I am fascinated by languages. The fact that people communicate via sounds that may sound like gibberish to me but is clearly understandable to them has always been a source of fascination to me. English is my native tongue and the only language spoken by me during childhood.
I remember feeling envious of my friends and classmates who spoke other languages. During my elementary school years, I had friends who spoke Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Greek, and Hindi. I always felt left out and envious whenever they spoke with their parents other languages. I found it amazing how they could understand what sounded like gibberish to me.
I became quite good at imitating languages. I would find myself repeating things that my Greek friend’s were saying when speaking with their parents. I remember my friend’s mother telling me that I am good at languages and should learn to speak Greek because I was repeating what they said very accurately. Unfortunately I had no idea what was being said.
During my middle school years, I was exposed to even more languages. I now had friends who spoke Hebrew, Korean, Russian, Farsi, Chinese, and Japanese. The Japanese boy spoke very little English but we got along great. He had the coolest clothes and was a break-dancer.
While attending high school, I was exposed to Tagalog, Punjabi, Romanian, Arabic, and Spanish. You can see a trend here… the older I got, the more multicultural my environment became. This is one of the blessings of living in Toronto.
Fast forward to my adult years and I found myself working at an awesome software company and studying accounting at night. I still had the language itch and decided to enrol in Spanish classes at Don Mills Secondary School.
I really enjoyed the class. Our teacher was from Mexico and treated us to a night at an authentic Mexican restaurant at the end of the course. She contacted the restaurant in advance and asked that all staff communicate with her students in Spanish only.
It was an interesting experience. I learned that Mexican food is completely different from that which is served at Taco Bell. Taco Bell is American food. Everything I ate was incredibly delicious. I felt stupid looking for items that I was used to finding at Taco Bell.
I did not further my studies in Spanish because I became too busy studying accounting. I simply did not have the time between working full-time and attending accounting classes part-time. I no longer had a social life. These were pretty dark days.
Somehow around 2011, I started to study the Korean language. I was no longer studying accounting after work and had more free time. I met a girl named Jessie at a local bar. After introductions, I asked her where she was from. She said she came from Korea to study English and gain work experience. I was amazed to find out that she came alone. At that time, the thought of me going overseas without my family scared me.
Somehow I took an interest in her language and she started to teach me. I would visit her often to enjoy some cold beer and study the Korean language. She eventually changed job locations to another bar even closer to my home. It was there that I met her co-worker who offered to be my Korean language tutor.
I went to that bar every evening for my language lessons. Both of my tutors filled my notebook with all sorts of texts. One evening, one of them told me that she was returning to Korea in a couple of months. She said that I should visit. I quickly agreed then wondered to myself later that night, did I actually just agree to fly half-way around the world? I had only been on a plane once for only 2 hours to Nova Scotia. There was no turning back. I had agreed to go and could not chicken out.
I have since been to Korea several times and made an unbelievable number of Korean friends in both Toronto and South Korea. Although I am not yet fluent, I can proudly say that I am a speaker of the Korean language. I had accomplished a childhood dream by acquiring a second language.
I plan to resume my Spanish studies someday. I would also like to learn French and one of the West African languages such as Igbo, Yoruba, Efik, Akan, Twi, or Ewe. I am also interested in the Japanese language and Chinese. I know a little Japanese. I am currently learning Nigerian Pidgin English which in many ways is remarkably similar to Jamaican patios.
One positive side to the pandemic is that it have given me more time to put towards studying the wide array of subjects that interest me. I have spent most of the time since March studying various aspects of computer programming. Yesterday I decided it was time to add Chinese to the list. I will also resume my Japanese studies.
Throughout the global pandemic, technology has proven to be vital in several ways. It has allowed many companies to continue working as they were while onsite. It has allowed retailers to continue selling goods. It has assisted in the delivery of restaurant food (although the service fees charged to these restaurants is another story). Technology during the pandemic has allowed people to keep their sanity by engaging in a virtual wold.
The live music and nightclub industry has been devastated by the pandemic. Bands, DJs, and singers no longer have venues to perform the arts they love dearly. Technology has enabled them to keep in touch with their fans.
I have heard about online events where different bands play live from their own residences as part of a virtual concert. Thanks to technology, music is still being recorded and released for sale as the various artists, DJs, and producers are able to do their own recording from several sites and have it mixed together at the end.
Defected Records has been hosting live, virtual music festivals every Friday. These festivals feature different DJs each week spinning both classics and the latest in house, techno, garage, disco, tech house, etc. Some of my favourite DJs appearing on Defected Records live streams are Carl Cox, Monki, Gorgon City, Sam Devine, Simon Dunmore, and Themba. In case you did not know, they are all house music DJs.
Speaking of house music, Pan Pot has been doing live shows from Berlin, Germany. One such show was performed while they operated a boat giving us a tour of the city via one of the rivers snaking through the city. Their specialty is tech house and they spin the latest and greatest songs of the genre.
Bodhi Satva is another favourite of mine. He hails from Central African Republic and is also a producer. He produces house music, but is known for a special sub-genre of house coined Ancestral Soul. He is the Godfather of Ancestral Soul which blends house music with traditional African instruments and vocals. He hosts a live show every Friday where he spins a nice mix of Ancestral Soul, soulful house, and classic house. This past Friday he also spun a new roots reggae track.
DJ Jazzy Jeff from Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince has been spinning live online throughout the pandemic. As I type this article, he is hosting a virtual Halloween show. He has guest video windows for fans to stream from their homes. The party is a mix of the good Hip Hop (1980s through 1990s), R&B, and dance music. Canada’s DJ Scratch Bastid just started spinning as I type. This is just awesome!
I had to take a break from writing this article because the music spun by Jazzy and Scratch was so good that I had to get up and dance! I got a pretty good workout from dancing and even doing some strength exercise while enjoying the show.
Since travel is severely restricted, I found another way to pass the time during the upcoming dark months of winter… virtual travel! I am both a rail fan and av geek. I play X-Plane 11 and Infinite Flight for aviation, and Train Sim World and Train Simulator 2021 for rail.
I found some enthusiasts on Twitch who live stream their flights or rail journeys. There are quite a few real-world pilots streaming X-Plane 11 on Twitch. These streams are interactive and viewers may ask questions during the show. The pilots are really cool and helpful towards those of us who are still learning to fly or are simply interested in aviation.
There is yet one more method for virtual travel… watching videos on YouTube. There are a lot of videos taken by people either walking or driving around cities and countryside in various lands. I watched an interesting walk through Moscow filmed in 4K. I also watched another filmed in London. I found a YouTuber who films drives around Abuja, Nigeria and its surrounding countryside. It is the next-best thing to being there. I will surely visit these cities after the pandemic.
I discovered that some of these events can be a cure for loneliness. I was feeling pretty down about the current semi-lockdown and its effect on Halloween. I decided to start writing this post because I realized I had not written to this site in nearly two weeks. While I was writing, I remembered that Jazzy Jeff was hosting a virtual Halloween party. I tuned in and resumed writing until the music made me take a break and dance. The party made me feel happy and forget about the situation that we are all in this year.
As a child, I had a fear of flying. Looking back, I can say it was an irrational fear. When I think about it, I believe that this fear came from watching movies involving plane crashes. It did not help that as I grew older, I was drawn to news articles about plane crashes. The thing that I feared most was drawing my attention via headlines.
I have always been fascinated by the world. I love reading about different countries and cultures. Geography was one of if not my favourite courses in school. I love maps. From childhood to this very day, I can often be found staring at maps. You know the old saying, “Google is your friend”? Well at times for me, “Google Maps is my friend.” I love perusing Google Maps and Google Earth. I also use KakaoMaps, Line, and Open Streetmap.
The older I became, the more curious I was about different countries and societies. I was blessed to have been born in the very diverse city of Toronto. Toronto is home to speakers of over 180 languages! I grew up with friends who they or their parents came from other countries.
There is only so much one can learn about different lands and cultures without truly experiencing them in the flesh. I dreamed of traveling but feared flying. This was akin to a tug of war within my very being.
In 2008, a dear friend of mine informed me that she would be returning home to Nova Scotia. We promised to keep in contact after her departure. While chatting one night, she mentioned something about the ocean to which I informed her that I had never seen the ocean. She excitedly demanded that I go to see her in Nova Scotia so that I may see the ocean. I could not say no.
My friend left for Nova Scotia soon after. She promised to text me as soon as she arrived. She was taking a bus because she had lost her identification and could not board an airplane.
I waited and waited for her text. I am the type of person who worries about those I care about. Twenty-six hours later, I received a text. She had arrived home and was safe and sound with her parents.
I was amazed to find out that the bus trip takes so long. Nova Scotia sure is far from Ontario. When I agreed to visit Nova Scotia, I had planned to take the train or bus. Discovering that the bus ride was so long, I realized that a trip there and back would use up two of my vacation days. There was no way I could waste so much time.
I searched online for plane trips and was amazed to discover that flights to Nova Scotia only took two hours! As a numbers guy, I just could not avoid the elephant in the room. I needed to fly. I feared flying. Something had to change and soon.
I started searching the Interwebs for all the information I could gather about airplanes and flight. The more I read, the more fascinated I became. I found articles by pilots who inspired me to lose my fear. One article in particular had the most impact on me.
This particular pilot absolutely loved flying. They loved flying so much that they spent some of their free time on a forum discussing all things aviation with people from all over the world. The passion these pilots had for flying really did encourage me to take on my fears.
I told you that I am a numbers guy…. well, I remember years prior, after surviving a horrific car accident, learning that we are 100,000x more likely to die in a car accident than a plane crash.
I started to research flight statistics and data. I studied aircraft and learned about air currents, thrust, engines, and flying techniques. I communicated with aviation enthusiasts and fans alike.
One evening, my friend Bob offered to take me to an air show! He brought me to an air show at Downsview. I had a fantastic time checking out all sorts of aircraft. They even had a life-size replica of the famed Avro Arrow!
I finally decided to buy a plane ticket. I did not have a passport since I had never flown before. When we were younger, we did not need a passport to drive into the USA, which was the only other country I had visited up until that year.
I bought the tickets and was both excited and nervous. I went to my family doctor and told him about my situation. He prescribed me some anti-anxiety pills to take before take-off.
I spent the morning of my flight texting with another friend Sabrina. She had decided to keep in contact with me upon learning that I was nervous about flying. She kept in touch with me throughout my airport experience right up to boarding the plane.
From the night before, I had conditioned myself to think that it might be my last night. I told myself not to worry and that if I don’t make it, it was meant to be.
I took the pill and laid back in my seat. The airplane started pushback (which is when it is pushed backwards away from the gate). When we arrived at the runway, I thought to myself, wow. I am finally going to do this.
To my horror, an announcement came over the speakers informing us that we will be delayed due to a mechanical problem.
Just my luck! My first time on a plane and there is a mechanical problem?
They shut down the power to the airplane and it started to get hot as the sun beamed through the windows on a hot June morning. I sat back in my seat trying hard not to think about what might happen. I heard noises coming from under the plane. It sounded like they were repairing something.
Forty-five minutes later, the captain announced that all is good and we will be taking off. We started going down the runway and I sat back in my seat and thought to myself, we are moving.
We are moving along the runway. This is getting fast. Why am I not panicking? I guess the pill is working. I feel relaxed. Let’s just sit back and look out the window.
We are lifting off. Wow. I am not afraid. This is amazing. I am in the air for the very first time. Wow. We are now above the clouds. I have never seen the tops of clouds before. It is so peaceful up here. I lived my entire life until this moment having only seen one side of the clouds. There must be millions of people who never seen this. This is so beautiful.
I really enjoyed the flight. It was a moment I will never forget. I was so happy to have finally conquered that irrational fear.
As we approached Halifax, Nova Scotia, our captain informed us that there is a heavy thunderstorm up ahead.
Just my luck! My first flight and first there was a mechanical problem, now a storm? Somehow I was not panicked. The pill really did allow me to not worry.
We landed safely and I was disappointed to not hear people cheering and clapping. It was then I realized that only in movies do people cheer upon landing. I was sure glad that I did not clap nor cheer, I would have looked foolish.
I had a wonderful time in Nova Scotia. My friend, her sister, and her best friend – another big guy just like myself, were the best hosts a guy could ever hope for on his first really vacation. They introduced me to all sorts of beautiful places.
One evening, we went out for a drive through Eastern Passage. It was a beautiful night for a drive just looking at the scenery. We stopped by a site which was the set for the Trailer Park Boys television series. We then drove to a beach and parked.
It was eerily quiet as we walked towards the water. Nobody said a word. I stopped, and prayed by the water. I had finally seen the ocean. I prayed for the souls of my many ancestors who were lost in the Atlantic Ocean during the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
When I was done praying, my friend approached me and told me that she somehow knew that I would want to do something like that when we arrived at the sea. She just had this feeling which is why she never said a word as we walked to the water’s edge. We all hugged and cheered and posed for photos. It was a special moment for me.
On the day of my return flight, we went to lunch at an incredible seafood restaurant called John’s Lunch. While driving to the airport, I received a text message from Air Canada informing me that my flight would be delayed due to stormy weather in the Toronto area.
Just my luck again! First a mechanical problem before takeoff in Toronto, then a thunderstorm before landing in Halifax, and now stormy weather in Toronto when I am scheduled to return?
Eventually my flight arrived and I boarded a different craft… this one was a brand-new Embraer E-190. It had that new-car smell! I had read about Air Canada purchasing these jets just days or weeks prior to my flight. I was thrilled to be riding a brand-new aircraft. The flight out of Toronto was on an Airbus A319. My first two flights were on different planes by different manufacturers. I thought this was pretty cool.
Air Canada Embraer E190 – My second flight (this craft was brand-new at the time) Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
As our plane approached the Greater Toronto Area, I noticed that the weather was perfect! Whatever storm held us back was long gone. It was a perfectly sunny day! Flying over Toronto was a treat. I was able to spot all sorts of landmarks on our way to Pearson International Airport. When we arrived near the airport, the plane banked right and made a circle to line up with the runway. This was really cool and the visual was stunning.
I arrived home safely and proud of my accomplishment. I continued to study airplanes and watch videos online. My next trip was to Asia… South Korea to be exact. My friends thought I was crazy to make that my second trip via airplane. Halifax, Nova Scotia is “only” 1,264 kilometres from Toronto. Seoul, South Korea is 10,594 kilometres away!!!
I have since flown several times around East Asia and even got into flight simulators via X-Plane 11 on PC and Infinite Flight on mobile. Flying is such a complex, yet rewarding task. I now understand why pilots are so enthusiastic about their profession. I have also purchased several books written by pilots, plane enthusiasts, and technical people involved in the industry.
Let us hope and pray that we all defeat this pandemic so that we may return to flying around the world. I dream of a day when I no longer live here full-time, but spend my time in several cities around the world.
