Diary of an International Student: Our First Night in Canada
- Moirakelly Trinidad
- Mar 3, 2025
- 4 min read
December 26, 9:30 PM – The Arrival
After months of preparation, countless video calls with my family, and an emotional farewell, we finally landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport. It felt unreal. I looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, the bright airport lights, and the long hallways filled with passengers coming and going. This is it. We’re in Canada.
But as much as I wanted to savor the moment, the feeling of excitement quickly turned into nervousness. Our journey wasn’t over yet—we still had to face immigration.
My mind started to spiral: What if we couldn’t answer the officer’s questions properly? What if they held us for additional screening? What if something went wrong? The fear of the unknown was overwhelming. Winston and I exchanged nervous glances, both of us silently praying for a smooth process.
I tried to push away the negative thoughts and whispered a prayer: Lord, please let everything go well. Take away my worries, because overthinking will only cloud my mind.
We sat in the waiting area for nearly two hours, the longest two hours of my life. Every time an officer called a name, my heart skipped a beat. I kept looking at my passport, reading and rereading the documents in my hands as if making sure everything was in order.
Finally, our turn came. We walked up to the immigration counter, and I took a deep breath, reminding myself to stay calm. The officer barely asked anything—just for my permit and passport. Within seconds, he stamped it. I looked at Winston, and his passport was also stamped just as quickly.
That was it. We were officially in Canada.
I wanted to cry out of relief, but there was no time for that. We still had a long way to go before we could finally rest.
The Journey to London, Ontario
After clearing immigration, we collected our luggage and made our way to the bus terminal. Since we had arranged to stay in London, Ontario, we booked a bus that would take us there.
The bus ride took three hours, but exhaustion made it feel even longer. I stared out the window, watching the scenery pass by—highways stretching endlessly, occasional streetlights breaking the darkness, and roads that seemed to go on forever. It was nothing like home, and yet, a strange feeling of comfort settled in. Maybe because I knew this was the beginning of something new.
I was tired, but my mind refused to rest. I thought about my family back home. What were they doing at that moment? Had they gone back to their usual routine? Were they thinking about me as much as I was thinking about them? I checked my phone, but the Wi-Fi connection was unstable, so I couldn’t send a message just yet.
By the time we arrived in London, Ontario, it was past midnight. Our Ate Ash, who had been helping us settle in, had already arranged a Lyft ride to take us to our rented house.
First Impressions of Our New Home
As the car drove through the streets of London, Winston looked at me, then back at the road outside. He hesitated before asking, "Are you sure this is the place we’re going to live?"
I laughed nervously because I had been thinking the same thing. The area was nothing like what we had imagined.
We had expected something out of a movie—the kind of city life we often saw in Western films, with tall buildings, bright streetlights, and lively crowds. But what we saw instead were empty fields, leafless trees standing like skeletons, and small establishments scattered in between. The streets were quiet, almost eerily so. And despite it being winter, there was no snow. We had imagined stepping into a winter wonderland, but instead, everything just looked… bare and dark.
Kept my excitement alive and told him, "It’s just dark right now, but wait until the sun is up! We’ll see the beauty of London, Ontario, Canada in daylight. And for sure, it will snow soon!"
I kept repeating to myself and to him, "We are in Canada—wow!"
Because I still couldn’t believe it.
This was something we had been working toward for so long, and now it was real.
When the car finally pulled up in front of the house, it was 3:30 AM. We stepped out, dragging our luggage behind us, and I took a deep breath. It was cold, far colder than anything I had ever felt before. The air smelled different, crisp, and unfamiliar.
The house in front of us wasn’t big, but it was enough.
I let out a long sigh, one that carried all the stress, nervousness, and exhaustion I had been holding in. I looked at Winston and smiled.
"We made it. Thank you, Jesus Christ”
At that moment, my heart finally felt at ease.
This was the beginning of our new life in Canada 🇨🇦.
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