I remember well the first time I put my feet in Winnipeg.
Going down the escalators with my Brazilian friends to get to meet for the first time our host families. The airport was crazy. So many host families, so many hugs and Welcomes.
And then I saw her. Holding my name “Welcome Valeska”. She was there as quiet as my real mom would be. She gave me the most welcoming smile and hug ever. I’d felt home.
I thought myself: now it’s true.
She helped me with my stuff and we went home talking lots in the car.
I looked around paying too much attention… every single corner a new surprise. I finally was in Winnipeg, and I’d felt I would have the best time of my life there.
Then, after few minutes we got home. Right after I met my sisters N and J. I cannot forget how tired I was; had slept about 30 minutes during the flight to Toronto. Remember how lazy my brain was but I think I did good job on my first English trials for real! x))
The girls got lots of games… remember one of the first games we’d played was PHASE 10, a German one btw. I learned so many things on that first day too. They showed me the house, oh my bedroom, I loved it!
Then, I had a good time with my sis N, we went to the living room and she showed me Twilight(the cat)’s stuff, remember that she got surprised with how long my eyelashes are, she asked me if they were fake. Then, she said my hair would be pretty with a braid (this word I learned that day x).
My host mom had suggested the girls to show me the bay! I got my flip flops and we went around!
So many funny things happened. That was the beginning of our fun walkings around Winnipeg!!!
Winnipeg was warm! I remember a little boy passing fast by us riding a bike, and a neighbor saying Hello to the girls. They started talking about something that I got lost hahaha for the first time I thought about Syrup, since it was my first day in Canada I only thought about Syrup, bacon and maple leaves. Then, the girls interrupted me and said again SLURPEE, which is also a very Canadian thing, since the only place which sells slurpees it’s 7-Eleven. I asked N to spell it. It was fun.
We were almost getting back to our start point: home. ps. then I learned that bay is basically a circle. hahaha
The girls told their mom about the funny Syrup-Slurpee story.
My host mom’d made a delicious spaghetti for dinner. We were sitting at the table when my host dad got home from work. We greeted each other and talked during the dinner.
Everything was going incredible. I was dead tired, but I went to bed at 10 pm, even I knew I would be going to school next morning.
That day… our first GOOD NIGHT sayings.
A day to be missed. I wish I could go back in time. Go back to the start. But I’m happy for all those worthy memories.
Valeska Favoretti Serafim