travel
The ultimate test of a compatible relationship is whether you can stand to travel together.
Supernatural British Columbia
The clouds bring darkness, rain and sullen goodbyes. The sun has bid farewell while the clouds kiss the north shore mountains, leaving gifts of snow caps.
The Battle of Platform 3
She shuffled her feet as her hands dug deeper into the pockets of her down jacket, her fingernails scraping the thread fastening the pockets. The lining had given way to a small hole, likely the result of her habit of poking at it, although she did for a moment wonder why these thick puffer coats belied such flimsy inner material.
Nisha KaurPublished 3 years ago in HumansAmerican living in Canada
I met my Canadian husband in November 2015, in my hometown New York City. We instantly clicked and connected, since the minute I met him I knew he was going to be someone important in my life. He is a former Air Force pilot and still flies as an aerobatic pilot on his own jets now. As our relationship progressed, I never thought anything of moving to Canada, I thought of it as an extension of USA (after all it is part of North America). My son, who was 8 at the time and I; moved to Canada in the beginning of 2017, but to our surprise (my Canadian husband included), when I went to register my son to school, I was told that to acquire a permit to attend, we needed to apply for the Permanent Residency status from within Canada and if we choose this route, we would get permit to attend immediately but we could not travel until we acquire the Permanent Residency status. I immediately knew I would not be OK with that, being that my entire family lived in USA and I knew only my husband in Canada. We thought of going somewhere in the border of US/Canada to rent a place so that my son could attend school there and we would not be so far from my then boyfriend. We settled for Buffalo and moved on one of the North towns of Buffalo, called Amherst (nice place with excellent schools). We got married in August 2017 and immediately submitted our Permanent Resident application. The process lasted almost 2 years although I have NO CRIMINAL RECORD. It was strange that we filed the paperwork at the same time my cousin (who married a Canadian) and was born in Dominican Republic did. He was approved as a Permanent Resident to Canada in 8 months. My son and I lived in Amherst, NY for almost 2 years. After many background checks (from all states I lived prior (2 states to be exact – Florida & New Jersey) and a detailed background check from the FBI) were cleared, I was able to be to come live with my husband in Canada in February 2019. Although, I was happy living in Buffalo because it was different than NYC but still felt like home; I knew as a wife I had to come to Canada to live at my home that my husband built brand new and had been living alone since July 2017. After my son finished that school year, we moved from Amherst, NY (Buffalo) to Canada. It was July 2019. Our house was built in a rural town named Tillsonburg, it is off London, ON (the 5th biggest city in Ontario, with a population of 383,437 as of 2016) and about 1.5 hours away from Toronto, ON (the 1st biggest city with a population of 2.8M as of 2016). We moved there because my husband wanted to live close to his planes that were at a hanger in this town. This town is not truly diverse but to be frank Canada itself (in my opinion) is not diverse, except for the bigger cities like Toronto, Ottawa, and Quebec City. The larger groups of immigrants I have seen here are Indian and Asians. I was working in my field in Buffalo, NY as an Accountant, so I thought, I can just submit my resume and dive right into my field in Canada. After many failed interviews and before I became frustrated, someone was “nice enough” to tell me I had “NO CANADIAN EXPERIENCE”. I could not help but to think: 1) How can a newcomer (as they call immigrants) have Canadian experience? 2) Aren’t numbers the same in every country? 3) Was this a form of prejudice? It was not until I landed an interview in a company that was close to where I lived. That I understood the problem…. The company was interested in my skills and I even landed a second interview, the manager pointed out that he was interested in me and someone else, so he would give us a second interview and decide then. As I arrived at the second interview, a Canadian lady was coming out of the room that the interview was being held, wearing Birkenstocks (Canadians use these often at least where I lived) but I did not think it was appropriate for a business work environment. But remembered I now lived elsewhere and maybe this was OK here in Canada or specifically where I lived. I thought the interview went well and I was happy and hopeful I would get hired for the job, but the job was offered to the Canadian lady instead. I did not think much of it but did think it was awkward that a lady with Birkenstocks landed a job, but I continued my job search. I landed another interview with an American company, but obviously I was interviewed by Canadians because this is Canada. The manager and I clicked, and all went well, he even hired me. I was to start the following Monday. Before I got too overexcited, I received and email from the manager apologizing to me because he needed to back out of the offer, he told me it was an “upper management” decision. Again, there I was jobless (I have never been jobless in all my adult life in America because I was an Accountant, and this field is one where you always have a job). To make the long story short, I eventually stopped looking for a job in Canada. Recently, my friend’s husband who is Canadian told me that they like hiring Americans that live in America. They even offer them more money and relocation expenses to come work here. But ones an American is here in Canada it is harder to secure a job from within the country. Had I known, I would have applied while living in NYC or Buffalo.
A Stranger's Smile
I struggled under the weight of two suitcases, a backpack, and a guitar. I had been traveling for twenty-some hours after nine months of living abroad and I was exhausted. As I pushed my cart full of bags through the LAX airport, I dreamed of getting off of my last flight and finally arriving home. I couldn’t believe the moment was so close. So close I could taste it. Nine of the longest, loneliest months I’d ever experienced and I was mere hours from home.
Katelyn AlexanderPublished 3 years ago in HumansHow Being Lost in a Foreign City Restored My Faith in Humanity
It was a cloudy and humid day at around 35 °C in Hong Kong, when I wandered around the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui. I missed my bus stop and got off around five stops too late. There was no money left in my pocket to buy a ticket for the way back, so I started walking.
Antonia RoosPublished 3 years ago in HumansTale of Two Cities
Life had hit a dead end. It seemed as if the only way to move forward would be to climb the wall. Society found its thirst for action and adventure quenched with movies and not in reality. Waking up to the same routine daily without questioning anything felt way too normal. It was time for me to leave Illinois and create something more meaningful on my own. The west coast signaled, from miles away, an invitation to dive into the unknown head first. Oregon would be my first stop.
GetyourmindrightPublished 3 years ago in HumansJellico Tennessee - Complaints
To start off I would like to refresh everybody on the fact that we are not affiliated with the City of Jellico Government in any way. We are independent. The city or any employee of the city does not fund or endorse us. This information can be found on our website.
Rebecca Lynn IveyPublished 3 years ago in HumansFirst Bass
"That was a long flight" Viola said with a sigh as we arrived at our downtown hotel room in Reykjavik. I had already been here a few days and had slept the jetlag off. I sympathized with her by suggesting she take a cat nap while I gathered some things for our stay. Wine and snacks to start with.
Naia LouisePublished 3 years ago in HumansGOOD INTENTIONS
Last summer was full of unexpected situations. One of them that has hit the whole world is COVID-19. Fortunately, I can say that my boyfriend and I did not get over Covid, but we found ourselves in a very awkward situation due to emergencies. Last summer at this time we stayed on the beautiful island of Gran Canaria. We decided to travel in a van, a motorhome, so we could see as much of the island as possible. So unfortunately we found ourselves in a difficult situation. Our van had a bed and a small cooking stove and a place for things we took on the trip. We could only sleep in our van. We didn’t have a seating area but we had to sit in the front seats. At the time the quarantine was declared we had no opportunity to leave the island or the van.In those 6 months we moved 4 times. As it was quarantined no kind of camping was allowed and that is why we moved so many times. The police were constantly visiting us and I have to admit they were full of understanding for our situation. So when we changed the last position, the police received us nicely in Mogan, where they allowed us to stay until we were able to leave the island. They even brought us masks that were made by hand. I was overjoyed that these policemen showed us that they are people too and that they understand that it is not easy for us either. So after 5 months of staying on the island we finally found peace. We were close to the beach so we could bathe the islands in the sea every night instead of in the tub or shower. We could take out the chairs in front of the van and the table and like people eat at the table. Thanks to the cops for the last month, I felt like I was on vacation. But that's not the end of the story. When the ferry lines finally opened we went to Las Palmas to the marina to buy tickets for the return trip. We ran out of money on the cards and because of that we had a huge problem. Namely, because of Covid, they did not receive cash, only cards. We got our turn and asked the lady if it was possible to pay in cash? The lady was clear she could not be paid in cash. We stood aside to the people waiting in line. We talked about it and looked for a solution. The guy standing next to us offered to help when he heard what had happened to us. But unfortunately he didn’t have enough money on the card. He apologized and wished us luck. This was heard by a couple standing behind a boy who was trying to help us. And they offered to help us so the gentleman paid us the tickets with a card and we gave him the money. I was more than happy. In all that unfortunate quarantine I can say that I am grateful to have met so many wonderful people wherever I have been on the island. A wonderful experience that gave me hope that there are good people in the world. People who are willing to help a complete stranger.An experience that changed my outlook on life. I will always carry with me this wonderful experience and I hope this island is not the only one in the world with so many good people. There is always a need to help in life because you never know when you will need help. So let’s be human and help each other because that’s the only way we can survive as a species.
Brigita BrajkovicPublished 3 years ago in HumansHow to enjoy a long train ride comfortably
Many consider train travel to be the most comfortable mode of travel. You've got more room to move around than an aeroplane cabin plus, you've got the freedom to move about at any time. And since trains move at a slower pace, your mind and body have time to adjust to time differences. However, long journeys can be taxing on the body. But you can avoid this through tips offered here on how to enjoy a long train ride comfortably.
Rochell MeganPublished 3 years ago in HumansThe American in London- Part 3 when I see you again?
So, now we are here where I get to explain the person, that for the first 6 months being here was just exhausting and costly. But at the very end something good came that it didn’t come from a gift or from nothing extraordinary. It came from the heart…..
Ronald PinedaPublished 3 years ago in HumansThe American in London Part 2- why do we fall?
So I hope I still have your attention and those grammar nazi are still with me. I didn’t lose you just yet and yet again I do apologise again.
Ronald PinedaPublished 3 years ago in Humans