First Few Days

Arriving in Vancouver after 6 years since the first time I was here was very nice. Right away, I had that feeling of starting something completely different, even though I was in the same city again. I believe that when you change the purpose of your trip you also change the way you look at the city. Now I look at the city and think about how life here is going to be for the next couple of years. At the first time I came to Vancouver I was a interchange student and I had support from my host family and all my friends from school. However, now things do feel very different. Of course it's the first few days and I have just met some of my classmates, but I sure feel more alone.

One big difference I noticed in Canada is how things have evolved, I mean, not the structure of the city or so, but how technology, transportation and services have evolved. It is easier to get on a bus, to walk around the city, to find anything you're looking for, and the city also feels very cozy. This is a feeling that was not present in my life in Brazil. In there I felt like things were never going to change, and I guess that this is how a lot of brazilians feel like. We have problems believing that the country will change because of so much corruption and all. Here, it feels safer, even despite the fact that I'm a foreigner and that this is not my country and nor these are my people.

On Saturday, I arrived at the airport a little later than expected because the flight had been delayed in Toronto about 30 minutes. So, I started wondering if anyone from the university would still be at the airport to pick me up. I got off the plane, got my bags, and, for my surprise, there was nobody there. I admit it, it was very scary and uncomfortable. I realized that I had the phone number of the girl who was supposed to pick me up and tried to call her from a public telephone but I had no cash. This guy who I believe was a taxi or limo driver was next to me and I asked him if he knew how to make collect calls. He asked me what number I wanted to call and took a look at the number I had in my hands. He said that it was a local number and that I could make that phone call from his cell phone. So, I called the number, talked to the girl, and in about 15 minutes she was there to pick me up. She had been waiting for me in another place.

I tell this story to show how people are able to trust others without any problems. The guy didn't know me but he was willing to help me anyway. This shows how education changes people and how countries and people are supposed to develop. And, above all, I don't really think he was canadian, he was just another immigrant trying to make a living in Canada, but I guess that somehow, he was touched by the canadian culture and lifestyle.