After so much planning, thinking, worrying, and preparing, I finally arrived, by plane, to Edmonton. I tried typing that sentence several times, attempting to instill the grandness of the event, but sometimes I am unable to find the best words, so I carry on.
The day was hectic enough; running on small amounts of sleep, with some packing left to do, and the normal stress and anticipation which accompanies this sort of thing. I ended up missing my intended flight because of a flat tire. It sucked, but the people at WestJet were really nice, finding me the next available flight and waiving any fees. It turned out it was for the best anyway, as I then had a chance to attend an important family function which I previously thought I would miss due to the timing of it all.
Once my ire of a flat tire, (haha, rhymes), abated, the rest of the day went remarkably well. It took 2 flights to get me from Ottawa, to Edmonton, stopping and changing planes in Toronto, and I'm actually glad it did. While I've flown before, in a 2 seater Cessna which I got to fly thanks to a birthday gift from a dear friend of mine, I had never flown in a commercial airplane before.
The flight to Toronto from Ottawa is so short it made me angry that I didn't take it before, grumbling at all the previously taken Greyhound bus trips I have made. The takeoff and landing were pretty smooth, and the couple sitting next to me were quite nice. I chose the aisle seat, not knowing the size of the accommodations and wanting to avoid being crammed in, but the couple next to me saw my enthusiasm for looking out the window and gladly let me do so.
I must have looked like a meerkat, popping my head up and down and looking all around me with such enthusiasm! I mean, sure, it's no big deal. I've grown accustomed to the idea that we strap ourselves in a giant metal tube, strap some fans on it, and fly in the air. But, it was still very exciting, and seeing the tops of clouds was a very cool experience. The clouds from Ottawa to Toronto were cumulonimbus, the big fluffy kind, and seeing them all around us, it looked like the idyllic scenes of Heaven or Mount Olympus portrayed in films. It was especially cool to watch the cloud formations changing as we moved past.
The first flight was short, but very sweet, and the time between flights was short enough that by the time I walked to the next gate, and boarded the plane, we were pretty much ready to take off. This flight was longer, from Toronto to Edmonton, but was pretty sweet as well. The clouds looked less fluffy, but they stretched out as far as I could see, whilst leaning over the gentleman sleeping in the window seat, haha. Most of the sky was completely clouded, blocking my view of much of this great country, but what I did see was amazing! To see Lake Superior from the air, and see it as it's portrayed on maps was really cool. Saskatchewan was one big cloud, but Alberta revealed its quilted patch-work of farmers' fields.
Baggage claim was easy, and I had a friend pick me up at the airport. I haven't seen her in over a year, Skype notwithstanding, and it was very, very exciting to see her again. She reads this blog too, and while I've thanked her in person, I thank her here as well. Arriving in a new place, in the evening, can be scary, I would have hated trying to navigate all by myself right away, but thankfully, I did not have to.
As I settle in, and finalize apartment arrangements, I really haven't much to talk about, (except for stupid clouds apparently), but I look forward to the adventure which awaits me, it's been a long time coming.
Congratulations dude. You are missed.
ReplyDelete