I love it. My first step into YVR and what do I smell? Cinnamon buns. Of course. Then I recheck my bags for my later flight to Regina. Then I exchange money and wow there are new 50s and 100s. Actually I think they may have changed before I left Canada but at that time I was not in the financial position to encounter a 50 or 100. Then to the bathroom to check the damage. Because of reasons which I will talk about later, I had little in the manner of beauty tools at my disposal during the flight. A check in the mirror revealed quite the sick looking Meg (or is it the bright lights in Canadian bathrooms because they don’t use the ugly lights in Japan. Japan bathrooms have soft lighting.) I went around the corner to find a stall and took a step back when I saw walls and doors that seemed to be…hovering…from the ground. Oh yeah, they don’t go to the floor like in Japan. I sat down on an icy cold seat with some apprehension because…is it clean like in Japan? I keep wanting to say すみません and ありがとうございます. But no that will get weird looks here. From most people. That’s the other thing. The people…everyone is so different. So many backgrounds. The majority speaking English but varying accents. Oh and this sweet sweet hotspot. I will call the T man soon and he will pick me up and then we will go to UBC but before then I have to bask in this wireless goodness. And write because I feel so stimulated. So many contrasts running through my head and I can’t say I am comparing things - thinking that oh this is better here or there. Just…seeing the differences. I will admit…already missing Japan a little. The first 1/3rd of my flight I thought about that - how hard it will be to leave for good when I do. I have a pre-flight story to tell, and some commentary on the in-flight movies. But I think I will make my phone calls now and write while I wait.

Just one more thought: I just imagined waffles’ apple logo also containing red and green lights that only come on in the two weeks before Christmas and maybe…4 days after. Probably because there is a Starbucks right across from me and I think that Starbucks thinks it is Christmas.