Gettin’ Carried Away

I’ve been to Canada twice. The first time, I was 17 years old, and I was traveling with my high school chorus. The second time, I was just a year older, and I attended the World Youth Day festivities with my church’s youth group. If you don’t know what the heck World Youth Day is, don’t worry, I’ll explain later. Anyway, I feel that some people don’t give our neighbor to the north enough credit. There’s plenty to do and see up there. You just have to be willing to take the trip! Here’s what I did about six years ago.

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At my high school, every other year, either the chorus or the orchestra gets to take a trip somewhere within North America. Some students have traveled to New York City, Atlanta or San Francisco! So when I was told that we would be traveling to Toronto, ON Canada, I was less than excited. Same goes for my trip with my church’s youth group.

My church was planning to send interested members of the youth group to World Youth Day in Canada. World Youth Day is an international event that attracts young adults from all over the world who share similar beliefs in the Catholic faith. This event takes place every three years, and has been held in places such as Rome, Buenos Aires, Paris and, most recently, Sydney.

The idea of the festival sounded amazing! I’d get to see the Pope and meet other kids from all over the world. However, the location seemed boring. I was even more perturbed when I discovered that both my chorus and my youth group would be driving on coach buses for a little over nine hours there and back. However, I decided to give it a chance, and I am so glad I did. Here’s why…

1. No parents

Sure, you have chaperones and teachers accompanying you on the trip. But how often do you get to go to another country by yourself, without one of your own parents?

2. Road trip!

A nine hour drive may be daunting, but there are many ways to make the time go by faster! First of all, on my first journey to Canada, I was on a bus with 40 or 50 girls in my class. There was lots of story telling and joke telling. And did I forget to mention that my first visit to Canada was a chorus trip? One of my favorite things to do is to sing. I do it all the time, and I can’t go a day without listening to music. Luckily, many of my classmates shared that passion, and we sang, complete with harmonies, for much of the drive.

And when it came to my youth group, I was traveling with friends I’d known since was I was four years old! I think the farthest we’d ever traveled was to Springfield, the capital of Illinois, on an 8th grade school field trip. You also get to drive through some amazing U.S. states and stop at an oasis or two for some snacks!

3. Niagara Falls

This natural wonder rests between Buffalo, New York USA and Toronto, Ontario Canada. It’s beautiful. It serves a purpose (as a source of hydroelectric power). It’s been attracting tourists since the 18th century!

4. Exploring

On school/church trips, you are more than likely going to do tons of sightseeing. Aside from Niagara Falls, I’ve also visited the CN Tower (which was the tallest free standing structure in the world for 31 years) and I was able to attend a performance of The Lion King (a hit Broadway musical)! And even though we were chaperoned, we were also given some freedom to roam around close by, and we were given designated times to meet the group at a spot in the city or at the hotel. This means we were able to shop at local malls or sit on park benches and people watch!

Keep in mind, there is plenty more out there in Canada land. If you are not at the mercy of a group, get out there and explore! Check out this cool site for some suggestions.