It was Aug. 31, 2016 at 08:04 p.m. when my plane landed on Fredericton’s airport for the second time in two years.
This adventure began in 2014 when my classmates and I travelled to Fredericton for the University of New Brunswick’s English language program during my second year of high school at Recife, Brazil. I confess the only things I remember clearly are the heat and the excessive amount of potatoes that every dish had. But coming back here made me have first impressions all over again.
To start, the airport. I remembered the first time I saw it. Its small size was shocking to me. And the second time I landed here, I was impressed again with its size. The airport of Recife, my city, is not the biggest one in the country, but it can still make you feel lost.
Outside the plane it was cold since fall was about to arrive. Back home, I used to hate the summer – which lasts for the entire year, I must say – and I thought Canada would be a paradise of just three months of pure heat. Some people would ask me a lot how could I trade the beach close to my house for a frozen lake. I would reply with a simple and direct answer; “I like the cold because I can drink hot chocolate while watching movies with a thick blanket.”
Arriving now, right at the beginning of September, made me reach that balance between the heat I felt when I first came to Fredericton two years ago in July, and the winter that is about to come. But as soon as I got off the plane, I had a nostalgic moment as I looked around the airport. I must say the cold wind impacted me. I don’t know if I will bear a semester of snow, but for now, the cold is all that I look forward to.
The food was also new to me – and, by “new” I mean completely unfamiliar. When I spent the summer here, I just saw potatoes. Now, I see potatoes, salads, pizza. I don’t know if I just paid attention to it now, but still, I can say the food here is quite different from the Brazilian cuisine. Yes, we have potatoes; yes, we have salads and we definitely have pizza. But we make these awesome pamonhas and canjicas with corn. And couscous too which is similar to Moroccan couscous, but with corn instead of wheat and you can eat it with anything you want.
The craziest food I have seen here is the poutine, for sure. Don’t ask me why, I just think it is very interesting to mix sauces with meat and french fries. We may have many sweets and salty food, but we certainly never thought about that.
Another thing that struck me during the first week is how Canadians are nice. We Brazilians have this sort of fame of being cool, but Canadians are much cooler. I receive “good morning,” “thank you,” “sorry” and “have a nice day” everywhere I go. I have no words to explain this phenomenon. I guess it’s called education. Brazilians have kind hearts, but we still need to work on that. People in Brazil will smile at you, but never say a greeting word. It was weird to me, and still is, to come at the cafeteria three times a day and feel that the kitchen staff really means it when they wish me a good evening. For us, just an exchange of looks is enough.
I guess I can say both Brazil and Canada are giants with extreme heat, tasty dishes and receptive people. As an international student, these factors make me feel homesick but, on the other hand, they also make me feel at home. Canada is the best place to have a second home. I am not Canadian, but I am treated equally. I may still find everything so different and new now, but I am sure I will get used to this lifestyle very soon.
