Canada, Eh?

Every year, my family and I take a road trip during summer vacation. In 2008, my parents revealed our next summer destination — Nova Scotia, Canada. As the word “Canada” ran through my mind, all I could imagine was a freezing, barren land filled with people who said “eh” all of the time. How much fun could this place be? What were my parents thinking? This was going to be the worst vacation ever. Little did I know, what lay ahead was a new world filled with adventure. 

We first drove to North Carolina and visited my grandmother. I was still skeptical of setting foot into a different country, and I did not want to leave to go to Canada. At the Raleigh Durham Airport, I grudgingly made my way to my plane seat, not looking forward to the next few hours. As the plane landed, I slowly made my way into a new country. Walking through the Halifax airport did not seem too different from America, apart from the money exchange booths, signs in French, not English, and measurements in the metric system. 

The first few days in Canada were not at all what I would have expected. Granted, it was much colder than what I was used to, but all of the historical churches and unique tourist attractions enveloped me.  The Titanic Museum in Halifax was incredible. It was quite an experience to see artifacts collected from the Titanic accident, as well as learning about how Halifax helped with the aftermath. The Citadel, a 1700s fort, was also educational because I was able to go back in time and experience a reenactment of how Halifax was protected. 

Our next destination was Prince Edward Island, the famous setting in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. Having read these books as a young child, I wanted see where one of my favorite characters experienced her adventures. On the island, my family and I were able to go to “Avonlea”, a recreated village that played a large part in L.M. Montgomery’s books. It was phenomenal to learn about the life of Montgomery and how Anne of Green Gables  came about. By this time in the trip, I was beginning to forget my grudges of going to this “boring” country.

As we left Prince Edward Island, my family and I stopped at many beaches, as well as the Bay of Fundy. At first it was odd going to a beach in the freezing weather that was mostly rugged rocks, not sand, but I quickly adapted. I discovered a new hobby– picking up sea glass. This weathered glass scattered by ships came in all sorts of blues and purples. I couldn’t wait to drive to the next beach. The Bay of Fundy was one of the most amazing sights I had ever seen. Because of the thirty-foot tides, we were able to walk on the ocean floor, where we discovered aquatic life, sea glass, and shells.

After visiting the Bay, we were able to go whale watching in Digby. I dreaded venturing out into the middle of the ocean for four hours. However, after seeing several whales leap out of the ocean, I soon was glad I came. We also saw seals and puffins—animals that I had only seen on television and in books.

Once we had eaten our weight in lobster, clams, and crab, it was time to leave. I was surprised to find that as I traveled home, I only wanted to stay longer. How I would miss the country that opened my eyes to a whole new world!