Thursday, December 18

December 16th... 5:40pm

This is day one. I am staring at carpet... That is, when I'm not staring at this pencil and the page beneath it. Every few minutes I glance out the enormous windows to somehow satisfy my curiosity regarding our flight. There isn't very much that glancing out the window provides in the way of updated info.

At one point, one jet plane (the largest I've seen so close up) went round in circles on the run way for seemingly no reason. It appears to have parked on the runway itself, blocking traffic... don't ask me though, because I'm Canadian, and apparently Canadians don't know anything.

I'm staring at the carpet wondering "Is this Canadian soil or American?" We have finally passed through the lineups, boarding pass area, border, and luggage checking area. We deduced that most of the officers assisting us MUST have been American, because they didn't laugh at our jokes or smile when we smiled at them. And that doesn't shine well for the American populous, but it's the most logical conclusion here at the border.

We have passed the border line where they scrupilously checked us and re-checked us to make sure that we aren't terrorist threats. So my question is, have we crossed onto American soil? Here in Calgary, beyond those winding hallways and 'dutiful' border patrol officers, is there an American sanctioned spit of land that is American soil? Is the carpet I am staring at, claimed or purchased by the Americans?

Anyway, our floight... well we missed it. The first one anyway. We are trying for the second one now. The first time we hadn't located my aunt yet because of a delayed connecting flight. So we re-scheduled and here we are. FINALLY.

No offense to Americans... I love most Americans. It's just the border patrol Americans who tend to show no emotion other than irratableness, and give off the distinctive aura of being smarter than all Canadians, thereby placing us kindly in the "Stupid Canadians" slot.

I look out the window again. It will be good to leave those mounds of snow behind. And the Americans.

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