clapped was kinda cute and gracious. Then, the splashing of the dolphins was kinda amazing, because they jumped so high! The volunteer boy got to touch the dolphin!

Then, we went to Friendship Cove, to see the the Splashing Killer Whales. We didn't get to see them jumping, because there were too many people. But, we did saw them underwater! The killer whales were amazing!

Then, we went to Dragon Mountain, the world's largest steel roller coaster! That was fun! It turned around and around and went up and down!

Then, there was Artic Cove, where you could see beluga whales. In 2008 (current year), there is a new-borned beluga whale. I saw it in Artic Cove, and it was so damn cute!

I didn't got on the Sky Screamer though; it was high on the hill, and I was lazy to climb it. But, some friends did got on the Sky Screamer, and they say that it pulled you up and down three times, and when you are up, you can see Niagara Falls! Sky Screamer is the world's highest triple tower ride!

After that, we met outside, preparing to go back to the Residence. We stopped in Mc Donalds to have dinner. After that, we throw a surprise party for our friend, Hon Chai, for his eighteen birthday! The party was in the bus... While the bus was still parked in Mc Donalds, we found out that a person was missing! She might be still in Marineland! While we were in our way to Marineland, we called back to Residence, and they told us that she had called back and that she was at Marineland. We were relieved. When we reached Marineland, she was there.

Let that be a lesson to us... Besides that, the whole trip was really fun!

Niagara Falls!!!!

July 26th

Today we are leaving for Niagara Falls, and we will return tomorrow night, so we are staying overnight in an hotel. We left early in the morning. It was a two-hour trip, and almost everybody was sleeping, while some were seeing Van Helsing.

We stopped at Whirpool Gorge (we were already in Niagara Falls) to take photos. Then, we continue our trip. Around ten minutes later, we were already seeing Rainbow Bridge, the bridge shaped like a rainbow that joins Ontario (Canada) and New York (US). I felt that it was so close... Then, we were seeing the American Falls and later after that, the Canadian Falls (also called Horseshoe Falls because it was shaped as a horseshoe).

We got out of the bus, then we took the Maid of the Mist boat tour. We weared blue raincoats, and I could see that the US side weared yellow raincoats. Inside the boat, se sailed past the American Falls, which I thought was beautiful. But, when we sailed into the Canadian Falls, I thought that it was great and huge! It was bigger and more beautiful than the American Falls! All the mist of the falls were pouring over us! Everybody was wet!

After the boat tour, they left us in a two-hour, explore-it-yourself opportunity around Niagara Falls marketplace! I bought a mood ring! After that, we went shopping to and outlet mall! Our tour guide also gave us a discount coupon booklet!

After all the shopping, we were all exhausted. So, we went to the hotel, where we were going to stay for a night.

CN Tower and Camp Night

July 25th

Today, we went to CN Tower! CN Tower is Canada's national tower, the world's tallest building, an important telecommunication hub, and the center of tourism in Toronto.

When we jumped on the elevator, the air pressure hurt a little bit my ears, but still, it didn't kept me from seeing the nice view of Toronto City while rising higher inside the elevator. When we reached the Observation Decks, the wind was blowing violently, so violent that I thought it was going to drag me and send me flying...

I took a lot of pictures in the Observation Decks... What was kinda disappointing for me was the Glass Floor. This is the floor made of thick, very thick, glass and you can stand on it. When you stand on it, you'll see the bottom, and you'll fear the height! The point is that it was disppointing, because I expected it to be large! When I got to the glass floor, I found out that it wasn't as large as I expected... But well, it had the same effect... Sitting in the glass floor, and looking down, I imagined that I was falling as in the Drop Tower of Wonderland, and I was seized with terror...

As we hopped into the elevator again, the miss that was controlling the elevator said that we were going down at the same speed we were going up... And I was like: "Oh my goodness! This is the Drop Tower!" But, it turned out that I was wrong, since it was normal... And well, once again, the air pressure hurt my ears...

We couldn't sleep in our rooms, because they were occupied by disabled people (The ParaOlimpics). So, that night, we had to camp! I was happy... until I found out that we were camping in the same Residence, but in another room. The only difference was that we were all going to sleep in one same room... That night, we watched horror movies (it wasn't scary at all) and ate pizza... Then we slept... on the floor...

Beaches Jazz Festival

July 24th

After dinner, we went to Toronto Beaches. There was a Jazz festival hosting there, so we were listening to Jazz music all the time...

I didn't knew what was Jazz until that night... People were playing Jazz music and singing along the music... It was good! I discover that Jazz music was mostly romance... But well... Nice music for my ears!

Free Night

July 23rd

So, it's Free Night! What else can I do? Shopping! Of course! Well, we went to Scarborough Centre, again... Well, this time, the discounts were higher!

This is summer! Canada is having their annual summer sale! Discounts are going as high as 75%!

Ice Skating

July 22nd

This is Canda, so it will be kinda weird if we didn't did anything in the snow or in the ice... But, it's summer! I mean, where can you find all that ice? Easy job! There's something call the ice rink, and it's used to ice skate and play hockey! And that's what we did that day...

We took the TTC and went to the ice rink in Dynamic Drive. We put on our ice skates... By the way, the girls' skates were white, and the boys' were black... So, when we enter the ice rink, I felt the ice was really smooth... I have ice skate before, and that's because there was an ice rink in Panama, but the ice there wasn't as smooth as in there. It took time for me to get adapted to that ice... Then, I started to skate nomally...

The tempearture inside the ice rink was freezing cold! I couldn't feel my hands, and my cheeks!

It was fun! But it was just one hour, and it passed really fast! After ice skating, Mag treat us all to hot chocolate!

Journey to the Center of the Earth

July 21st

This is movie night! We were all arguing between horror movies or comedies or whatever. Then, Mag told us that the movie was already being choose, and that it will be "Journey to the Center of the Earth"...

When we reach the theatre, I bought popcorn. It's expensive! A large popcorn with two sodas was $15!

Here is a review of the movie:

Trevor Anderson is a volcanologist whose nephew, Sean, is supposed to spend ten days with him. Trevor learns at work that his brother's lab is being shut down because of a lack of funding. Trevor has forgotten that Sean is coming until he receives several messages from Sean's mother.

When Sean's mother drops him off, she leaves Trevor with a box of items that belonged to Max, Trevor's brother and Sean's father, who disappeared years before. Sean suddenly takes interest in what Trevor has to say after he tells him about his father, whom he never really had a chance to know. Trevor discovers in the box Max's old baseball glove, a yo-yo, and the novel Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.

Inside the book Trevor finds notes written by his late brother. Trevor goes to his laboratory to find out more about the notes. There he realizes that he must go to Iceland to investigate for himself. He intends to send Sean back to his mother, but relents at Sean's protest and brings Sean along for the adventure. They start by looking for another volcanologist.

When they get to that scientist's institution, they meet a woman named Hannah, who offers to help them climb up to the instrument that has suddenly started sending data again. While hiking the mountain a lightning storm forces the three into a cave that collapses. Trevor, Sean, and Hannah investigate farther into the cave until they fall into a deep pit, taking them to the "Center of the Earth".

They all continue until they discover a cave dwelling that Max lived in. Trevor and Sean find Max's old journal. Hannah and Trevor discover Max's dead body and bury him. Trevor reads a message from Max's journal that was written on Sean's 3rd birthday. Trevor continues to read Max's journal until he realizes from his notes that they must quickly leave, as the temperature is steadily rising.

Trevor figures that they must find a geyser that can send them to the surface. They must do this in 48 hours or all of the water to create the geyser will be gone. Also they figure that they must get out before the temperature rises past 135 degrees.

They begin by crossing the underground ocean, and then the two adults become separated from Sean. Sean's guide is now a little bird who has been present since the trio entered the Center, and it takes him towards the river. However, he encounters a Tyranosaurus, and Trevor - who desperately is searching for him - saves him.

When they arrive at the geyser it is all dried up. All of the water is on the other side of a wall. Trevor uses a flare to ignite the magnesium in the wall and causes a geyser to shoot them through Mount Vesuvius in Italy.

When they destroy the home of an Italian man, Sean gives him a diamond that he had found earlier. Trevor sees that he has many more in his backpack, and he uses them to fund his brother's laboratory.

Throughout the adventure, Hannah and Trevor gradually become so attached to each other that they kiss. The film ends on the final day of Sean's visit with Trevor, and he is leaving their new home, which was purchased with some of the diamonds Sean took from the cave, and Trevor handing Sean a book titled "Atlantis", suggesting they could maybe hang out at Sean's Christmas break, alluding to a possible sequel.

Where am I?

July 20th

We left the residence at 10, and we went to Hockey Hall of Fame... It wasn't so fun, after all, this was kinda historic, and well, for teens like me, it isn't fun... But well, it had trophies and uniforms and everything that is important to the hockey world... Did you know? Canada is the best nation of hockey!

The point is, after they exit HHOF, I got lost! I was still inside! When I didn't saw anyone, I was like: "I got lost... " I didn't panic, because Mag already taught us how to use the TTC... And well, I thought that if nobody came for me until 2:30, I'll go back to the Residence myself...

It's 2:30, and nobody came... I decided to walk around HHOF to see if anybody's inside; I saw nobody... I decided to go to the gift shop (the gift shop connects to the exit) to walk some more... Nobody... So, I went to the subway, and off I went, back to the Reisdence!

When I returned, a friend called from his cellphone, and I told him I already returned to the Residence... So, they returned about two hours after me... Then, they all came in my room, and ask how was it and everything...

It wasn't as bad... At least, I was well prepared, in case it happen to me (it did happen to me)... And well, through this, I learned two lessons!

1. I should open my eyes and be alert! It's easy to get lost in a foreign place in rush hour!
2. My friends did care for me!

Canada's Wonderland!

July 19th

Today's the day! Finally today! What I expected from this trip had finally came! Yeah! Today we are going to Wonderland! Today we have no class, so we can get early to Wonderland. We arrived at 11, and we enter Wonderland at 12... (That's the line's fault!) The first thing we did when we got there was: go to the bathroom! This time is real! We did go to the bathroom! Then, we went to the nearest ride we found: "The Flying Deck"! It was coaster, but it wasn't cars, it was just seats... It went up and down, and round and round! That was cool!

After that, they decided to go to Behemoth, the new ride that was opened in 2008 (current year). Behemoth is Canada's tallest, biggest, and fastest coaster! When we got there, I saw that huge 90 degrees fall, and I was seized with terror! I didn't had the guts to get on that thing! And I told them to get on it themselves, I won't get on that thing, not even for a zillion dollars (maybe yes)! When they got on the line, and finally reached it, Wonderland closed the ride because of some machinary problems... Well, they didn't had the chance to got on it; looks like I'm the lucky charm!

Then, we went to Vortex! That was cool, also! I wanted to ride on it again, but the line was long, and there was many rides that we didn't get on... After that, we went to Thunder Run! It's a ride that goes through Wonder Mountain, and it was rather dark, not scary... But well... After that, we decided to wet ourselves a bit, so we went to Timberwolf Falls! We didn't wet ourselves a bit, we wet ourselves a lot! I was wet from head to bottom!

We were already wet, so, we decided to go to the waterparks! The White Water Bay is Canada's largest outdoor pool! And it had waves, just like a beach!

The only thing that I regretted from that day was: Why didn't they gave me more time?!!!!!

Ontario Science Centre

July 18th

The OSC is like a science exploration area for every kind of people. It was just as a huge version of Panama's Explora!

When I got in, I just wanted to do one thing: go to the bathroom!... Just kidding! I didn't wanted to go to the bathroom, I wanted to go explore the area of electricity! In that area, there's this ball which flows electricity, and when you touch and rub it, your hair will straight up!

The point is that I went to this mirror in which you stand in one side, and another person stands in the opposite side... In the mirror you'll see that both faces blend, and you'll see your similarities with that person and differences... The point of that demo is that people's faces are similar...

I went to a lot of demos, but I didn't went to that electricity demo! Better luck next time!

Shop Till We Drop!

July 17th

We were supposed to go to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum), but, Mag said we will have a meeting in the residence. The meeting was about the rules and everything... They were kinda ironique, because, the rules restricted us from going to each others' rooms after 11, and it also prohibited us from seeing TV after 12! I mean, my favotite TVB Dramas were after 12 and, well, I couldn't see them! That's cruel! And then, at the end of the paper, after talking about all those restrictions, it said: "Have fun!" That was ironique to me... But well, at least, I'm not in Panama, and well, I'm really having fun!

After the meeting, Mag said we didn't had time to go to the ROM, so, it was Free Night for us... We decided to go to Scarborough Centre again! We shop till we drop! And, this is the happiest of all, I bought white rice at Manchu Wok's! At the residence, we always ate pasta, pasta, and more pasta! I haven't eaten rice in weeks! So, I bought two whole bowls of white rice, and ate it at the residence. Each mouthful of rice was rising me higher and higher in the happiness scale!

Free Night

July 16th

Now that we knew how to take the TTC, we all got on it, and went to Scarborough Centre! Scarborough Centre is a shopping mall, not exactly huge, but it was close to our place!

Scarborough Centre has good stores and shops, so, we went shopping! Shirts, skirts, souvenirs, gifts, jewelry, jackets, pants... Nothing escaped our eyes! We are real bargain hunters!

The best bargain I thought I got was the Victoria Secret's hand creams we got at La Senza! Five for $15 and ten for $25! That was really cheap! If you bought just one, it will had cost you $9.95! So, I got five handcreams for myself, four for Kika, and one for Liken. We split them! If you buy it by tens, it will cost you $2.50 each! Cheap, right?

Casa Loma

July 15th

After lunch today, we left the college, took the TTC, and off we go: to Casa Loma! Just a short review of this beautiful castle:

Casa Loma is the Spanish for "House on the Hill" and was built by Sir Henry Pellat. Sir Henry travelled a lot to Europe and he saw a lot of beautiful houses. He, then, developed a dream, which was built the most beautiful and the most modern castle to his wife. Later, he built Casa Loma, and hosted many parties in it. But, because he was the party guy, he went bankrupt, and the government took over the castle. Now, it's a tourist attraction that attracts many people from all over the world.

When I enter the castle, I was left in awe. This castle is more beautiful than my house! It was elegant! It's not exactly modern to this days, but in those times, it most have been really high tech. The point is that I walked through all his house, and I visit his room, his wife's room and everything. I even got to go to his bathroom (I couldn't use it though) and I was liked: "This bathroom is bigger than mines!"

What I noticed was that their beds were wide, but short. I, then, assumed that they were really shorties... How tall was Sir Henry Pellat?

Party Cruise!

July 14th

Class started and class ended... After lunch, we jumped on the bus and on we go to our cruise. It's not exactly "our" cruise, but well, I don't know the name of it! I think it's around Toronto Islands/Centreville, the matter is: I went to a party cruise.

We hopped on the cruise, and just as we did so, something funny happened. The security guys were "checking" for security... And well, the boys were "checked" by the guy security, and we (the girls) had the female security. The point is that the boys were being "touched", and they were laughing at each other. They looked so "cookie"! They were recording video of each other!

Everybody was having fun, I mean, this is a party cruise! They were dancing to the music, and even the teachers were dancing!

The cruise was sailing around and around the city, and they were dancing and dancing around the dancing mat. The sun was setting, and the city was "sunbath" with its red-yellowed rays. The view was really charming!

Toronto Zoo

July 13th

The title tells it all, this is about our trip to the Toronto Zoo! So, I was excited because I wanted to see penguins and polar bears since I was a kid (I'm not sure about this though)...

So, we enter the zoo, grab a map, and left everything in the lockers. Toronto Zoo has animals from different continents and places: Indomalaya, Eurasia, Australasia, America, Africa, and Canada.

We first went to Indomalaya. I saw a whole lot of monkeys, orangutans, butterflies, and tigers. There was a statue of an orangutan sitting in a bench, so I thought it was kinda funny, and took a photo with it...

Now, my memory is kinda bad, so I don't actually remember what I did after that... I just remember that I went to a whole of "continents" and well, I saw a variety of species! When I was walking to the Canadian Domain, I was expecting penguins and polar bears. I was disappointed when they told me that the penguins were moved to another zoo, and that the polar bear was sleeping... I actually saw the grizzly bear though...

But well, it was kinda fun... I did some shopping in the gift shop, and I bought a really cute stuff snake. There was a really nice waterpark there, but unfortunately, I didn't had enough time to go there... I bet it will be really nice in that hot weather!

Chinatown / Eaton Centre

July 12th

First of all, I have to say Happy Birthday to my friend Angie that is in Panama! Wish you a sweet 15 and may all your wishes come true (except humanity destruction)! Best wishes from Canada!

We don't have classes Saturday nor Sundays, so I'm allowed to sleep a little later... Yay! So, today is Shopping Day and I'm kinda excited.

So, we took a whole lot of TTC, and at last, we came to Chinatown! Kika and me picked a lot of good bargains! We found a shop that was having a 70% discount!

When we arrived at Eaton Centre, we were in awe, since there were so many shops, and we were all wondering if we will have time to wander into all of them. I just got into 3 stores: H&M, Zara, and Sears. We just had two hours to shop! Imagine! How could that be enough to shop? For a girl, two hours shopping is like two split seconds!

At the end, we met in the entrance, and well, we were all showing what we got. Everybody was like: "Oh! That's so trendy! Where did you got it?" and stuffs...

And well, we had a lot of fun...

P.S: The boys got themselves a PSP! I didn't knew the PSP was a lot more cheaper in Canada than in Panama. In Panama, the price is doubled.

Swim Day

July 11th

Today is swim day... So, the program of today was supposed to be: Swim after class. But, I didn't want to, so I just kept on living my own life! Life is beautiful! It was kind of a Free Night for me...

Take the world

Shake and stir

And that's what I got goin' on

I throw my cares up in the air

And I don't think they're comin' down

Yeah, I love how it feels right now

This is the life!

Hold on tight!

And this is the dream

It's all I need!

You never know where you'll find it

And I'm gonna take my time, yeah

I'm still getting it right

This is the Life

*Taken from "This is the Life" by Hannah Montana...*

Riry Panamanian

*This is one of my assignments in the ESL summer camp... Inspired by the "Joe Canadian" rant of the beer commercial in Canada.*

I'm not a farmer, nor a fisher...
I don't live in a treehouse or
Ride in a horse carriage...
I have a President not a tribe leader...
We are civilized people not barbarians...
I speak Spanish
Although I'm not Mexican or Spanish...
We use dollars not "pesos".
We have the Panama Canal
and is better than the Swiss.
We believe in peace and democracy,
not war and communism.
Panama has the best rainforest
and the best rainforest species in the world.
My name is "Riry-Hime" (that's not my real name though)
And I am Panamanian!

Rogers Centre

July 10th

After classes today, we went to the Rogers Centre. This is a stadium in Toronto, Canada, which is the home of the Toronto Blue Jays (baseball team) and the Toronto Argonauts Football Team.

And well, once I got there, I thought that I will fall asleep right away, since I didn't slept the night before (I was seeing TVB dramas hehe...). But well, to my surprise, I didn't.


Oh! Of course, the stadium was not empty. A baseball game was being hold. Toronto Blue Jays versus the Baltimore Orioles. When we got there, the Blue Jays were losing 1-0. We were sort of like a lucky charm, because once we got there, they were beginning to win.

I've never seen a live baseball game before, this was my first time. And it was kinda cool. They were good catching the ball. The runners were so... so... And well, I really enjoyed, because at the end, we were cheering for the Blue Jays! "Go Jays Go! Go Jays Go!" We were really excited when the last runner made a home run! Yay! Hurray! Blue Jays rock!

Links to Toronto/Canada's related sites

Here are some links to Canada's best attractions:

Wonderland
http://www.canadaswonderland.com/#actions

Niagara Falls
http://www.city.niagarafalls.on.ca/

Here is the link to Toronto's official web site:
http://www.toronto.ca/

Here is the city guide of Toronto:
http://www.toronto.com/

Free Night

July 9th

Today is our free night, it means that we are allowed to do anything we want. It's not as free as it seems since we aren't allowed to go Downtown or take the TTC alone... Also, today is ou first day of English Class.

After tooking our breakfast, we walk to college. When we enter the room, our Prof. was already there. Because I'm not allowed to mention her name (fact is that I want to), I'm going to call her L. L acted very nice to us, she is very funny, and she had a nice way to introduce each of us. Normally, every teacher will ask you to introduce yourself, but L was different. She ask us to introduce each other. So, I choose to introduce Kika.

Later, our teachers (the ones that came with us from Panama), Elb and Mau, divided us in two classes. They divided us by age.

After class, the boys choose to play soccer; Kika, ElyWu, and me choose to play computers in the lab. Still, others choose to swin in the pool.

That's all for our free night...

First Impressions about Canada

• The lights of the city (night view before the landing) made me think Canada as a well-developed country, in other words, a wealthy country.


• When I first arrived to the country, took the tour around the college, and went shopping in the supermarket, I notice that many people had their native clothes on, and nobody looked at them with strange faces. This fact tells me that Canada's people doesn't has much discrimination problems, they aren't racist at all.


• Some of my other impressions is mention before, and some will be mention later on, throughout the month.

Toronto Island / Centreville

July 8th

This time, I haven't lose my breakfast! I woke up early just for it! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Mag took us on a tour on the PH Campus, and Virg gave a speech about the college in the conference room. She said that almost 54% of the students were international students, I knew that since yesterday (tour on the college). I notice that the majority of the students were from Korea and India. When I thought he or she was Chinese, he or she ws really a Korean.

From the beginning, I also notice that the sunset in Canada is really late. The sunset in Panama is around 5-6 PM. In Canada, it was around 9-10 PM!

After the tour, we went to Toronto Island/Centreville. It took us a long trip on the TTC (Toronto Traffic Commission), on the GO (train), and on the Subway.

We were canoeing. We rented two canoes, a big one and a small one. I was in the small one. We challenge each other on a contest on who will get back first. We lose, but with dignity...

On the way, we pass side-by-side, and we were splashing water with the paddles. Jo and Kika, who were on the other side, try to evade the splashing water, and lean on us (Wong and me). The canoe was unbalanced, and we almost sink. We (Wong and me) were almost threw to the water. Luckily, Kika and Jo sat to their side when they realized what they were doing. At last just the paddle sink, but Wong took it right away, before it sank deeper.

The view of the city from the lake was very charming. The CN Tower stood firmly. Except the CN Tower, the city looked just a little bit like Paitilla in Panama. Just a little bit, because Panama is not so luxurious. What can you expect from a country in path of development?

So, then, we took the whole lot of transportation media, and back to the Residence.

First Day in Canada

July 7th

Arrived to Canada's airport, and, well, we needed at least an hour to pass migration. Unexpectdly, two persons, from the college we were going to stay in, came and gave us each a warm kiss on our cheeks: that was Mag and San. That sure cheer us up! So, we went out into the open air. Finally, my lungs had some fresh air! We hop on the school bus, and off we go: to the Residence! On our way, Mag and San fed us with soda, granola bars, and mandarins. That fill our stomache to a ten percent (we were really hungry).

In the Residence, we took our keys, hop on to the elevator, and run into the rooms. The first thing I did was throw myself into the bed. Then, I unpack my stuffs and took a nice, warm shower. I was sharing a room with my friend, Kika. Everybody else had their roommates as well. I slept at 4:15 A.M.

They let us sleep all morning, but, consequences are: I lose breakfast. At the residence, they serve breakfast from 7 to 10, I woke up at 11:30. So, I dress up myself, and went to the lobby. They were going to make a barbecue for us as lunch. So, imagine, I woke up and had lunch, not breakfast. The barbecue was great! The meat was well-cooked.

After it, we took a tour around the college. The college was really near, we just had to cross the street. We got to know the people that work in the International Department, we went to the Library and Cafeteria. Later, we went shopping, shopping for food.

In Panama, I ate breakfast at 9, lunch at 3 PM, and super at 9PM. In Canada, breakfast was ok, but lunch was at 12, and super was at 4 PM. We were going to starve if we didn't had anything to eat at night, so we shop for food.

Then, we walk back to Residence.

Continuation of the Long Voyage

July 6th, 2008


It's midnight! Well, I'll skip the part where I'm taking the shower and anything, and I'll go directly to the airport: "Tocumen International Airport". Well, I was in the airport and I was wondering if I will be the first person to get there. Later, I found that the answer was "no", since my friend, Susy, and my other friend, Dai-kun, were already there. My two professors were also there. So, I wait... and wait... and wait some more. Soon, more and more people were coming. Then, we check in, pass the migration, and stuffs. Soon, we were already in the airplane.

Our flight passed through several countries: our first stop was Costa Rica. We didn't had to change planes; more people came to the plane, and off we go: straight to Salvador. Several hours have already passed since my departure. We waited for almost seven hours in Salvador International Airport. In the meantime, we (Kika, ElyWu, Liken, and Riry-Hime*me*) went shopping in the airport, food mainly. It was incredible; stuffs in Salvador weren't expensive at all. We knew we could find cheap videogames in there. Unfortunately we couldn't get out of the airport, because if we could, we will shop till drop! So, we wait for almost seven hours, and it doesn't seem like those movies that when you've got to wait, and "Presto", it's all done. No, it isn't. We really wait. Some of my friends were already sleeping, sleeping on those hard, not-good-to-sleep-on chairs!

We were rejoicing when the announcer announce that we could start boarding the plane. This time, our flight was going to be almost six hours long, not two hours like the one from Panama to Salvador, so the chairs were more confortable. So, we fly away above the sky... Everybody(including me) was feeling extremely unconfortable and freezing cold. The only thing that cheer me up was the Duty Free shopping. I bought a box of chocolates, and I was happy that I had some chocolate in my stomache, since I'm a chocolate lover (I can't live without chocolate).

And so, when we were arriving to Canada, the beautiful lights of the city enchanted me. Totally different from Panama. I haven't seen such a night view since my trip three years ago to China. That was so charming! I was in awe! When we arrived to the airport, it was already midnight the other day: July 7th.

Panama to Canada's Long... Long... Voyage

July 5th, 2008
Today will be the day... It's today... Well, not exactly today, it's really tomorrow, but, since I'll not sleep, I will count as if it is today. So, I was so excited that I feel as if it wasn't real, as if it was really a dream. Oh! Where are my manners? I haven't told you what I was going to do yet. Well, today will count as the beginning of my long, long trip to Canada! Hurray! I was very happy. Soon, it will be July 6th, midnight. Soon, I'll have to said "goodbye" to my beloved Panama.