Power of the People

by Benjamin Hughes (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

A leap into the unknown Canada

I had been in Canada twenty eight days. I was now alone. I had flown, at random, to Montreal. It was mid November and the air was crisp but there was no snow. The city however, with its white and grey skies, had a bleak sense of impending winter about it. If truth be told, I’d never felt more alone than I did at this time. I had booked one week in a shared dorm. I was no stranger to hostels, or travelling, but this time it was different. I was thrown into this situation unexpectedly and suddenly. I had left a job in Manitoba, where I had planned to stay for five months. Now I was here, with no income, plan or direction. I sat on my bed feeling dazed and hopeless, doubting myself immensely. Then, something happened. A voice awoke me from my momentary lapse. “Hey, did you just get here?” “Yes” I replied woefully. “You want to go check out this building with me?” Habitat 67 was the building he was talking about, an impressive feat of architecture that serves as an apartment complex. He was an aspiring architect it turns out. His name was Rick. I agreed to join him. I followed him down busy streets, over bridges, through parks and even hopped over some small walls and between construction sites. Rick didn’t like going the easy way. He said, in a light hearted way, “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey”. As much as it’s a worn out, cliché quote amongst travelers, he spoke it with an innocent demeanor which, in his Dutch accent, appeared genuine. We spoke periodically as the journey unraveled. I told him about the recent events that had led to me being alone in Montreal that day. “Hey man”, he said, “I’m going to get us a beer at the bar when we get back. Sounds like you could do with one”. The next morning when I woke up, Rick had already left for the USA. He had left a message though, encouraging me to seize the day and take any opportunities that were given to me. And that was that. I did as Rick said. I continued from that moment with a new spirit of determination and drive. I met more people in that hostel, from all over the globe. We were all strangers initially, friends soon after. We walked the city, went to hidden jazz bars, ate poutine and partied every night. I spent a week on a farm in Ontario, working in exchange for food and accommodation. Stories shared on that farm gave me new perspectives and compassion. I returned to Montreal, volunteering for two months at a different hostel. I discovered incredible friendships here and truly fell in love with a unique, vibrant city. I flew west to Kamloops. It wasn’t my kind of place so I hitchhiked to Calgary. My driver was a young man from Edmonton. I said it’s my first time hitchhiking, he said it was his first time picking one up. We laughed and talked throughout the whole journey. I found a job in the awe-inspiring town of Banff. I stayed for six months. I savored every moment. It felt like paradise. I made incredibly special connections with people I now call lifelong friends. Sometimes we didn’t even speak much of the same language. It didn’t matter. After a month camping across the USA, I crossed the border and returned to Montreal. I saw some familiar faces and fell in love with it all over again. I then drifted East to finish my trip, staying at the family home of a girl I had met in Banff. They showed me true Canadian hospitality. There were good people in every single place I visited. One year had passed. It was the most important year of my life. What Rick didn’t know was that his simple gesture of kindness and friendship would turn a page for me. From that moment, everything changed. I started from scratch. I reinvented myself. I went solo. I became a confident, extroverted person. I learnt and I grew. I experienced true, immeasurable happiness.