Montreal at dusk...

So I am definitely sitting here, in the hotel, vegging. What better thing to do than update the blog with the somewhat boring details of my journey thus far??

So I got to the Halifax airport and with incredible relief, discovered both my suitcases were JUST under the weight limit (!!) and my carry-on bags were the perfect size. I killed some time with my sisters and then went through security and, because of supreme foresight, I did not pack ANYTHING that would cause a holdup :-)
Then I sat by my gate for about 45 min and did nothing LOL....well, except for thinking about the implications of this particular flight to Montreal (aka. THE journey was beginning and there was no going back)!
Once on the plane, I found myself seated next to a couple who, I think, were speaking a variation of German or Dutch...at least I was able to preoccupy myself by trying to translate (ps. Katie, you and I would have had fun recognizing random words like "Uhr"...or maybe that was second semester)...the flight was uneventful and went a lot faster than I expected! As we were approaching Montreal, the pilot warned us of the possibility of mild-moderate turbulence, which, of course, got me a little on edge BUT as we hit the slightly rough patch I distracted myself with a completely boring Air Canada magazine and tricked myself into thinking I was on a bus going over a particularly rough section of road :D haha...I am going to learn all the tricks of the travelling trade by the time this is over.

Landing itself was uneventful...however, upon entering the airport I became slightly intimidated--especially when I thought about the fact that all the airports from here to Seoul are going to be MUCH bigger (Toronto, Tokyo, Seoul) and all but the first one will NOT have English as the first language...hmmm, shall be interesting. I struggled with my 100+ lbs of luggage (thank GOODNESS for luggage carts) and then had a most interesting experience with the pay phones as I tried to call for the shuttle service to my hotel. I called the local number and was told it was a long distance number and then I called long distance and was told it was a local number. Yes. Frustrating. Anyways, tried a few times, finally went to a counter attendent and found out that there are special phones that call the hotels directly (and you don't have to pay for the phone use!) ..so I was directed by the hotel receptionist to the shuttle pick-up spot (sidenote: as long as you are willing to ask questions, no matter how stupid, you can't get lost)...

So, finally I was checked into the hotel and so I decided to go on the hunt for some food...I went to LeFleur Restaurant (a French chain of fastfood stores, I think) ... the food wasn't the greatest and as I was leaving across their parking lot I decided to take a picture of their sign..you know, the good tourist-y thing to do (since I had never been there before and I wanted proof that there are other fastfood joints outside the Maritimes) and I had the manager (I think) come out and ask me what I was taking pictures of!! LOL...all I did was mention that I had never been to Montreal before (aka tourist) and he left me alone...hahahahah Paranoid!!!

On my way back to the hotel I sat in a small park for a while and watched planes landing and taking off...(I can still hear them now, as a matter of fact)...and I kept thinking about how it would be me on one of those international flights REALLY soon...

So, I came back, asked the receptionist for a bus map/info, and THEN as I tried to get back into my room, I realized I had put my bags in the wrong room (!) .... but the guy at the front desk had already noticed so he came and gave me the key to the new room (LOL...couldn't help but feel really stupid!). Anyways, and here I am...sitting in my hotel bed, watching tv and updating ppl on life :)

Well tomorrow it is off to the Korean Consulate for an interview and passport return. So I will probably be waiting around that area of town as I wait for my Visa to be approved and my passport to be stamped....

Perhaps, if I have more time on my hands tomorrow night, I will write one last parting blog on Canadian soil.

Till next time, Cheers!