Canada

From 2012 to 2016, my family has been in Canada for 4 years. After Christmas in 2016, my husband and I decided to visit the capital city, Ottawa, to have a different New Year’s experience in Canada.

It was a long drive from Fredericton to Ottawa. We left early in the morning and arrived after sunset. The view of the landscape from the highway was totally different from the view in the summer time. Snow covered everything and it made the scenery more fascinating. Although we just sat in the car, everyone was exhausted at the end of the first day.

The next day, to my surprise, everyone was revived. We headed for the Canada aviation and Space Museum. It is an amazing place that exhibits all, from an early aircraft to the international space station. You can see how huge the progress in aviation and space area in recent 120 years was.

Then, we visited Canadian Museum of History. In the grand hall, we saw the world’s largest indoor collection of totem poles. The first people in Canada did not have aircraft to leave this land but they made spectacular totems to show their ambitions to reach the space. Although we are from different places, we all have the same dream to explore the same sky. We spent the second day in these two incredible museums and it made the trip worthwhile.

The third day was the last day in 2016 and we visited the Canadian Museum of Nature. There was a special exhibition about reptiles. We saw many kinds of live snakes, turtles and lizards. Although they were alive, they did not move much. I guessed they did not enjoy exercise at all. That evening, we went to Parliament Hill to celebrate and participate in the launch of the 150th anniversary of Confederation. It was a very snowy and cold night. Before we walked into the centennial flame area, we needed to pass a security inspection just like taking a flight. After the security check, many people had already gathered there to kick off 2017. I believed that everyone had a burning heart to support their frozen body. People exchanged greetings and smiles, and then, at the climax, a Pyromusical fireworks show was coming. The New Year’s Eve party ended after the fireworks.

The first day of 2017, we left Ottawa unwillingly. It was time to go back to work or study. The whole trip was like Rip Van Winkle’s dream to me. I think it was an extraordinary experience I will remember for a long time.