Arrivals.

First of all, this article has been in the works for some time. Between finishing up second year University exams, going back and forth from Toronto and back home, to finally starting my summer job, I’ve been busy! The idea for this article struck me while I was waiting at Pearson Int’l airport for a friend to arrive from the U.K. For anyone who knows me, you know that Pearson Int’l is probably one of my favourite places to be. After having spent hours upon hours in the Departure lounges, surveying travellers, I’d become accustomed to the hectic atmosphere of this place. For me, it’s almost calming and enjoyable to be there.

However, I’ve never spent much time in the Arrivals area of the airport. The atmosphere is noticeably different. People are waiting anxiously for their friends and family to come through the sliding doors. Some are holding signs, some yell out people’s names, and many are hugging. What is it about picking up a loved one from the airport, even if they’ve only been gone for a week? It’s that sense of someone coming home, reconnecting and the comforting feeling in seeing familiar faces.

While I was waiting, I noticed a few women holding signs that read ‘C.E.E.F’, and wearing red vests. I quickly recognized them as the organizers for the exchange program I had participated in when I was sixteen. I went over and spoke to them, telling them I had once been a participant in their program, studying in France and they were delighted to hear that I had enjoyed my time abroad and that I was still keeping up with my French. They were welcoming home the Canadians who had just been abroad, like I had back in 2007.

As for me, I still prefer Departures. The feeling of a story yet to be told, of an adventure you've yet to embark upon. The contrasts between the two are great, but they both hold excitement- whether from the familiar or the unknown.

Arrivals or Departures? Which do you prefer?