“Maman love you very much, sweety pie. And you know that mommies always come back, right? You are going to have fun with yeye and nainai for a little while, and then Mommy will be back and we will do more fun things together. Okay?”
I’m sitting on the floor in the room and Mark is listening to me—staring at me, even. My little boy. The kid who can make me laugh and cry in a space of a minute.
“Ooh, ohh!”
“What, Mark?”
Ah yes. He pooped. Never mind, the moment is gone.
I’m not going to lie: leaving Mark was easier than I had thought. I know his grandparents will take care of him well. Plus, I guess that as an immigrant, I am used to leaving behind people I love—my family, my friends. Eh, I’ll be back. No need to be so dramatic.
Once again, I packed. And once again, I ended up at the Ottawa Airport at 4 a.m. Once again, I waited in line to check-in.
I kissed Feng goodbye. I didn’t cry. I spent way too much time crying in airports, I think I ran out of tears.
We landed in Toronto in the middle of a snowstorm. Ten centimetres had already fallen on the tarmac and I was prepared for my flight to be cancelled.
Amazingly it wasn’t but we missed our take-off slot and had to go to the de-icing station. All in all, we were stuck on the tarmac for a good two hours.
I flew Air Canada Rouge, a low-cost version of Air Canada where you have to buy your food and rent an iPad if you want some entertainment. I declined both and munched on a banana while reading books on my Kindle.
We finally landed at 3:30 p.m., two hours late.
I didn’t care.
I’m in San José, Costa Rica. Why San José? Well, because the ticket was cheap, because Costa Rica is a nice place to explore because I can still speak some Spanish after our trip to Mexico and because… because I had to pick a destination, right?
Flying is amazing. In a space of a few hours, I went from snow to sunshine, from empty streets to chaotic calles, from McDonald’s to Pollo Campero, and from freezing to sweating.
My passport was stamped, my backpack showed up on the carrousel and I found myself in a taxi to la ciudad.
I had booked a bed in a hostel for the first night. I haven’t stayed in hostels in ages and it feels weird to be surrounded by 20 strangers yet being alone. At this stage, I’m too tired to care.
Feng and I have been in San José twice before, in 2001 and in 2008. I could vaguely remember parts of the city—it hasn’t changed. It’s chaotic, the streets are jammed and the sidewalks packed. It’s not as touristic as Mexico and definitely not as gringo-friendly. Not fancy world cuisine for backpackers but many fast-food franchises, such as Quiznos, McDonald’s, KFC, Subway and Burger King. No convenience OXXO corner stores but small hole-in-the-wall bodegas. No familiar brands but Bimbo bread and Coke.
Now I have to be strong and self-reliant.
Wow ma Zhu! Tu ne t’arrêtes plus de voyager! 🙂 J’ai hâte de voir le reste de ton séjour en photo 🙂
I´m addicted ,-)
Oh, it’s Costa Rica! Great choice. Wishing you well and will be following your adventure.
Thank you!
Almost got it! At least I got the language right 😀 (ok, not the country nor the continent, but these are details…)
“Flying is amazing. In a space of a few hours, I went from snow to sunshine, from empty streets to chaotic calles…”
Your selection of photos depict this so clearly!
Have the best journey Zhu!
You were close!
Well, the guessing game was fun while we were at it!
I’m glad to see your settled in and can’t wait to hear more about Costa Rica!
I am exploring 🙂
What an amazing transition, as you said! It’s so true, the feeling you get from hostels. So many people, but often such a solitary experience if you arrive alone. Sending you my best!
What a great choice of destination! I’ve been discussing with friends about visiting, too, just recently… so I can’t wait to read all about it 🙂
Definitely go, it’s a great place so far!
Definitely one of the places I would want to go! I will look forward to seeing your pictures.
Stay tuned, more to come!
Looking forward to catching up on more blog posts! I hope I run out of tears at the airport…I hate it!
Ugh, leaving is the worst… 🙁