It is neither clothes nor the man that mold him, it is his experience. This was something that I lacked tour-wise as I was naïve and had the least bit of notion of what a tour was. I was anxious and fairly concerned with everything. I had no idea of what to expect and worst of all, my loved ones were bearing the brunt of it. The family resource books that they were handing out mentioned something about being antsy and anxious for the upcoming tour. I do not recall them mentioning something about being cantankerous, grouchy and crabby. (Yes, that was me!) How could this be done, I ask like any newbie would. I was disagreeable to the fact that I would not see all of my family for nine months but people say that you manage to overcome it. Just think of it as a really, really long exercise. Ha!.

D day finally arrived. I was rattled, really irritable and just plain miserable and I really did not want to leave my family behind. I cried my fifteen minutes, did the heart-breaking good byes and sauntered over to the bus. Somehow, it felt right. A few days before, I was asked if I still wanted to go on tour and I replied yes. When I was on the bus, I felt it was right. I wanted to do something right, I wanted to give back to the country that showed me poutine, hockey (still learning) and maple syrup (again, still trying to figure that one out.) I reckon that this was the best way to show my every regard for Canada

Although I was happy during the plane's departure, I was none too pleased about its arrival. Let me tell you! For someone who hates roller coasters and boat rides, this ranks pretty high up there. I can't recall the last time I felt so ill on a plane. My victual-filled tummy wanted to display itself a few times from the plane's movements but I held strong. Hot water in one hand and juice in the other, I braved the open skies as these were my comforters. I turned on the air-blaster thing and prayed for the mishap to pass. Luck was on my side.

We had stopover at a few places. It was quite interesting to see other people from other parts of the world. Being a Westerner, the east coast was already another side of the globe for me. It felt different being there, kind of like a tourist, except you are not allowed out of the airport. We had to wait for time to pass for our next flight to some unpronounceable country. I recall something about MENSA games and how particularly irritating things get when you can not figure it out. I also recall how lonely I felt. Although everyone was around me mingling about, I still felt lonesome. My first day was the only thought in my head. How was it going to go? Was I going to be the only one lost? How will I find my way? I reassured myself that it was going to be better once I have an idea of how things go. No man is an island after all.

Fifteen days later, I suppose I have a better idea of how everything is. I know where to go (Green Beans Coffee) and what to do (gym). I do not feel as secluded anymore. There are other people around me who have had more time in and better understanding with things around us and I deem that useful. I judge this to be the perfect time to better arm myself with knowledge to the point that I get annoying. I hope I have enough time for that. I just wonder when Tim Horton's is going to open up.

Corporal Mary Cerio