The Land of Milk and Honey

by Deanne D'Silva (Canada)

A leap into the unknown India

From Bangalore to Mangalore. And Mangalore to Dubai. From Dubai to Toronto via Zurich and Montreal. This is my story. The story of a young, bright-eyed exchange student, from the Motherland to the Promised Land. As a student of a reputed university in India, I was offered the opportunity to move to Canada for an exchange program. In January 2019, I began my visa process; but this story doesn’t start there. Classes were to begin in September 2019 and on the 25th of August 2019, I received word from the officials, telling me to submit my passport as my visa was approved. The journey from the beginning until now had been long and hard, but I couldn’t be stopped. I needed this visa, at all costs. I wanted a better life for my family, and this move to Toronto would be step one. It was a close call. My family tried to convince me to continue in India, but I couldn’t! Not after eight long months of pushing for it. And so, we begin my story on the 29th of August 2019. The day I received my student visa. I fondly remember stepping out of the office and bawling happy tears, at seven o'clock in the morning. Tears of success. I then ran back to the little motel I stayed at to get onto the next bus back to Mangalore, to my grandmother. Back in India, I was staying with my grandmother in my parent’s apartment in Mangalore. I didn’t sleep a wink that night. My grandmother had cooked me a delicious dinner while I packed my whole life in India and flew to Dubai the next morning. I was leaving after two years in the Motherland. Even though I was born and raised in Dubai, I left a piece of me in India. And so, I landed in Dubai, to spend one last day with my family before I’m unable to meet them for a year. My Mom had gone out of her way to celebrate by booking rooms at the Fairmont for the night. It was a fun night of movies and games with my brother and sister. The next day, I ate a hearty breakfast and played in the pool. I checked out and went home to pack for the trip to come. Upon reaching the airport, after all the formalities of security and immigration, I finally was to board my flight when suddenly, the official tore my ticket in front of me. For a second, I thought I was in trouble! But he handed me a business class ticket! I was treated to a long flight of champagne, cheese, and pastries, I landed in the lovely airport of Zurich. Zurich’s airport has one unique feature. For selected periods, passengers can wait for their flights on an open deck from which they can watch planes take off and land. I was blessed with the opportunity to sit on that deck and watch the flights. The weather was perfect and the mountains serene. I was alone on that deck and loved every minute of it. Those few hours I sat there waiting for my flight to Montreal were beautiful. I felt at peace there. My flight to Montreal was long. From the skies, I saw the coastline of the United Kingdom, sparkling blue waters and lush white clouds. My trip through Montreal was an hour-long, I raced through all the formalities and, thankfully, made it in time for my final flight. The flight to Toronto was quick but it made me realize that after all the trouble I had been through, I had made it. On reaching Toronto, my aunt greeted me with a hug and took me to her house. That night she opened a bottle of wine to celebrate my coming to Canada. Eight months of running behind a visa. Eight months of struggling. Eight months of begging God for help had paid off. I was here. I took my leap of faith. I was in a strange land but I had made it. I landed in Canada on the 1st of September 2019. My Promised Land. The Land of Milk and Honey.