Having gone to a French High School, most of my friends have gone off to college outside of the United States, so the closest flock of friends I have lies at McGill, in Quebec, the farthest possible part of Canada from Los Angeles. I somehow thought it would be a great idea to take a "little" trip to Canada for the long weekend. It was time to take a break from college, get back in touch with what was familiar, and just take it easy.

The plan was simple : take the red eye there, land Friday morning, spend a solid 4 days there, take the red eye back, land Tuesday morning, right on time for my midterm... lets just say it's a good thing that midterm was pushed back.

Thursday

6:30 PM : Come home to a roommate fast asleep, *quietly* scramble to pack whatever little weather appropriate clothing I have for -10F weather, if such exists.

7 PM : Get a call from an RA asking me how late I am running to the meeting... uhhh... oops.

7:30 PM : Inhale whatever I could get for dinner in under 15 minutes.

7:45 PM : Finish packing, shower, get out of said shower, but choose only now to check traffic. Panic because I should have left 15 minutes ago.

8:30 PM : Safely on my way to the airport.

9:10 PM : Flight boards in 10 minutes, TSA agent is giving people "time outs" for bringing liquids to the security point. How amusing.

9:30 PM : Flight attendant announces that those sat in zones 4 and 5 will most likely have to have their carry on luggage checked in because the flight is full - I had a connecting flight, so this was a BIG red flag.

9:50 PM : Safely board the flight, luggage stayed with me, knock out before we even take off - everything is looking great.

Friday

4 PM (EST) : Brutal landing, I can feel the cold through the window and instantly regret wearing a crop top.

4:15 AM : Realize I slept through the flight attendant handing out customs forms - scramble around Toronto airport to find a form and a pen.

4:30 AM : Pass customs, agent asked so many questions I didn't know if it was customary or if he was trying to be friendly. Can you tell I'm not a morning person?

4:45 AM : After getting off that little bus we all love that takes you from one terminal to the next, airport security fails to open doors to terminal, leaving us inappropriately dressed travelers to freeze.

5 AM : Arrive at gate, instinctively join the 20 minute line at Starbucks - anything to stay awake.

5:30 AM : Flight in an hour, senses are blurring.

6 AM : Only 25% present

6:30 AM : Still no sign of a plane.

7 AM : Still no sign of a plane.

7:30 AM : Zone 1 boards, I've upgraded from zone 5 to zone 3 - reason to celebrate.

9:30 AM : Brutally awoken by flight attendant, but I have made it to Montreal.

10 AM : Perform a little "will she or will she not exit" dance in front of the doors, can my body really handle -10 F ?

10:30 AM : Safely make it to McGill, where I am greeted by my friends, and instantly fall asleep.

Tuesday

4:30 AM : Alarm rings, three hours after I fell asleep...

5 AM : Order Uber, only a New Yorker would expect 2 things : traffic, and an overload of Uber drivers, ready to pick up those early risers. I was wrong about both.

5:20 AM : Uber picks me up, but lack of traffic compensates for the delay.

6 AM : Confirmation that Canadians are TOO friendly after being entertained by a local TSA agent with a thick Quebec accent in the security line.

6:30 AM : Customs at departure ! How fun ! Thought the joke was on them because I have Global Entry, only to find out all New York residents were no longer eligible for Global Entry (hate to break it to you).

7:10 AM : Make it through the long, long line, just in time to board.

7:30 AM : I am once again asleep before take off.

10 AM (PST) : I am home, and let me tell you, I have never felt more blessed to be living in California.

11 AM : Arrive at my dorm, no roommates to greet me, let alone distract me from all the studying I did not do over the long weekend.

Ignorance is bliss. If I had known how tired I would be, how hectic the traveling would be, that the US government no longer trusts me as a New York resident, and how difficult it is to understand Quebec French, maybe I would have avoided the trip altogether, and I can safely say that I'm glad I didn't. There's nothing like getting a taste of home every once in a while, and it's well worth the hassle.